| How does water affect my plants? |
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| Watering Why is water important to my plants?? Well for a kick off, it is the presents of water in the internal cell structure of your plant that keeps it looking healthy, the pseudobulbs plump, the leaves fleshy & the flower spikes erect etc. If the water level in these cells drops, the plant takes on a decidedly sickly & droopy look & if this is not rectified quickly, will cause severe damage or even death (to the plant, that is, not the owner). Water is taken up by the roots & travels up to the leaves where any excess water is disposed of out through the leaves in a process called transpiration, where it is evaporated into the atmosphere, this assists the plant to keep cool & also helps to prevent burning. It is because of this process that we can see the importance of air movement (that is so often talked about) around our plants. If the air is still & very humid, evaporation cannot take place & hence transpiration will not happen either, to the detriment of the plant. Water is also used by your plant to transport dissolved food & minerals that are necessary for it’s well being from a place where they are available (the potting media etc) to the parts where they are needed. This is a two-way system, with flow from the roots up to the leaves & flow from the leaves back to the roots. This is how it works. The roots The roots of an orchid are made up of a thick fleshy outer cylinder, which is known as the Velamen, this is a very absorbent material, which water & nutrients are firstly absorbed into before being passed onto the root. The root itself, which is a very fine tube, is located running through the centre of the Velamen. If the Velamen is damaged in any way, the root will also sustain damage. Once the Velamen has soaked up ample moisture, it should be allowed to dry out before the next watering. If it remains wet for long periods of time it is likely to come under attack from fungi & mould, causing damage & ultimately it’s destruction, rendering that section of root useless. The Process Water is moved upward from the roots to the leaves carrying with it dissolved nutrient & minerals. These nutrients together with carbon dioxide, dissolved oxygen from the water, & sunlight allow a process called Photosynthesis (Photo – light, & synthesis – to manufacture) to take place, producing a sugar like substance called Sucrose. The Sucrose is diluted by the water & carried back down the plant to the green growing tips of the roots & to the new leaf growth. If too much Sucrose is produced, & because orchids do not have the capacity to store this substance, it is exuded from the plant at the flower Sepals or the tips of new shoots as small drops of nectar. You will no doubt have noticed this on some of your plants from time to time & if the nectar is tasted on the end of the tongue, it will be sweetish to the taste, BUT be wary, too much tasting may cause you to produce Pseudobulbs (bulbous bottoms), OOOOHH too late I can see some of you have already tried this!! Water also plays an important part in the flowering of your plant, as the buds leave the sheath, they require the pressure of the rising water in the cell structure to expand & open the petals & sepals, this is process is known as Osmotic pressure. As you can see water plays a very important part in the day to day workings of your plants, give them too much & you may cause root damage, too little & other processes may be hampered. Safe times to water are when the plant has started it’s new vegetative growth, & the growing tips of the roots are green, & also as the flower spikes develop, but watering will also be controlled by climatic conditions. Hold back on the watering when conditions are cool & damp, & when watering on hot days, be careful of watering over the leaves, as the suns light may magnify in the water & burn them. This is only a guide to watering, as there are many, many different types of orchid, some have the ability to store water for short periods of time while yet others require a distinct rest period water wise. While air movement & humidity are important for the processes of water in your orchids, it is also important for the respiration process of your plants, but that is another story! |
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