Watering orchids in the morning is recommended to allow their leaves to dry and prevent bacterial growth overnight. Use water low in alkalinity, such as rainwater, distilled water, or reverse osmosis water. If you have a dehumidifier in your home, the water collected in the tray is excellent for watering. Reverse osmosis (RO) watering for orchid health involves softening, dechlorination, and anti-scalent treatment, which can be expensive for orchid care.
One effective method for proper orchid watering is using the sink, which allows for thorough watering while ensuring the correct pH and water softness. A purifying unit (RO) can produce as much purified water as you want, filtering through a membrane. To water your orchids, use luke-warm water and water the roots and potting media only, making sure to water evenly. Avoid letting water get into the orchid crown or on the leaves, but if it does, dry it off.
Many orchids and plants will do better with more pure water like RO, as long as you add back minerals and nutrients. A standard residential system is a 4:1 system, with 4 gallons of incoming water producing 1 gallon of pure water and the remaining gallons being filtered through a membrane. The end product is similar, probably indistinguishable for purposes of orchid growing.
Aerating an RO reservoir for growing orchids can provide oxygenation, temperature regulation, and help control algae growth. It is important to note that the differences in water production are largely due to how the water is produced.
📹 What’s the Best Water for Orchids? Hard, Soft, Distilled, Rain or Well, Reverse Osmosis..
When it comes to watering orchids, there’s so much misinformation out there, that it leads to bad habits and the eventual death of …
What should you not do with an orchid?
Orchids are the largest and most diverse flowering plant family, with over 880 genera and 22, 000 species. They are typically tropical plants, living as epiphytes or “air plants” hanging on trees for support. Some are lithophytes or “rock plants” growing on or among rocks, while the remaining orchids are terrestrials growing in the loamy detritus of the jungle floor.
To give general guidelines on orchid care, there are only several dozen species widely produced and even fewer available at local nursery. Hybrids, created by crossing different species and genera, are often sold at nurseries, florists, hardware chain stores, and groceries. These hybrids have desirable characteristics such as color, fragrance, flower size, and ease of care, outperforming the challenges of pure orchid species. Today’s orchid hybrids are rewarding house plants to grow and relatively easy to care for if understanding their basic needs is taken.
Should you use filtered water for orchids?
Orchids thrive in pure water with appropriate fertilizer, but it’s important to assess the water supply. Hard water, which contains high levels of calcium, magnesium, and iron carbonates, can be harmful to plants due to buildup on faucets, cooking utensils, and pots. This can interfere with nutrient uptake and may cause dull leaves. To ensure optimal orchid growth, it’s crucial to check the water supply, whether it’s hard, chlorinated, or softened.
Is rain water bad for orchids?
Rainwater is a natural source of moisture for orchids, as it is free from chlorine and fluoride, and contains nitrogen and oxygen.
What is the best way to water orchids?
The text discourages the use of ice cubes as a means of rehydrating plants, instead advocating for a more plant-specific approach.
What is the proper way to water orchids?
To maintain optimal conditions for an orchid plant, it is recommended to water it with lukewarm water and allow it to drain for approximately fifteen seconds.
Do orchids need RO water?
Orchid care watering needs vary by species, grow medium type, plant size, climate, and season. Water sources for orchids include rain, tap water, reverse osmosis, and distilled water. It is crucial to check the total dissolved salts and pH level of the water before watering. Temperature is also a significant factor in orchid care.
Rainwater, obtained from rainfall, dew, and humidity, is ideal for orchid care watering. If you don’t have a built-in water catchment system, consider using a rain barrel to harvest rainwater. Tap water is the most common source, but it should be rated as hard or soft based on total dissolved salts. A rating of less than 100 parts of total dissolved salts per million is considered soft, between 100 and 200 parts per million tds is medium soft, and above 200 parts per million is hard water.
To determine the PH level of tap water, use a TDS PPM meter or ask your local water municipality for a report. A neutral to acidic PH level of PH 7 or lower is ideal, and hard water usually has a higher more alkaline Ph level. Orchids respond best to softer water and lower Ph values.
In conclusion, orchid care watering needs vary by species, grow medium type, plant size, climate, and season. It is essential to check the total dissolved salts and pH level of tap water before watering.
What is the disadvantage of reverse osmosis water?
Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems have several disadvantages, including removing most minerals from water, leaving it with an acidic pH, flushing up to 20 gal of water for every gallon of filtered water produced, taking too long to filter water compared to whole-house water filter systems, and being costly. RO systems can take 2 to 4 hours to filter nearly 3 gallons of water, making it take all day to filter enough water for everyone in the home. Additionally, RO systems can be expensive, with some whole-home units costing thousands of dollars, resulting in significant water wasted.
Is distilled water better than RO water for plants?
Rainwater is the best water for plants due to its clean, chemical-free nature and high oxygen content. It promotes faster nutrient intake and plant growth by forming larger roots. Rainwater should be warmed to room temperature. Water purified without salt is ideal for cacti, succulents, tropical plants, and other houseplants. Filtered water removes toxins while retaining essential minerals and nutrients. Despite its muddy appearance, used water from fish tanks can be beneficial for plants, as it can be recycled and fertilized with nutrient-rich, chlorine-free water.
Are orchids sensitive to tap water?
Orchids can be watered using various types of water, including drinking water, tap water, rain water, purified water, distil water, and de-ionized water. Drinking water is suitable for orchids if it is good for them, but it should be used with caution due to the presence of dissolved salts and potential damage to sensitive roots.
Tap water is good quality, but be cautious when watering sensitive orchids as it can leave white spots on surfaces after drying. Rain water is sometimes more polluted than tap water due to air impurities. Purified water, such as reverse osmosis (RO) water, removes dissolved salts from water, which can be detrimental to orchid growth.
Distil water, which has no dissolved salts and a pH of 7, is not recommended for orchids as it lacks minerals and does not provide adequate mineral nutrition. De-ionized water is even more pure than distil water and removes minerals and ions. Regular fertilization is necessary for orchids to maintain their mineral supply.
The ancient Chinese also recommended early morning mist for orchids, placing them outside on grass during the night. If mist does not occur, rain water is recommended, followed by pond water and then river water. However, well-water (underground) water should not be used.
To avoid harming orchids, avoid using soft water, as it is often high in sodium salt and can harm delicate roots and growing tips.
Is tap water safe for orchids?
Tap water is generally suitable for use with orchids in some states due to its low dissolved solids content. However, in many states, tap water has too many dissolved solids, making it difficult for orchid hobbyists to understand the issue. There are four types of water used: rain, RO, tap, and well.
The quality of water directly impacts the quality of the fertilizing solution used on orchids. If the pH is too high or low, the orchids may not be able to consume all the nutrients provided in the fertilizer, leading to nutrient deficiencies. The type of water and fertilizer also affect the pH of the resulting fertilizer and water solution.
To test the pH of the fertilizing solution, pH test strips are the simplest method. pH is affected by two primary factors: the pH of the fertilizing solution and the pH of the orchid mix. Over time, the orchid mix breaks down, adding fertilizer and water with their own pH, leaving residue.
Several methods can be used to test the pH of the orchid mix, and commercial growers typically test the pH every few weeks. One method is the “pour-thru” method, which involves pouring RO water through a plant an hour after watering, then testing the “leachate” using a pH test strip. This method is simple, accurate, and low-cost, making it a valuable tool for orchid hobbyists.
What type of water is best for orchids?
Rainwater or melted snow is the best water for orchids due to its nitrogen content and lack of chemicals used to treat tap water. Regular tap water is suitable, but ice cubes can be used to water orchids without harming the plant. Place up to three ice cubes on top of the potting medium once a week, ensuring they don’t touch the leaves.
Misting orchids by hand isn’t recommended, as they prefer higher humidity levels. Instead, place orchid pots on a humidity tray, which is a shallow basin with pebbles. Fill the tray with water, ensuring it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pots. Running a humidifier in the room where the orchids live also works.
Watering tools for indoor and outdoor plants include a watering can, watering wand, and self-watering plants. A soil meter can help determine when to water the plants and prevent getting your hands dirty. Indoor watering can be done from the kitchen faucet or rainwater collected from the garden, while outdoor watering can be done using a watering wand or garden hose.
📹 No More Hard Tap Water: Reverse Osmosis System for my Orchids
Do you have very hard tap water, there is no opportunity for you to collect rain water and maybe your orchids look a bit sad?
That’s some ‘bad-ass’ tap water – many don’t realise the importance of good base water – especially if you start adding fertilisers as well. That is the same unit I bought last Spring and it does a great job (I try and use the ‘waste water’ on my outdoor tubs and garden.) I find it VERY difficult to find good/reliable info on the levels of feed for each orchid type so with some of mine it’s a guess based on guidelines like ‘high feeder’ or ‘very low’ (Disas). I also use the Akerne’s Rain Mix as this is specially formulated for rain or RO water. I have noticed an improvement since changing to all this. It’s a great little unit. It also means when I give the plants a flush they get a ‘pure water’ flush and as a direct result of getting this gadget – I CAN now grow Disas! Good vid, informative.
Very interesting and informative article. The water in my city is quite soft, so I can use tap water for all my orchids. Years ago I used to collect rain water, just to be sure, but I didn’t notice any changes after changing to tap water. In some places in Finland the water is hard, and I know some people who use reverse osmosis. But I think I will buy a TDS meter at some point, because specially after perusal a article by Brad (Brad’s Greenhouse) in which he showed how many salts accumulated in an orchid’s pot, that made me very curious. Thanks for sharing!
This was super informative article Bumblebee, as my municipal water is on the hard side for orchid growing. I’ve been considering installing a home RO system, but I am put off by the amount of water it wastes just to produce one liter (our water is tap water here is quite expensive as it is produced by a desalination plant). I have looked into zero discharge RO systems, but have not found any inexpensive ones for the home. Could I ask you where you purchased your RO system? I really like how you are able to retrieve the discharged water for other uses. Your standard home RO systems discharge the water down the drain and it can get really expensive.