How to Water an Orchid

How I water orchids without causing crown rot

An orchid with light green roots that could use watering. Photo by the author.

My first few orchids were beautiful but frustrating. I couldn’t figure out why they kept dying. The problem would start with the bottom leaf, which would turn yellow. Then the leaf would fall off.

Rot would spread upward and the leaves would fall until the plant would be no more. It was sad.

I finally realized what was happening. If you get water on the crown, which is the central base of the plant, where the leaves originate, or if water flows down into the base of the leaves, the orchid does not like it.

My guess is that in their natural habitat, an orchid would get rain water that has filtered gently through the rainforest tree canopy above, not as a deluge streaming directly onto the plant.

Now, I water an orchid around the edges of its pot and never get water into the plant’s center. I’m no expert, but I’ve kept my two orchids alive for a couple of years.

To water your orchid, you’ll need:

• The orchid, preferably in a clear plastic pot with drainage holes.
• A liquid measuring cup, because it has a pour spout, which lets you be more precise.
• Your sink.

How do you know if the orchid needs to be watered?

Look at your plant’s roots. If they look light green or white and the soil is dry, it’s probably time for watering. My orchids don’t need to be watered often — once every week or two.

Carry the plant, in its plastic pot, to your sink.

Orchids usually come in a clear plastic pot housed inside a larger decorative pot. Pull the plastic pot out and transport the plant to your kitchen sink.

Fill a liquid measuring cup with water.

There’s no need to be exact about the amount of water. You’ll be refilling the cup several times.

Hold the orchid over the sink and pour water into the pot, concentrating the water’s flow near the pot’s edges.

The no-water zone in the center. Image by the author.

Don’t get water into the center of the plant, on the roots at the very center of the plant, or on the leaves. Some people wet the leaves, but I don’t.

Keep pouring into the pot, around the edges, and watch the roots turn darker green. Fill the measuring cup and pour as many times as needed until you’ve saturated the roots thoroughly, even those at the bottom. You can tilt the pot around to try to help the water flow around and reach all the roots.

Let the water drain freely out of the bottom of the pot into the sink. You don’t want a lot of standing water to remain.

If there are long roots reaching out of the pot, you can water them too. I just hold them under running water or pour water over them.

Your watered orchid’s roots will be dark green, like this:

A hydrated and happy orchid. Photo by the author.

If you get water into the center of the plant or at the base of the leaves, wipe it up.

You can save the orchid from disaster if you’ve let some water run where it shouldn’t. Hold a piece of paper towel or a cotton ball on the wet area and soak up the moisture.

Return the orchid to its decorative pot, if you have one.

When the water has drained out of the plastic pot into the sink and there are no more major drips, you can put the orchid back into its decorative pot. You want to avoid a lot of water pooling in the bottom of the outer pot. The orchid should be hydrated but not waterlogged.

I hope these instructions help you if you’re new to orchids and wondering how to water them.

As for getting them to bloom again — well, I haven’t tried to do that so far. If you have any tips, please let me know.