02 Sep How To Water Your Orchid Plants And Succulent Arrangements!

Posted at 07:00h in Debora's Tangents, Design, DIY, Featured, Flowers by

It's a super simple task


that these BEAUTY plants can thrive on!

Orchids and succulents…two of my absolute favs! I love orchids because of their delicate, classy, pretty-ness! I love succulents for their magnificent, modern, green-ness!  

These plants are quite opposite in appearance, really. But oddly enough, they are quite similar in the desired amount and frequency of staying hydrated!

I’m by no means a super plant expert, but I do have years of experience adorning my home with both orchids and succulents, and thought I’d share with you all how to keep them alive and looking like the amazing specimens they are! Over-watering is a big no-no as you don’t want to promote rotting!

Of course, there is more than one way to give your plants their mandatory drink of H2O, but together with my uber curious little sidekick, Biscuit, I’ll show you how I successfully water mine 😉 

I recently posted a video on how to put together this quick, lovely succulent arrangement (click on the YouTube link at the bottom of this post). I used 9 small succulent plants and simply arranged them in a salad bowl, yes that’s right…a salad bowl. I actually recycled a plastic food delivery lid and used it as a liner prior to placing in the soil. Since my salad bowl did not have drainage holes, I have to be really diligent to not over-water. As I mentioned above, over-watering , especially without drainage, can allow the water to sit for too long and eventually cause rotting. Rotting is not good if you want your plants to last as long as possible (ok…definitely not a rocket science statement, Debora lol)  😉

So, here’s the trick! Just add ice cubes. Amazing…right?! I mean it really can’t get any easier. I placed the ice cubes all around each little succulent and actually, added more after I took these photos to make sure each plant would get a nice drink. 

Since my bowl doesn’t drain, I’m not going to do the “soak and dry” method where you add lots of water (the excess drains) and then let the soil get completely dry before soaking again. Rather, I’ll add a good amount of ice cubes and repeat in a week or so depending on the temperature and time of year.

So here you see Biscuit and I applied the same technique to this lovely orchid plant. This particular vase does not have drainage holes either so using the ice method will prevent over-watering and ultimately, rot. In the climate here in LA, I ice them every week. Once the ice is melted, I check the soil by sticking my finger into it slightly. If the soil is still really dry, I simply add more ice cubes.

My other doggie, Finley Moose, who is pictured in the metal art on the wall with Biscuit,  isn’t interested in watering the plants one bit. Hence, no photo-ops with that little fluffy guy, unfortunately.

Biscuit LOVES checking to make sure the ice is cold enough by stealing a lick or two! 😉

Don’t be afraid to add more ice cubes if you check the soil and it is still really dry! 

And that basically completes the tutorial on how to successfully water your succulent arrangements and orchid plants to ensure they don’t get over-watered. My little doggie is the most curious little guy and loves to get in on the action! I have to say, the task of keeping the plants alive in my home is kind of a fun ordeal with my furry assistant around to help me! 

Happy watering! I guess you could say it’s the “icing” on the cake in my household. 😉

~Debora

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