How to soak multiple orchids?

[jkofferdahl]

Why do you want to soak them? Is there a problem with your plants that you are trying to recover them from? Has someone (wrongly) told you that it's beneficial? I would encourage you to reconsider this method.

I'm not a person who soaks. (OK, I just received a severely dried plant and yes, I DID soak it in a sugar water solution. It was ER care.) Orchid roots absorb what they need just fine without soaking. The media in which they grow is there more to insulate than to provide water to the plant, so you don't have to soak it. Once the roots are wet from the water which simply flows across it you're done, and the time the plant sits soaking is time that the roots are deprived of air circulation. While they dry fastest, I don't even soak mounted orchids, preferring to simply water them twice a day when necessary. Essentially, soaking your plants is about as far from how an orchid is watered in nature as you can get. Plenty of problems and no benefits, and time-consuming to boot.

So, if you're going to go ahead and subject your orchids to this form of water torture (I liken it to waterboarding a prisoner) then yes, there are vital steps to take. Never soak two plants together; doing so can allow pests, viruses, and whatever to move between plants. After soaking a plant you have to completely sterilize the soaking container. I think bleach is your best bet. In about a month you'll have spent enough on bleach to have otherwise purchased another nice orchid.

[DesignerofBeauty]

Well, about two months ago I discovered that this cattleya orchid of mine had some spider-like mold and root rot. I actually believe that you responded to my thread, jkofferdahl. I was overwatering my orchid. As a result of this incident, I decided to stick to a weekly watering schedule. Lo and behold, my orchid is now showing signs of dehydration. I don't know how to please this plant! I beginning to realize more and more each day that growing orchids does have a learning curve.

I read that soaking may be more beneficial.

Here's my poor dehydrated plant:
Is my cattleya hybrid otchod dehydrated? - Album on Imgur

So, perhaps it's best for me to soak it for now, until it regains some health? I'll continue to water as usual then, using my faucet sprayer.

Originally Posted by jkofferdahl

Why do you want to soak them? Is there a problem with your plants that you are trying to recover them from? Has someone (wrongly) told you that it's beneficial? I would encourage you to reconsider this method.

I'm not a person who soaks. (OK, I just received a severely dried plant and yes, I DID soak it in a sugar water solution. It was ER care.) Orchid roots absorb what they need just fine without soaking. The media in which they grow is there more to insulate than to provide water to the plant, so you don't have to soak it. Once the roots are wet from the water which simply flows across it you're done, and the time the plant sits soaking is time that the roots are deprived of air circulation. While they dry fastest, I don't even soak mounted orchids, preferring to simply water them twice a day when necessary. Essentially, soaking your plants is about as far from how an orchid is watered in nature as you can get. Plenty of problems and no benefits, and time-consuming to boot.

So, if you're going to go ahead and subject your orchids to this form of water torture (I liken it to waterboarding a prisoner) then yes, there are vital steps to take. Never soak two plants together; doing so can allow pests, viruses, and whatever to move between plants. After soaking a plant you have to completely sterilize the soaking container. I think bleach is your best bet. In about a month you'll have spent enough on bleach to have otherwise purchased another nice orchid.

[bil]

I cannot see the point of soaking. Plus, there are all the problems associated with it.

I use a 5 litre spray. I spray the medium as evenly as poss, until the water runs out of the bottom.

As for mounts, they get a once a day spray (with the exception of the vanda, which is spoilt rotten.

On average the mounts get about 25 seconds spray and that's their lot.

---------- Post added at 02:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:16 PM ----------

Originally Posted by DesignerofBeauty

Well, about two months ago I discovered that this cattleya orchid of mine had some spider-like mold and root rot. I actually believe that you responded to my thread, jkofferdahl. I was overwatering my orchid. As a result of this incident, I decided to stick to a weekly watering schedule. Lo and behold, my orchid is now showing signs of dehydration. I don't know how to please this plant! I beginning to realize more and more each day that growing orchids does have a learning curve.

I read that soaking may be more beneficial.

Here's my poor dehydrated plant:
Is my cattleya hybrid otchod dehydrated? - Album on Imgur

So, perhaps it's best for me to soak it for now, until it regains some health? I'll continue to water as usual then, using my faucet sprayer.

The fact is that orchids have different needs in summer and winter. Ideally they would have a winter pot and a summer pot. Since that isn't feasible, you need to ensure they have the minimum medium they need to get by in the summer with more frequent watering, and then in winter water much less, and pay careful attention to ensuring they dry between waterings.