How to Grow Orchids? A Complete Guide to the Secrets of Orchid Cultivation

Planting Methods

Some say that after purchasing orchids and cymbidiums, they should be planted immediately, and must be placed in a cattail bag, sprinkled with a little water daily, or that rice straw should be spread on the ground with the orchids placed on top, moistened daily with a little water. Orchids must wait until they are about to open, and cymbidiums must be near the "belling" stage, before they can be planted in pots. I say this is not so; regardless of whether it is an orchid or a cymbidium, they should be planted immediately upon purchase. For the dealer, from the place where the orchids are produced to our region, who knows how many days have passed, and in sorting the soil and dividing the roots, they have endured double hardship; even with proper care, one might still fear their strength will not hold out, so how could one further wound and cut them? The florist's use of this method is also a kind of forcing technique. Their use of such methods is nothing more than wanting the flowers to bloom quickly so they can be sold for money sooner. Whether the flowers will flourish afterward is not something they have time to consider. Moreover, once they have the money, they have disposed of their goods; the flowers are in the buyer's hands, and their future prosperity or decline is not something the seller would plan for. Since we are not like florists who depend on this for a living, why should we force them to open early and exhaust their vitality?

Planting orchids and cymbidiums in pots differs from planting them in the ground. When planting in pots, first place broken tile pieces at the bottom of the pot, then add small clam shells on top. The shells of Ning clams (blood clams) have ridges on the surface, while the shells of mud clams have a smooth surface. Ning clam shells have ridges that easily accumulate water, so they are absolutely unsuitable. When laying mud clam shells, they also cannot be mixed with other types. This is because the shape of mud clam shells is convex on the back and concave on the inner side; when laying them, the concave side must face down and the convex side face up. The reason for using mud clam shells is that they are glossy and easily drain water. If the concave side faces up, water will collect in the concave areas, which is not only useless but actually harmful. The thickness of the mud clam shells should occupy about three to four tenths of the pot; after laying them evenly, spread a thin layer of coarse stones sifted from mountain soil. Add a small amount of mountain soil on top of the stones, then place the orchid on it, and cover with more mountain soil. When covering, make sure there are no gaps between roots and soil. If the roots and soil are not in close contact, the plant will certainly not flourish.

Before planting, carefully examine the root tips of the orchids and cymbidiums; any that are ** must be cut off. Even roots that are too long but not broken should be slightly shortened; if planted in a pot, they will certainly break. If planted in a pot, they will instead be cramped and unable to spread, so it is better to cut them first. As for the soil on the pot surface, it should be high in the center and low at the sides, forming a steamed-bun shape. The depth at which roots enter the soil differs between orchids and cymbidiums. Orchids may be planted slightly shallow, while cymbidiums may be planted slightly deep. After planting is settled, sprinkle with clear water, called "settling-root water." This is because at the initial planting, the roots are forced against the soil with no gaps, yet the roots and soil are not truly in close contact; after planting, watering causes the soil to swell upon contact with water, naturally adhering closely to the roots.

Planting centipede grass on the pot surface is most suitable. Some say planting emerald cloud grass, or laying blue moss, is also acceptable. However, blue moss is disliked for being too dense; when laid on the pot surface, moisture in the soil cannot easily escape. Also, emerald cloud grass is not as sparse and ventilated as centipede grass, but centipede grass by nature likes moisture and fears dryness, which is the opposite of orchids' preferences, and there is often a risk of it dying out. The best approach is to plant it separately in another pot, placed in a spot away from direct sunlight, watered daily with clear water, matching its natural preferences, so it will not die out.

When orchids and cymbidiums are first placed in pots, the soil conditions have not yet stabilized, so they should not be exposed to wind and sun; they must be placed indoors, and only after two or three days can they gradually receive a little sunlight. However, in early spring, the weather is still cold, so they should be allowed a little sunlight to warm up. If the weather is already warm, they should be placed in a spot without sunlight and without wind but with dew. If there is no shady spot, reed blinds must be used to screen them. If after planting in pots, regardless of whether the weather is cold or warm, they are uniformly exposed to the sun, there will be none that do not dry up and stiffen. At first glance, the constitution of cymbidiums seems stronger than that of orchids, but in fact orchids are superior to cymbidiums; therefore, the protection methods for cymbidiums are more difficult than those for orchids.

There is another planting method that uses pine bark instead of soil to grow orchids and cymbidiums, with exceptionally vigorous growth. The method is to take the "dragon scales" (bark) from pine trees in the mountains, soak them in a latrine pit, and after several days, once they have absorbed enough, wash them in clear water. Only after the foul odor is completely gone can they be crushed into fragments, fine as sand, and used to grow cymbidiums; the leaves become thick and short, no different from Jian orchids. This is because orchids grow in the mountains, often associated with tall pines, and using pine bark fragments suits their natural preferences. There is also a friend who uses a different planting method: according to him, his ancestor was fond of orchids throughout his life, and his planting method was quite special. He would take a long-used yellow-sand broken manure vat, first break it into pieces, soak them in clear water, take them out after several days, dry them in the sun, then soak again in clear water, drying and soaking, soaking and drying, repeating several times until the foul odor was completely gone, then pound them fine in a stone mortar. Mix five parts yellow pine soil with five parts manure vat fragments, and use this to grow orchids; the flowers reportedly bloom quite luxuriantly. From this we can see that the soil for growing orchids should be as loose as possible; when loose, water drains easily and the soil dries easily, and there will be none that do not flourish.

If orchids are planted in the ground, first carefully examine the soil quality; yellow pine soil is best. As for clay soil, when dry it is hard, and when wet it does not drain easily, which is very unfavorable for orchids. Therefore, the first step is to examine the soil quality; if the soil quality is poor, good soil from elsewhere must be found to replace it. Before planting, first loosen the soil surface, then place the orchid roots properly, and cover well with soil from all sides. The flower roots should not enter the soil too deep, for if too deep they will be stifled and unable to spread, and the flowers will certainly not grow well. Nor should they be too shallow, for if too shallow they will be eaten by ants. This is because orchid roots are very sweet and easily attract ants. Ants often nest in the root areas of orchids. To prevent this problem, one should get a pinch of short hair from a barbershop and spread it under the orchid roots, but not too close to the roots. When planting, place the hair underneath, spread a thin layer of loose soil over the hair, otherwise when the short hair **, the orchid roots will certainly be harmed.

When planting, the flower buds have a definite direction, generally southeast is best, otherwise there will be a problem of curling. After planting, sprinkle with clear water; the water must soak through, but water must not be poured directly in a rush; it is best to spray with a watering can. If rain falls after planting, so much the better. For several days afterward, the flowers have not yet settled into the soil; this is the critical juncture of life and death for the flowers, and the greatest attention must be paid. First, avoid fierce sunlight; second, avoid dry winds. Use bamboo to make a frame, cover with reed blinds on top to avoid the oppression of sunlight, and also surround the sides with reed blinds to prevent dry winds from intruding. Once the flowers have settled into the soil, then remove the side blinds; at night, even the top cover should be removed to let them receive dew. In dry weather, watering should be frequent; if sunlight is strong, covering should be thick. If you encounter a fine variety, do not casually dig it up and let it dry out; wait until it reaches the belling stage before digging it up and potting it. On cloudy and rainy days, transplanting into pots will likely cause no harm, and when digging up, pay attention to the roots to prevent breaking them. Moreover, orchids planted in the ground, at the belling stage, require more attention than those planted in pots. This is because at the belling stage, orchid nectar is also produced, and insects and ants most enjoy eating it. Once the orchid nectar is gone, the flower heart is damaged; ground insects and ants are harder to guard against than those in pots, so special attention must be paid.