Orchid Watering Suggestions
We should appreciate orchid and other flower fanciers, in part, for the recentpush to make full use of the water that reaches our homes, in particular that which comes down as rain. If you are an orchid grower orchids, this is a topic you might want to investigate.
Orchids, like other plants, have specific likes and dislikes as to the water provided them to nourish their roots. Most of them do not like hard water. Unfortunately, the water that comes out of the taps in many places is too hard for orchids to respond as well as we might like. Rarely will hard water actually kill them. But it could possibly stunt their growth or prevent them from blooming as gorgeously as they might.
A saving grace about orchids is the fact that they have thick, fleshy roots that can stand up to hard water better than many other sorts of plants. Woody plants, as an example, with their fine roots, are too often killed by water that is too hard. Nevertheless you should take steps to get around using hard water on your orchids.
There are filters you can buy to place on your water line that will make your water less hard while blocking many impurities that would be bad for humans and plants both. But nothing is better than good old rainwater when it comes to your orchids! After all, this is the kind of water that Mother Nature provides to plants the world over.
A number of companies produce rain barrels that are perfect for catching and storing rainwater until you want to use it. Many people set up the barrels below the rainspouts coming from their roofs. With a little planning and work, you could set up a bank of barrels to channel water directly to your orchids. Then the watering task, assuming you live in a fairly rainy area, becomes nearly hands free.
Whatever water you use, don’t put it on your plants if it has a chill on it. For example, I would never use water taken from an outdoor faucet on a cold day, without first bringing it to room temperature in my home or in the greenhouse. Cold water can result in spots on the plant, rot the growths and damage the roots.
Some orchids will benefit from water with a little lime mixed in it. In years gone by, people noticed that imported Cypripedium orchids often were covered in chalky lime deposits owing to the plants having grown in limestone rock crevices where the water trickled down upon them. So if you have a Cypripedium, you could experiment with adding lime to its water, a little at first and then more if you determine that the plant is responding well to it.
The art of orchid cultivation is an intriguing topic. Orchid growing is not as hard as some people like to make it out to be, but you must arm yourself with solid information before plunging in to this rewarding pastime.
The most thorough guide to modern orchid care, in the opinion of many, is Orchid Care Expert by a Mr. Nigel Howard, which may be downloaded from the Internet. Mr. Howard’s ebook is a complete education in itself, suitable for neophytes as well as the more experienced. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-expanding database of entries on all facets of orchid cultivation.
