How to care for newly collected wild orchids? Teaching you the correct care methods

After buying and bringing home a newly collected wild orchid, it is very necessary to remove some broken roots and hollow roots depending on how strong or weak the orchid is. Do not think that the more roots left, the easier it is to survive; often the broken roots left behind are the source of disease. If the plant is relatively strong, fewer roots can be kept; keeping too many roots will cause root crowding when potting because the roots are too dense, and after crowding, the roots that cannot reach the growing medium will wither and become hollow because they lose their function, so it is better to cut them off earlier. Each plant has one central root; the central root is the root corresponding to the center of that plant, and it is relatively easy to identify. Its base is thicker and stronger, its nodes are firm, and its base grows vertically downward without swaying. This root must be kept and must not be cut off.

The roots of newly collected wild orchids should be trimmed so that spacing is proper. The roots of the front growth generally lean to the side and more can be kept, while fewer roots of the back growth can be kept. The central part of the root mass of a clump should be sparser, otherwise it is very difficult for the growing medium to reach in place. Weak orchids should keep more roots; it is enough to cut each root so that a clean white wound appears. If a weak seedling has too many roots damaged, an appropriate amount of orchid leaves should be cut to reduce leaf transpiration. Some injured weak seedlings sway after being potted; they can be tied with stainless steel wire or plastic rods before potting.

The withered yellow leaf sheaths of newly collected wild orchids can sometimes be so numerous that they look like tangled brown fibers wrapped around the base of the orchid seedling. They must be trimmed clean. If they are not cut and the plant is potted, those areas are not easy to dry out, which will lead to prolonged dampness and disease. If you have bought a relatively promising or relatively expensive newly collected wild orchid, survival is very important. Such plants can be cultivated with growing medium that has been used in orchid pots, but avoid using growing medium that has just been given heavy fertilizer. You can take some surface soil from various orchid pots to use. Dry conditions grow roots, wet conditions grow leaves. Although this saying is not absolute, it still contains great truth. The potting soil should be slightly moist, not wet. On sunny days, water can be sprayed to supplement moisture; when spraying, avoid wetting the whole plant as much as possible. Spray as much as possible toward the outer leaf tips, and do not spray the leaf bases if possible. Supplying water to the leaf tips mobilizes the operation of the veins of the entire leaf as much as possible; if water is supplied to the base and cannot dry in time, disease is also relatively easy to occur.

Shade cultivation of newly collected wild orchids must be moderate. Strong plants need about 15 days, and weak plants about 30 days, after which they can gradually be exposed to sunlight. In flower growing, there is a misunderstanding about letting flowers bask in the sun: some friends take one look and say, wow, the weather is really nice, and carry the flowers outside to bask. Little do they know that this is a major taboo in flower growing. From shade cultivation to seeing light to directly receiving sunlight is a gradual process. It is best to move orchids outdoors on a cloudy day. If moving them outdoors on a fine day, strong light should be slightly avoided, just as a person feels dazzled when walking from a relatively dark room into sunlight; plants are the same. Ventilation is very important for newly collected wild orchids; on the mountain, the plants can always breathe fresh air. Some orchid growers use small fans to strengthen ventilation, but if this is in a sealed environment, then it is only blowing air, not ventilation. The key point of ventilation lies in the exchange of air, so opening windows in good time to change the air is very important. But newly collected wild orchids should also avoid overly strong natural wind; too much wind will cause leaf dehydration and lead to excessive loss of growth.

The use of medication for newly collected wild orchids depends on the condition of the plants. Most newly collected wild orchids are healthy. Even if some fungi are brought in, beneficial fungi still account for the majority. Harmful fungi are certainly present, but strong plants have immunity. If the plants are weak, stricter measures should be taken for disinfection and sterilization. After trimming the roots of newly collected wild orchids and when potting them, using some fungicidal and disease-preventing medication is essential.

After one year of care, newly collected wild orchids can be removed from the pot for inspection. Cut off hollow roots and rotten sheaths, and observe the growth of new roots and the number of new shoots. Then add some water- and fertilizer-retaining growing medium to the potting mix or add some base fertilizer, and they can enter normal management.