Watering a Huge Collection

[Becca]

Originally Posted by John D.

I have a little over 200 plants. Mix fertilizer by the gallon, use about three a week. Water with a turkey baster, helps keep water out of the crown of plants and allows me to water the medium directly. Takes about 2 1/2 hours a week

2 1/2 hours a week for over 200 plants! That's awesome! I take it you grow outside or in a place where you don't mind water getting on the ground? I have about 75 plus orchids and I grow in orchidariums which are not set up for more then catching drips so spraying them all down inside the orchidariums isn't an option. I would love to find a way to cut down my watering time as well....about 3 hours per week for the potted 'chids. It has really become such a chore!

[Ranchnanny]

Blondie that is a great question. I have a small greenhouse with about 80+ orchids and it takes me over an hour. Most of mine are in s/h medium which takes a long time using gallon jugs filled with water then using a watering can with a long neck and filling each pot and letting the water run out. Water runs everywhere. I really enjoy the serenity and no sound other then the fan running and its warm in there

Before the GH I had them all in the house and it took over an hour taking each one to the kitchen sink. It's a labor of LOVE......

If anyone out there has a better way to water s/h orchids I would love to hear it.

Sheridan

[Sandy4453]

I do them all by hand. A bucket and a measuring cup (for the spout). My Phals, alone take over 2 hours (a little over 40). I give them all generous amounts, especially this time of year. I usually spend a least a 1/2 to 1 hr. every day in summer, watering the others. My collection is about 175 so there's always something I need to be watering but all...the old fashioned way....or is it, the stupid way?

[Ray]

One way to control overflow: Tray Drains

[jsauger]

I house my collection outside, so overflow/run off is not an issue. I use an ad hoc fogging system. For about $50 I was able to get all the parts at Home Depot. I ran a mainline down the center of the porch with a few leads going off into corners and over more water loving species. Attached fogging heads about every 2', a fertilizer dispenser, and a valve leading to the hose.

Now watering is simple—turn the valve on and walk away. Depending on weather conditions, I leave it on anywhere from 10 minutes to three hours. The hours I save means I can go shopping for more orchids!

I think this method could easily be scaled down to accommodate one or two fogging heads for smaller spaces such as orchidariums.

[Grandma M]

Originally Posted by Ray

One way to control overflow: Tray Drains

Ray's idea works great for me.

Just a suggestion: You can find the premade necessary items at a hydroponic store, or possibly big box stores.

Part goes inside with a rubber ring to seal, the drain part gets screwed on the underside. You can attach tubing into the bottom section. No glue required. They come in various sizes. Where I buy them he has 1/4" 1/2" and 1" sized. I have found the 1/4" tubes gets plugged up often. I prefer the 1/2" or 1" size. Pictured is a drain cover which you can also purchase, if desired.

Marilyn

[Blondie]

This is all very interesting to me. I want to get more more MORE orchids, but the watering and space would be difficult. Someday, I hope for a greenhouse, but for now I'm all about windows, natural light, etc.

I will keep using the kitchen sink for now. If it ain't broke, I won't fix it!

But then again, I did just take a good look at Ray's drain trays....so clever. I love you guys.

[natasha]

my environment is most quite warm and dry. i plan to install automatic watering system for my orchids. fyi, my collection is outside, some at the porch and the vandas are hung on the trellis. anyone can advise me what should i install? i'm thinking of drip irrigation for the vandas - i have about 30 pots. can i use sprinkler for those at the porch - mainly dendrobiums and some catts? i'm not a very good waterer anyway. now i use the hose.

[rogerman]

I have around 4000 plants sitting in my shadehouse at any one time, and watering could have been a problem if i hadn't put in a sprinkler system. I have a 1000 gallon tank, a pump that puts out 180 l/minute and 14 mister heads.
Theres a two inch pipe from the pump that goes into a three inch main pipe.....from there, the water goes into one inch pipes where the misters are.

as the pump is quite big, I have a 3/4" side pipe with a tap on it that flows back into the tank. It works well and I only need it on for 15-20 minutes three times a day in the hot season.

[Jerry Delaney]

I now grow everything except Cymbidiums in a greenhouse. I water the greenhouses(~1500-2000 plants) using a garden hose and a #180 water breaker. However when I grew inside I had ~200 sq ft under lights. I built 6-4' X 8' trays out of 2x4's and lined them with heavy plastic used for roof underlayment and topped the trays with hardware cloth. These were in the basement so a little spill wasn't the end of the world. As I watered, a small fountain pump was pumping the water out into a drain as I watered. The trays Ray showed would have simplified this greatly.