Cultivation and Management Methods and Technical Key Points for Cymbidium tortisepalum

2. Soil

That is, the preparation of the cultivation substrate. The native areas of Cymbidium tortisepalum have relatively good forest vegetation, and the litter layer under the forest, mainly oak leaves, is relatively thick. Local people in the production areas are accustomed to using oak leaves to prepare the cultivation soil for Cymbidium tortisepalum. There are many kinds of oak trees, and at present the leaves of the small-leaved, thicker-textured spiny oak are more commonly used. Because this kind of oak leaf is thicker and harder, it is not easy to rot and decompose quickly after being potted, and it can maintain good aeration and water permeability. After the leaves are picked, they are sun-dried for several days, and before use they are first soaked and composted in pots, jars, and the like. In order to achieve disinfection and sterilization effects, the composted leaves are now often placed in a boiler or a large steamer and steamed for dozens of hours. The steamed oak leaves can be set aside for later use after drying. In addition to spiny oak leaves, oak bark is also often mixed in, processed into small pieces about 1-2cm square, as well as snake wood - the fiber of tree fern stems, cut into 3-5cm small sections, and steamed in the same way before being set aside. Some also add fired red soil, orchid stone, and the like. The usual mixing ratio is 70%-80% spiny oak leaves, 5%-10% oak bark and snake wood, and 10%-15% fired red soil and orchid stone. The cultivation substrate prepared in this way has undergone strict disinfection and can avoid infection by pathogens. Its particles are relatively coarse, ventilated and breathable, and can ensure the growth and development of the thick root system of Cymbidium tortisepalum. During the decomposition process of spiny oak leaves and the like, sufficient nutrients are continuously supplied to meet the needs of orchid development. After one year of cultivation, the spiny oak leaves have basically decomposed, and at this time the particles become fine, so the pot needs to be turned and the soil changed, replacing it with new cultivation substrate.

3. Changing from clumps to single-plant cultivation

An old saying goes, "Orchids like to grow in clumps," but in modern orchid cultivation practice, orchid growers in the Cymbidium tortisepalum production areas often divide higher-value superior varieties into single plants for cultivation. The main purpose of doing this is to increase the seedling production rate of that orchid plant in order to obtain the greatest economic benefit. The principle that orchids like to grow in clumps is correct. Clumped orchid plants can better adapt to the external environment, are convenient for daily management, and can ensure flowering. But large clumps of orchid plants suppress the opportunity for latent buds (also called dormant buds) on the pseudobulbs of the orchid plants inside the clump to sprout new seedlings. On the "leaf scar" of each mature orchid pseudobulb, 1-2 latent buds may be borne, and these latent buds may be activated under suitable environmental conditions and sprout into new plants. When divided into single plants for planting, as long as management measures are appropriate, strong seedlings planted as single plants can sprout 1-2 generations of new seedlings in the same year. In this way, within one year, one orchid seedling can produce as many as 5-9 new seedlings, and it is also common for it to produce as few as 3-5 seedlings.

In addition, the normal lifespan of an orchid plant is about 3-5 years, after which it will gradually age, and the outer leaves will gradually turn yellow, wither, fall off, and finally die. Among the plants in a clump, there is a closely connected horizontal axis between the aging pseudobulbs. The leaves of the aging plants can still carry out photosynthesis, and the nutrients accumulated are transported downward and continuously transported through this underground horizontal axis to the new seedlings and new shoots to supply their growth and development. This is why new seedlings are easily produced in the "leading direction" of an orchid clump. If we promptly break off the old plants that are about to age and plant them separately, then the nutrients accumulated by the aging plant through photosynthesis will be enough to activate the latent buds on the pseudobulbs of the old plant to sprout and grow into new plants. This is valuable experience accumulated by many orchid growers.

4. Water and fertilizer management

Traditional orchid cultivation requires relatively high air humidity, while the potting soil should be kept dry and moist, which is the so-called "dry orchids, wet chrysanthemums," in order to maintain ventilation and breathability in the pot. Watering should be done thoroughly each time, and water again only after it has dried thoroughly. The interval between two waterings is relatively long. Usually, in the rainy season, it can be watered thoroughly once every 1-2 weeks, while in the dry season once a week is enough. Fertilization is usually relatively little, because the nutrients released during the decomposition of leaves can already meet the needs of the orchids.

In recent years, orchid enthusiasts in the main production areas of Cymbidium tortisepalum have summarized some completely different practices for water and fertilizer management in cultivation practice. For example, the "heavy water orchid cultivation method" summarized by Mr. Jiang Li, an orchid enthusiast in Dali:

The so-called heavy water means, on the one hand, that the amount of water each time should be large, and it should be watered sufficiently and thoroughly; on the other hand, it means that the number of waterings should be many. Heavy water orchid cultivation must grasp well the four links of "small pot, coarse soil, heavy water, sunlight," that is, "choose the pot according to the roots, mix the soil according to the pot, manage with heavy water, and provide moderate light." The four links depend on one another and are conditions for one another, and cannot be separated. First, "choose the pot according to the roots" means determining the size of the pot according to the length and development status of the plant and root system. The pot should be slender, and the pot diameter should preferably be small, with the suitable condition being that the root system can be naturally placed in the pot. "Mix the soil according to the pot" means that the preparation of the planting material should follow the principle of "water passage and air permeability," usually using relatively coarse spiny oak leaves and hard granular planting materials. The particle size of the planting material should be determined by the size of the pot: use coarse material for a large pot, and fine material for a small pot. "Heavy water management" means not limiting the amount and frequency of watering. Because coarse planting material and small pots are used, no matter how much water is applied, it will not remain in the pot and cause root rot. The benefit of thorough watering is that the water flow drives the airflow in the pot, renews the air in the pot, and promotes root-fungus symbiosis. When the orchid plant is first potted, the planting material ferments rapidly upon contact with water, producing high heat and a lot of waste gas, which harms the orchid roots. Heavy water can reduce the heat and wash away the waste gas. The practice of "heavy water management" is usually that in spring and summer it can be watered 1-3 times a day, while in autumn and winter or in cold overcast weather it can be reduced to watering once every 3-5 days. At the same time, grasp the principles of watering more on hot days and less on cold days; watering more on sunny days and less on cloudy days; watering more with new soil and less with old soil; and watering more when evaporation is high and less when evaporation is low. "Moderate light" should follow the principle of "do not expose to strong light, do not avoid weak light." For robust plants, light can be appropriately increased when flower buds are breaking dormancy in winter and spring. Conversely, for thin and weak plants and in hot summer, light can be appropriately reduced.

In Heqing County, the "hometown of famous orchids" in western Yunnan, orchid enthusiasts use large amounts of sheep manure as base fertilizer when potting orchids. Orchids treated with sheep manure only need watering during a one-year cultivation cycle and do not require any fertilizer. After one year, when the pot is turned and the soil is changed, and the old pot is emptied out, the sheep manure in the soil has completely decomposed, but the sheep manure particles are still there and have not broken down. This shows that the decomposition of sheep manure is very slow, and it can continuously release nutrients to supply the orchid plants over a long period without causing harm to the orchid root system. In the autumn of 2007, the author visited Mr. Li Yousheng, a famous orchid grower in Heqing. He personally demonstrated to me the entire operation process of using sheep manure for potting:

The washed and dried orchid root system is placed in the pot, with foam plastic blocks and large pieces of planting material placed at the bottom of the pot. Hold the pseudobulb area of the root system with the left hand, and with the right hand continuously fill planting material into the center of the pot and the gaps within the root system until the plant can stand fixed in the pot. Then use the left palm facing the root system, fill more planting material between the root system and the palm, and fill sheep manure between the back of the hand and the pot wall, grabbing 3-4 handfuls of sheep manure per pot, about 100-200 grams. Then cover the pot surface with planting material, press the surface soil firmly, cover with sphagnum moss, soak the pot and water thoroughly, completing the potting process. According to Mr. Li Yousheng, whether the sheep manure used at potting is decomposed or not does not matter, as long as it is ensured that the root system does not directly touch the sheep manure. Mr. Li cultivated orchids by this method, and the orchid plants grew robustly, not only with a high seedling production rate, but also blooming abundantly every year. The famous orchids he cultivated won the highest awards at various national and provincial orchid exhibitions year after year, and he is unanimously recognized by the Yunnan orchid community as an expert orchid cultivator.