Watering Orchids
Watering Orchids is one of the most important things to learn and understand if you want to be a successful Orchid keeper.
Watering Orchids is one of the most contradictory things and one of the hardest things to explain.
Orchids like it moist, they like water but when watering Orchids they cannot get too wet and they cannot be too wet for a long period of time.
In addition to these conditions, for part of the year your Orchid probably likes to get dry, even though they like it moist.
Is this confusing yet? One of the biggest factors when watering Orchids is to try to simulate the natural environment where they thrive.
Take the time to research your specific type of Orchid and study his environment.
Most Orchids live in a region where there are only two seasons per year, the wet and dry season.
We on the other normally live in an environment with 4 seasons.
When watering Orchids, develop a strategy that will keep them properly hydrated while at the same time allowing them to dry out enough to avoid getting root rot.
Root rot is the biggest enemy to Orchids and avoiding root rot is one of the biggest challenges faced by new Orchid keepers.
Orchids are like cats, if they are properly cared for they are pretty self-sufficient.
None of the varieties of orchids need to be watered on a daily basis unless they are in extreme conditions.
If the environment has high enough humidity and the temperatures are within reason (70-95), weekly or twice weekly watering Orchids will be sufficient.
The root system on your Orchid is very important and the roots are like "straws" that suck water and nutrients out of the growing media.
What happens if they get too much water or if they are continuously saturated, then the outer layer of the root will start to soften and actually start to decompose in a section, even if the rest of that specific root is still healthy.
To avoid this situation, the number one thing to do is only give your Orchid the amount of water it needs.
Secondly, let it get a little dry between watering.
Thirdly, provide your Orchid with proper ventilation over the root network.
This can be done by proper placement or you can go a step further and put a fan close to your plant that is aimed close enough to the root base so as not to harm the plant but to provide the airflow required to keep the roots dry and ventilated.
Watering Orchids is one of the most contradictory things and one of the hardest things to explain.
Orchids like it moist, they like water but when watering Orchids they cannot get too wet and they cannot be too wet for a long period of time.
In addition to these conditions, for part of the year your Orchid probably likes to get dry, even though they like it moist.
Is this confusing yet? One of the biggest factors when watering Orchids is to try to simulate the natural environment where they thrive.
Take the time to research your specific type of Orchid and study his environment.
Most Orchids live in a region where there are only two seasons per year, the wet and dry season.
We on the other normally live in an environment with 4 seasons.
When watering Orchids, develop a strategy that will keep them properly hydrated while at the same time allowing them to dry out enough to avoid getting root rot.
Root rot is the biggest enemy to Orchids and avoiding root rot is one of the biggest challenges faced by new Orchid keepers.
Orchids are like cats, if they are properly cared for they are pretty self-sufficient.
None of the varieties of orchids need to be watered on a daily basis unless they are in extreme conditions.
If the environment has high enough humidity and the temperatures are within reason (70-95), weekly or twice weekly watering Orchids will be sufficient.
The root system on your Orchid is very important and the roots are like "straws" that suck water and nutrients out of the growing media.
What happens if they get too much water or if they are continuously saturated, then the outer layer of the root will start to soften and actually start to decompose in a section, even if the rest of that specific root is still healthy.
To avoid this situation, the number one thing to do is only give your Orchid the amount of water it needs.
Secondly, let it get a little dry between watering.
Thirdly, provide your Orchid with proper ventilation over the root network.
This can be done by proper placement or you can go a step further and put a fan close to your plant that is aimed close enough to the root base so as not to harm the plant but to provide the airflow required to keep the roots dry and ventilated.
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