How To Water Your Orchids
Don’t Just Add Ice
Watering your orchid is one of the most important elements of orchid care. We are often asked about the best way to water an orchid and specifically asked about using ice cubes. Almost everyone has heard of the marketing slogan, “just add ice,” yet few realize that watering your orchid this way can shock the orchid roots with cold water and also not give the plant the amount of water it needs to grow. While your orchid may survive, it will not likely thrive. So for the love of orchids, don’t just add ice.
Zygopetalum orchid is being watered in the sink by drenching it with room temperature water and letting it drain.
Instead, water your orchid by bringing it to a sink and drenching the orchid potting mix with room temperature water for several seconds. Let the water drain out the bottom of the pot before putting the orchid back in its decorative pot or saucer. Most orchids need to be watered with an amount of water that is generally one-third of the capacity of the pot, so don’t be afraid to give it a good drench. As long as the water drains out the bottom of the pot, there is little risk of overwatering your orchid from a good, weekly drench.
Whether you have a phalaenopsis, cattleya, or oncidium orchid, overwatering is the most common way to kill an orchid. Most orchids grow well with a weekly watering, but in some cases, a different schedule may work better for your orchid plant depending upon what medium the orchid is potted in. Sphagnum moss, for example, generally retains moisture longer than a bark mix. If your orchid still feels wet after a week, wait to water it again until the potting medium feels dry to the touch. Get a feel for the weight of the plant after you’ve watered it. Pick it up each day and feel how heavy or light it feels. You’ll start to be able to feel when it is drying out and needs to be watered. Also, most orchid roots turn green when you water them, so if you notice the roots in the pot have dried and appear white or silvery, this is an indication that it is time to water your orchid.
Another factor to consider with watering frequency is that needs vary between different types of orchids. While most orchids such as phalaenopsis orchids grow well with a weekly watering, there are some orchid varieties that want to dry out more or less between watering, so research your particular orchid to learn where it falls in the range of liking to be kept evenly moist such as with stanhopia orchids, versus liking to dry out before it is watered next, such as with cattleya orchids. And, if you buy an orchid that is mounted on a piece of bark, as opposed to potted in a container, such mounted orchids often need to be watered daily.
Photo courtesy of Cathleen Daghestani
