Water and Light............. -- Welcome to Orchids, etc.

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Date Posted: 17:52:56 10/26/00 Thu
Author: Anonymous
Subject: Water and Light.............
In reply to: A true novice 's message, "Are Orchids considered perinneal or annual?" on 16:47:17 10/26/00 Thu

They are not bulbs, they reproduce from clippings and in Florida are all year round. They grow the best in clay pots with Orchid Potting Soil, NOT DIRT, almost like an air plant. Will post more.

Here is some more info:

WATER

"What's Wrong With My Orchid?"

I read this over and over in letters that are sent to me.
Almost always, when your orchid is not behaving like you think
it should, the problem usually is a result of how you are
watering it or even the possibility of the type of water being
used.

- - WATER - -

The water in my home is softened by a water
softener, will this hurt my orchids?

That all depends on how the water was softened. If the
softening was accomplished by an ion-exchange method there
is no problem. However, if the water was softened using
sodium (SALT), you do not want to use it on your orchids.
Unfortunately, most home water softeners use sodium as the
softening agent. The sodium water softener replaces the
calcium and magnesium (two nutritional components needed by
plants) with the sodium which is toxic to plants in the
quantities produced. Plants watered with sodium softened
water will start new growth and will grow them to two or
three inches then stop growing. It can take less than six
months to kill your orchids with sodium softened water. If
you use bottled water on your orchids, you need to find out if
the water has been softened, and if so, what method was
used, sodium or ion-exchange.

- - OVER WATERING - -

Most people are used to growing plants in soil, not in bark
and other media that orchids grow in or on. Because of the
different potting media, beginners have to make a major
adjustment in how they water.

Beginners will typically water their new orchid and, just hours
later, the orchid potting media will look dry again. So they
give it a little more water. The cycle continues and they end
up over watering and drowning the plant.

Orchid media is made to quickly absorb water and then dry
out. It is loose and allows oxygen to flow around the plant's
roots which the roots need to function correctly. If the
potting media is kept wet, the roots soon rot and the plant
starts to wilt because it cannot absorb the water needed.
When this happens the beginner usually adds still more water
thinking the plant needs it.

What should I look for?

1.Wilting

2.Pseudobulbs (see How Orchids Grow) that should be
plump are now shriveled and have deep furrows running
lengthwise.

3.Leaves like the Cattleya and Phalaenopsis start to curl,
soften, and develop creases

4.Leaves like the Miltonia and the Oncidium never expand
and look pleated like an accordion.

5.Blackened areas--especially around the bottom of the
plant.

6.Older leaves turn yellow and drop off.

7.The media smells sour.

8.If possible, gently remove the orchid from its pot
enough to examine the roots. If the roots are dark and
mushy, then the plant is most likely suffering from over
watering.

What should I do?

By the time you notice that there is something wrong, the
media has already started to decay and the plant has begun
to loose its roots. You need to repot immediately and cut off
all dead and decaying roots. Use a coarser grade of media
since this will allow more rapid drying out. Since the plant
probably has very few roots, support it with a stake.

If the plant has no (or very few) living roots left, you can
try placing the orchid in a plastic bag. Loosely tie the bag
closed. The bag will help the orchid from loosing more
moisture by reducing evaporation. Place the bag in an area
that only receives indirect light until you see new roots
growing.
DO NOT PLACE THE BAGGED ORCHID IN THE SUN!
When you see the new roots, take the orchid out of the bag
and place it on a humidity tray.

If your plant has black rot, treat it with a fungicide before
repotting.

Be careful when you start to water again.

- - UNDER WATERING - -

There are a few hobbyist's that have heard the words
"don't over water" so often that they tend to under water.
They will just mist the plants, only give them small amounts
of water (not completely wetting the plant media), or water
the poor thing infrequently treating it like cactus. Needless
to say, all plants need sufficient water or they will die (Even
cactus NEED to be watered or they will die too).

How do I know if I am under watering?

The sad thing about under watering is the symptoms are just
about the same as they are when a plant is over watered. To
determine if the problem is under watering or over watering,
you need to know the past pattern of how the plant has been
watered. However, if you gently remove your orchid from its
pot enough to examine the roots you may be able to determin
the problem: If the roots are firm, the problem is probably
under watering. If the roots are dark and mushy, then the
plant is most likely suffering from over watering.

1.Your plants starts to wilt, but does not lose its roots
like over watering causes.

2.The thinner leaves on some orchids will pleat like an
accordion as they develop. NOTE: Even after you have
increased your watering the leaves that have pleated
will not straighten out. New leaves will be normal.

3.Your plant is weak and the leaves are limp.

What should I do?

1.FIRST, make sure your plant is suffering from under
watering and not over watering.

2.If your plant is firm in its pot increase your watering, if
you have been watering once a week increase it to twice
a week.

3.When you water, water thoroughly not just sprinkle.

4.Misting does not take the place of watering.

5.Always use warm (NOT HOT) water. Don't water your
plants with cold water.

6.Always water in the morning. Doing so allows the plant's
leaves to dry before evening which will reduce the
chance of rot.

General When to Water
Guidelines
Always water using luke warm water, never cold
water.

Water more often when:

The orchid is in a pot any size below 4"
The orchid is growing in a clay pot
The orchid is mounted or in a basket
The humidity is below 40%
Temperature is above 80 degrees and the orchid is
exposed to direct sunlight
Air movement around the orchid is increased (promotes
evaporation)
The orchid has thin leaves or growths

Water less often when:

It is cloudy for 3 consecutive days or more and
the orchid is not receiving direct sunlight
The daytime temperature is approximately 60 degrees
or less
The orchid is in a 6" pot or larger
The orchid is in a plastic pot
There is very little air movement around the orchid
The humidity is 70% or higher
The orchid has thick leaves and growths

LIGHT

Most plants, including orchids, require light to perform
photosynthesis. There are many kinds of orchids and each has a
different lighting requirement due to where they live in their
natural habitat. Some are exposed to a bright tropical sun while
others live deep within shady forests. You need to learn what
types of orchids you have and try to provide them with the same
lighting levels they would normally receive in nature.

Light is measured in a unit called a footcandle (fc). A footcandle
is equivalent amount of light that is produced by a candle at the
distance of one foot. To give you an idea of light levels, on a
clear sunny summer day at noon, the light in the sun would be
over 10,000 fc. At the same time of day on a overcast winter
day, the light level may be less than 500 fc.

You most likely will not be able to tell the true light level in an
area because the human eye is too efficient at adjusting your
vision to a broad range of light levels and can be fooled by the
type of light present. For example, a grocery store may appear
brightly illuminated with florescent lights, but in reality, the
light level may be as little as 500 fc. To determine the light
level in the location you want to grow your orchids, you will need
a light meter that will give you readings in footcandle units and is
capable of measuring bright light up to at least 5,000
footcandles. You can also determine the light levels at a location
by using the built-in light meter of a SLR-type camera using a
special table:

SLR CAMERA LIGHT MEASURING TABLE

IF you do not have a light meter or any other way of measuring
light levels, here is a very rough rule of thumb you might follow:

Full Sun:
Direct sunlight that's unobstructed for six
to eight hours a day.
Partial Sun:
About four hours of direct sun a day or
lightly shaded sunlight all day.
Partial Shade:
About two hours or less of sunlight a day.
Filtered Sun or
Broken Shade:
No direct sun, but some filtered light.
Dense Shade:
No direct sun at all.

- - TOO LITTLE LIGHT - -

How do I know if I am not getting enough light?

If your orchid is showing any of these signs, chances are it is
not getting enough light.

1.Dark green leaves with no luster to them. The roots
system is fine.
2.Each new growth is smaller than the last growth.
3.Your orchid is floppy and very weak looking.
4.It has not bloomed or it has very few blooms.

How can I increase my light?

You need to move your orchids into a better light source, a
different window, open the curtains, remove objects that
maybe shading the window such as a tree or awning.
Be very careful when introducing you orchid (or any plant, for
that matter) to more light because a plant that has been in
poor light for any length of time will have very delicate
leaves that can burn easily. Move your plant to a higher light
level gradually over several days. If you notice the plant
leaves burning (they will turn brown and be very dry), move
the plant further away from the light source or provide some
shading for a week or two until the plant gets used to the
increased light.

If you are growing your orchids under electric lights:

1.Reduce the distance between the light and the plant.
NOTE: If you are using incandescent lamps, be careful
not to place the plants too close to the hot light.
2.Move the plant toward the center of the light.
3.You should operate your lights 14 to 16 hours a day.
4.Make sure the bulbs are not over a year old, older
bulbs tend to give out less light.
5.Use a special "grow light" in your fixture.

- - TOO MUCH LIGHT - -

How do I know if I am getting to much light?

There are several ways you can tell if your orchid is getting
too much light:

1.The leaves are showing burn spots. The spots can be
yellow or brown dry patches on the leaves. They could
also be rough and slightly raised.
2.The leaves feel hot to the touch. Leaves should be cool
to the touch.
3.The leaves start turning black and dropping off. A plant
exposed to too much sunlight will eventually die.
4.The plant's growth is stunted and the leaves start to
turn yellow.
5.On some orchids, the color is bleached out of the
leaves.

How can I reduce the amount of light?

This is easier to control than not enough light.

1.Move the plant away from the hot sun. Remember that
the sun coming thru a window and maybe intensified by
the glass.
2.Afternoon sun is also much "hotter" (brighter) than the
morning sun, so move the plant to a East-facing window.
3.Place shear curtains in front of the windows.
4.Provide shade if growing out doors. A plant that may be
fine in the spring but could get burned as the sun moves
higher in the sky toward summer.

If you are growing under lights, you usually don't run into
this problem unless you leave your lights on all the time or
the lights are too close to the plants.

Typical lighting requirements for the most commonly sold orchids:
Phalaenopsis
1000-1500 fc
Never exposed to direct sun
light.
Paphiopedilums
1000-3000 fc
Expose to only early morning
sun.
Miltonia
1000-3000 fc
Keep in diffused light.
Odontoglossums
1500-2000 fc
Expose only to morning or
evening sun.
Cattleyas
1500-3500 fc
Give plenty of light without
burning their leaves.
Vanda
1500-4000 fc
They like strong light, full
morning sun.
Oncidiums
1500-4000 fc
Same as above.
Dendrobiums
1500-4000 fc
Same as above.
Cymbidiums
7000-8000 fc
Give as much light as possible
without burning the leaves.
Provide lower light
(2000-3000 fc) when flower
spike appears.
NOTE: there are species in these genera that may require
different light levels.
>

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Replies:

Temperature and Fertilizing -- Anonymous, 17:54:57 10/26/00 Thu
- Humidity and Air Movement..... -- Anonymous, 17:56:26 10/26/00 Thu
  - Wow! Thank you! I am printing all of this out -- Anonymous, 22:22:48 10/26/00 Thu