What is going on when water in the leaf core causes stem rot and soft rot?

Author: I Am Childhood

    Recently, while chatting with several new orchid friends, I found that most of them run into a very serious problem, namely the two rots, and once this disease occurs, it is very hard to cure completely. Even if you handle it properly, it will still come back next year. Very few succeed. In severe cases, some simply throw the plant away. 

    In growing orchids, you should first learn to explore, discover, and study, and this is exactly what most beginners need to learn. Generally, after the two rots occur, everyone feels that water is the culprit. For example, when watering, if water flows into the leaf core, the plant rots, but that is actually not how it works. Water is very wrongly blamed. So what is really going on? This requires exploration, study, and pondering, or asking experienced orchid friends. If it were true that water entering the leaf core causes the orchid to rot, then after the same watering, why would only an individual plant, one pot or two pots, develop rot, rather than all of them rotting? This is because the orchid that rotted was showing a normal sign of previously improper management and cultivation, not because the leaf core will rot as soon as it gets water. 

    When you encounter the two rots, you must solve it at the root rather than looking only at the surface. With good roots and strong seedlings, and good ventilation after watering in indoor cultivation, no matter how you water, the chance of disease is very small. This is because a strong plant itself can resist external pathogens to the greatest extent. This also shows that the orchids of experienced orchid friends get sick relatively less often.

    If you encounter the two rots and immediately conclude that it is a surface problem, such as water entering the leaf core, rain getting in, and so on, with this mindset you will never grow orchids well your whole life. That is because you have not found the root of the problem, and this situation will happen again next time. Let me say again that after water enters the leaf core, as long as ventilation is good, there is no problem.    

    After an orchid rots, think about whether it was recently introduced, because unhealthy seedlings will rot. The only solution is to negotiate with the seller or to introduce better stock next time. Is the ventilation at home good, for example, is natural airflow blocked? The solution is that you must add a fan to imitate natural wind. Do not forget natural phenomena in pursuit of natural cultivation. After rain in the wild, the weather is cool with a light breeze on your face, and the two rots rarely occur. So if ventilation is not good, you must add a fan. Do not give up the modern equipment you must use in pursuit of natural cultivation. Have pesticides and fertilizers been used recently? For beginners growing orchids, it is still acceptable to use some protective fungicides. But fertilizers are not recommended. Improper use of pesticides and fertilizers, or too high a concentration, will likewise harm the orchid, so fertilizers should be temporarily discontinued. Pesticides should be used according to the actual condition of the seedlings. At the same time, the mixing ratio of pesticides must be well controlled.

    When an orchid rots, it comes suddenly, and that is what makes it so fast, yet little do people know that the problem has already been hidden for a long time. For example, previous overwatering, or drought, both plant a time bomb for various diseases. This is especially true of the two rots. With too much water, the roots rot, and the orchid's stomach is ruined; with drought, the roots become hollow, and the orchid's stomach is ruined too. An orchid root that cannot absorb nutrients or transport nutrients, what does it have left to supply the nutrients needed by the pseudobulb and orchid leaves? By the time the nutrients in the pseudobulb are exhausted, resistance to external pathogens drops sharply. If at this time the orchid leaf core also has a bit of water, and ventilation is not very good, so it cannot evaporate or drain away quickly, then orchid diseases such as the two rots are inevitable. It is just like people: if you cannot eat enough food for a long time, or if you eat several big pots at once, you will get stomach problems, and if the stomach problem is not solved and things continue this way, the body will certainly be affected. Once there are pathogens or the like, those with weaker constitutions will definitely be infected first. That is the simple principle.     

    While learning from others, combine it with your own actual situation and digest and absorb it scientifically and reasonably, and only then will you grow them better and better. So growing orchids requires exploration and study. Every rot can help you find a cause, every disease can give you a lesson, and every lost seedling can give you a bit of experience, and gradually you will know how to grow orchids. If you do not think about the problem carefully, for example, if it rots, you just say water entered the leaf core, and then without considering the root cause, you directly throw it away and buy another, it is impossible to learn to grow orchids. In short, beginners must first grow the orchid roots strong. When the orchid roots are strong, the seedlings are strong. They can resist invasion by external pathogens to the greatest extent. Learn more, ask more, and study more, and I believe every orchid friend can grow orchids well.