What are the reasons why introduced Cymbidium faberi seedlings fail to grow large?
A naturally hybridized orphan seedling of mixed lineage from Xuanwei; I have grown it myself for many years. Because I grow it naturally on a balcony, it has more than 20 growth heads, the seedlings were divided too singly, the vigor is insufficient, and the flowers are not considered large, but it is a solid-color flower whose bloom quality I am very satisfied with. When not bagged, the flower opens white-green; after bagging, the flower opens slightly yellow, very beautiful! The moderator of the Cymbidium lianpan section, Moderator Luo, has already...
Author: Fengchu
In fact, there are roughly three reasons why introduced Cymbidium faberi seedlings fail to grow large:
1. Insufficient strength
New shoots sent up by old seedlings will be relatively weaker; if the shoot production rate is even higher, the nutrients will be even more insufficient.
Some orchids criticized by orchid enthusiasts as "hormone grass" are also in this situation; if management is not in place, there will be no change for 3 to 5 years.
They grow slowly, and often before completing their own growth in 1 year they must already reproduce the next generation..
Liu Mei has relatively small pseudobulbs and a high shoot production rate, making this situation more likely to occur.
2. Lack of nutrient accumulation
If it is grass overwintering with autumn shoots, the spring shoots of the following year will be weaker.
If winter management temperatures are high and the temperature difference is small, the growth and shoot production of the grass are not affected, but the seedlings are all on the weak and small side.
This is even more so for grass managed with winter heating; what increases is the number of seedlings, and what decreases is quality.
At low temperatures, orchids are still growing, but mainly by growing pseudobulbs and accumulating nutrients. Winter wheat, Chinese roses, and so on are all like this: they dormant in winter, and only the first generation of shoots at Spring Festival is strong. Without this process, the number of orchid seedlings and roots are both not bad, but the seedlings are short and small, the pseudobulbs are small, and the rhizome is narrow.
3. Improper repotting and seedling division
Orchids like clustering and dislike being single; orchids need a process to adapt to the growing environment.
Frequent seedling division will interrupt the nutrient accumulation of the orchid clump, and repotting will break the growing environment suitable for weak seedlings to regain vigor.
For orchids that frequently produce weak seedlings, producing a large front growth is the goal, and this requires the strength of the entire orchid clump.
The same principle applies to pruning seedlings: after pruning, weak branches sprout in clusters, and ultimately the main trunk is cultivated.
Therefore, to judge the quality of a seedling, look at five points: leaves, roots, pseudobulbs, shoot buds, and absence of disease. The pseudobulb is the core of the orchid plant, where nutrients are mainly stored, and the pseudobulb is more important than the roots and leaves that are easily visible on the outside.
When choosing seedlings, choose those with large pseudobulbs, and with pseudobulbs gradually increasing rather than shrinking. Grass with old stumps is also better than without..
For this kind of grass that will not grow large, divide the pots less, increase light more, keep low temperatures in autumn and winter, and increase the temperature difference a bit. Produce fewer seedlings and accumulate more nutrients.