Watering orchids
When it comes to caring for your orchid, watering comes first! Watering your orchid is the most important task you have as a plant parent. Your orchid doesn’t want too much water, and certainly not too little. Wondering how best to water your orchid? Our grower Rob has listed his best tips for watering orchids, so you don’t have to look any further! In this article, we’ll tell you all about it. Read on!
The best tips for watering your orchid
There are several ways to water your orchid. How much and how often you should water a phalaenopsis also depends on various factors.
- ✔️ Standard watering once a week
- ✔️ Fully submerge the nursery pot
- ✔️ Check the roots before watering
- ✔️ Preferably use lime-free water (e.g., rainwater)
- ✔️ Use lukewarm water
How often should you water an orchid?
In principle, you can count on watering your orchid once a week. Depending on the temperature and the season, this can also be less or more frequent. In a hot summer, your orchid will be thirstier and need more water. In the cold months of autumn and winter, you can safely water your orchid once every two weeks.
TIP | Before you start watering the orchids, always check the roots in the plastic nursery pot. These will tell you if they are thirsty or if they still have enough water.
- Are the roots light grey? Then give them water, because they are dry.
- Are the roots dark green? Then they have enough water. You don’t need to water them.
How should you water an orchid?
There is a lot to read about how to water orchids, but what is the best way? Our grower Rob has years of experience and has tested all the options, such as ice cubes, shot glasses, watering with a watering can, and much more. But how should you actually water an orchid?
Submerge it in water! Unlike many other houseplants, orchids love to be completely submerged for about 10 minutes. The roots can then absorb as much water as they need, so they can easily last another week!
How long should you soak an orchid?
Submerging is easiest by dipping the nursery pot into a bucket of water. Leave the orchid’s plastic nursery pot in the water for 5 minutes. Then lift the orchid in its nursery pot out of the decorative pot and let the water drain well. Now you can put your orchid back in the decorative pot and it can enjoy its fresh water.
Leave the roots in the nursery pot
Please note! Do not pull the roots out of the plastic nursery pot! Unlike other plants, an orchid does not grow in soil but has aerial roots (in nature, orchids grow on trees; these types of plants are known as epiphytes). If you pull the orchid out of the plastic nursery pot, you won’t be able to get it back in properly.
Type of water for your orchid
TIP | Tap water is fine, but rainwater is even better! Tap water contains lime. If you have the opportunity to collect rainwater at home, feel free to do so and give rainwater to your orchid! This will allow you to enjoy your orchid even longer.
Can you water an orchid with a watering can?
You can water your orchid with a watering can, but it’s not the best step to take. With a watering can, it’s easy to give too much water, and you can’t see how much water is already in the pot. If you do water your orchid with a watering can, make sure that a layer of water never remains in the pot! This can cause root rot, which is harmful to the plant.
New: watering system for orchids!
Have you tried all the methods, but watering an orchid is just “not for you”? Do you sometimes find it difficult to give them the right amount of water or do you forget to water them? Then we have good news for you! Our new watering system for orchids makes caring for your orchid a piece of cake.
With this handy system, you never have to doubt the right amount of water again, and your orchids can grow and bloom optimally. This works even better than submerging! Put it in a nice spot in your home, fill the pot with water, and enjoy!
By using a special wick and pot, you can give exactly the right amount of water and your orchid always has exactly enough. And a nice extra benefit is that our orchids stay in bloom longer because of this. With our new system, we can give a flowering guarantee of no less than 100 days! A very long time that you won’t find anywhere else.
Tip! Want to know more about this? We’ve written a separate blog post about it.
Watering orchids with ice cubes?
A popular method for watering an orchid is using ice cubes. The ice cubes melt slowly, allowing the roots to absorb the water gradually. It also makes it easy to determine the right amount of water.
However, we advise against watering with ice cubes because it is too cold for the orchid. Orchids don’t like the cold, so it’s best to water at room temperature.
Tips for the best care of your favorite plant
Kolibri Company is the orchid specialist of Europe. In our own nursery in Naaldwijk, we grow the most beautiful orchids ourselves. Our grower Rob therefore knows better than anyone how to best care for orchids.
Want even more tips on how to best care for your orchid? Read all about orchid care here. Here you will find all the information and tips regarding the right location, orchid food, dust, the flowering period, air, heating, yellow leaves, and many more care tips.
Tips for watering orchids video
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