Orchid Growing Tips: How to Achieve "Raising Orchids with Orchids"

Many orchid growers say that the first hurdle in "raising orchids with orchids" is the cultivation hurdle. Only when orchids are grown well is it possible to raise orchids with orchids; if the orchids die, then there is nothing left.

I   Essential conditions for growing orchids well

1.      Growing orchids well = good environment x good technique

2.      Good environment (growth period) = appropriate (light x temperature x humidity x ventilation x day-night temperature difference) x (month)

3.      Good technique = 1. temperature and humidity management x 2. shading management x 3. planting materials x 4. watering management x 5. fertilisation management x 6. pest and disease management x 7. others (such as introducing new stock, etc.).

 

II   Can non-orchid-producing areas overcome the adverse growth conditions (poor environment) for orchids with good cultivation techniques?

   Ordinary orchid growers always think that as long as they hone their growing skills, the orchids will grow very well, and they often overlook the growing environment,   but orchids grow in favourable conditions and stop growing or flowering in adverse conditions. How long the growth period is determines how many times the orchid sprouts and how well it grows, and this can no longer be overcome by cultivation technique, unless the environment is changed.  

 

III   Orchid growers in non-orchid-producing areas must know their purpose for growing orchids when they grow them  

   When first starting to grow orchids, you should begin thinking about whether growing orchids is a hobby or for making money. Since it is a non-orchid-producing area, it means the natural environment is not suitable for orchid growth. Therefore, if you grow orchids in a natural way, when the orchids encounter the adverse conditions of extreme heat and severe cold, they will naturally be prone to disease or death and have a low reproduction rate. So if it is a hobby, as long as the orchids do not die and can bloom, making you feel good is enough. But if the purpose is to make money, without a reproduction rate there will be no orchids to sell, and you will certainly lose money. Therefore, you have to build a greenhouse to regulate the environment and extend the orchid growth period, so that there is a high reproduction rate and the goal of "raising orchids with orchids" can be achieved.   

 

IV   It is best not to mix hobby and money-making together

   Ordinary orchid growers often have a beautiful dream of growing orchids well as a side business and making some money by raising orchids with orchids, but this dream may be achievable for orchid growers in orchid-producing areas, while for orchid growers in non-orchid-producing areas it is a nightmare. In non-orchid-producing areas, there is no environment suitable for orchid growth, so it is only natural that they do not grow well. Therefore, growing orchids cannot achieve "raising orchids with orchids"; it can only be a hobby,   so the veteran moderator Laobai once said, "The money is gone, but the plants are still there," and teacher Zhu Dayong said, "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have to smash the soil now." This can serve as a reference for orchid growers in non-orchid-producing areas.

V   Conclusion

    Many orchid growers have always been very concerned about whether they can achieve "raising orchids with orchids." In fact, this question is very simple: just ask your own orchids and you will know. If the orchids are neither dead nor alive and the reproduction rate is very low, or if the orchids grow very well and two sprouts a year can both grow to maturity, I think the orchids have already answered your question. Of course, a high reproduction rate means you have passed the cultivation hurdle, but does that mean you will definitely make money? That is still uncertain; there are still many hurdles ahead, waiting for you to get through one difficult hurdle after another. So in the end, only a minority can make money. Of course, if you treat growing orchids as a hobby, this question is very simple: as long as you like it and can afford it, you can buy it and grow it. But the biggest problem for ordinary orchid growers is that they cannot distinguish whether they grow orchids as a hobby or as an investment. Perhaps it is worth pondering when you have time.