What does it mean to FLUSH exactly??

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Fuerte Rav

Wish I'd seen this comment before I prepped my S/H pots. I get water everywhere, every time I flush, no matter how careful I am.

Laughing with you, not at you! I can see it... water squirting everywhere!

[DirtyCoconuts]

So, just for academic purposes, I have 11 SH plants in my bathroom. Ordinarily I keep a 1 gallon watering can in there and I can do the “plug the hole, fill and release” on all 11 orchids with a little water for the Hoyas and the pothos....to do the free flow flush it took a full 2 gallon watering can.

Not prohibitive but more than double the water. I’ll probably do it once or twice a week and the plug and release the other days

[estación seca]

I like to pick up each S/H pot when watering, cover the holes with the heel of my thumb, and then fill with water. I get to examine each plant every time I water. I don't do the fill while running out strategy, probably because I'm a typical exceptionally thrifty male.

DC, put your plants in the bathtub, and water them with a sprayer on a hose. If you don't have that kind of shower attachment it's about time you put one in.

[WaterWitchin]

I’m pretty sure y’all are overthinking things at this point.

---------- Post added at 05:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:32 PM ----------

Especially you Judah. Good grief...let’s go back to blowing up holes in reservoirs.

[Ray]

Let’s face facts, growing orchid well is not a cheap hobby. A lot of plants are driven to their demise by trying to do things “on the cheap” that results in giving them “not quite” what we know would be better.

[DirtyCoconuts]

Hahahaha I can’t believe you guys are so afraid of making out with your planters

I was just trying to get the nomenclature down. I read “flush” and “top off” and I wanted to make sure I was doing it the way Ray intended OR making the conscious choice to modify it

Doing the flush this way is fine. I just needed to have more water on hand and start making much smaller drain holes

I have my dendrochilum magnum in 3 gallon pot with a 5/6” hole. I don’t have a watering can that flows fast enough lol

[WaterWitchin]

How in the h-e-doublehockeysticks do you keep the LECA from pouring out?

[DirtyCoconuts]

Funny story. I ended up with a bag of hydroton GIANT lol. They are like big marbles. I use them for the bottom of all the SH containers. More space in the res = more turbulence in the flush....I think lol

[WaterWitchin]

Well now THAT's fun! I may need to get me some of that action!

[Subrosa]

While they're outside I flush my pots with tapwater several times a week. Once they come inside I do sometimes simply top off, but always with rainwater.