Submitted by: Richard Schultz
Almost beginner orchid growers normally confront the issue of watering: how often do I water, and how much? As watering is critical to insuring your orchids survival, these are significant concerns.The symptoms of over-watering and under-watering are superficially similar since the consequence of both practices is the same – beaten-up or destroyed root systems, which leave an unhealthy orchid. The inclination is to step-up watering instead of scrutinizing the roots.
Over-watered roots will be brown and mushy while those on under-watered plants will be white or gray and obviously dry.A lot of orchids are destroyed by inappropriate watering than by any other cause.
The large bulk of orchids developed by hobby growers are epiphytes, growing on trees above the ground where the light is ample. These plants are adapted to having their roots exposed to both light and air. The central substance of an epiphytic orchid root is covered with a spongelike material called velamen planned to store water. When this spongy material is continually wet too long, the central core chokes and gets to rot. Once the roots begin to rot, the plant can no longer absorb water in the right way and a entirely new set of problems begin. At worst, root rot will scatter and spread into the rootstalk and cause the demise of the plant. In other cases, the deprivation of roots prevents the plant from soaking up adequate water to sustain the plant in good condition and the leaves will take on a crumpled appearance.
Symptoms of Over watering
What are the signs of an over watered orchid?
The leaves are turning yellowish becoming soft and pleated. In addition your orchid may also suffer bud blast (all of the buds fall off before they open). If you examine the roots out of the pot,it may be soggy, mushy and black
There are several signs of dehydration which include the following symptoms:
1) Pleated leaves on orchids like miltonias
2) Overly dried-up pseudobulbs (calloused, bloated stems) of some orchids, like cattleyas
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeAzZ3rj7K4[/youtube]
3)Droopy, soft, and puckered leaves on cattleyas
4) Yellow and limp bottom leaves on phalaenopsis
5) Bud blast (in which the buds fall off instead of opening) on all orchids.To assess whether over- or under watering has induced these symptoms, you have to inspect the orchid from its pot and check to see what’s going on with the root system.
To ascertain whether you’ve under- or over watered your orchid follow these steps:
1) Invert the orchid plant in its pot, upside-down.
2)softly tap a hard object (like the handle of a gardening tool) against the pot to loosen the potting material.Cup your hand over the surface of the pot to control the loosened potting material while it falls out. Set this over a workbench or a table covered with clean paper to contain the potting material is a nice, neat approach.
3).If the potting material doesn’t loosen easily, use a thin knife to encircle the inside of the pot to loosen the potting material from the wall of the pot. In some situations, the potting material may be so compactly attached into the pot that it won’t fall out easily.
4). When the orchid is removed from the pot, inspect the potting material.Is it soggy? Does it have a bad (rotting) smell? Are the roots dark and mushy? These are all signs of over watering.If the
oots are dry and lean, not rigid and plump, and have no more or a few growing root tips, the orchid probably hasn’t received adequate water. Maybe the potting material may be too coarse,resulting in poor contact with the roots or you havent watered the orchid adequately.
5).If after your inspection and the roots look ok, then re pot the orchid in new and fresh potting material
When to water?
Orchids should be watered depending on the type of orchid that you have. What i mean, it shouldnt be left out to dry long enough before you water it. This rule applies to all orchids contingent upon whether your plant has pseudobulbs (thickened stems that are designed to store water) or not. Orchids such as cattleyas and oncidiums should be permitted to just dry completely between waterings while orchids such as phalaenopsis and vandas that have no water storage organs should be watered just before dryness occurs. For vandas, this may mean daily watering during the warm summer months. Vandas and ascocendas that are adequately watered will have actively thriving root tips at all times. If the root tips on your plants dry up and seal over,you are not watering often enough.
Unfortunately no magic formula for watering exists because your growing area is different from anyone else. There are several factors which will affect the development of your orchid. Humidity, air movement, potting medium (type and age) and light levels all play a role. There are numerous ways to ascertain when a potted orchid is almost dry out:
a) the opencast of the potting mix will look dry.
) dry pots will feel lighter when lifted;
c) clay pots feel dry;
d) a wooden stake or skewer stuck in into the potting mix will appear almost dry out. If in doubt, a finger stuck in into the potting mix is the best way to find out if the moisture content of the potting mix.It will cause no harm to the plant. And remember, fresh potting mix will always dry out faster than the old medium.
How to water?
When watering orchids the how’s of watering is just as important to proper culture as when to water. There are several rules of thumb for watering Initially, when orchids are watered, they should be watered abundantly. Water should be provided until it runs freely from the drainage holes. This serves several functions. First, thorough, ample watering is essential to soak the potting medium.
In addition, thorough watering helps to flush away the salts that naturally accumulate in the potting medium from the dissolved salts in our water supplies and the fertilizers applied for good growth. Also, this is your opportunity to examine how the potting mix behaves. If the water is not rapidly absorbed through the pot, the potting mix is too compact and dense and you run the risk of depriving the roots for air. If you see finely divided material that looks like coffee grounds in the water coming from the drainage holes, your potting mix is breaking down and it’s time to re pot into fresh medium. At a minimum, try to thoroughly water your plants at least once a month.
What should I do if my orchid has been over watered?
If the damage on the roots in confined, you can simply re pot your orchid in a clay pot and fresh orchid potting mix (bark based if possible) and adjust the frequency of your watering schedule-making sure to water only in the mornings. Don’t forget to correct the temperature and humidity levels if necessary.
On the other hand, if the damage of the roots is severe, you will need to get rid of the unhealthy components of the roots with a sterilized blade and cautiously re pot the plant in a clay pot and bark potting mix (otherwise you rise losing your orchid.
If you have over watered an orchid
you can adopt steps to salvage it. If the orchid still has a lot healthy, firm roots, you can save it by breaking off all the delicate, mushy roots with a sterile instrument, like a single-edged razor, and re potting the orchid in new potting material. Go slow on the watering for a few weeks to promote fresh root development. Employing a spray bottle, mist the orchids a few times a day to keep the leaves from drying out.
By knowing these simple tips, you can now water your orchids in the right way, amount and timing to give your orchids the best growing condition for maximum health and growth.
About the Author: ichard Schultz is an Orchid enthusiast and If you want to know more information about orchid watering , go to Watering your Orchids or ,go to
profitableclickbankniches.com/ORCHIDS/shtml
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