I often have orchid friends ask me, "Orchids should be watered every few days"? Because the frequency of watering of orchids is closely related to its growing environment, the moisturizing ability of the planting material, and seasonal changes. It is not possible to drink water "on time". They automatically adjust the amount of water they absorb according to their needs and the humidity of their surroundings. So, we can't blindly water at fixed intervals.
So, how can you tell if an orchid needs to be watered? When the leaves of an orchid start to wilt and the surface of the potting soil dries, it is a sign that they need to drink water. At this point, we can water the orchid.
Both orchids are drought resistant, but they each have their own characteristics. The root system of the spring orchid is thin and short, but it has a large reed head to store water, while the reed head is not large enough, but its root system is strong, and it can also store a lot of water. Therefore, their growth will not be affected much even if they are not watered for a long time.
So, how long can you go without watering? There's really no set answer. Because it depends on the environment in which the orchid is located, the planting material and the season. In my experience, for example, I forgot to plant an orchid on the concrete floor, and after a month and a half outside, the cement side is still taking root. This is because it is placed on the shady side of the house, and it can be exposed to the earth and dew at night.
However, does not watering for a long time really have no effect on orchids? The answer is no, too long without water will definitely cause problems. While orchids' leaves and root systems may not be problematic for a short period of time, their flower buds and buds may be affected. In arid conditions, flower buds may not emerge properly due to lack of humidity, and flower buds that have already been unearthed may also wilt due to excessive dryness.
Therefore, when we raise orchids, we should flexibly adjust the watering strategy according to the actual situation. In the case of high humidity in the environment and good moisturizing performance of the planting material, the watering interval can be appropriately extended, and in the case of dry environment and poor water-holding capacity of the planting material, it is necessary to shorten the watering interval to ensure that the orchid can get sufficient water, generally the pot surface is about 2 cm down and can be watered.