In the tropics, orchids grow among stones, rocks and tree branches. During the drought period, they draw moisture from the soil layers and tree trunks. Prolonged showers compensate for the water balance necessary for plant development. Any gardener should know that an excess of water leads to flooding. As a result, the orchid rots and dies. How to save a flower from waterlogging - find out below.
Role of moisturizing
Moisturizing is the most important thing in caring for a plant. For him, both water shortage and excess water is destructive.
The most important condition for watering is maintaining fluid balance. In flower shops you can find only hybrids of tropical orchids. Wildwood specimens are extremely rare.
Plants from stores prefer woody substrate and high humidity. Many orchid growers make the following mistakes when watering.:
- Use hard water from the tap.
- Gaining melt or rain water.
- Acidify the water with oxalic acid.
Important! Cold tap water is not suitable for orchids. The liquid must be cleaned of impurities by filtering or boiling. There are many reasons that affect healthy development and flowering. All this is the result of compliance with the rules of watering.
What is the bay?
Often, amateur flower growers, when irrigating a plant using the “immersion” method, forget to take it out in time from a container with water. The soil is saturated with water, which can threaten the death of orchids. Recognize such an excessive bay by wrinkled leaves. If this happens at the flowering stage, the blossoming flowers and buds fall. These are only external manifestations. The root system in the prevailing conditions begins to rot due to not consumed moisture. If the flower is not saved in time, it can die.
What to do if the plant is over-humidified?
If the purchased plant was poured before the purchase, or this mistake was made in the process of caring for the orchid, overmoistened flower urgently reanimated - transplanted. In this case, attention is paid to every detail.
- Orchid carefully (without pulling out) free from the pot.
- From the root system, with a jeweler's precision, scrape the ground, rinse it with water and conduct an inspection.
- If there are rotten roots, they are carefully cut off.
- Sections are treated with powdered charcoal or ground cinnamon to avoid infection and fungal infection.
- The flower is left alone for a day to dry roots and neck.
The pot is prepared in advance and treated with soapy water.
Next steps:
- A prepared substrate is poured at the bottom of the pot.
- The root system is immersed in the ground so that it is freely in the tank.
- The remaining earth is scattered on the sides.
Substratum after transplantation is not watered. It is sufficiently moistened.
What if the orchid, which is flooded, from the roots of virtually nothing survived? It can be saved by creating a small greenhouse. A plastic container is poured with water and the flower is fixed so that the small roots do not touch the surface of the water. Rhizomes are sprayed several times a day. Fluid should be periodically added to the desired level.
When the root processes reach lengths of up to 6 cm, they are transplanted into a pot., filled with a special substrate for orchids.
The reanimated plant will bloom again only after 2 years.
We offer you to watch a video about the rescue of an over-wetted orchid:
How to water?
Each type of orchid requires a special regime and method of watering. One loves constantly wet soil, the other needs to be moistened after the soil dries. The frequency of irrigation is determined by a number of factors.:
- A kind of orchid.
- Season.
- The period of flowering and rest.
- Air humidity.
- Dishes in which the flower grows.
For these types of orchids, like cymbidium, phalaenopsis, and papiopedilum, the need for moisture is determined by sweat on the walls of a transparent pot. Watering after complete drying of the soil in the tank prefer Cattleya, oncidium, dendrobium and odontoglossum. Wanda, which grows with an open root system, requires daily spraying from a spray bottle.
Orchids are watered in one of the ways:
- Irrigation of the root system.
- With the help of a watering can.
- Immersion
Roots are sprayed with a sprayer until their color turns bright green. Watering the orchid should be with a thin spout. Water is distributed over the entire surface of the soil. Do not allow liquid to enter the inside of the leaves and the growing points. Water until the moisture begins to drain from the holes in the pot. For a few minutes, pause and continue watering.
Immersion method:
- Prepare a wash.
- Pour warm water, pre-boiled or filtered.
- Put in a basin with a flower.
- Leave for half an hour.
During this time, the soil is well soaked with water, stocking up for a long time with a sufficient amount of moisture. After the procedure, remove excess water from the pot.
Reference! You can put orchids under the summer rain to bring the conditions to tropical for a while.
During the growing season the plant is watered 2-3 times a week. When the peduncle appears, the soil is moistened more often. When the flowers wither, the frequency of watering is reduced and the earth should dry out between watering.
We offer you to watch a video about orchid watering:
Prevention and further care
To prevent re-flooding, it is necessary to continue to carefully control the plant moisture. Following the above irrigation rules, such errors will not be repeated. Orchid, which is restored after overflow, needs feeding. Fertilize compounds containing phosphorus and potassium.
Nitrogen fertilizers are excluded. Nitrogen causes the rapid development of leaves, but not buds. At the time of flowering is necessary phosphorus. Its lack leads to a decrease in the number of buds.
Proper watering orchids will provide it with healthy growth and rapid flowering. The plant with water receives nutrients. When watering is done in a timely manner and without bays, there will be no problems with orchids. If they bought it, it looks like a flower that had been transferred, or such an oversight was made by the florist, the plant should not be thrown away. It can be saved and in 2 years it will again be covered with flowers.
