One question we often get here at Joey-Lynn's Flowers is how do I care for my orchid plant?
Caring for the orchid plant is often a common question that we get here at our flower shop. Care is very simple for orchid plants. Once a customer has purchased an orchid plant from Joey-Lynn's Flowers we advise them to do the following in order to keep their new orchid plant healthy and thriving for many months.
First after you have taken your new orchid plant home for displaying of for giving to a loved one you must inspect the plant for any signs of dehydration. Dehydration can sometimes seem difficult to notice because the orchid plant itself does not need regular watering like most other house plants and therefore can seem dry inside of the pot where the root system resides. It is here that you need to check for moisture loss as you would for all your house plants. However, with an orchid plant the moisture level is quite different than the typical house plant. With a regular house plant you might notice that the soil is dry or that the leaves are turning brown on the tips. These signs are a normal indicator that you house plant needs water now. Yet with a orchid plant that moisture question can get quite tricky.
Sometimes more often than not your orchid plant will seem rather dry in the pot soil or moisture chips that reside in the pot. It will seem as if you orchid plant needs a good watering. Here is where orchids differ from other plants. Orchids plants do not need to be watered as often, as they thrive in a dry base of mulch. Orchids do have to have some moisture.however.
The best rule of thumb is to check the orchid plant's overall health and see if there is any drooping of the petals or any brown leaves. If there is petal drooping then check the soil and see if it is dry. If these symptoms are present then proceed to add some moisture to the plant.
Adding moisture to the orchid plant is simple just add a few ice cubes three or four to the pot on top of the roots and let that small amount of water slowly melt onto the mulch soil. Do this once every week or two depending on where your orchid is placed in you home. If the plant is not near a vent or fan that's good because these plants do not thrive near drafts of any kind.
Once you get in a habit of how to properly moisturize this lovely addition to your home you will see how easy it is to have your beautiful orchid lasting for quite a long time.
I hope this helps in answering the question of how much water does an orchid plant need to survive.
Thank you for your time.
Joey-Lynn of Joey-Lynn's Flowers
