Several unreliable practices in orchid care
1. Judging the quality of an orchid from one or two photos online is unreliable. For some new flowers, it is very hard to determine their quality based only on photos of the first bloom; 2. Looking only at the flowers and not the leaves is unreliable. The flowers are seen for a moment, but enjoyed for a year. Only when flowers and leaves are in harmony is there true charm; 3. Using centimeters to indicate the leaf length of an orchid variety is unreliable. In traditional orchid growing, wild-collected orchids were grown in courtyards (natural cultivation), and leaf length (height) was relatively stable, for example Cheng Mei at around 50 cm. Now technology is advanced and growing environments are diverse, so leaf length varies greatly. I have seen strong Cheng Mei plants with flowers introduced from Japan that were just over 30 cm, and in the south I have seen Cheng Mei with leaf length reaching nearly one meter.
1. Judging the quality of an orchid from one or two photos online is unreliable. For some new flowers, it is very hard to determine their quality based only on photos of the first bloom;
2. Looking only at the flowers and not the leaves is unreliable. The flowers are seen for a moment, but enjoyed for a year. Only when flowers and leaves are in harmony is there true charm;
3. Using centimeters to indicate the leaf length of an orchid variety is unreliable. In traditional orchid growing, wild-collected orchids were grown in courtyards (natural cultivation), and leaf length (height) was relatively stable, for example Cheng Mei at around 50 cm. Now technology is advanced and growing environments are diverse, so leaf length varies greatly. I have seen strong Cheng Mei plants with flowers introduced from Japan that were just over 30 cm, and in the south I have seen Cheng Mei with leaf length reaching nearly one meter.
4. Judging the grade of a cymbidium by how it looks during the first few days of its first bloom is unreliable. Cymbidiums are highly variable; not only do they change over a long period, but their bloom form also changes every year;
5. Saying whether there is fragrance after just one sniff is unreliable. Some orchids are fragrant, and the scent is deeply refreshing, but orchid fragrance is not always present. Sometimes it appears when the flower first opens, sometimes in sunlight, and sometimes it cannot be smelled;
6. Believing that choosing a good growing medium means growing orchids well is unreliable. Choosing a good growing medium is equal to half of growing orchids well; the other half depends on watering, fertilizing, environment and management;
7. Believing that growing orchids will make you rich overnight is unreliable. It did happen before: discovering or owning a precious variety could make you rich overnight. That no longer works now;
8. Believing that the market will rebound and orchid prices will rise sharply is unreliable. Times are changing, investment channels are diversified, technology is developing, and seedling production is many times what it was before. It is already good if prices do not fall, so how could they rise again. Some orchids already have a price but no market, with no one buying, yet sellers still will not lower the price to sell, saying they will wait until prices rise to sell.