Watering Orchids

In orchid literature there is a popuar and indeed wise saying : ' If you have mastered watering , you have mastered everything '. The knowledge of when and how much to water is of paramount importance in orchid culture. But unfortunately it is impossible to prescribe a schedule of watering for orchids in general, since the number of waterings necessary to keep the plant alive and supple, depends upon several other factors -climatic conditions, type of media used, type and size of the pots used etc. Genera like Paphiopedilum , Cymbidium , the various jewel orchids etc. require water around their roots at all times. For the majority of the other orchids, water should be supplied only when the medium has gone almost completely dry. Generally speaking , watering twice or thrice a week would be best . When drawing up such a schedule the following factors should be kept in mind.

1.Actively growing plants need more water than resting plants.

2. Larger plants need more water than smaller ones and seedlings .

3. Plants grown in larger pots retain moisture for longer periods than those in smaller pots and hence need less frequent watering .

4. Plants require more water on a sunny day than a cloudy day .

5. Plants growing in full sun utilise more , water than those in shade .

6.Osmunda and coconut fibre retain moisure longer than either tree fern or bark.

Plants which are freshly potted should be watered only very sparingly till roots appear , ie. for about 2-3 weeks . As the roots grow into the medium and establish themselves , the amount of water should be gradually increased . A vigorously growing plant should be given copious amount os water supplied should be reduced correspondingly , in order to allow the plant to mature and get ready for flowering . After maturation ,water should be withheld completely for a time to induce flowering . If watering is continued at this stage , the plant will resume its vegetative growth and fail to produce flowers, or flowering is very much delayed .

For orchids, which are collected from the wild where they subsist on a minimal supply of water obtained through rains, and absorbed through the velamen roots , over watering is a hazard always to be reckoned with under cultural conditions. The majority of the casualties occurring in the beginners' orchid house could be accounted to too much of water. By supplying more water than is necessary , the air passages in the roots are clogged and they are literally asphyxiated . The immediate and sure sigh of this unfortunate state of affairs which appear above ground , is the wrinkling of pseudobulbs and yellowing of leaves. When these tell tale signs appear in newly potted plants , stop watering immediately and confine to spraying only aerial parts till new roots appear.