Watering my Orchids - How I do it & what I use! + About using aquarium water

[@ardellewachter1649]

I love your attitude; I am no longer fearful of my ability to care for my Orchids.

[@bbagel5]

Do you fertilize every time you water?

[@ruthmeow4262]

I have been looking at that watering can. I just want one that isn't so tall compared to the spout, I have some low shelves and I either have to pull them out to water them or tilt a half full watering can to reach them. I just want a long enough to water the back of the shelves without having to try to get my watering can in. I use aquarium water on lots of my houseplants. Haven't had problems with mulm for potted plants. I am just getting into orchids and am glad to see what your views are on this. I live in a desert area and do not want to waste any water. I do use RO in my aquariums with tap to lower the dissolved solids.

[@juliehudgins524]

I like the plant stair risers you have in the cabinet!Where do you find it?

[@tamibechtle4388]

I had the same question, please let us know when you can. Keep up the awesome videos!

[@saracottingham2783]

I’m obsessed with your Sailor Moon mug! Love your videos ❤

[@natasha8302]

I have heard some specialists suggest that if you do not have any reverse osmosis water to let tap water set out for a few days. Doing that allows the tap water to off gas and that will reduce the chances of burning sensitive plants.

[@demonicmffn]

Woww your aquarium is beautiful!❤

[@abigail.j8500]

I'm new here! That is the most beautiful & stunning aquarium I've ever seen, like wow! I had to try & stay focused on the information. Lol

[@mindfulmadeline]

I have a very similar watering can and I also love it! REcently I got an expensive Haws watering can for christmas and I thought I would love it, but it makes a mess just like you said! It is nice to have two watering cans tho, and I use them for different set ups. But I def love the original one.

[@rosestines66]

I take my phal out of the main pot but I leave it in the clear pot to water it but is spring water from a bottle ok to water it with n I love all your videos too thanks for sharing your knowledge with us

[@deemaxwell4172]

A TDS meter is your friend, use one to see what the reading is on your mineral water (most of those minerals are salts). Most of them are a bit high for an orchid. Distilled water can be purchased at most grocery stores right beside the mineral water and come in larger sizes. That would be better as it is demineralized and will have a reading near 0, so you can then add the right amount of fertilizer without worrying about burning the roots. Saves the cost of buying an RO unit, having to hook it up to your sink, find storage for the water, etc.

[@liannaalexander2161]

Do you fertilizer every time you water? I am new orchid owner and learning the ropes.😊

[@rosestines66]

Your tanks are so beautiful ❤

[@ellietobe]

I am still in the beginner stage with orchids. I am still unsure about when this orchid should be watered. This is my first orchid and it is growing its second flower spike right now despite my lack of experience. I am itching to buy another one but this time of year there seems to be no one local that is selling orchids.

[@katiem9574]

Is it a phal? If it's in a clear pot you can check the roots. If they are green they are happy. If they are white they need water. It'll depend on your environment and what it's potted in, where it sits etc but checking the roots themselves is a good way to go. Welcome to the orchid club! You'll have more before you know it 😉

[@MK-yu3tc]

Hi Dany, use of decorative pots wont affect air flow around the root system? Will it not let the roots stay moist for a longer time, thereby affecting the wet-dry cycle??

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, decorative pots don't have as much of an effect as we imagine actually. The real effect is done by the brown pots I pot my orchids in! yes the lack of side ventilation will make things dry slower, by limiting evaporation. In my climate that's just what I need 🤭 the roots don't suffocate due to how little moss I actually use, it's just very fluffed up. Aeration of the pot is done by the wet dry cycle. It will take a lot of time for them to grow enough roots to compress it to suffocation, I just need to be on my toes and repot before that happens 😊

[@MK-yu3tc]

@@MissOrchidGirl thank you, appreciate it

[@ellietobe]

I have quite a few different types of plants so I really need a half gallon or two liter watering can. I have seen the one she is using here and I like the spout that it has but it doesn’t seem to come in a larger size. I want a watering can with a long spout that I can reach to the back of my shelves with. Have not found the perfect one yet.

[@BorisG13]

Have you had issues with your Detolf showcase? I dropped some water on the base of mine and it got super swollen, the material really isn’t sealed all that well as it’s not intended to be a greenhouse or anything like that but I honestly didn’t expect it to be that bad. Lol the door didn’t even wanna close and the gap was pretty big before the water.

[@tashacombrinck659]

Hi Danny! I love your videos, ever since I started with orchids, I have been referring to your videos for guidance and it really has helped me so much! if you happen to see this comment, I seem to have a problem with my cattleya orchid and I am struggling to find information on it. I have had three new growths on it, but they come out mostly black and look rotten with a little bit of green, but then when the second leaf starts to develop, it just turns completely black and dies. I am not sure if its a fungal, bacterial or viral issue. None of the old growth has any issues at all, and it keeps trying to push out new growths. The roots look fine and the medium also seems okay. I am not sure what to do at this point. any assistance from anyone would help. If I could just identify the cause then maybe I can do something about it? Thank you oh I would also like to mention that I have a collection of about 30 orchids of a variety of types and none of them are showing the same or even a similar issue, and they are all in close proximity. I dont know if that will help to identify the problem

[@christinethomas9095]

Dany I have been watching you blogs and watering my Phala orchids and every week they’re nice and recently 3 sent out flower spikes. By the way I have 4 of them. My question to you is they’re on my bathroom ledge and are quickly growing out of that area. Am afraid to put them outside. Where can I put them under a tree in my backyard or on my front patio? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[@maxrice7917]

Do you ever remove an immature flower spikes before it fully grows? For context, the orchid is a Phal hybrid and has been recovering over the past few months. It has some leaves and roots but I wouldn't say it's very healthy. It's bloomed this year already but the buds fell prematurely. I was hoping removing the flower spike would encourage a focus on vegetative growth. I appreciate your feedback!

[@baltschoolofdance]

Danny does cut flower spikes to improve the health of struggling orchids.

[@k.s5889]

Happy New Year

[@fifiadera4682]

How often do you water?

[@elliepiper]

I love the Sailor Moon mug. Haha

[@plantyhappyandneedcoffee]

Do you check pH or PPM at all?

[@PlantObsessed]

Do you know what the TDS is half tap water?

[@MissOrchidGirl]

Hi, not sure what you mean, but my tap water has a TDS of around 350 ppm 😊

[@sophiemo7278]

Wondering if someone can answer my question. I repotted an orchid with crown rot 2 months ago hoping it would survive but didn't. Can I reuse the media safely? If not, is there a way to make it safe?

[@katiem9574]

That's no fun! Next time you get crown rot, cut off what you can and apply cinnamon. You won't get more leaves but a lot of times you'll get a Keiki so you can keep the family going so to speak. I am sure there is probably a way to disinfect and reuse the medium but I am always extra cautious and toss it. It's so hard to know what other critters or diseases could be lingering and not worth risking transferring to another orchid. Yes there's things you can try but there's still a risk. Hope this helps!

[@crestedargo4663]

That is such a good question. In many videos Danny has said that it's not a very good idea to reuse organic media of an orchid died with crown/stem rot, because it can contain bacteria that can kill the new orchid. If the media is non organic, for example pieces of ceramic or leca, you can use high temperature to sterilize it. However I'm in a similar situation to yours and I think I will try to reuse the organic media, because it's a lot and it's very new: I will have it completely dry and i will let it exposed on a surface to a lot of fresh air for a couple of weeks and then I will reuse it. Maybe I will choose one of my orchid that is easier to find and not too expensive... But this time I don't want to throw all the media away

[@ah7smpa853]

You could sterilize it in the microwave. Check the temperature maybe 160-180°F. Make sure the media is damp so it doesn't catch fire. Dry media could if it got hot enough.

[@lindaannb]

I’ve been known to heat damp media in the microwave or in the oven at 200 F. However, I’m not recommending the oven because I don’t want to be responsible for any fires.

[@nenggrace8995]

I would add the media to my garden potting soil.

[@gpsofokli82]

Hi Dany ...From which websites do you buy fragrant orchids and they ship to Cyprus?

[@marycamilleri447]

I use rainwater from my water butt in garden,let it stand for a few days so it is room temperature and water my orchids is it OK to use rainwater?

[@alicegonyar8631]

Can you tell me the link for watering can in USA

[@franmclachlan9120]

I use Brita water on my orchids. Is that okay?

[@danab172]

I water all my orchids by soaking them in their holed pots for 15-20 min each. 1x week. It takes me a few hours a week. 😞

[@antoniettarao3321]

Io uso acqua piovana!

[@sdqsdq6274]

ah that jewel orchid, one of these days when the price drop i will get it , lol

[@All_pitcherplants]

Hi

[@All_pitcherplants]

Big fan

[@debpogue3469]

They are lieing

[@brandifrench5215]

I went on a “I don’t like to water” strike and now a few of my orchids are dead. Makes me sad but it’s my own fault..

[@BorisG13]

same happened to me, thankfully I lost none haha

[@brandifrench5215]

@@BorisG13 I’m jealous lol

[@ericouellette5597]

If you don’t like to nurture something to make it prosperous then don’t get it…. I can’t even relate to this comment…

[@brandifrench5215]

@@ericouellette5597 THANKS for the support!!

[@reddragon4211]

@@ericouellette5597 no need for the hate. watering orchids can be bothersome once you've been doing it for a while when it can take quite a while to do. sometimes people get a bit of burnout in the hobby, it's not the end of the world

[@colleenb8500]

I was under the impression that I should place my orchid in a bucket of water and let it soak for 10 -15 minutes. A real pain.

[@angelofmyheart1967]

I think everyone has their own method depending on their style or environment. I use the bucket method too and yes, it's a pain. I live in a cold state in the US and I soak my phalaenopsis...planted in a bark/moss/perlite mix...for a longer time more often in the summer but less so in winter. I also run a fan and that seems to have helped improve my success. Alot of this I learned through trial and error.

[@katiem9574]

I second that. I am in Florida. The bucket while a pain is a lifesaver in the hot summer. In the winter I water just like miss D does. It really depends on how often you can water as well. If I don't soak them in the summer I have to water them twice as often.

[@rosestines66]

My tap water is full of chlorine n calcium n it’s salty too n can’t drink it either so I don’t give it to my orchid either lol

[@antoniettarao3321]

Va bene? Puoi rispondermi in italiano o in inglese! Grazie!

[@antoniettarao3321]

Io uso acqua piovana!