watering questions - Orchid Board

justino222 · #1 10-20-2014, 02:24 PM

Hello guys, been awhile since i've been on here.
I live in pennsylvania usa, its becoming winter here and i want to bring my orchids inside and make the inside orchids. My main concern is watering them. I don't have an industrial sink all i have is a small kitchen sink which would take a lot of time to water and drain before placing them back.
My question being…… i have a humidifier and i have a shelf in my home that has a plastic covering. Its like a small greenhouse. If i placed the orchids in there with the humidifier, would that keep the plants watered? Or if you guys have an easier way that wouldnt get my carpet soaked id really appreciate it.

Thanks so much

LizB88 · #2 10-20-2014, 03:26 PM

Could you use your shower or tub instead of the kitchen sink? I would use individual containers to dunk them and then place them in the tub or shower to drain, before putting them back on the shelf. That way you can water more of them at one time. That is just my

justino222 · #3 10-20-2014, 03:31 PM

Hehe yes i have a shower

I was just hoping their was an easier way cause i have about 15 orchids. Im not lazy or anything. But was just wondering lol. So lets say i water them in the bath tub. Does it have to be daily? Or if i have high humidity in the room, would i be able to water less? I work part time and school full time. Yet i can fit time in to water them, i would wanna explore opinions of how other people watering regimens work.

Thanks liz

jocierk · #4 10-20-2014, 03:43 PM

I work full-time and I have about 45 orchids. I water them one at a time in the sink by letting water run through them for about 3-5 min each. I rotate the pots during this time so the whole thing gets soaked. I am usually doing other chores at the same time but it usually take about 4 hours to do all of them. I water once a week on sunday morning however I check them and mist with a water bottle every morning. If one is getting too dry to make it to sunday I will either give it a really good spraying with a water bottle or get up early and water just it (I have very little time on weekday mornings).

At first it was kind of annoying to water all of them this way but now I really like that it is reserved me time. My feet do get kinda tired by the end of it though

justino222 · #5 10-20-2014, 03:48 PM

Haha . Well i only have 13 (i just counted) so I will try that. And/or the bathtub idea liz mentioned earlier. I just want em to grow and be beautiful. I have 2 oncidiums that have not had their first bloom yet

silken · #6 10-20-2014, 04:00 PM

It really depends on what kind of orchids you are growing. Most of mine get watered once a week, with several mounted ones getting sprayed every other day. Onc. types don't like to totally dry out but others like Catts and even Phals should be pretty close to dry thru the pot before watering again. You could get a plastic kitty litter pan or similar, load them all up and carry to the shower. After they have all drained, load them up and bring them back to their shelves. Us orchid addicts need to be creative

Bud · #7 10-20-2014, 04:22 PM

....even in summer you need not water everyday unless it is very dry in your environment....water once a week with humidifier and warm temperatures....your heater will also emit some humidity.....line up your plants in the kitchen sink and run water for about a minute or two on each pot to clean the debris from the media and the roots....let it drain for a minute and put them back in the windowsill....I am a windowsill grower and I invested in small deep plastic saucers that will hold a bit of water but not wetting the roots and help in maintaining moisture in the duration of winter....then In the warmer months I put the orchid plants outdoors since the humidity in the atmosphere in summer is very high.

---------- Post added at 03:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 PM ----------

* it will take you less than 15 minutes to water your plants once a week. You have but a few orchid plants....Its just a matter of time management.

jmmehler · #8 10-20-2014, 04:55 PM

Depending on how much time you wish to spend, you might opt for misting, once, or twice a day. After a while, you might even think that misting is better than watering.

the Best 1/2 gal mister I've found was by SoLo. It comes with a 2 ft telescoping hooded sprayer which allows me to reach orchids that are behind other orchids.

justino222 · #9 10-20-2014, 06:04 PM

Really? ! Ill have to give that a look! Thanks☺

justino222 · #10 10-20-2014, 06:09 PM

Now having the plants in the house. Will they be ok in warm climates all year round. Of should they go through a cold winter (which its snowy winters here so im guessing i wouldnt leave them outside.) i just git done moving then indoors and used the bathtub method of watering them