Illustrated guide to the common care methods for Four Seasons Orchid, Jianlan (Cymbidium ensifolium), and Shilan

      1. Light control and cooling: Jianlan grows best at an annual average temperature between 15-23°C. Summer temperatures are hot, so use a 70-80% plastic shade net to cool things down.

       2. Promoting cooling under high temperatures: for the high temperatures caused by overly strong light, add more layers and density of shading to encourage cooling; in summer and autumn, when light is strong, the air is stuffy and hot, and temperatures are high, open doors and windows so the air in the orchid area can fully circulate and cooling is encouraged. Sprinkle clear water on the walkways and under the orchid benches, and spray water mist into the indoor space; this can also help lower the temperature. Spraying New High-Fat Film means you need not fear evaporation under the sun, it can regulate water absorption, and it protects against drought and rain.

3. Moisture retention and ventilation: the moisture retention and ventilation of the orchid area should be adjusted to the most reasonable state to benefit orchid growth. To maintain air humidity, use an advanced fully automatic humidifier, or spray water mist into the space, walkways and under the orchid benches. Maintaining substrate moisture should be regulated according to light, humidity, ventilation and other conditions. For soil-based cultivation, water once every 2-4 days, and stick to “better dry than wet”; the timing of watering must suit local conditions. Wild orchids originate in mountain wilds and secluded valleys, where the site is open on all sides, yet there is shade from trees and grass, with gentle breezes from time to time, so they can grow long-term in an environment with fresh air. Therefore, the orchid area also needs to create these conditions for orchid growth; if the orchid area is rather enclosed, add more doors and windows to encourage air circulation.

4. Heat retention and frost protection: Jianlan can only tolerate brief, intermittent low temperatures of -2 to -5°C under protective conditions that block wind and frost. Therefore, it should be kept warm in a greenhouse in winter, and if conditions allow, heating equipment can also be used. 5. Fertilization follows “suited to the orchid, fertilizer determined by the seedling, better dilute than concentrated, apply thinly at the right time”. That is, according to the orchid species, seedling vigor and physiological characteristics, grasp the timing. For dry fertilizer use: cattle bone meal (containing 4% nitrogen, 22.06% phosphorus), plant ash (1.04% phosphorus, 6.41% potassium), cake fertilizer (7% nitrogen, 1.32% phosphorus, 2.12% potassium) and burnt soil mixed fertilizer, used alternately with compound fertilizer, no fewer than 4 times per year in the pot. For liquid fertilizer, use filtered, diluted liquid from decomposed organic fertilizer, or urea, monopotassium phosphate or special flower fertilizer alternately as a top dressing or foliar feeding, generally once every 15 days. When spraying as foliar feeding, spray the leaf surface with clear water once on the two days before and after, to wash off dust and medicinal residue.

Fertilization times include:

① Sprouting fertilizer (late spring and early summer): dry fertilizer once or twice, foliar feeding once every 10 days, mainly nitrogen and potassium fertilizer, to promote the growth of above-ground stems and leaves and the expansion of the underground root system.

② Development fertilizer (late summer and early autumn): as new shoots extend their leaves and produce foliage, to make the new shoots robust, mainly nitrogen, applied frequently and thinly; after the new shoots open their leaves, mainly potassium to promote strong seedlings, spray with monopotassium phosphate once a week, and spray with Zhuangjingling, which can make the plant stems thick and strong, the leaves fleshy, the leaf color fresh and tender, and the plant luxuriant.

③ Flower-promoting fertilizer: when the new shoot leaves stop growing, the plant enters the flower bud differentiation stage; mainly phosphorus, dry fertilizer twice, foliar feeding once a week, and spraying with Huaduo Zhuangdiling can make the flower buds strong, the petals large, the flower color vivid, the fragrance rich, and the flowering period longer.

④ Late autumn and early winter, from Cold Dew to Start of Winter, the orchid will enter its dormant period; apply dry fertilizer once and liquid fertilizer twice, with foliar spraying once every 10 days, to ensure safe overwintering, retain richness and vigor, and increase the sprouting rate the following spring.