Watering: To dunk or not to dunk ?

[DeLeonopsis]

There is conflicting information out there on how to water orchids. I know it's genus specific on how frequently to water them/dry to keep them, but info on method differs greatly. Growing medium/ location /growing stage also factor in to some degree presumably.

Some information says to dunk them and let them sit in water for minutes while many don't even specify. I can't find a definitive answer in the member articles or stickied threads. The care sheet's don't appear to be available anywhere either.

From what I can gather, the best method would be to dunk them in water for a few minutes (one site says 15 min!) whenever they need watering and to flush them with water once a month. Obviously making sure to let them drip out excess water. Is is okay to dunk them in water for that long?

I live in Florida (high humidity) and have both inside and outside orchids. I let the rain water the outside ones, but have been keeping an eye on if it gets too dry so I need to water them myself. The inside ones I have just been pouring water through. The air roots don't seem to get watered too well with this method though.

TLDR: Does it matter if I dunk them or just water them?

[Orchid Whisperer]

You can do either.

However, IF you dunk them, dunk each plant in it's own clean water. No sharing - that is a good way to spread diseases, including fungi, bacteria, and viruses.

When I make the decision between dunking vs. just flushing water through the pot, I usually flush water through the pot at the sink. I do sometimes dunk (soak) the roots of plants that look a bit dehydrated.

[Ray]

^ x2

[Zabeta]

I not only dunk but soak mine. Sometimes for an hour or more. My air is very dry, though, so it would be different for you. For me, it's been an improvement over other ways of watering because they REALLY need the water. It's not ideal (time consuming, potting media decays more quickly, etc.) but it has helped my orchids.

[u bada]

Let me add, dunking plants that are mounted or attached to baskets is helpful especially when humidity is particularly low... You essentially can't overwater a mounted orchid, however you do need to watch out for bacteria/rot... again, if humidity is pretty high and if there is little air movement, dunking for too long may be a problem as the plant needs to dry out well after a dunking to fight off bacteria.

Many of us will let plants soak for hours. If the orchid has a big root mass, then just soaking the roots is great. I personally think longer than 5 minutes is better, 10min being better, orchids don't exactly soak up water fast... and just think compared to a potted orchid where the media stays wet over days, the roots are wet for that period of days...

that said, dunking pots generally isn't necessary except to "refresh" dried out bark or moss. when bark or moss are crispy dried they can sorta repel water, ie not hold any in. Flushing out pots is probably more important as mentioned above.

[Ray]

Concerning the length of dunking, I have soaked plants as long as 10 hours overnight in KelpMax solution, to stimulate root growth in recalcitrant plants, and never seen any issues.

[Leafmite]

When I started growing orchids, I dunked them and they did well. Then I started watering them like other plants, with a watering can. They were not getting enough water that way so I have gone back to dunking them. I share the water as I have softened water and many other plants and it would be far too expensive for me to give each orchid their own water--I just cannot see wasting all that money when I am just a hobby grower whose main goal is to have a bit of greenery and flowers.

The problem with dunking orchids is that they might pass on insect/fungus/bacteria and virus to the rest of the collection. This is why, if you must select this method, you must quarantine all new orchids before letting them share water (I keep them apart for a few months and observe them). If any orchids in your collection get any issues, they need to be watered separately. I also keep apart an orchid if I cut it for any reason or accidentally damage it (I don't want to introduce sap into my water on the chance it might contain virus or expose an opening for virus to enter).

If you are planning to hybridize or sell divisions of your orchids, you should definitely never take the risk of sharing water.

[Kseniya]

I dunk my orchids when i water them over night at every watering for many years and they love it (bark medium only not moss!!!). But....it is ok for my growing conditions and might not work for others. You can't just do it because it works for some people...it might just not work for you. Try different techniques and find one that work for your orchids(maybe dunking will work?). Good growing.

[estación seca]

In your humid climate, dunk them in the early morning so they are as dry as possible by nightfall.

I dunk and soak as well. I do this with mounted plants, and plants growing bare-root in vases or baskets. I have relatively low humidity, and they dry out relatively quickly, so I often soak overnight. I do fertilizer soaks, KelpMax soaks and pure water soaks.

I have (often) forgotten mounted plants soaking for more than 24 hours. There have been no problems. Over Labor Day last (September 2015) I visited my mother for the long weekend. I overlooked one Vanda seedling in a vase with fertilizer water up to its neck. It was in there for over 100 hours. When I returned it looked just great. It said to me, "Let's do that again!" But I've been too chicken.

Plants in pots in medium I don't dunk because the medium floats out.

[DeLeonopsis]

Thank you all so much for the informative feedback! Before I adopted these orchids, I believe my grandpa watered them solely by rainfall and supplemental can watering - for possibly longer than I have been alive. By the time I got them his health had been failing for a while; they looked quite neglected. Some I didn't take were trying to grow out of their pots. It's anyone's guess how recently they were repotted. I know he used a standard orchid bark medium, but it appears a lot of it has turned to soil.

From what I am reading, broken down medium may be too dense for dunking. Once I repot them I will try shallow dunking. I am hesitant to mess with the Phalenopsi for now as they are all budding.

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

However, IF you dunk them, dunk each plant in it's own clean water. No sharing - that is a good way to spread diseases, including fungi, bacteria, and viruses.

Thanks for the heads up!

Originally Posted by u bada

that said, dunking pots generally isn't necessary except to "refresh" dried out bark or moss. when bark or moss are crispy dried they can sorta repel water, ie not hold any in. Flushing out pots is probably more important as mentioned above.

Okay! I didn't consider the distinction between what they are growing on/in much. Makes perfect sense that a potted orchid will retain water for longer and wouldn't necessarily require dunking as a primary watering method.

Originally Posted by leafmite

When I started growing orchids, I dunked them and they did well. Then I started watering them like other plants, with a watering can. They were not getting enough water that way so I have gone back to dunking them.

Are you talking about mounted or potted orchids?

Originally Posted by leafmite

I share the water as I have softened water and many other plants and it would be far too expensive for me to give each orchid their own water--I just cannot see wasting all that money when I am just a hobby grower whose main goal is to have a bit of greenery and flowers.

Same for me, I don't want to spend too much time and money on these. I couldn't help but get over involved once they starting budding, however!

Originally Posted by Kseniya

You can't just do it because it works for some people...it might just not work for you. Try different techniques and find one that work for your orchids(maybe dunking will work?). Good growing.

Thanks for the reminder! I told myself if they look happy, I will try to just keep doing what I am doing.

Originally Posted by estación seca

In your humid climate, dunk them in the early morning so they are as dry as possible by nightfall.

Noted! And yes, I think I am really talking about soaking mine and not dunking necessarily.


As for determining how dry orchids are, I read on these forums about the skewer technique. My orchids are getting quite dry from the feel of it. Are there clear outward signs an orchid is too dry? Some of the leaves are crimping and others are splitting down the center.