Vote, and then tell us on the board.

I use misting systems, and I am also about to start using a hybrid system.

I hand water with an 8L Hozelock sprayer, generally, which makes it very easy. I have 12 trays of plants at home and take each tray of plants to the kitchen on a weekly basis and check the plants and clean the trays and growing area. I'm really fastidious about this, but I think it is important in knowing what is going on with the plants. I also enjoy the time spent with them. Every so often I give the plants a real good soak in the kitchen running them under the faucet for at least 5 minutes each.

Like Heather, I also handwater and sometimes use a sprayer for hard to reach plants.

For my outdoor orchids, they get a weekly drenching with a garden hose during the watering season. And during very hot summer I use a 2gallon hand-pump sprayer to mist the mounts every 3 days.

Indoor plants are mostly s/h so they just make a trip to the sink for a water change :)

W're using combined system -

Most orchids - by computer controlled watering system depends on water requirement (15, 30 and 60 ml per session)

New and ill ones - hand-pump sprayer

"desert" and "savanne" parts - hand watering based on soil moisture measure.

I have 1/3 of my collection in S/H, 1/3 mounted or baskets and 1/3 in bark in clay pots. I either spray from a garden hose to just water, or use a battery powered sprayer to fertilize them.

Vince

most of my plants are in s/h conditions. I breed fish and I have an endless supply of fish water which I collect in 55 gallon drums. I have all types of water, from black water to hard water. I still fertilize some but I don't need to do a lot since I get fish waste straight from the factory.

I usually do a good soak once a month and then use a turkey baster throughout the rest of the month. I keep my plants in my fishroom where the humidity is around 90%, needless to say, I fight mold all the time.

Howdy, First Thanks your for this excellent site Pete. I water using a hose attatchment to the sink, in humidity trays with built in drains. I am able to flush all my pots, and leech adequately while draining my trays into buckets. Peace,
Tadd :twisted:

Welcome Tadd, nice to see you here. :)

Welcome to the Slipper Forum, Tadd! Thanks for joining!

Hand water from two 50 gal barrels with a pump in each. Fertilizer mixture with pH adjustment is in one at a Nitrogen level for plants that requirement. The other is for Plants requiring a lower Nitrogen level.
Fertilizers containing calcium mixed in this way do not percipitate and clog watering systems as they do with systems which try to pH adjust concentrated fertilizer solutions such as injectors and siphon mixers.
50 galons of fertilizer mix is just what I need for my collection. The concentration starts as high as 125 ppm N and a pH between 5.8 and 6.2 in mid summer - water my vandas, cymbidiums, and dendrobiums, then add water water until I see 90 to 100 ppm N and adjust pH to 6 - + .2 then water the Cats., Phals. Oncids, Prags..
The paphs are watered from the low Nitrogen barrel 60 - 80 ppm and a pH of 6.6 to 6.8.
My Nitrogen levels are dropped when light levels are low or during the winter month.

I hand water all 300 + plants I like to see whats going on with them by diong them this way . I pour water through them into a bucket . Sometimes when I have been to ill to do them that way I tried a sprayer but didn't like the way they did. I would have to set up differently to spray and have the water drain away. Would love to have them watered auto. Ray

not an easy one to answer. Some are hand watered, some hose watered, some S/H.