What practical advice should beginners in orchid growing read?

Author: 412249954

1. On acquiring starter plants: acquiring plants is the number one priority in orchid growing, and also the most agonizing matter. Given the current chaos in the orchid market, we must develop a uniquely sharp eye, and based on the condition of the plants and roots, see through their past and present at a glance. As for distinguishing strong plants from weak ones, there is already plenty of that all over the forums these days, so I will not ramble on about it. In short, I strongly recommend acquiring strong plants. Earlier, out of a desire for bargains, when I had just entered the hobby I bought a few plants on Taobao, and they have all since passed away. I have also acquired weak plants from the forums; although they have not died to this day, after about two years they still have not produced a single strong growth, and as for blooming to verify the variety, who knows how many years that will take. If I had started directly with strong plants, by now I would have a full pot and fragrance drifting for miles.

2. On dividing plants: if you grow orchids because you love them, and did not start with immediate profit in mind, please do not divide plants too frequently. As for the reason, I believe a single-growth plant with a bud produces a bud that grows slowly, and many cannot even mature into a full growth within a year, and they will not be very strong, nor will the new growths produce flowers (this refers only to Chunlan and Huilan). Several strong connected growths (preferably three or more), with one or two buds, produce buds that grow very quickly; buds that emerge in February or March can reach sixty to seventy percent, or even seventy to eighty percent, of full size by June or July, and some plants can mature. Moreover, in April and May they will carry a plump bud and grow rapidly together. Basically, you can get two rounds of buds in a year. From the perspective of short-term propagation, single division can achieve rapid multiplication; from the perspective of long-term cultivation, single division does not necessarily produce more buds than connected growths. Single division of first-generation and second-generation buds will not be very strong; if you keep single-dividing, each generation becomes weaker than the last (this is why some high-end popular varieties cannot be bought as strong plants), and it is very easy to lose the plant. If we are growing them on our own balcony, we generally do not single-divide, at most double-divide. If it is a commercial orchid nursery, single division may be the best way to profit quickly in the short term, but to make the buds of single plants grow quickly and become marketable, you must use hormones in appropriate amounts under constant temperature and humidity. Personally, I think balcony orchid growers should divide plants as little as possible. I used to like to cut the two back pseudobulbs off a pot once it had four or five growths, to let them continue to contribute, but the buds from back pseudobulbs are basically not strong, and some stop growing when only half grown. To wait for them to regain strength you have to wait for the second or third generation, a very long cycle, and some back pseudobulbs with poor roots, after half a year of painstaking care, still come to nothing. We do not grow them to make money, or at least not for short-term profit, so I plan to divide plants as little as possible from now on. For ordinary varieties, I let the old growths retreat on their own, and when the leaves turn yellow I cut them off. When repotting and changing the medium, I then discard those rootless old pseudobulbs. After all, orchid lovers have limited space at home, and there is no need for one variety to take up space and consume more energy in management as two plants, then two more, then two more. As for keeping backups against rot, any large pot of connected strong growths, without the cuts left by division that then lead to infection, will basically not have accidents as long as management is proper. As for treating wounds from division, I was fortunate to receive guidance from a local senior and learned many methods. The one I use most is, after dividing, searing the wound with a red-hot steel chopstick, then applying thiophanate-methyl, and after it dries, potting it up. This method is very effective; to this day I have never lost a plant due to wound treatment problems. But you must control how hard you sear; never sear too hard, just a light sear to seal the wound is enough.

3. On potting: as for the choice and ratio of media, each has its own merits. Use whatever you like, as long as you have a good grasp of the watering cycle and fertility of the medium. The medium must be disinfected before potting, whether hard or soft medium, especially soft media like bark. It is best to disinfect at high temperature, sterilizing and at the same time killing invisible insect eggs inside. My disinfection method is: for bark and decayed wood I boil them in a pressure cooker; for Suntory soil, coconut husk and the like, I soak them thoroughly in water, then heat them in a microwave for 5-8 minutes. Disinfection must be thorough; this is a key step in preventing the two rots. It is very popular online to rub the orchid roots before potting. I believe this really does help the orchid's later acclimation and growth. As for the principle, I understand it this way: rubbing the roots is simply carefully cleaning the roots by hand. Roots grow in soil for a long time, and their surfaces will more or less have stubborn dirt and some parasites attached. Roots absorb nutrients through their surface, and the cleaner the root surface, the more favorable it is for the orchid roots to absorb water and nutrients.

4. On watering: I will not say much about this. Different media, different environments, and the strength or weakness of the plants all affect watering frequency. Orchid roots are succulent roots; too much water easily causes black roots and root rot, and long-term lack of water also easily causes hollow roots. If you really cannot grasp watering, I suggest putting the same medium in an empty pot, watering it thoroughly, leaving it in the orchid-growing environment for a few days, then tipping it out to look. Basically you can then grasp the wet-dry timing characteristics of the medium. I do not recommend the slow trickle method of watering; I recommend using a shower head to flush with a large stream, washing the plants along with it, and by the way washing dust off the leaves. Too much dust affects the orchid's photosynthesis and respiration. As for those who fear damaging the center leaves by stuffiness, I feel that as long as your ventilation is not bad to a certain degree, this will not happen; at least I have not encountered it in all these years. After watering, immediately use your hand to brush the orchid leaves, minimizing standing water on the leaf surface to prevent spots caused by standing water, and it can also speed up evaporation of moisture from the leaf surface. Once the orchid leaf surface is dry, it can be exposed to sunlight. In summer, watering is best done at night; in winter, best at noon. In short, water when the temperature difference between the environment and the water is smallest.

5. On fertilizing: many orchid friends are very wary of fertilizing. I ask you, can you grow good flowers without fertilizer? The nutrients in ordinary media like Suntory soil can hardly meet the needs of orchids during the peak growing season. Fertilizing is a key step in growing good flowers. I generally use Hyponex; during the growth period I use No. 5, and occasionally No. 2. In short, apply dilute fertilizer frequently. I generally only apply fertilizer to the roots. Although foliar fertilizer is safer, improper use can cause large areas of black spots on the leaves. For root drenching I reduce the dosage a great deal. For example, with Hyponex, the instructions require one small spoon per kilogram of water; for a bucket of twelve or thirteen kilograms of water I use at most 4 small spoons. Dilute fertilizer, safe, frequently applied, and vigorous.

6. On light: sunlight is the foundation of all growth, and no plant can grow without sunlight. Orchids are shade plants. Although they cannot grow without sunlight either, full sun will also seriously affect orchid growth and affect the orchid's appearance. Orchids like soft, diffused light and do not like direct sunlight. We cannot go against the orchid's growth habits and one-sidedly believe that more sun is good for producing buds and flowers. Overly strong sunlight will accelerate the retreat of old growths and will also make orchids become withered, yellow, short and collapsed. I generally choose to shade when the temperature is above 15 degrees in strong-light weather.

7. On pest control: previously I also did not do pest control, until one day I found that the shoots of Song Mei had been bitten until they were too horrible to look at, and only then did I realize the importance of pest control. If you are a little careful, you will find that there are many very small white insects like lice in the pot, especially most numerous in soft media. These insects very much like to gnaw on orchid new shoots, so pest control is very important. Pest control is best started in early spring. In early spring, use insecticide for foliar spraying and root drenching, and it must be thorough, then do foliar spraying continuously, and in June or July do another root drenching. As for what insecticide to use, that still depends on your own preference.

8. On sterilization: to grow orchids well, sterilization is also very important. Do not think that because you commonly use insecticide you do not need to do sterilization. In fact, pest control and sterilization are not the same thing; generally insecticides will not kill bacteria. Sterilization is the most important method of preventing soft rot. I think almost all orchid growers have experienced soft rot. When your orchid's center leaf withers and yellows from the bottom upward, it is basically confirmed to be soft rot. My medium has been thoroughly sterilized when potting, so I sterilize at most three or four times a year, mainly concentrated in the high-temperature, high-humidity weather of July and August and the continuous rainy weather of winter. There are many kinds of fungicides sold on the market, such as thiophanate-methyl, chlorothalonil, carbendazim and so on.

9. On vernalization: actually vernalization is just giving the orchid a period of dormancy, letting the orchid that has grown for a year enter the bud gestation and a brief rest. Only an orchid that has rested well has enough strength to push up its scape and bloom, and to nurture the next generation. Not all orchids must be vernalized to bloom well. If one insists that Chunlan and Huilan all need vernalization, and that Sijilan, Lianban, Hanlan, and Molan do not need vernalization, that is somewhat one-sided; it mainly depends on the orchid's place of origin. But most Chunlan and Huilan must be well vernalized to produce tall, graceful, high-scaped flowers.

10. On the growth cycle: recently I have found that many people are not very clear about the orchid's growth cycle. I have only grown Chunlan, Huilan, Chun Jian, and Sijilan. Personally, I think that for strong connected Chunlan plants of three or four growths or more, the spring buds basically all mature into full growths the same year, and autumn buds also basically mature around early summer of the following year. Many Chunlan and Sijilan will conceive new buds when the spring buds have grown to thirty or forty percent of full size; the probability of autumn buds conceiving new buds is far lower than that of spring buds. Huilan shows the phenomenon of conceiving new buds at thirty or forty percent of growth markedly less than Chunlan; generally it is at seventy or eighty percent, or after almost fully grown, that it conceives new buds. Huilan can hardly mature into a full growth in one year; generally it pushes out the last two center leaves in the following year. Chun Jian is similar to Chunlan. Sijilan has a very short maturation cycle; in half a year it can basically mature. My Hong Yipin produced a bud at the end of February, had basically grown out by mid-May, and also carried a new bud two centimeters tall; in August the first-generation new growth bloomed, the second-generation new bud grew to half size; in November the second-generation new growth matured and also carried a bud, but without soil. This shows that Sijilan matures very quickly. How to judge that a new growth has already matured into a mature growth and will no longer grow taller: my method of judgment is to see whether the centermost leaf is already the tallest leaf of this plant, and to compare with the previous old mature growths how much taller the center leaf is than the leaf nearest to it, and then you can roughly estimate how much more the center leaf can grow. At this point the plant has basically matured into a full growth. However, Huilan sometimes misleads us; its centermost leaf often only pushes out in the following year. So do not mistake the center leaf.

11. On identifying varieties: this subject is truly profound and unfathomable. I am shallow in learning and scant in talent, and can only identify a few of the most common varieties with the most obvious characteristics based on leaf shape. As for how to distinguish acquired varieties, it is still those lines flying everywhere: "Take the flower as the standard, leaf shape as auxiliary, and the person you buy from as most important."

12. Closing remarks: how to grow orchids well has always troubled us newcomers who have just entered the orchid world. While we are still wandering on the road of how to grow orchids well, one moment we fear they are thirsty or hungry, the next we fear they are too wet or too dry, and the next we fear they are too cold or too hot. We seek teachers everywhere and boldly experiment, but when we realize "all methods follow nature," should we not come to understand something? All changes do not depart from their fundamental principle -- no matter how things change, they do not depart from their fundamental principle. Once you are familiar with the growth characteristics of wild orchids, you will be able to grow them well. A pampered child cannot become a talent, and orchids are the same. Reduce your pampering, and perhaps they will grow more vigorously.