How do you grow orchids? Xiao Tao Hong shares orchid-growing experience

'Xiao Tao Hong' is a cultivar of Cymbidium ensifolium (jianlan). Its leaves are emerald green with an elegant, graceful posture, and the leaf tips often carry a touch of pale yellow. Its flowers are yellow-green with red stripes, and the lip is dotted with red blotches. Because it is vigorous and easy to grow, it has become a famous jianlan cultivar favored by beginners.

"Free-flowering" is a term in flower cultivation, meaning a certain flower blooms frequently and is very diligent about it. In my few short years of growing orchids, I feel that Xiao Tao Hong should count as a free-flowering cultivar among orchids.

I have grown this pot of Xiao Tao Hong for 6 years. Apart from the first year, when it was settling in and being acclimatized, in the following 5 years it bloomed three times every year, with each round producing anywhere from seven or eight flower spikes to just two or three. From July to the end of September every year, I can enjoy its delicate, lovely flowers and its refreshing fragrance.

Xiao Tao Hong blooms diligently, but it still needs careful tending. My experience is:

1. It is best to grow it in a wide-mouthed clay pot. Clay pots are water-permeable and breathable and also release alkali well, and a wide-mouthed clay pot is even better for contact between the roots and the air. In addition, using a clay pot makes it easy and simple to judge whether the potting soil is dry or wet. Tap the side of the pot lightly with your hand: if the sound is dull and heavy, it is too wet; if the sound is crisp, it is too dry. Before use, be sure to scrub the clay pot clean, expose it to the sun to disinfect it, use a tool to enlarge the bottom hole to the size of a chicken egg, and cover it with a homemade breathable screen.

2. The growing medium should be loose and breathable as a principle. Orchid roots need air, and Xiao Tao Hong is no exception. No matter what medium you use, you must first fully consider its breathability. For growing orchids, I use a mixed medium of half coal cinders and half sawdust. Coal cinders have already been sterilized at high temperature during combustion, and they themselves contain a variety of minerals and trace elements, which are especially good for orchid root growth. The sawdust should be freshly planed, clean and nutritious. Combined, the two satisfy the orchid's habit of loving cleanliness, liking air, and disliking heavy fertilizer. In addition, remember that when planting an orchid you should spread a layer of coarse coal cinder particles no less than 5 cm thick at the bottom of the pot, with quail-egg-sized pieces being most suitable, as this is even better for drainage and air penetration.

3. Fertilize moderately. An orchid's dislike of heavy fertilizer does not mean it needs no fertilizer at all. Especially for free-flowering cultivars, if you want them to bloom several more times, moderate fertilization is indispensable. My approach is: for orchids that grow vigorously and are ready to bloom, apply a dilute chemical fertilizer mixed according to the instructions once a week. Apart from diluted milk, I do not use any homemade organic fertilizer, because in the process of growing orchids I have found that orchids are especially fond of cleanliness, and no matter how careful you are, homemade fertilizer always brings in some dirty matter. Weighing the pros and cons, chemical fertilizer is still safer; just remember that orchids given chemical fertilizer need frequent washing even more, and it must be thorough. My approach is to use a showerhead and rinse generously until a large amount of water runs out of the bottom of the pot.

4. Moderate light. As the saying goes, "All things grow relying on the sun." Although orchids are shade-tolerant plants, moderate light is also a necessary condition for promoting flower bud differentiation and prompting orchid plant growth. Spring is the growing period for new shoots, and the sunlight is relatively mild, so you can give 8 parts light, that is, moderate shade. In summer and early autumn the light is scorching, so you can only give 5 parts light, which is what people call dappled shade. Also note that you must absolutely prevent orchids from being exposed to sunlight when it suddenly clears after rain, as that will cause fatal damage. In late autumn the weather is cool and the light is no longer scorching, so they can get a bit more light than in summer; the best is full light in the morning and evening and half light at noon, while in winter they can get full light.

Temperature control and the frequency and amount of watering are also very important. This should be figured out and summarized through experience according to specific conditions. Beginners can buy a book on orchid growing and slowly savor it in practice; I will not go into detail here.

Once the above requirements are met, I believe you too can have a pot of free-flowering Xiao Tao Hong. When the ethereal, elegant, and handsome Xiao Tao Hong visits your study or courtyard frequently, you will surely sigh from the bottom of your heart, just as I do: Life is truly good!