How to Grow Orchids? A Complete Guide for Beginners from Buying to Care

Beginners growing orchids will encounter all kinds of problems, from which varieties to buy as a beginner to how to grow orchids at every stage, you need to cram your knowledge of orchid growing. An enthusiastic flower lover has compiled a Q&A-style article for beginners growing orchids. The whole article is simple and easy to understand, providing answers to different questions. If flower lovers ponder it carefully, they can gain a lot of valuable experience from it.

1. The "heart" one should have for growing orchids

I recall once seeing an article titled "The Heart Sutra of Orchid Growing" in a certain book. It was exquisitely written and truly awe-inspiring, but for new orchid enthusiasts, it is unavoidably too profound. Actually, for new orchid enthusiasts, the most important thing is perseverance. As for love, patience, confidence, and a sense of responsibility, these should all be necessary companions to perseverance. Without perseverance, it is probably hard to speak of the rest. Growing orchids is a long-term process; you cannot lose interest just because you killed one pot, and then completely give up under the excuse that "orchids are hard to grow." People always shift their own responsibility onto external things and circumstances, yet never reflect on themselves. "Orchids not growing well is not because orchids are hard to grow, but because you have not yet mastered the method to keep them alive. It is a problem with the person, not the flower." This is what I have said to many flower buyers.

2. The most important goal of growing orchids

Different people have different goals for growing orchids, such as cultivating character, improving one's quality, adding interest to life, decorating the hall, and some even hold the mindset of making a fortune. But none of these can surpass the two words "keep alive." If you cannot even keep the flower alive, what is there to talk about? Therefore, "keeping alive" is the most basic and primary principle. My view is: "For those new to orchids, first keep them alive, then consider keeping them well, then consider keeping them refined. Follow the rules step by step, do not rush and do not get impatient, and only then can you enter the way of orchids. Haste brings change, impatience kills interest."

3. Creating the environment

Large environments such as region and climate cannot be changed by human effort, and certain small environments such as home structure, orientation, and whether there is a balcony also cannot be changed. You can only adapt to local conditions and modify within the controllable range. On the issue of where to place orchids, generally it is still better to grow them indoors, as there will be fewer situations of facing harsh environments, and they are less likely to be lost. In terms of accommodating orchid habits, ventilation and temperature are generally not a problem. The common problem is humidity. In areas with insufficient humidity, many methods can be used to increase humidity. Not to mention those with large investment and numerous pieces of equipment, the simplest general method is to always keep water in the water tray at the bottom of the orchid pot. The water should not go over the ventilation holes at the bottom edge of the pot, ensuring air permeability at the bottom. It is best to place another bowl of water beside the orchid pot. In this way, the humidity of the small environment can generally reach a humidity requirement of around 60. If it is still too dry, you can place a small decorative atomizer beside the orchid pot (not the humidifiers sold on the market).

4. Suitable orchid categories to start growing, and the subsequent order of categories

This is basically a well-known issue: start with Cymbidium ensifolium (jianlan). Cymbidium ensifolium generally has thick roots and lush leaves, with sturdy pseudobulbs, and is very suitable for new orchid enthusiasts to start growing. Among the many varieties of Cymbidium ensifolium, Xiaotaohong and Jinhe are especially the best. These two varieties belong to the four-season Cymbidium ensifolium type. Under normal circumstances, one season can completely guarantee three flowerings, and both flowering and shooting new buds are very easy. After Cymbidium ensifolium, I personally think hybrid Cymbidium goeringii (chunlan) such as Yulinglong, Biyu Yuanhe, and Datuanyuan should be the best choice. Next after that is Cymbidium goeringii or Douban, preferably wild-collected acclimatized plants; do not touch freshly collected raw plants first. For variety plants, it is better to choose low-priced plants such as Yichunxian, Guanyao Mei, Xueshan Tiancao, and Jiyuan. Next is Cymbidium sinense (molan), also mainly cheap plants such as Qihei and Daming. After these four major categories are grown well, you can consider sturdy multi-shoot wild-collected acclimatized Cymbidium faberi (huilan), Songchun, Chunjian, and broad-leaved Cymbidium kanran (hanlan), and finally wild-collected Lianban. For all major categories, it is best to start with high-priced variety plants only after you have no problems growing them, to avoid unnecessary economic losses.

5. Selecting and buying orchids

Mainly choose wild-collected acclimatized plants or ordinary plants among variety plants, because the price is cheap. When selecting plants, it is best to choose large plants with many shoots, and at minimum no fewer than 3 shoots with 1 leaf bud. The reason to have at least 1 leaf bud is to ensure they are not all old shoots, because some old shoots have greater difficulty sending out leaf buds again. The more roots the better, and the thicker the better. No hollow roots, no black roots, no rotten roots. Roots with crystal tips are the top choice. The more robust the pseudobulb of the orchid shoot, the better. It is best that orchid leaves have no disease spots. There should be no dark brown leaf manifestations inside the leaf core. Leaf texture should be thick and hard, with luster. Leaf length, leaf width, leaf posture, and overall plant shape are chosen according to personal preference. After all, "enjoy flowers for a time, view leaves for years."

6. Choosing orchid pots

Considering overall factors such as appearance, price, and practicality, it is recommended to use black plastic pots with side holes. In actual use, transparent plastic pots are not as good as black pots in heat preservation and heat absorption, and the so-called observable effect of growing medium humidity is not as ideal as expected, and the appearance is not as good as black pots. If you really feel the appearance is insufficient, it is recommended to plant in plastic pots and sleeve them into suitable purple clay, sweat-sand, or ceramic pots. Porcelain pots must absolutely not be used.

7. Mixing the growing medium

The growing media that can be used for orchids are extremely wide-ranging. After long-term experimentation, I feel the best ratio in terms of effect (mainly referring to subsequent management) is: 50% volcanic stone, 40% pond foundation stone, 5% snake wood, and 5% coconut bark, with large or medium particles of coke or furnace ash slag at the bottom of the pot. If the above media cannot be bought, corresponding substitutions can be made: volcanic stone - red brick particles, pond foundation stone - Zhijinshi, pumice, snake wood can all be bought on Taobao, with no substitute for now, coconut bark can be replaced by peanut husk, but the effect is not as good as coconut bark. Generally, when buying orchids in places such as Fujian and Shantou, you can ask for them as a gift (much more practical than gifting an orchid plant).

8. How to plant orchids

Generally, orchid planting is divided into two major categories: deep planting and shallow planting, roughly using the pseudobulb as the standard. If the pseudobulb is entirely buried below the surface of the growing medium, it is deep planting; if most of it is exposed above the surface of the growing medium, it is shallow planting. Advantages and disadvantages of deep planting: new shoots grow relatively thick and strong, and new roots develop more and faster; but the sprouting rate is relatively low, and during the bud development period it is easy to wet the buds, causing the flower scape to rot before it has even risen. In humid and stuffy summer conditions, if ventilation is poor, it is prone to stem rot and soft rot. Advantages and disadvantages of shallow planting: high sprouting rate, but the shoots grown are not as strong as those from deep planting; however, it can basically avoid the drawbacks of deep planting. What I use is shallow planting. From the perspective of later management, I feel it is much simpler to operate than deep planting, so I would recommend shallow planting.

9. Using orchid fertilizer

There are many types of orchid fertilizers, but fertilizing can cause many problems, such as fertilizer damage easily caused by accumulated fertilizer, and burning roots when the fertilizer amount is too large. Therefore, I had always adopted the clear-cultivation method, that is, not using any fertilizer. The orchids still sprouted and bloomed when the time came, and were less prone to disease, with clean and glossy leaves and no discomfort seen, relying entirely on the growing medium and nutrients in the water to survive. This fully proves that orchids indeed do not particularly like fertilizer. Later, from an elderly orchid grower I learned a method of supplementing fertilizer, namely using tap water soaked with medical stone to water the orchids. Because medical stone is a natural mineral ore rich in more than 30 trace minerals, after soaking in water it releases trace minerals into the water, making the tap water into mildly fertilized water, and it can also soften the water. After use, the effect was very good, and it did not cause fertilizer damage. In fact, the bottled mineral water, mineral water kettles, and tap water purifiers sold on the market all have medical stone acting within them. Therefore, after one year of experimentation, I have adopted this so-called fertilizing method ever since.

10. How to pot orchids

I will not say much more about the potting method, because every textbook explains it quite professionally, such as soaking roots and sun-drying roots, so I will not elaborate here. However, one thing needs to be mentioned: the issue of sterilization drugs. Generally, it is recommended to use "carbendazim" or "thiophanate-methyl." Friends who do not want to spend money, especially friends who smoke, can also use water soaked with cigarette butts. The disinfection and sterilization effect is equally very good, and this has been mentioned on many occasions. I have used it personally, and it is indeed good. But note that it is best to soak cigarette butts one day in advance. If the time is too short, the effect is poorer; if the time is too long, the smell of the water and a somewhat sticky feeling make people reluctant to use it. Therefore, one day in advance is best.

11. How to water orchids

The watering method for orchids is rather particular. Generally, the better method is to use an appropriate utensil to pour water onto the pot surface. In actual situations, it has been found that the utensils used for watering still differ in quality. If you use a cola bottle or water cup and the like, the water flow is often relatively strong, making it hard for the growing medium to absorb as much water as possible, and such large-mouth utensils easily pour water onto the leaves, causing water to enter the leaf core. It is best to use a dedicated spray pot, adjusted to a fine stream for the best watering. To prevent splashing of the growing medium, water should be poured slowly close to the medium. As for the immersion method, it can indeed let the growing medium absorb enough water, but if you can manage one pot of water per orchid pot, that is still acceptable; otherwise, it is better to adopt the pouring method, because no one knows which orchid pot contains viruses, bacteria, or pests and insects, and then infects the other orchids, which would not be worth the loss.

12. How to remove dirt from orchid leaves

Generally, orchid leaves easily accumulate dust. Using spraying or misting to remove dirt is very inadvisable, because it easily lets water enter the leaf core, thereby causing stem rot and soft rot, and once one falls, the whole pot falls. This is the same when taking a cool rinse in summer. Although you can spray water and then use a cotton swab or twisted toilet paper to absorb the water from the leaf core, considering the simplicity and safety of operation, it is still safest and most appropriate to wipe the leaf surface with dry toilet paper. But be careful not to pull the leaves forcefully, to prevent breaking the leaves (especially the central leaves).

13. Interval between waterings for orchids

This seems to be quite a difficult question, and almost no book can give a clear answer. Indeed, considering many specific circumstances, there really is no fixed method. But because I do orchid business, when customers ask me this question, if I answered according to the actual situation, I am afraid it would scare away 99% of customers. Fortunately, I had already grown orchids at home for several years before. Because I am the kind of person who likes to simplify matters, if you strictly follow my above orchid-growing methods, I can give a relatively accurate time, which is a thorough watering once a week. (It needs to be specially noted that at present this is only feasible on a trial basis in the Beijing area; I do not know whether it is feasible elsewhere.) When the weather is hot, water in the morning; when the weather is cold, water at noon.

14. The role of orchid books

Growing orchids emphasizes hands-on practice, but the partial role of books cannot be ignored either. For example, beginners growing orchids must know how to distinguish the major categories of orchids, namely Chinese orchids and Western orchids. Because this article discusses Chinese orchids, you need to know how many major categories Chinese orchids are divided into, namely Cymbidium goeringii (chunlan), Cymbidium faberi (huilan), Cymbidium ensifolium (jianlan), Cymbidium sinense (molan), Cymbidium kanran (hanlan), Chunjian, Lianban, Douban, and Songchun. You need to know the respective habits of these major categories, right? How to distinguish different orchid species? How to distinguish petal types? How many types of lip petals are there? How many types of column petals are there? What leaf variegations are there? How to distinguish different flower diseases based on leaf manifestations? And so on. These require reading books.