A detailed guide to Cypripedium cultivation methods, the latest care tips in one article

Cypripedium, also known as the flower of the goddess, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Cypripedium in the orchid family, with extremely high ornamental value; it not only has gorgeous flowers full of peculiar beauty, but the posture of its leaves is also quite elegant, and its cold resistance is very good, making it suitable for garden cultivation in cool regions. Now let us take a look together at the cultivation methods of Cypripedium!

Growth habits of Cypripedium

Cypripedium prefers a cool, humid, semi-shaded environment in summer, and is suitable for growing in fertile, loose sandy loam. It likes moisture; during the growing period, watering should preferably be done 1 to 2 times a day, so that the potting soil and the sphagnum on the pot surface are fully moistened, thereby retaining moisture and lowering the temperature. Shading of about 50 to 60% is required, otherwise too much shade will make the plant grow leggy and weak. Fertilization during the growing period should be about once a month, and it must be diluted more than 1000 times before application, otherwise concentrated fertilizer will damage the plant, causing the rhizome to rot and the plant to die.

Propagation methods of Cypripedium

Cypripedium is often propagated by division, which can be carried out in both spring and autumn, generally once every three years. Any plant that grows robustly and has densely clustered pseudobulbs can be divided; after division, each clump must retain at least 5 pseudobulbs connected together. Before division, watering should be reduced so that the potting soil is relatively dry. When potting after division, first cover the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot with broken tiles, then spread coarse gravel to occupy 1/5 to 1/4 of the pot depth, then place coarse-grained soil and a small amount of fine soil, and then plant with sandy loam rich in humus. The planting depth should be such that the pseudobulbs are just buried in the soil; leave a 2 cm rim at the edge of the pot, spread Selaginella uncinata or fine gravel on top, and finally water thoroughly, place in a shady spot for 10 to 15 days, keep the soil moist, gradually reduce watering, and carry out normal care.

Cultivation methods of Cypripedium

1. Potting soil: Cypripedium is generally potted in spring from March to April or in autumn from October to November. To meet the requirements of ventilation and air permeability, unglazed clay pots are better; plastic pots and glazed colored pots are not suitable as containers for cultivating Cypripedium due to poor air permeability. As for the soil, it is best to use soil collected from its native habitat; a growing medium made of 0.5 part coarse sand, 1 part humus soil, 0.5 part perlite and 1 part peat soil can also be used.

2. Potting: Before potting Cypripedium, first cut off the old withered leaves beside the new shoots, and remove the blackened and rotten roots, then place the orchid plant with all its roots flat on the surface covered with about 1/4 base soil, evenly fill the pot with soil until the root system is completely buried, with only the new shoots protruding, and finally cover the pot surface with water-saturated white moss, and water thoroughly to finish.

3. Watering: Once Cypripedium lacks water during the peak growing period, it will grow poorly; it needs to be eight parts dry and two parts wet. Watering should follow the principle of “water when dry, stop when wet, appropriately on the dry side”. Watering must be thorough, and half-measure watering must not be done. The frequency of watering can depend on the potting medium of the orchid. For hard, well-draining media such as volcanic rock, red brick granules and pumice, water can be supplied once a day. For strongly water-absorbent media such as pond mud and humus soil, water can be supplied once every two or three days.

4. Temperature: In daily management of Cypripedium, the main thing to pay attention to is temperature, usually 10 to 20°C; once the temperature exceeds 25°C, measures must be taken to bring it down, otherwise it is very easily killed by heat. Therefore, if it is to be cultivated in most areas of southern or northern China, unless there is a cooled greenhouse in summer, successful cultivation is impossible, let alone flowering.

5. Light: Cypripedium prefers shade and fears direct strong light, so shading is necessary in all three seasons of spring, summer and autumn. For home cultivation, it is best to place it on a balcony windowsill or under the eaves with bamboo curtain shading, generally shading from 9 a.m. to before 6 p.m., and pulling the curtain open in the morning and after 6 p.m. so that it receives scattered sunlight. In winter, it should be moved indoors to a place with visible scattered light, but direct sunlight should also be avoided.

6. Fertilization: During the growing season, Cypripedium can be top-dressed with fully decomposed thin cake fertilizer water of about 15%, or 0.1% urea fertilizer water plus 0.2% monopotassium phosphate fertilizer water, applied once every 15 to 20 days; from before flowering to the flowering period, 0.2% monopotassium phosphate or plant ash water can be sprayed on the leaves 2 to 3 times to promote the development of roots, stems and flowers. Fertilizer that has not been decomposed must not be applied, so as to avoid root rot.

Pest and disease control of Cypripedium

1. Puccinia: usually on the upper and lower surfaces of leaves, and less often on stems, raised small pustules appear, containing yellow, orange, rust-colored or even purplish-black powdery spores. Rust disease is not fatal, and the leaves will not die, but it makes the plant grow weak. The control method is, in addition to cutting off diseased leaves, spraying with 65% zineb powder at 500 to 600 times dilution or a copper-containing fungicide.

2. Southern blight: Puccinia mostly occurs in the moldy rainy season. At the initial stage of the disease, the leaf base is covered with white mycelium, causing the rhizome to rot. The control method is to remove the infected potting soil and sprinkle on pentachloronitrobenzene powder or lime. The fundamental method is to pay attention to ventilation and light transmission, and good drainage of the potting soil. Severely diseased plants should be burned.

3. Anthracnose: It occurs all year round, and is more rampant in hot, rainy seasons. The lesions first extend from the leaf tip toward the rhizome, initially brown, then gradually expand and increase, with many dry black spots appearing, and in severe cases causing the whole plant to die. In control, in addition to actively improving environmental conditions, during the disease period first spray with 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 800 to 1500 times dilution, once every 7 to 10 days, then supplement with 1% equal-strength Bordeaux mixture, once every half month, spraying continuously 3 to 5 times.

4. Scale insects: Scale insects is the general name for insects of the superfamily Coccoidea in the order Homoptera, and they reproduce fastest under conditions of high temperature, high humidity and poor air circulation. During the hatching period, they can be controlled by spraying with 1% omethoate or 1500 times 50% malathion. If there are not many pots, they can also be removed manually by brushing.