Orchids need to be given a good soaking every 7–10 days. Water your orchids by thoroughly soaking the potting medium. The best way to do this is by placing your orchid plant in a deep tray filled with a few inches of water. This allows the roots the benefits of soaking without immersing them in water. This is an especially useful way to water indoor orchids.
How Much Water Do Orchids Need Per Day?
Orchids don’t need daily watering. Instead, they should be watered once every 7–10 days. Potted orchids are usually best soaked in 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm) of water. This allows the water to be absorbed through each hole in the container. Thus, the orchid roots get all the water they need without over-wetting the potting medium. This is important because an orchid’s crown root doesn’t like being surrounded by wet soil.
- Do not water your orchid every day.
- Water orchids once every 7–10 days.
- Potted orchids only need 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm) of water for a good soaking.
Orchids don’t need all that much water to stay healthy. However, these beautiful flowers are fairly fragile plants that need a good amount of attention. Regular watering is important. Overwatering or underwatering can easily stress your plant and cause growth issues.
How Do You Water Orchids?
The best way to water orchids is through the use of humidity trays or soaking trays. Simply get a deep tray and fill it with 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm) of water. Then, place your potted orchid in the tray and allow the water to be soaked up through the drainage holes into the pot. This technique works best with indoor orchids but can be used with any potted orchid.
- Shallow soaking in a soak tray or this humidity tray is the best way to water an orchid.
- Soak watering allows orchids to get all the water they need without introducing excess soil moisture.
- Avoid watering with cold water or ice.
Whatever you do, never water orchids with ice cubes. Tropical orchids can be damaged by cold water or ice. Using ice cubes to water tropical plants will kill your plants very quickly. It’s better to use lukewarm water when watering orchids.
Do Orchids Like Wet or Dry Soil?
Orchids generally prefer fairly dry soil. Despite their natural habitat having high humidity levels, orchid roots hate excess water and humidity. An overly humid environment and overwatering can lead to health issues for your plant’s roots. This is why many orchid growers use the shallow soaking method. This shallow soak gives orchids all the water they need without over-wetting the soil.
- Orchids generally prefer drier soil.
- Excessively moist soil can lead to health problems for your plant.
- Be sure to let orchid soil dry out between waterings to keep your orchids happy.
It’s important to let orchid soil dry out between waterings to ensure no excess moisture. This is why gardeners wait 7-10 days between watering any type of orchid.
Can You Overwater Orchids?
Orchids can be overwatered surprisingly easily. Orchid roots react poorly to their soil staying wet for too long. Wet soil can lead to root rot or crown rot and other fungal diseases. Virtually all types of orchids need dry periods for their soil to lose excess moisture.
- Orchid roots hate excessive soil moisture.
- Overwatering can lead to plenty of fungal diseases or other health issues.
- Never deep soak orchids.
One other way you can overwater orchids is by deep soaking them. It’s important to learn the difference between deep-soaking and shallow-soaking. Deep soaking—or submerging the entire plant in water—can shock the plant and kill it quickly. Shallow soaking in a soaking tray is the best way to water orchids.
How Do You Know If Orchids Need Water?
Underwatered orchids are prone to drooping, wilting, flower loss, blossom loss, and eventually death, especially in extremely sunny conditions. You can recognize any of these as sure signs that it’s time to water your orchids.
- Drooping leaves, lost flower bulbs, and leaf loss are all signs of parched orchids.
- Unfortunately, moisture meters don’t work with orchids since they prefer dry soil.
Unlike many other plants, you can’t always tell if orchids need watering by soil conditions. Orchids love it when their soil dries out between waterings. Thus, dry soil is not always a reliable sign of orchids needing more water. Unfortunately, this also means that soil moisture meters aren’t very useful when caring for orchids.
Do Orchids Require Lots of Water?
Orchids don’t require much water but they do have special watering needs. You need to be sure to meet these needs with special orchid care to ensure proper watering. Here are some key tips to keep in mind when caring for orchids:
- Orchids need to be soaked in 1–2 inches (2.5–5 cm) of water every 7–10 days.
- Soaking trays are vital for properly watering orchids.
- Orchids don’t like wet soil and actually prefer their soil to dry out between waterings.
- Overwatered orchids are prone to various diseases.
- If your orchid is wilting or losing leaves, it is time to water again.
While orchids may seem to be slightly fussy plants, they are very rewarding to grow. Once you master the art of the soaking tray, you will have no trouble growing a lovely selection of orchids.
