The Watering Mistake To Avoid With Precious Orchids

Orchids are a beautiful and colorful plant that can add charm to any space — whether it's in your front garden or a pot in your living room. However, there are common mistakes that are sure to kill those gorgeous orchids, leaving your garden bare or your living room with a sad and dying plant. Watering mistakes are among the most notorious for killing these delicate flowers.

We reached out to Hilton Carter, a plant stylist, interior designer, author, and the founder of Things by HC, to learn more about avoidable orchid watering mistakes. During an exclusive interview with House Digest, he told us, "The number one biggest mistake people make when it comes to watering orchids is using ice cubes! Ice cubes are for iced tea, not orchids!" There's one additional watering mistake that you'll want to avoid — using softened water. Below, we'll take a deeper look at just why using ice cubes or softened water for your orchids can be so detrimental. We'll also share some additional tips and watering mistakes highlighted by Carter. 

Chances are, you've heard that orchids don't require a lot of water and that simply placing an ice cube on top of the soil near the roots is the best way to water them. As the ice cube melts, it will deliver a small amount of water to the soil, which will be enough to reach the roots of the plant. However, when speaking exclusively with House Digest, Carter stressed that using ice cubes to water an orchid is a mistake that can harm the plant. "The freezing temperature can shock the roots, and it doesn't evenly saturate the whole plant. It leaves a tiny puddle in one area at best. Even orchids need a thorough watering every now and then. It's true they don't need much water, but that is mainly because they don't like to sit in any excess water, in fact, no tropical houseplant plant does — unless you're a Venus fly trap."

Another watering mistake that could be seriously detrimental to your orchid is using softened water. If your home has hard water, and you use a water softener to remove excess calcium, magnesium, iron, and other minerals from the water supply, don't use this softened water on your orchid plants. Water softeners use salt to remove these hard minerals from the water. Overtime, sodium from the water builds up in the potting medium and can eventually kill orchids by disturbing their internal water balance. This is a hidden downside to water softeners to consider before installing one.

Using ice cubes to water orchids isn't the only pervasive myth out there. Another common falsehood is that you must use filtered water for orchids. According to Carter, gardeners shouldn't stress about filtration. "Unlike carnivorous plants, which can only tolerate filtered water, orchids will not be as picky. At the end of the day, if your plants are getting taken care of, the type of water you use is rather insignificant," he shared during an exclusive interview with House Digest. However, he does note that rainwater — if easy enough to obtain — could be ideal for your plants. "There might be some benefits to consistent use of rain [or] filtered water over a long period of time, however, it comes down to accessibility and what you have the time and energy to accomplish," he said. If possible, you could set up a rain collection barrel, such as the FCMP Outdoor Raincatcher.

While orchids are easy to care for, they're also not a plant that can tolerate poor watering practices. "Orchids are not particularly sensitive, per [se], but they won't be happy if they're getting too much water," said Carter. So, how can you successfully care for indoor orchids? Carter explains that the amount of light that orchids receive will determine their water needs. "Like most tropical blooming plants, orchids prefer to be watered thoroughly twice a week depending on sunlight exposure. More light generally means more water for the plant. If a plant is in a darker area, it won't absorb water as quickly, and therefore won't need to be watered as frequently," he shared.