Wouldn't it depend on what they're growing in / on?

No dunk. unless you use a clean separate fresh water. Orchids may have a no cure virus. Dunking passes the virus.

@SM: There is no virus cure for any plant, ttbomk. (At least none that aren't highly likely to kill the plant in the process.)

Dunking does not pass on viruses if one has separate containers for each plant. Nor will viruses be passed on if the plants have no breaks in their tissue. If there are tissue breaks, then even spraying an infected plant and having that water splash onto other plants can spread viruses (or even fungi and bacteria) -- not unlike sneezing in animals and people.

As Jeff mentioned, depends somewhat on the plant in Q as well as your media and growing conditions.

"No dunk. unless you use a clean separate fresh water." @Paul I said the same. Please read my comments before you write. Yes Virus can pass from water splash but not likely. Very likely if dunked in the same water. DO NOT DUNK IN THE SAME WATER

For us amateurs, I think most viruses are passed via dirty utensils, not watering.

As far as my watering techniques: When indoors I "pour in place" but have individual drip trays (the cheap clear plastic type) under the pots that I want to be wetter. I let them sit in the water for a few hours and then dump the ones I want to dry out or that haven't soaked up all of the excess in the drip tray. This helps a lot in my very dry indoor winter growing areas. I do not do this when they are outside enjoying nature, when outside I water by hose or sit them out in the rain when possible.

Bob

I did and still do as Bob states. I collected various plastic take-out containers and would sit plants in their individual container and soak. When I grew orchids in NY the air was very dry in winter and I liked to soak them.

I now live in Florida but continue to do that when adding fungicides or types of fertilizer, to make sure the bark takes up some of the mix.

It really depends on where you are growing and the moisture level in your home. In dry environments, just pouring water, in a dry home, leaves little behind. Better to soak.

Jane

I like to use a pump sprayer filled with rain water and spray all mines more than once knwoing the media saturates and hydrates the roots well. I use to share the same tub and dunk them all in there, but no more.

Now I get pots with no drain holes for each bigger orcid and fill them with the orchid in it. Each soaks then I drain the water out.

As a side note for all those here.

I thought that a virus could not spread in soaking many in the same container if you were using tap water which contains chlorine? I am talking about the roots not the whole plant. Is that true?

Mike