How to water orchids and what kind of water? Tips from experienced gardeners

The richest species family in the plant world is Orchidaceae. It is difficult to pass by the beautiful orchid, which belongs to the flowering department and the class of monocotyledons, and cannot be bought.

When the cherished dream of women comes true, they are not ready for the fact that the unusual flower with roots in the form of a twin bulb is whimsical and capricious in leaving.

What to water? What water to use? How to water so that it turns blue? You will find the answers to these questions below.

Watering Recommendations

Watering is an important event. The beauty and health of an orchid depends on how moisturizing is. Not observing the rules of irrigation or making it with violations, novice growers are surprised at the drying up and death of a pet. Even if it is possible to take measures in time in this case, they will save her, but she will not gain color for a long time.

For watering orchids (but with the recommended frequency and without fanaticism) it is recommended to use ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, cytokinin paste and yeast, but it is strictly forbidden to use a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Organic fertilizers are also contraindicated in the flower: manure and compost, since their use leads to damage to sensitive roots.

Basic Rules

• Infrequent and not abundant watering. If you water the orchid often, the horses rot. Waterlogging of the substrate is fatal in contrast to moisture deficiency.
• Determination of watering frequency taking into account lighting, pot size, humidity level in the room and air temperature. Always take into account the rate at which moisture evaporates from the soil. Some gardeners water the orchid once a week, while others once a month.
• There is no universal irrigation scheme: each grower will have her own.

So that it blooms blue

Some gardeners water the orchid with colored water. As a result, the darling acquires a blue tint on the leaves, roots and flowers. They act imprudently, causing her harm. It depends on how strong he is, whether she survives or not. Why paint the buds blue using ink or blue for watering if this procedure is harmful? The natural shade always looks more natural and richer.

What water should be used?

Orchid is a plant that lives in nature in the conditions of torrential rains with a relatively small amount of salts. What to water a room flower? Rain water is the best, but when it enters the ground, it is enriched with salts. It is difficult to predict their concentration, since it depends on the region, type of soil, etc.

Reference. Orchid roots are sensitive to cold water. If you water it with water not at room temperature, it will experience stress.

He threatens if, without proper attention, relate to water quality. Tap water is a "storehouse" of unnecessary salts. It is not suitable for watering orchids. To remove salt and improve its quality, there are special methods. What kind?

Rain

It is not always and not everywhere that you can collect it in order to use it later in watering orchids. Gathering it, make sure that it is clean. The gathering is carried out outside the city, where almost no cars drive and where there are no traces of civilization. Having found the perfect place, they always keep it clean.

After collecting rainwater, choose the right place to store it. A dark, secluded and cold corner is suitable. Darkness and cold prevent the growth of bacteria in it.

Advantages:

• Cheapness.
• The naturalness of rainwater.

Disadvantages:

• Difficulties in finding a place to gather.
• The inability to organize special conditions for storage.

Boiled

Having boiled water, flower growers achieve temporary removal of stiffness from it. Salts turn into scale. If everything is normal with the water hardness in the region, boiling is an ideal method.

Advantages: Simplicity.

Disadvantages: Inefficiency if tap water in the region is too hard.

Distilled

If the florist has two or three orchids, you can buy distilled water in a flower shop. It is diluted with tap water, but taking into account the following nuances:

1. Highly hard water - 1 hour tap + 2 hours distilled.
2. The average hardness is 1 hour tap and distilled.

Advantages: The ability to independently control the salt content.

Disadvantages: The high price of distilled water.

Filtered

On a note. The stores sell flow filters and jugs. Both remove salts, making the liquid immediately after filtration suitable for irrigation.

Sometimes a single filtration is not enough, since the water is hard.

Advantages:

• Simplicity.
• Low price of filters.

Disadvantages:

• Slow filtration rate.
• The need for periodic replacement of cartridges, so as not to harm the flower.

Defended

This method is the least costly and optimal. A day after pouring water into the bottle, it is ready for use. The main thing is not to shake it, as there is always sediment at the bottom.

Is it possible to use solutions?

Not all solutions that flower growers use to provide abundant flowering, leaf growth, etc. other plants suitable for watering orchids. Which ones can and cannot be used?

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a stimulator of the growth and death of pathogenic microorganisms. It is used for soil treatment and substrate disinfection. It saturates the roots and leaves with oxygen, resuscitates the flooded orchid, in which the roots began to decay. In order not to harm, but to help the plant, strictly observe proportions when mixing peroxide with water.

• Pest Control: 2 tbsp. l 3 percent water peroxide per liter of water. Orchid is sprayed or watered with the resulting solution.
• Resuscitation: per 1 liter of water 3 ml of peroxide.
• Regular watering: 5-10 drops of water per liter of water.

Potassium permanganate

You can not water the orchid with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Yes, it is effective when struggling with mold in the soil and fungus, but not in the case of phalaenopsis orchids. Potassium permanganate causes them to burn roots.

Yeast

Attention! Experienced growers recommend top dressing with yeast. It is effective if the orchid does not bloom for a long time.

It also helps to reanimate the plant if the roots have almost all decayed. The main thing is to make a yeast solution for irrigation correctly and not to make it more often than once a month. Top dressing is done like this: in ten liters of warm water, one pack of dry yeast (10 g) and 3 tbsp. l granulated sugar. After mixing, the mixture is infused for two hours, and then water the orchid with it.

Cytokinin paste

A novelty in flower shops is a cytokinin paste preparation. The main active ingredient in it is the phytohormone cytokinin. It stimulates cell division. If desired, make a paste yourself, but at the same time observe all safety precautions, as they are prepared from hazardous substances. She is kept in a cool and dark place, and make sure that children do not play with her. Special properties of cytokinin paste:

1. Awakening of sleeping buds on orchids.
2. Regulation of the metabolism.
3. Retention of aging and decay.
4. Activation of growth.
5. Acceleration of flowering and peduncle.

The paste consumption is small: 100 grams is enough to process not only domestic, but also garden flowers. The best time for feeding is the end of winter - the beginning of spring.

Cytokinin paste - a drug that can not be used at random, without following the recommendations from the manufacturer and without introducing nitrogen and complex fertilizers. Otherwise, there is a high risk of drying and death of the orchid. It is not recommended to use paste if the orchid is sick, affected by pests and is under stress.

Ammonia

You can fertilize the orchid using ammonia, i.e. clear white liquid with a pungent odor. It is a source of nitrogen, i.e. most important element for her. He is needed to establish the process of photosynthesis.

Reference. If there is a lack of nitrogen in the substrate, the production of chlorophyll will be disrupted and chlorosis will develop. The leaves turn pale, turn yellow, and eventually die off.

The orchid is watered with ammonia solution under the root. In five liters of water breed 3 tbsp. tablespoons of ammonia. It is used when watering once every three weeks, until there are alarming signs. Sometimes flower growers apply this fertilizer only in February-March once every 15-20 days to support the orchid during the period of active growth and before the formation of buds.

Phytolavin

Phytolavin is a systemic drug designed to protect crops from bacterial diseases. It is recommended for those who grow fruit trees and seedlings of vegetable crops, plants in a greenhouse, open ground. It is not suitable for protecting orchids from bacterial diseases.

What is fraught with improper care?

Due to improper watering orchids die. To avoid this, watering should not be plentiful, and feeding is done carefully.

What to do if moisturized incorrectly?

If you water the orchid incorrectly, and excess moisture will cause root decay, the leaves wrinkle, and the buds fall off. In this case, the flower is removed from the pot. Sometimes it is easier to cut a plastic container into two than to remove the roots in a different way. All root processes are cleaned of the substrate, and then soaked in water for 15-20 minutes. After complete drying, the soaked roots are removed with manicure scissors or a sharp secateurs, and then the orchid is planted in a new pot.

Useful video

Watering orchids, the basic rules:

Conclusion

Without proper watering and fertilizing, the orchid is not happy with flowering! The main thing to observe safety measures and fertilize it with the correct frequency.

Watch the video: Orchid Care for beginners - How to water Phalaenopsis Orchids (November 2024).