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Watering Orchids

TadsTads Posts: 210
in Tools and techniques

i have been given 2 beautiful  "mini cascade orchids"

- each "planted in moss fibre" in a glass bowl vase.  

Watering instructions say "water thoroughly every 1-2 weeks, allowing excess water to drain away. Do not allow plant to stand in water" - 

but the glass bowls prevent any drainage ???? ? so I darent water them - have had them for 6 days now.

please can a kind soul offer a "clue" on how I should proceed with watering (how often & how much?)  i believe you can over-water orchids - 

"Grateful" ???? Thankyou - 

 

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Posts

  • TadsTads Posts: 210

    image

     

  • GardenmaidenGardenmaiden Posts: 1,126

    Never seen one in a glass bowl before, they are normally in see through plastic flower pots.

    I would water one of two ways. If you have a mister I would spray the surface, or water directly and then tip the excess out.

  • TadsTads Posts: 210

    mmnnnn, Pansyface - thankyou, I agree with you - I am "furious" that they should mislead customers about watering ! 

    Thanks so much for your "in-depth" advice - clearly you are an "understanding soul" - ???? just what I needed.   Ok I wont water them for a month (agree) but I will buy a spray, and give the foliage a spray once a week - and see how that goes. 

    Your "kindness appreciated, Thankyou ????

    And "Thankyou" too - Gardenmaiden, will use spray. ????

    And "Thankyou" aym280 - i will get some orchid food & dissolve a little in the water, once a month......????

    "Thankyou" to everyone ????????????

     

  • TadsTads Posts: 210

    btw, I clicked on a 'happy face' icon in above reply - but I see all those ? came up, sorry ...

  • TadsTads Posts: 210

    Oh - great thanx !  Will try again now ????

  • TadsTads Posts: 210

    you see? This is what I get ! image 

     

  • TadsTads Posts: 210

    oh, it worked ????

  • TadsTads Posts: 210

    image

  • Tigs33Tigs33 Posts: 45

    I have one of these, the orchid is in a plastic pot, moss covering it and then popped in the glass bowl, I just either carefully remove the plastic pot and water or water as it is and drain the water away after 5 mins.

  • Danae(dan-Ah-ee)Danae(dan-Ah-ee) Posts: 966

    Hi Tads, Just like everybody else, I have never seen a living orchid in a container without a drainage hole.  My dentist has a huge one in a glass bowl but that's an artificial one.

    If I were given an orchid in such a pot, I think I would carefully remove it and place it in one with drainage holes.  I would hate to kill it.

    I, too, have my orchids potted in moss.  I water them once a week, usually on a Sunday, so I don't forget.  When I have rain water I use that.  I fill a small watering can with the rain water, hold the pots over the sink and pour it over the moss.  Still holding each pot up, I let it drain thoroughly.  When I don't have rain water, I just hold each pot under the tap and do the same.

    Moreover, only when they're flowering I also give them highly diluted plant feed when I water them but not at other times. 

    My orchids grow and bloom beautifully, so I trust I'm not doing anything lethal to them!

    Last episode of Gardeners' World had a piece on orchids and it's now on IPLAYER:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0755g4p/gardeners-world-2016-episode-4

    It's about 22 minutes in.

    Hope it helps.

     

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