basic watering question

[Calbears]

I have a pretty basic question regarding watering and would like to illicit some feedback from more experienced orchid growers. My usual watering method is to take my plants to the sink, and using a water bottle with a sport top that I fill a day or two ahead of time, water from the top of the media taking care not to wet the foliage. I usually put a pint of water through a 3-4" pot. I'll then come back 10-15 minutes later and rewater with my weak fertilizer solution. Before I set the chids back on their humidity/drip tray, I typically tilt them over the sink and let all the free excess water in the pots run out. Should I not be doing this? I'm guessing that growers with hundreds of plants in their greenhouse don't take this time for every plant. Is a well draining mix and pot enough? Am I doing my plants a disservice by "over draining?"

Thank you

[cbuchman]

I'm sure some of the experts will chime in. I have about 80+ orchids and this routine would make their care a 24/7 job!

I water with weak fertilizer about every week (or when the pots are dry which depends on the medium, humidity, active growing or not, etc.) I have my indoor set up so that I the excess water drains out of the benches. When outdoors I don't care. About 1 time per month, I water with plain tap water and lots of it to flush out any excess minerals that might have accumulated.

I have very hard water, so I must be careful to not spot the leaves. I usually just look for wet leaves after watering and dry them with a paper towel.

I don't bother letting the tap water stand, I just use it straight out of the tap. Tap water can be harmful to some orchids, so that is something to investigate.

The key is to have good draining medium that allows for air to get to the roots, as you noted. And, of course allow the rots/medium to dry appropriately for the orchid between waterings.

[billc]

I water mine at the sink in winter kind of like you. Only I feed them without the pre-water. I use a 1 lb. deli container and run the water thru the media several times until it's soaked thru. Then I give them a vigorous shake up and down to get out the extra water. I save each plants water and use that on some big colmanara I have in s/h. They don't seem to mind the already used water. Maybe every third watering I'll use plain water to flush.

Bill

[Masdyman]

Hi, What you are doing sounds good. Like most I don't have the time to do all of mine in this way.
I personally think RO/Rain water with MSU OR Rain mix takes some beating. I find it hard to believe that people are still messing about with 1/4 strength standard feeds, feeding at three out of four waterings, flushing pots etc.
But I guess it is personnel choice!

[Magnus A]

If you have the time continue what you are doing! As long your orchid grow and flower you doing good.
I would though switch the two watering around and start with the fertilizer, let th plant suck up all the water it need and then rinse the pot . In this way you rince out any excess ferilizer and minimize the possibilityof salt buildup.

You could also use a bucket with water and dip the hole pot into the water. Just look out for any bugs as the could transfer between pots in yhis way. For viruses there is no problem asit need fresch cuts to transfer plant fluid to spread.

/M

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

You are not doing a disservice to your orchids for making sure the potting media is draining properly. If you don't make sure it drains, you will end up with very dead orchids. Particularly since many orchids that are common in the trade are epiphytical and do not usually have much of their roots submerged in standing water for a long period of time.

Salt build up for many orchids is a serious problem, so making sure they get flushed every-now-and-then is also a good thing.

Less concentrated solutions of fertilizer is fine. Depending on the type orchid you're growing, you may or may not need to increase the frequency of the fertilizing regimen with the 1/4 or 1/2 strength solution.

Even with a collection that is about 100 plants in number, you will still have the time to do your routine. How exhausted you'd be by the end of it is really dependant on your stamina.

If you're asking about the practicality of your routine, many people will have differing opinions. However, I say if it works for you for the time being, then there shouldn't be a problem.

Do also understand that the next time a question like this is posted, you may want to consider mentioning what kind of orchid you are referring to, as it could quite possibly dramatically change the type and quality of answer you get.

[RosieC]

What you are doing sounds fine to me, but as you guessed it would take to long on a big collection.

I don't think you need to water before fertilising, in fact doing so will reduce the amount of fertiliser your plants are absorbing. Old advice used to be to do that, but then the fertiliser used was much stronger and could burn the roots if they were not already wet. With the sort of concentration advised these days that is not a problem and the plant can't absorb so much of the fertiliser if it's roots are already full.

I water some of mine over the sink with a watering can letting the fertiliser solution run through. Others are standing in outer cache pots and I fill each pot with the fertiliser solution, then come back after 10min and empty. That's quicker for more plants, going round filling up, then going round with a bucket emptying them. Those in the greenhouse are easiest, the water can just run on the floor (and helps raise humidity by doing so) so I can just quickly go down the line pouring water in all of them and letting it run through onto the ground.

If you water in the morning and just remove any water left sitting in the crown it's not too much of a problem to get water on the leaves. Watering in the morning gives them time to dry before the cold of night, using a paper towel to dab water out of the crown of a phal just stops crown rot. I use a watering can with a narrow spout and try and avoid the leaves but don't worry when they get wet (which they usually do). An exception is with oncidiums which I get wet all over, having been advised they like that, however I still try and ensure it's morning so they have time to dry.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by Masdyman

Hi, What you are doing sounds good. Like most I don't have the time to do all of mine in this way.
I personally think RO/Rain water with MSU OR Rain mix takes some beating. I find it hard to believe that people are still messing about with 1/4 strength standard feeds, feeding at three out of four waterings, flushing pots etc.
But I guess it is personnel choice!

I'm not sure 1/4 strength has any meaning these days. Most fertilisers I've bought advise use at about the right rate. It's no more difficult to mix up a concentrated fertiliser at one strength as at another. I know the "rain mix" is pretty concentrated, so how is mixing that at advised strength any less "messing about" than mixing a similar strength one at the same concentration but against the advise on the bottle

The older fertiliser I have (which I still use with tap water) has about the same concentration as rain mix, so I just use them both in the same way but use the rain mix with rain water.

I love the "Rain Mix" fertiliser. It's most certainly a better fertiliser for use with rain water and that's what I use whenever I can

[Masdyman]

Originally Posted by RosieC

I'm not sure 1/4 strength has any meaning these days. Most fertilisers I've bought advise use at about the right rate. It's no more difficult to mix up a concentrated fertiliser at one strength as at another. I know the "rain mix" is pretty concentrated, so how is mixing that at advised strength any less "messing about" than mixing a similar strength one at the same concentration but against the advise on the bottle

The older fertiliser I have (which I still use with tap water) has about the same concentration as rain mix, so I just use them both in the same way but use the rain mix with rain water.

I love the "Rain Mix" fertiliser. It's most certainly a better fertiliser for use with rain water and that's what I use whenever I can

It is no more messing about if you use a proper orchid feed at their recommendations. My point was with standard plant feeds at say 1/4 strength and then you flush and then switch between grow and bloom ferts. At Rain mixes recommendations, no flushing is required, no switching feeds, all the guess work has been removed thus very simple to use.
To me, if someone is having to flush their pots, then they are over feeding. Reduce the feed strength but feed constantly is the way to go.

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by Masdyman

It is no more messing about if you use a proper orchid feed at their recommendations. My point was with standard plant feeds at say 1/4 strength and then you flush and then switch between grow and bloom ferts. At Rain mixes recommendations, no flushing is required, no switching feeds, all the guess work has been removed thus very simple to use.
To me, if someone is having to flush their pots, then they are over feeding. Reduce the feed strength but feed constantly is the way to go.

OK, yeah makes sense. I use one fertiliser year round... well actually two, I have rain mix and I'm using up some big tubs of one I had before that. Currently using the rain mix with the greenhouse orchids and rain water and the other one indoors with tap water I don't have enough rain water to do them all.

I do still flush even with the rain mix. That's not because I seem to need it, but because I'm following Ray's advice. I thought (I might have got this wrong) that he flushes with MSU and as rain mix says it's the same as MSU I still flush. Surely whatever you use and however weak it is, it could still build up over time

I know Ray does not flush with S/H because the water flow through the pot when watering means you don't need to. My greenhouse orchids tend to get water poured through rather than soaked like the indoor ones, so maybe that is what makes a difference

I find this really interesting, I'm doing what has worked for me but maybe when pouring through it would not need flushing... not sure.