How do you water your indoor orchids?
 

When I first started growing orchids I took them to the sink and soaked them in a pot for 10 minutes. I like to immerse them in water to see if they have any unwanted critters. I set a timer and did house work while I switched them out. However like many of you my 5 orchids quickly turned to 10 then 20.

I am fortunate that my orchids only have to be indoors for a few months. I have about 30 orchids now and it takes me quite a bit of time to water them all when they are inside. I take all of them outside to water them which is a lot of trips outside then back in. Fortunately my husband helps so it's not too bad. We just put up a 4 tier shelf at the sliding glass door so at least most of them are closer to outside now. The orchids that are in bloom are in the living room and kitchen. I am so glad that the weather will be warn enough in a couple of weeks to put them outside.

So those of you who have orchids inside how do you water them. I know many of you have them inside most of the year or all year. Do you have any tips on how to do it easier?

Most of my orhids are growing in those plastic pots that I recycle from my boba drinks. They are like 4-6 inches cups. And I have tons of them, so when I water, I just put em in the one with no holes and soak em all together for 5-10 minutes.

I have a little 1 ltr plastic jug that I fill with tepid water and a bit of fertilizer if needed.

I leave the pot in it for about 10-30 mins to soak before letting it drain.

I use new water for each orchid, usually have a few each day to water atm, apart from the seedlings that need a bit of a spray everday.

I could go into the minutia of how I water each of my plants during their indoor time, but it's probably nothing new. The important thing is that I mop up afterwards!

as to making it easier to water your plants you could soak a few in the sink or whatever at the same time but you risk increasing the spread of disease if your plants have any.

if you have low humidity you could buy a humidifier, your plants should dry out slower if the humidity is increased.

I do most of my watering in place. I have trays that drain into buckets and I dump the buckets. And for the mount stations, my husband built me "catch basins" that drain into buckets also. Makes my indoor watering go sooooooooo much faster than when I had to carry everything to the sink/shower all the time.

I still carry the plants to the sink/shower...especially the larger ones...about every 4-6 weeks (on a rotational basis) in order to clean the leaves off. Plus, clearing the trays gives me a chance to clean out the trays themselves...they can get a bit messy after awhile.

Some pics...
Tray w/drain
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps4404e5df.jpg

underside of the tray w/drain - I screw a hose into that and it drains down into buckets that I then empty. I can water and fert ...all in place. Just have to watch the buckets to make sure I don't overflow. The trays don't completely drain but the plastic eggcrate in the bottom keep the pots from sitting directly in water AND the little bit of water in the bottom does help w/humidity a little bit. Not much...but a little.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps0f4b84a2.jpg

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps6b291c5c.jpg

mount stations - ignore any mess you might see :blushing: This pic is from before our renos last Summer. I've since redone the flooring and we moved all the orchid supplies to a storage room upstairs so the space now looks much neater and nicer.
Regardless...these are the mount watering contraptions.

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...psa6f0120f.jpg

And, when I'm done watering, everything disconnects or breaks down and gets stored in the storage room w/the other supplies. Those mount stations are pvc and the legs come off for easy storage. Best of all...my "big" watering each week went from 8+ hours to about 2.5hrs-3...which includes set up and tear down of the watering devices/hose/buckets and any wipe up/clean up that needs to be done.

Oh, nice kitty is helping, NOT!

That's quiet a system. I think I would be to lazy to break them down. I take them all to the sink and it takes me a loooooong time. I have to quit buying new orchids. And yes mine are in the house year round. I haven't tried any outside even in the summer. Not sure how that would work with my wind.

Wow Katina, that is some setup. It really gives me some great ideas. I have to agree with No-Pro-mwa I'm not sure I would dismantle it all the time. Every time I want to buy a new orchid I think of how much time it takes me to water them so I would really like to shorten the time. I know I will be buying more.

I just water my potted ones with a watering can (or whatever container is handy) and soak the mounts in a bucket together. I have the basket pots all sitting in clear plastic containers that catch the water and use clear plastic tablecloth to protect my lights (with cardboard on top). I spend about twenty minutes a week total watering my seventy orchids and the rest of the plants.
Disclaimer: I understand that sharing water is not the best option but as I either buy distilled water, collect rain water or melt snow to water my plants, I don't have unlimited water. (We have a water softener). I buy from vendors with a good reputation and keep any suspicious orchids isolated.
I have the policy that growing orchids is just a hobby, meant to be fun.

I have all my potted ones sitting on humidity trays/egg crate with hydroton/gravel underneath that to help with humidity. My mounted 'chids are over a catch tray (actually a plastic liner for a planter). I use a 1-gallon sprayer and water in-place. Just a squirt or two and on to the next.

I have 3 of those black shelves and my husband has fixed me up a rain barrel - I am more than positive that he can do those shelves and drain to bucket set up like Katrina...that is a sweet setup....

Currently I take each to the sink/tub and water with my rain water ( I use old milk and juice jugs and fill them up , take inside and let get to room temp, add the fert...) - we have had 3 weeks of below freezing and I have had to use well water from the faucet.

I let the orchids vacation outside on my covered porch in the spring summer fall, but with Katrina's drain-shelf setup , it will make my watering life much easier inside and outside...

my husband will be all over that idea as currently I "drip" from room to room (on carpet )

once a week they all go for a bath in the sink. But during the week I just lightly water with a watering can . I can't wait to keep some outside it will make watering very easy.

My collection is small so during winter one by one to the sink every week.

During warmer months, they are in my growcamp, there I can water them freely sometimes 2 to 3 times a week depending how hot and dry we are getting into. With Oncidiums, I sometimes let them sit in water for about a day once a week, they like that a lot especially on the hotter months..so thirsty.

Phals stay indoors so I adjust watering frequency, once a week during warmer months, during the colder months can go on longer interval like 8 days before I water again.

I go to my bathroom and put them on in the bath water with the spray head untill water are driping from the bottom hole. Then i leave it on a net at the top of the bath and use pepper towels to dry leafs.

I have about 30 plants and watering in the sink or dunking them is too much work and time so I bought a spraying can i think is what it is called. it is usually used to spray chemicals and you can control the water pressure from stream to spray. the pressure is manually done by pumping several times 'til there's enough pressure for a gallon and i just hose each plant and I'm done in 5 mins! lol but I have to clean up afterwards...

That kitty (Newby) loves to watch and the other one (Toby) likes licking the happy sap on leaves and buds.

The pics only show a small portion of the overall room...all said and done 300+ orchids plus numerous other plants so my old way of watering was so time consuming that the time it takes me to break down and put this stuff away seems like nothing. Plus, I can not stand clutter or mess or having to move things to get to something else so, really, tearing down and putting everything "away" isn't a bit deal for me.

Thanks! It took a few years for me to get to this point...lots of trial and error. I was really getting burned out on all the time watering/fert during the 8+months the orchids are inside and that burn out was a good impetus for invention/ideas. And thankfully I have a hubby that is more than happy to help me do whatever needs to be done with or for the orchids. I'll have to post some pics of what he's built for me in their various summer spots. He's quite the handy man!

Thanks! Glad you like it and happy that it gave you some ideas. It wasn't difficult...sounds like your hubby is handy too so I'm sure he'll have no problems at all. :Tup:

I wish I could invest the $ and space for a system like Katrina's, it's the way to go. My plants, when indoors (typically October-ish to April-ish), live on shelves sitting on drip trays under fluorescent lights. Mostly, they are watered with rain water applied with a pump sprayer until water comes out of the bottom of each pot. Periodically, the plants go to the shower for a more thorough rinse.

I would avoid any watering plan that soaks multiple plants in the same water. It's a potential pathway for spreading diseases or pests.

I just use a 5 litre spray, and while I'm watering them I wash the leaves. I use RO water, so I don't worry about salt buildup..

Hi, I need to water mine (approx 20) in kitchen sink, splitting the job over 2 nights. Put a little fertiliser in jug & add about a litre of water, which I run through each plant slowly. About twice a week I'll spray arial roots w/tap water. They are inside year round.

Step 1: pot them up so that if they sit in water, they won't get damaged. This means big chunks of lava rock, styrofoam peanuts or regular rocks at the bottom of the pots. Rocks keep the pots more stable, too. The actual potting mix doesn't start until at least 5 cm from the bottom.

Step 2: place the pots in shallow trays. I hate individual saucers, mine all share the runoff water. I keep things very, very clean, and regularly spray the plants and the trays with sulphur.

Step 3: get a pump-up sprayer with a long wand, adjust the spray head to a fine stream and precision water each pot. For mounted plants you need to get a waterproof back and a catch basin at the bottom.

I'm glad I found this thread, because I was about to ask the same question!

Currently, I reuse plastic yogurt containers and some plastic paint mixing pots, one for each orchid. I soak them in these containers as often as they dry out. I also have some massive vandas that each get their own 3 gal bucket to soak in daily. Many of my plants won't fit neatly in a container, so I take them to a sink. I find that I can water in "waves"; phals one day, oncidiums the next, etc.

As my collection has been growing at a frightening rate, I've been dying to find a better way to water. Today it took me 3 hours to fertilize all my plants. Katrina, your set up seems to be what I've been dreaming about building. Unfortunately, the images you posted aren't showing up anymore. Can you please repost those so I can ooo and aaah over them, too?

I have around 30 orchids and I carry them to the sink in pairs. Some are in S/H and others are in orchid bark. The ones in bark I water to overflowing and the ones in S/H I hold my thumb over the holes and fill to the top then let go and let it drain. I use acid water from my filtration system with a little fertilizer in it in a 2 gallon sprayer. I used to lose orchids here and there until I started using the acid water a few months ago. Since then I've had 12 orchids spike and bloom. Some are spent, some are still blooming and a couple are spiking now. Best thing I've ever done is change to acidic water.
Now if I could just either think of a faster way to water or stop buying orchids...........

Not sure why you aren't seeing them..odd. No worries...I'll pull my pics and post in the morn.

I have a rolling cart with a wood top, that looks like this:
Mali Natural Top Kitchen Cart Wood/Coffee - Winsome : Target

I have a plastic dish washing basin, a 1-gal pouring container, and a smaller watering can on top. I push the cart into one of my three growing areas and water over the basin, catching the water there. My watering can has a fine spout, so I can direct the flow of water to be sure that all roots get their fair share. The pouring container is where I mix my fert solution, or just use water; it is sized to pour easity into the watering can. As the water starts to fill the basin, I carry it out to use on plants in the garden, but I don't allow any reuse of water for the orchids.

The drawer holds wire ties, bamboo skewers name tags, razor blades, etc. Squirt bottles for misting hang from the towel rack,along with a rag. I can keep alcohol and various other goodies in the cupboard.

It works really well and saves me a lot of steps. The only plants that have to be carried to the sink are the few that I have in S/H; I use tap water to flush them and tip as much water out as I can, then fill the reservoir with my fert solution.

The pics are still on photobucket so I'm not sure why the forum has removed them. ???

Upclose of the trays and how they are set up...plastic drop ceiling louvers inside the trays to keep the pots from sitting in any left-over water. These are the new boot trays we made a couple of years ago...the acrylic trays I had prior didn't hold up well.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps9cd00f15.jpg
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps0f4b84a2.jpg
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...ps279a6921.jpg


Watering day - showing the old acrylic trays (and the old ugly vinyl flooring and ugly cabinet we used to have -ugh) but the process is the same w/the new trays. And the space is much prettier w/my new flooring. :blushing:
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF3240.jpg



The mount station area has the drain basins made of pvc pipe and plastic sheeting w/drain plugs and the water runs into the same buckets and I just dump them when they are full. Same w/the hoses that drain from the trays...just dump when they get too full.

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...s/DSCF3238.jpg

The mount drain basins can be torn down and stored between uses. The legs come off for easy storage. If you're like me and you drop mounts when you're watering...you also might find that you need to replace the plastic. I got about 2yrs out of it before I had to buy new and rebuild the structures.

Boot trays came from Gardener Supply and the drains are the kind you use on outside faucets...hubby used the drill press to make the hole and then installed the plugs. The hoses attach easily and I cut them to fit the different shelf heights.

Side note - for the set up to fit on those wire shelves, I did have to remove some of the cross wires so the plugs could fit down onto the shelf correctly. I didn't want the plugs hanging out to the side...I wanted them tucked up under the shelf. It required some muscle to get those cut but good wire cutters made quick work of it.

This is the new space w/new flooring and cabinet and the much neater space. I got rid of all the clutter. View when you enter. The space is only a mess when I'm watering. The set up had to look good and be neat and clean since this is the first thing anyone sees when they come into my house.
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...pssxv8xcz8.jpg

i've turned a small room into a dry growing area and its bathroom into a wet one. the dry growing area is for potted plants which sit on wire shelving w/ banks of grow lights above; to water, i take the pots to the bathroom next door (which is the wet growing area) and water away in the sink. the wet growing area's where i hold the cattleyas unpotted. i placed expandable doggie/baby gate horizontally on the bath tub, then placed the unpotted catts on the wire screen and under grow lamps. i use the handheld shower to water these babies daily, and the water's captured and held in the tub for humidity. intentionally, the drain's not quite stopped so that the daily watering (leisurely, low pressure) fills 1/2 of the tub and drains completely in 4 hours.

pretty crazy, huh? however, it works.

---------- Post added at 04:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:17 PM ----------

katrina: that's a pretty impressive set-up and has given me something to aspire to. thanks!

Wow, what wonderful ideas you all have. Now I want to go out and spend money! Gee, thanks ;)

Any way we can get those pictures again?

Not unless the original poster wants to put them up again with unbroken links. OP was last online here in 2020...

you must have watched our watering video!! hahahah, yes, this is the most valuable piece of indoor plant care advice. happy wife, happy life....

---------- Post added at 11:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:06 AM ----------

dang, hornswaggled again! i also really need to pay more attention to the dates....

It's too bad the photos are gone. They were very good, in a really informative thread. But OB member katrina explained it so clearly it shouldn't be difficult to reproduce.