How do you water?

[I. C. Unicorns]

Well, I have my white phalenopsis repotted with fir bark and perlite and I didn't kill it . Some of the older flowers are starting to droop but they are at least a month and a half old, so I don't know if that is normal bloom life. I have grown a couple new flowers from tiny green buds so I take it as a sign that I didn't kill off all the roots during the repotting.

Now to the question, how do you water an orchid well when the pot has holes in it!?! Do I have to take it to the sink every time? I'd really rather just pour some water in the top most of the time and not overflow the pot (there is some room at the bottom which will hold water) The pot is unglazed terra cotta and I think it dries out quickly but I am willing to water more frequently.

So do I have to soak the orchid or will a drizzle of water over the bark suffice for watering?

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Take it to the sink unless you want to build a trough to place your plants in/on and a drain hose from the trough to some floor drain or to the outside world. I know someone who did this for his light garden, and then waters heavily in place. The problem you have is that the bark does not wet easily or distribute the water uniformly. If you really want a system that you can just dribble into 3 out of 4 watering, I recommend using what I use, though I think another year of use on my part would be better before I do much recommending of it. I use 3 parts small perlite to 2 parts coursely sifted Canadia peat moss. This wicks up the water pretty well, and the wicking action generally keeps it from drying at the top leaving a soaking center, tho it needs to be pressed into the pot pretty well to get good wicking. Currently I plan to repot every year (just hose it out, no damage to roots), but I may find that this mix will go a little longer. I currently have about 550 orchids in it (~8 months), and they are doing very well. I can repot anytime of year, in bud/bloom or not, if I am not dividing, as the removal and replacement of the mix does no damage to roots, and is a non-event to the plant. It's also very cheap. And it allows me to use smaller pots, great for saving space in an over crowded GH, because one only has to leave space for a single years growth. Cynthia, Prescott, AZ

I carry a bucket and the water to the plants. I put a cake rack over the bucket, put the plant on the rack, and pour the water (with or without fertilizer) through. I know it's good to water at the sink, but I have arthritis and it would be impossible for me to carry all the plants to the sink.

[janet_a]

i'm a carry-to-the-sink type too; it's a pain but there it is. i put the plants in the dish drainer tray on the counter, pour a lot of water thru the pots (which pools in the tray) and let them sit in the water for 5-10 mins or so, then they get put in the sink to drain. the tray gets tipped into the sink, then the next batch gets put on it and watered. ones in the sink get shaken out and brought back to the windowsill, leaving the sink empty; lather rinse repeat 'til they're all done.

(majority are in sphag in plastic pots; the catt in bark and the 2 dens in lava rock in clay pots get to soak for a good 15 mins or so while i eat my breakfast.)

this happens once a week, with occasional additional watering if something really dries out in between times.