The ten likes and ten fears of Chinese orchid growing: master their habits to grow orchids well

By carefully reading and studying classic orchid monographs such as A Brief History of Orchids and Thoroughworts, and combining them with my own experience in growing orchids, I have summarized the key points of Chinese orchid cultivation as the "ten likes and ten fears," in order to seek advice from orchid experts and fellow orchid growers.

1. Likes loose soil and fears compaction: The growing medium in the orchid's native habitat is mountain soil rich in humus, which earlier orchid growers called "orchid soil" (commonly known as "incense-ash soil"). Its texture is very loose; pick up a handful, squeeze it into a ball in your hand, then open your palm, and the ball of soil immediately falls apart. This kind of mountain soil has strong air permeability, making it easy for the orchid's fleshy roots to breathe. Soil with poor structure that easily becomes compacted after watering smothers the orchid so that it cannot breathe at all, and it is absolutely impossible to grow orchids well in it.

Based on the orchid roots' habit of liking loose, breathable conditions, earlier figures in the orchid world sounded the call for reforming orchid growing media, advocating the selection of media that are loose, have good air permeability, do not compact, and contain a certain amount of nutrients. My orchid-growing friends in Jiangsu commonly use granular immortal soil produced on Mount Emei in Sichuan, paired with Zhijin (or pond-based orchid stone, about 30%). The granular soil contains very abundant nutrients, has strong self-binding capacity, will not compact, drains quickly, and has good permeability. Choosing such an ideal growing medium suitable for orchid growth means orchid growing is already half successful.

2. Likes slight acidity and fears salinity and alkalinity: Orchids are perennial slightly acid-loving flowers. According to this characteristic, the water used to water orchids must be soft, slightly acidic water that does not contain minerals. According to the pH scale: pH 7 is neutral, pH higher than 7 is alkaline, pH 5.5-6.5 is slightly acidic, and pH less than 5 is excessively acidic. Orchids like slightly acidic water, with pH 5.2-6 being optimal.

An orchid-growing friend from another place made a long-distance call to ask: "Can well water be used to water orchids?" To answer this question correctly, I specially used "broad-range test paper" to carry out a careful test. I personally drew a bucket of well water, tore off a strip of test paper, and used a glass rod to sink it to the bottom of a bowl. After its color changed, I took out the test paper and compared it with the "standard color chart." Its pH was higher than 7 and lower than 8, clearly alkaline, and not suitable as water for watering orchids. Method for adjusting alkaline well water: add an appropriate amount of edible aromatic vinegar (or adjust with oxalic acid or citric acid) to make it slightly acidic, and then it can be used to water orchids. If orchids are watered with alkaline water, they will absolutely not grow well.

3. Likes moisture and fears waterlogging: A flower proverb says, "Dry orchids, wet jasmine." Here "dry" and "wet" are relative. It means that when growing orchids, the potting soil should be a bit drier. In fact, the "dry" that orchids like means keeping the inside of the pot moist, not excessively dry; being too dry and dry all the way through is called "parched." "Dry but not parched" is the best time to water orchids. Although the pot surface is dry, the area about one inch below the pot surface still remains moist, and this is what is called "dry but not parched." Watering orchids at the right time is the key to success or failure in orchid growing.

Orchids do not love "wetness" the way chrysanthemums do. For orchids, "wet" means too much water in the pot. When traditional mountain soil is used to grow orchids, watering too frequently and too heavily easily causes waterlogging in the pot, so the orchid's fleshy roots cannot breathe fresh air and rot. Switching to granular growing media is precisely a good remedy for overcoming the problem of mountain soil being too fine and easily causing waterlogging and root rot.

4. Likes rain and dew and fears torrential downpours: "Rain and dew nourish the seedlings to strength." This saying fully shows that field seedlings and indeed all things love the nourishment of rain and dew. Earlier orchid growers in the Qing Dynasty said that the best water is preferably snow water or rainwater. This statement is still applicable today for watering orchids. Orchids greatly like rainwater, but rainfall comes in heavy, moderate, and light amounts. Orchid growers should not treat them all "the same."

First, let us speak of fine drizzle. Orchid growers regard it as nature's gift to orchids. It is generally slightly acidic and suits the needs of orchid growth and development, so how could one not accept it? An agricultural proverb says, "A soaking of spring rain is better than one application of fertilizer." Indeed, after a thorough late-spring rain, you will suddenly find orchid new shoots shooting straight up, which is very pleasing.

Orchids are not afraid of moderate rain, but if it continues for too long, it easily causes waterlogging in the pot, which inevitably squeezes out the air in the pot, making the orchid roots so stifled that they cannot breathe and causing root rot. Therefore, moderate rain should not be allowed to fall for long, and one should know when to stop. Finally, let us speak of "torrential downpours." This pouring rainstorm is unusually fierce. It not only breaks orchid leaves, splashes out pot soil, and exposes orchid roots, but also causes waterlogging in the pot and root rot. Orchids cannot withstand this kind of disastrous blow, and orchid growers should find ways to shelter them from it.

5. Likes gentle sunlight and fears blazing sun: "All things grow relying on the sun." Orchids also like sunlight, especially morning sun. Even the sun before seven o'clock in the morning in summer is fine for orchids to receive. Orchids like the soft sunlight of winter and spring even more, and they should be allowed to receive it all day in order to carry out photosynthesis and manufacture and store nutrients. However, orchids fear the fierce sun of summer and autumn, especially the blazing sun around noon. The high temperature caused by blazing sun is what orchids fear most. An old proverb says, "The red sun burns like fire." Scorching by blazing sun will burn orchid leaves until they are withered and scorched. Therefore, every year in late spring, when the temperature rises above 25 °C, orchid growers should install shade netting to shield orchids from the blazing sun, until it is removed in late autumn.

6. Likes coolness and fears frost and snow: Orchids originated in cool mountainous valleys and gradually developed the habit of liking coolness. The optimal temperature for orchid growth is 25 °C-28 °C. Under such cool climatic conditions, orchids can send up new shoots, grow vigorously, joint and elongate, open their petals, and release fragrance. When the temperature is below 10 °C, orchids stop growing and enter a "semi-dormant" state. Wild orchids can remain emerald green even in the deep winter season when heavy snow closes the mountains, because they are protected by ground temperature. But once planted in pots, the environment changes, and orchids lose the protection of ground temperature. When the temperature drops below 0 °C, the orchid roots will be frostbitten and the orchid plants may even die. Therefore, the orchid's habit of fearing frost and snow pressure is acquired later, and orchid growers must not treat it lightly. When the weather forecast is 0 °C, orchids should be moved "indoors to prevent freezing."

7. Likes ventilation and fears smoke and dust: In mountain valleys, cool breezes blow gently, and this has developed the orchid's habit of liking a ventilated environment. The ancients said, "In growing orchids, nothing is more important than ventilation." Orchid pots need ventilation on six sides (top, bottom, east, west, south, and north). Whether there is ventilation is closely related to the orchid's growth. Most orchid problems occur because of poor ventilation. For ventilation and air permeability, famous orchids should be placed on stands. If orchid stands are lacking and they can only be placed flat on the ground, the orchid pots must still have feet, or be propped up with a few pieces of tile, so that the bottom holes can ventilate and allow air through. In order for famous orchids to breathe fresh air, even in the coldest twelfth lunar month, the orchid room must be ventilated by opening windows around noon.

Orchid leaves "like ventilation and fear smoke and dust." Dust adhering to the leaf surface not only affects appreciation but also hinders respiration through the leaf stomata and photosynthesis. Therefore, every 7-10 days, famous orchids must be washed of dust by spraying.

When giving orchids a "bath," the following three points must be noted:

1) The orchid growing medium must have strong permeability, so that after spraying the water drains away conveniently and will not accumulate in the pot and affect orchid root respiration.

2) The water used to give orchids a "bath" must be clean. It is best to add a few drops of edible vinegar to the water to make it slightly acidic, and it also has a sterilizing effect.

3) Spraying orchids is suitable in all four seasons, but the time differs: in spring, around 9 a.m. is suitable, and it must be done in sunlight; in summer, it must be done in the evening when the weather is cool; in autumn, it can be done in the early morning before the sun rises; in winter, it must be done at noon in sunlight.

8. Likes light fertilizer and fears heavy, turbid fertilizer: A flower proverb says, "Clear orchids, turbid jasmine." It means that for the elegant and noble orchid, the water used to water orchids must be clean, and fertilizing must be light, and must never be as heavy and turbid as fertilizing jasmine. To apply liquid fertilizer to jasmine, adding 3 times clean water is enough. As for the concentration of liquid fertilizer applied to orchids, earlier orchid growers once discussed it: using 1 part decomposed fermented liquid and adding 10 times clean water is still considered "heavy fertilizer" for orchids; only when more than 12 times clean water is added can it be called "light fertilizer." If heavy fertilizer is applied to orchids, causing the fertilizer concentration in the pot to increase, "root burning" will occur, that is, the original water in the orchid roots "seeps outward" into the pot, causing the orchid roots to turn black and shrivel, and the orchid leaves to appear dehydrated and gradually wither to death. Therefore, when applying liquid fertilizer to orchids, be sure to add more than 20 times clean water, truly achieving "clear, light, and dilute."

9. Likes clustering and fears separation from the mother plant: In their native habitat, no one divides orchids, so they have developed the habit of liking to live in groups and clusters. An orchid-growing friend in Dingshan Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu, dug up a large clump of a rare plum-petal variety of Jianlan in 2000. After it bloomed, he invited me to view it. I saw that the orchid had been planted in an orchid vat larger than an ox's head, with more than 60 shoots growing together, and it bore 3 flower spikes in total, truly delightful to the eye. Of course, this does not mean orchids cannot be divided. Dividing orchids has conditions: either there are so many orchid plants in the pot and the orchid roots are so dense that there is no room left in the pot for new shoots to grow; or although there are only six or seven shoots growing together, there are two "dragon heads" (new shoots on both sides), and after division the vigorous plants still each have more than 3 plants, so they can still maintain vigorous growth. If someone forcibly separates daughter plants (new shoots) from the mother plant and carries out some "single-plant propagation experiment" and applies for a patent, I believe this goes against the habit that "orchids like to grow in groups," easily leading to premature death; even if they survive, the new shoots produced will become smaller, and the loss will outweigh the gain.

10. Likes care and fears pests and diseases: Orchids like their owner to carry out scientific management according to their growth habits, including potting and planting, daily watering, supplementary light fertilizing, flowering-period management, and prevention and control of pests and diseases, all of which must follow their growth patterns with careful cultivation and meticulous care. When orchid plants are cultivated vigorously, not only is the shoot production rate high, but disease resistance can also be enhanced, and one can also enjoy rare orchids with delicate fragrance. However, the occurrence of pests and diseases in orchids is common, and orchid growers must never ignore it. They must "suit the remedy to the case" and treat the disease to save the orchid. For orchid pests and diseases, the policy of "prevention first" should be carried out, with prevention more important than treatment, rather than waiting until pests and diseases occur before treating them. Every year in late spring, in April, when the temperature rises above 20 °C, pesticides should be sprayed regularly, and effective preventive measures should be taken. In addition to spraying the front and back of orchid leaves with pesticide, the orchid-growing site and its surrounding environment must also be taken into account, striving to create a sterile orchid-growing environment.