| I will have to join in. I mount probably in excess of 1000 a year. Needless to say it takes to long to soak, although, soaking is my favorite way to water mounted orchids.
I do not fear spreading disease as Andy's does. In a commercial greenhouse setting if you have diseased plants it will spread regardless. Most bacteria problems will spread airborne. Only vigilant observation and routine treatment will avoid spreading. In a small collection, you should know quickly if a plant is sick and quarantine it.
I agree with Andy on night watering. I was surprised to find literature that plants only absorb nutrients and grow after dark. It is logical since if the plant opened its pores to grow during the heat of the day it would be subject to much more water evaporation. Since I am feeding with worm tea, feeding at dusk is necessary to allow the microbes a chance to live. Spraying in the heat of the day will evaporate the water too fast.
Everyone talks about good humidity for orchids, well in SW Florida in certain months the dew settling on the leaves at night will soak the leaves. This is like watering at night every night for months. It is so much I sometimes check to weather to see if it rained that night. We seldom get night rain.
The double watering is better than one watering, because it gives the plant a longer time to absorb water, but still may not be enough. In a commercial greenhouse we need to water a minimum of 10-20 minutes each watering. This is for potted plants and mounts. You have to have water on the plant long enough for the plant to drink the water. Too short a watering (which is what most hobbyist do) is like wetting your lips when you are thirsty. It feels good for a bit but does not solve the long term need. I need to emphasize that you can not over water based on the length of time you water. 10 minutes or 2 hours, after you stop, the excess will drain away and the water remaining is the same in either case. Over watering is when you water too often not allowing enough drying time.
I have about 100 mounts that are in my personal collection rather than the commercial greenhouses, and they are grown in hobbyist conditions. Even my Cattleya which have all their roots outside the mount do not get enough water by spraying with a hose.
I soak when I can in Worn Tea, which will prevent the spread of parasites, and bacteria is prevented by good overall growing conditions. And I know this will upset people but viruses I do not even consider to be worth worrying about.
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jerry  |