A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods for the Chunlan 'Song Mei'
Song Mei is a traditional famous variety of Chinese Chunlan (Cymbidium goeringii), and the representative variety of the plum-petal flower type. Its full name is Song Jinxuan Mei. Because the flower quality of Song Mei is unmatched and it stands out among all Chunlan, it was chosen as the head of the “Four Great Heavenly Kings” of Chunlan and has been praised by people as the “King of Chunlan,” with extremely high ornamental value. Now let us take a look together at the cultivation methods for the Chunlan Song Mei!
Song Mei's Growth Habits
Song Mei is a horticultural variety and is suitable for planting in an environment with circulating air. It is fond of shade and averse to direct sunlight, fond of moisture and averse to dryness, and grows best at 15℃ to 30℃. It grows poorly above 35℃. Severe cold below 5℃ will affect its growth vigor, and at this time the orchid is often in a dormant state. If the temperature is too high and combined with exposure to the sun, leaf scorching or withering will appear within one or two days. If the temperature is too low and it is not moved indoors in time, frost damage will occur. Chunlan Song Mei has fleshy roots and is suitable for sandy loam rich in humus. Drainage performance must be good, and leaf mold soil or mountain soil containing more humus should be selected. Slightly acidic loose soil or iron-containing soil is suitable, with a pH value of 5.5 to 6.5 being appropriate.
Song Mei's Propagation Methods
1. Division: After one or two years of cultivation, Song Mei can sprout many new shoots. When the number of seedlings reaches 6 or 7, division can be carried out, generally once every 2 or 3 years. In spring and autumn, select plants with 6 or 7 or more plants, take them out of the pot, gently pat the bottom of the pot, pour out the orchid roots, being careful not to damage the new roots, brush off the old soil on the roots with a brush, find the places where the gaps between the pseudobulbs are relatively large, carefully break them apart, trim dead roots and rotten roots with scissors, then soak in 800 times dilution of 40% thiophanate-methyl or chlorothalonil for 1 hour, then rinse with clean water, air-dry, and when the roots turn white and soft, they can be planted.
2. Sowing: Song Mei seeds are extremely fine. The seed contains only one incompletely developed embryo, and the germination capacity is very low. In addition, the seed coat does not easily absorb water, so sowing by conventional methods cannot cause germination. Therefore, orchid fungi or artificial culture medium are needed to supply nutrients before germination can occur. For sowing, it is best to select fruit that has not yet split open. After sterilizing the surface with 75% alcohol, take out the seeds, soak them in 10% sodium hypochlorite for 5 to 10 minutes, take them out and rinse them 3 times with sterile water, then sow them in a culture bottle containing culture medium, and then place them in a dark culture room, maintaining the temperature at about 25℃. After they begin to sprout, move them into the light and they can form protocorms.
3. Tissue culture: First, from the roots of orchid plants cultivated for 2 or 3 years, cut 2 to 3 cm growth buds, rinse them with running water for 20 minutes, and in a sterile tissue culture room at 22 to 25℃, remove the outermost 1 to 2 bract leaves, place them in sodium hypochlorite solution and soak for 15 minutes to sterilize. Then peel them off, cut them into 2 to 5 mm stem tips, inoculate them onto the prepared culture medium, and move them to the culture site. After 3 to 4 months, rhizomes are produced, continuously proliferate, and then shoot induction and rooting are carried out. When the test-tube plantlets grow to 5 to 8 cm and have 2 or 3 roots, they can be transplanted.
Song Mei's Cultivation Methods
1. Planting material: Preparing planting material with complete nutrition is the foundation for promoting healthy growth and flowering in Song Mei. The preparation of planting material should focus on air permeability, drainage, and nutrients. You can use 25% finely washed peat, 20% Kiryu stone, 15% Sendai soil, 10% willow bark, 15% snake wood, 5% maifan stone, and 10% brick granules. Using this planting material to grow orchids allows them to adapt to the pot quickly, grow healthily, flower well, and have a strong fragrance.
2. Pot selection: For Song Mei, the best pot is a fired high-barrel clay tile pot, or a high-barrel sesame sand pot produced in Yixing. The pot should not be too large; it is enough as long as the orchid roots can spread out in the pot. About 6 seedlings per pot is most suitable. The orchid plants should include a combination of old, middle-aged, and young, so that flowers can be seen every year. Remember that new pots must be soaked in water (to remove alkalinity) for more than 2 days, and old pots must be washed clean and disinfected before use.
3. Light: Morning sunlight is most beneficial to the growth of Song Mei, and the earlier the better. It is best if the orchid plants can be illuminated as soon as dawn appears. This is because morning light is the main factor affecting orchid growth and flowering, and orchids are most active in photosynthesis under sunlight before 10 a.m. Therefore, if conditions permit, it is best to place Song Mei in a place with morning light, exposed for 2 to 3 hours each day, which is very beneficial to growth and enables it to bloom every year.
4. Ventilation: A good ventilated environment is a necessary condition for growing Song Mei well. It is very important to place Song Mei in a well-ventilated environment. Especially in the hot and stuffy weather of summer, Song Mei must be placed in a cool and ventilated place. In the northern Henan region, as long as it can pass the summer safely, it can be said that orchid cultivation is already half successful. Ventilation can provide fresh air to the orchid plants, accelerate photosynthesis, reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases, and promote healthy growth of the orchid plants.
5. Watering: Watering is the key to success or failure in growing Song Mei well. The ancients said, “When making friends, make friends with their hearts; when watering flowers, water the roots,” and “Orchids like rain but fear accumulation, like moisture but dislike wetness, like dryness but fear parching.”
① The amount of watering should be determined according to many factors such as the size of the pot, the growth condition of the orchid plants, the quality of ventilation conditions, the coarseness or fineness of the planting material, and the temperature.
② Watering should not be done at fixed times. The dryness and wetness of the planting material should be observed frequently, and the timing of watering should be grasped: water when dry, and when watering, water thoroughly.
③ The temperature of the water used for watering orchids should be as close as possible to the temperature inside the orchid pot. The temperature difference must not be too large, especially in summer and winter.
④ For watering throughout the year, use clean natural precipitation (rainwater, snow water). It is best not to use tap water, and polluted water must be strictly avoided.