Watering

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

hey everyone.

I am interested in hearing your suggestions/experiences/methods with watering.

I have seen my collection double within the last year and I am beginning to become overwhelmed with my current method. I have now started watering plants in groups, submersing the pots in water. It really is to save time (get em done), but its proving to cause more problems I think. I am a windowsill/supplemented light grower who must take the plants to the bathroom to water. I usually use filtered tap water.

So please if you could share any suggestions or your methods for watering it might give me some great ideas.

Thanks,
Christine

 

[Yoyo_Jo]

I'm doing the same thing you are, I think. I haul all my plants into the bathroom that adjoins the bedroom where I grow my orchids. I use rain water, so we (hubby and I) haul 16 milk gallon jugs up the stairs to the second floor a couple of times a week. Most of my orchids are on trays, thank God, so I haul an entire tray at a time into the bathroom for watering. It takes me an hour and a half to two hours to water everything, but I also poke around at each plant when I'm watering and kill mealies too. I can't see any alternative to this for me; I sure can't water in the actual growing space as it's a carpeted bedroom.

 

[TyroneGenade]

Hello,

What mediums are you growing the plants in? The type of medium will influence the watering schedule as some mediums dry out faster than others.

I'm growing mostly in fine bark with some shell grit added to stabilise the pH. I water top-down about once per week. The plants all seem happy for now... I may reduce watering to every 2 weeks now that winter is upon me. The plants rest on gravel filled trays and I water so that the water flows out the pot (rinsing it). I am careful to make sure the plants never stand in water, but that there is always water in the trays to provide humidity.

I grow on a west facing windowsil in winter, and a south facing windowsil in summer. I'm in the southern hemisphere, if I did this in the northern hemisphere I would burn my plants to death!

I'm eager to read what everyone else is doing.

tt

 

[biothanasis]

I have somehow devided the plants that do not need too much water (dendrobium, cattleya etc) with the ones that need a bit more frequent watering (paphs etc), in my growing area, so that i water adequatelly (but sometimes this does not happen)!! I have my plants on humidity trays with pebles to provide extra humidity, under lights and with pc fans for ventilation!!! I have also enclosed my g.a. with plastic "cloth". I try to water once in a week in winter and twice (or more) in summer, but I never keep a strict schedule. I use a (almost) 1:1 mix of fine bark and leca for most of my plants. I water my plants by pouring water perimetrically of the pot with a bottle or something and let the excess water drain on the tray under the pots. Most of my plants enjoy this method and grow well.
Hope this helps!!

 

[Ray]

One of the better ideas I've seen for the windowsill grower is the use of
trays with drains running to a bucket to catch overflow, coupled with the use of a several-gallon, pump-type sprayer to deliver the water.

 

[nikv]

I'm probably no help to you. I have a solarium/greenhouse with a spigot and garden hose. I water everything once per week with individual plants being hand-watered in between as needed. It's nice to be able to use a garden hose and not worry about runoff.

 

[Elena]

I grow on windowsills and under lights and carry all the plants to the sink to water. I avoid dunking/re-using water as I'm worried about the potential for spreading pests/disease, etc.

Last year I was beginning to find it hard coping with all the plants. I had the choice between having more plants and cutting corners or trying to grow a smaller collection well. I chose the latter and downgraded a bit in the end which made life easier.

Hopefully one day I'll I have something resembling a greenhouse and then there will be no stopping me

 

[NYEric]

How many gallons of water do you use? My suggestion would be to have your plants in plastic trays [like sterilite 27 Gallon ones or bigger] supported above the bottom w/ eggcrate, garden stones, etc.; and carry the water in jugs to the growing area. You will probably use less that 3-4 gallons and you will raise your relative humidity w/ the water below the pots.

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

Eric,
I was considering setting something up like this. Do you have any photos of how I might put this together?

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

I'm probably no help to you. I have a solarium/greenhouse with a spigot and garden hose. I water everything once per week with individual plants being hand-watered in between as needed. It's nice to be able to use a garden hose and not worry about runoff.

oke: way to rub it in oke: I guess I'll just have to get a greenhouse then. Surely that would make life easier

 

[cnycharles]

I'm doing the same thing you are, I think. I haul all my plants into the bathroom that adjoins the bedroom where I grow my orchids. .........
I can't see any alternative to this for me; I sure can't water in the actual growing space as it's a carpeted bedroom.

I used to grow on shelves in windowsills, but then put together a way to water somewhat freely but catch the water. I have rolling carts from work, but if you had a regular shelving unit it work just as well. Either you can do like what Eric has with the large containers underneath (I have in one cart) or you can line the shelf with thick plastic deep enough to catch a decent amount of water. Put something underneath the plastic egg crating used to diffuse fluorescent light fixtures, to keep plants above the water. Use wire or other support to hold the sides of the plastic up so the water filling the plastic doesn't collapse it out and wet everything on the floor; three sides should be higher than the fourth on one side. The fourth side will have a long sleeve of plastic that droops into a roof drain gutter that tubes down into a large container. Water runs out of the holding area and down the sleeve, into the catch area. Lots of ways you can come up with to direct the water and catch.

A way to water but not carry multiple jugs is to use a five-gallon bucket, and use a small aquarium pump with about five feet of tubing on the end; you can pump directly into each pot. If you have deep tanks that catch the water, you can use it or another one dropped into the water to pump it out. Also if you keep the water deep enough and want to heat the area, you can put a submersible aquarium heater into the water (provided that you protect the plastic from the heater). I use a lot of wire mesh fencing as sides of water catchment areas to support it from collapse

 

[NYEric]

There used to be photos of the trays in the growing area megathread !?
You can see a bit of one in my miscellaneous stuff thread.

 

[SlipperFan]

There used to be photos of the trays in the growing area megathread !?
You can see a bit of one in my miscellaneous stuff thread.

Good idea:http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1004&highlight=megathread&page=19
I water my orchids right at the trays they are on.