Misting increases the humidity around the orchid, and this is what it loves. Orchids are feeding from the air as well with their aerial roots, not only from the bark or sphagnum moss. Another pro is that you can fertilize your orchid through misting (foliar fertilizer).
You can mist your orchid leaves as long as you provide the correct conditions to reduce the risk of disease. Many people mist their orchids very successfully at home, and in the right hands, misting can help them to thrive and grow strong and healthy.
Do you mist your orchids?
We like to mist our orchids and houseplants generally, but those on mounts and in baskets really cry out for regular treats of fine mist and humidity on their roots and leaves. This high quality misting tool does the job efficiently and easily without being too heavy when full and without requiring constant trips to the sink for refilling.
One common answer is, infrequent Misting Can Actually Dehydrate Your Orchid Most people who mist their orchids can only manage to do this infrequently, so the orchid gets limited benefit and it can even lead to accelerated dehydration of the plant. Misting your orchids creates a sudden and short-lived increase in local humidity.
How often should I mist my orchid?
The frequency of misting depends on the conditions in your environment and the type of orchid you have. The humidity level of your growing area plays an important role in misting frequency. If you live in a humid area, you do not need to mist your orchid regularly.
Even small amounts of standing water in the crown of an orchid can lead to crown rot and kill your plant. If you choose to mist your orchids, then do so early in the morning so there is enough time for any moisture on the leaves to dry up.
Can you feed orchids with food mist?
You can use specially prepared orchid food mist to both feed and hydrate your orchids at the same time. Foliar feeding is a popular way to feed many types of plants, not just orchids. In foliar feeding, you spray liquid fertilizer onto your plant’s leaves instead of the soil. The stomata in the leaves open and absorb the food.
Do orchids die when they get wet?
Orchids are naturally designed to have their leaves funnel rain and humidity down to their roots. Based on this information, if orchids were indeed killed by getting wet then we would literally have no orchids in the wild. There is no difference, in the actual plant, from an orchid being grown in the wild and in our homes.
We should ask what their natural environment is and give them the closest thing to it. My orchids love a good misting, especially on hot summer days and dry winter days!! Note: make sure that water does not pool in the base of the leaves while you are misting them. This can cause rot.
Why are my orchid leaves opening up?
This causes the stomata on the underside of the orchid leaves to open. As the humidity levels around the plant drop rapidly after misting, the plant is at risk of losing more water than it gains due to the open stomata from the temporary increase in local humidity.