How do you grow orchids? Care methods must be applied flexibly
A little experience, for the reference of orchid growers in northern balconies. One: potting medium. There are already many posts about potting medium, but there is one point some orchid growers may overlook, which is that the potting medium must have a reasonable gradation. So-called gradation means large, medium and small particles are reasonably matched, so that when the medium is potted there will be no large gaps. The purpose of this is for the orchid roots and medium to fully connect...
One, growing orchids requires flexible application
Growing orchids requires flexible application. This is the encouragement senior Huang Peiran, the Daruma expert from Taiwan, China, gave me. Whenever I encounter difficulties in growing orchids, I think of this sentence. Why do others grow orchids so well, yet when I use their methods, I always fail to grow them well? Of course, the key is that orchid types differ and environments differ, so the materials and methods of growing and cultivating differ, and the management methods differ. Therefore everyone's experience is different, and this experience can only be for reference, not copied rigidly without change, otherwise the beloved orchids will be killed.
Two, how should growing orchids be flexibly applied
If an orchid grows poorly, there must be problems with the environment, growing method or management. Therefore it is necessary to understand orchid nature, find the problems and improve them, and only then is it possible to grow orchids well. But how to apply things flexibly is a very troublesome question. The following points can serve as reference for solving orchid-growing problems.
(1) Understand orchid nature: because the place of origin of each orchid type differs in latitude and altitude, the growth habits of orchids differ, so temperature, day-night temperature difference, humidity, light intensity, ventilation......... and other conditions for growth and flowering all differ. Therefore, when growing orchids, do not grow too many different types of orchids, to avoid difficulty in management. Mainland orchid-growing master senior Wei Chang's views on the relationships among light, water, fertilizer and growing materials for orchids are as follows:
1. I often hear orchid growers complain that the root system does not grow well, and they blame the potting medium, fertilizer and watering. In fact, in the final analysis it is still not understanding orchid nature.
2. If you want good roots, light cannot be lacking. Light is the driving force of root development. The stronger the light, the more water transpires from the leaf surface, and the more nutrients are consumed, prompting root development so as to increase water and fertilizer uptake. This is just like people: with a large amount of exercise, the amount eaten and drunk is also large. As long as nutrition keeps up, and one eats and drinks enough and sleeps well, it is hard not to be strong. If a person sits in an office all day, enjoys air conditioning, and goes out with a car instead of walking, with clothes reaching out and food served, eating delicacies from land and sea, and doing no exercise, then although the body is large there are many ailments; conversely, if one only knows heavy physical labor and large amounts of exercise, while nutritional conditions do not keep up, not eating enough or drinking enough, it is also difficult to have a strong body. All things in the world are connected once one principle is understood; balance is the true way.
3. Once you understand this principle, it is not hard to arrive at the management method best suited to your own environment. If your fertilizer is on the heavy side, then please increase light as appropriate; if the potting medium is on the fine side and retains water strongly, then also increase light as appropriate; conversely, if the medium is on the coarse side and rather light, please appropriately reduce light, and water supply may also be slightly less; if the medium is coarse and the environmental light is also strong, then increase the amount of fertilizer and water, to avoid the orchid grass consuming too much and causing leaves to become thin and turn yellow,,,,,,,.
4. In nature, for the same plant type, shade-grown roots are few and sun-grown roots are vigorous. This is almost an ironclad rule. Do not believe it? Just find a lawn and observe. Even if orchids are cultivated with soil from a field, people who understand the principle can still grow them very well. Potting medium can be used as it comes to hand; the key lies in management.
After reading the above information several times, you will discover where your orchid-growing problems lie. My orchid-growing environment is a balcony using an open style and no humidification method. Under strong light and high temperature, orchid transpiration is very vigorous. Although I leave 1.5 cm of water at the bottom of the cup and water thoroughly at dusk, hoping to replenish the water the orchids lose, the orchids still grow slowly, and all the buds cannot all grow. On the fertilizer side I have already increased the amount, but the orchids still grow very slowly. This shows that the orchids' water replenishment is insufficient. Therefore under sunny conditions (temperature above 33 degrees), now I water 2-3 times a day. After changing the watering, new buds grow faster and new roots also keep growing out. This shows that the watering management method is correct. So watering and fertilizer must be decided according to the orchids' needs. And how do you see the orchids' needs? This mainly relies on using your eyes to look at the orchids' growth situation and make a comprehensive judgment.
(2) Find the differences in the environment and adopt different growing and management methods.
In fact, orchids are very rigid things. As long as the conditions for survival and growth are met, orchids are very easy to grow. If the above conditions cannot be met, orchids will fail to grow large, fail to bloom, or become diseased and die. Therefore when the environment differs, the growing and management methods differ. The following two examples illustrate this:
1. Growing materials and methods
(1) Senior Wang Lizhang often says that orchid materials must be loose, breathable and well-draining for orchid roots to grow well. Here the environment maintains 85 humidity, and there is flow in the air of the space, carrying waste gas out of the pot. With the above conditions, orchid roots grow white and clean, and growth is very good. (Regarding Wang Lizhang's growing methods, they are all mentioned in the pinned article in the leaf variegation section, in the compilation of Wang Lizhang's Daruma cultivation experience.)
(2) But on an open-space balcony, since there is no humidifier or water wall for cooling, if the materials are also loose, breathable and well-draining, then in the high-temperature dry air of the balcony, [air] will very easily enter the pot, steam-burn the orchid roots and cause root rot, and naturally the orchids will not grow well. The way to improve this is in my growing method in "Exploring methods for growing Chinese orchids in urban open environments (security grilles, balconies, rooftops)", adopting practices such as leaving water at the bottom of the cup and using exhaust pipes in the middle, which can also achieve Senior Wang's required conditions for orchid roots: loose, breathable, well-draining, high humidity, and good ventilation inside the pot. Then orchid roots naturally grow well.
2. Use of fertilizer
On the use of fertilizer, Senior Wang mentioned using Huabao at 5000 times dilution for watering. But when I fertilize by the above method, in summer I often find coffee-colored fertilizer burn at leaf tips, leaf midribs, leaf centers and the edges of bud sheaths. This is because in an environment without humidification, fertilizer is affected by sunlight, temperature and wind, causing the fertilizer to concentrate and create fertilizer burn. Of course, Senior Wang mentioned that it is best to fertilize from 1-3 in the morning, when the temperature is lowest in the day, there is dew and humidity is relatively high, and to water once more before the sun comes out, which can avoid fertilizer burn. But because I love to sleep, getting up in the middle of the night to fertilize is really too hard, so I also did not fertilize. But growing orchids relying only on Haokangduo and not using Huabao for supplementary fertilizing means insufficient nutrients, and the orchids' growth rate is slower. Think about Senior Wang's 85 humidity and temperature below 28 degrees. In my open balcony, when would such conditions ever occur? I thought there is only after summer afternoon thunderstorms finish, or after a typhoon passes, when the humidity in the air is very high and the temperature is lower. I hurried to fertilize, and before the temperature rose the next day, I used water to wash the leaf surfaces once more. With this method, fertilizer burn no longer appeared on orchid leaves. As for spring and autumn, when the day's highest temperature is below 29 degrees, I fertilize half an hour after watering on sunny mornings. This year, because I fertilized on time, growth is better than in previous years. Therefore when the environment differs, the growing and management methods must also change. Being able to grow orchids well is a good method.
Regarding orchid growing methods and management methods, because environments differ, the growing methods and management methods naturally differ, but the direction of adjustment is the same. For example, for orchid roots in a subtropical climate, the materials must be loose, breathable and well-draining, and the environment must have high humidity and good ventilation, these 5 requirements. But on an open balcony the humidity is insufficient, so roots naturally do not grow well; therefore the growing method must naturally be changed. As long as the above 5 conditions can be met, orchid roots naturally grow well (such as in Exploring methods for growing Chinese orchids in urban open environments (security grilles, balconies, rooftops)). The same applies to watering and fertilizing. You must think about when it is better to water and fertilize. Of course, improper fertilizing or watering will quickly produce fertilizer burn and orchid leaf disease, and then the management methods must be further improved. Therefore only by understanding orchid nature is there a way to grow orchids well.
(3) To learn from others' successful orchid-growing experience, you must understand it comprehensively and must not learn from it one-sidedly.
Everyone's environment differs, and therefore orchid growing and management methods differ. So to learn from others' successful orchid-growing experience, you should comprehensively understand the orchid-growing environment, type, pot, growing materials, watering, pest control, sterilization......... etc., and use your own orchid-growing experience to improve orchid growing and management methods. For example, when I saw senior Zhu Dayong's growing materials and methods, I had great doubts in my heart. With this kind of material, growing orchids on my balcony would certainly cause root rot, because over more than 10 years of experience, I have tried many organic materials, and without spraying chemicals to sterilize, none could overcome the problem of root rot. So in the end I had no choice but to use Zhijinshi and water-absorbing foam to grow them. But senior Zhu's roots are all grown very well. There must be a blind spot in this that cannot be seen. Later senior Zhu published the processing method for the growing materials, and only then did I know that my understanding of the handling of organic materials was insufficient, and I still needed to strengthen my learning. The processing method for Zhilanbao materials is as follows (if you have time you can make it yourself; if you do not have time, buying it is still faster):
Senior Zhu's production process for Zhilanbao:
1. The Xiantu I bought was shipped to me only after the seller found a suitable soil layer. I paid in advance.
2. Zhijinshi must be soaked for more than half a month, with two water changes in between.
3. For bark you must buy thick, substantial bark; after sieving it must also be soaked for half a month, with one water change in between.
4. Rinse, dry until half-dry, put into plastic bags, and expose to the sun for half a month.
5. Most critical, especially for those using plastic pots: do not use very round granules as the bottom layer, as they easily block the round holes very tightly. The selected material must retain water even more than Zhijinshi.
6. Because only in this way can the potting medium in the pot dry and wet in sync. This kind of material is rarely found. I have consulted many orchid growers, and in the cities where they live there is almost none of this material. Think about this material yourself, hahahaha.......
7. This kind of material does not cost money to buy, but processing it is very laborious. It must be soaked for more than a month, with many water changes in between. I originally thought of selling some potting medium to make money, but when I really started doing it, it was not the same as I imagined. Too tedious. This is the main reason it cannot be mass-produced.
My understanding of the production process of Zhilanbao
1. Zhijinshi must be soaked in water for more than half a month, with two water changes in between. This is to wash off dust, let it fully absorb water, and eliminate fire qi. If used directly, large Zhijinshi granules do not easily absorb water, and later watering will not easily wet them.
2. Buy thick, substantial bark, soak in water for half a month after sieving, with one water change in between. This is to wash off the dust from the bark and soak out the organic matter in the bark, avoiding later high heat from bark fermentation harming orchid roots. Soaking the bark in water can also drown pests and eggs in the bark.
3. Rinse, dry until half-dry, put into plastic bags, and expose to the sun for half a month. This uses the heat produced by the sun to thoroughly kill pests and sterilize the material, and to let the material ferment. Truly a good method.
4. The fifth is most critical, especially for those using plastic pots: do not use very round granules as the bottom layer, as they easily block the round holes very tightly, causing poor drainage. The bottom-layer material must retain water even more than Zhijinshi. This point is really important. Use the most water-absorbing material at the bottom of the pot. Therefore the bottom of the pot is the wettest. Because roots have a moisture-seeking nature, the roots will grow toward the bottom of the pot, and even if the pot surface dries, the bottom of the pot is still not dry. Therefore orchid roots will not be damaged by dryness, and the crystal parts will also grow relatively better.
Regarding the handling of organic materials, rich experience is needed to determine whether the material has fully fermented. Material that has not fully fermented, when encountering high temperature and high humidity, will have bacteria accelerate decomposition and produce high heat, damaging orchid roots and causing root rot. Therefore after organic materials are processed, you must also see whether the environment is dry or humid, to match an appropriate proportion of inorganic materials, such as Zhijinshi, stone, brick pieces, coal cinders...... etc. Of course, after planting is finished, you must also control pests and sterilize according to the season. After one year you must also look at the orchids' growth situation to adjust the materials for growing orchids next year. Therefore when learning from others' growing experience, if you only one-sidedly learn the growing materials without learning the material handling and the subsequent sterilization management, this is also the main reason ordinary people fail at growing orchids: looking only at one side and not paying attention to the whole.
(4) Orchids are the best teacher
Whether the growing and management methods are correct, you can tell by looking at the orchids' growth situation. If the orchids grow normally, the roots are not rotten, they are not diseased and they bloom normally, that shows your growing and management methods are all correct and your orchid-growing technique is also quite good. If the orchids do not grow large, do not bloom, become diseased with scorched tips...... and many other problems appear, that shows you do not understand orchid nature well enough, so that problems have appeared in growing and management. Ordinary people have a mistaken idea, thinking that after orchids have been grown for a long time, they will adapt to my environment and grow well. Because of this mistaken idea, for more than 10 years I always failed to grow orchids well. Every year the orchids always had root rot. Although they would not die, they got smaller year by year, and at a glance the orchids always looked half-dead. So the orchids had already told you that this growing method and management method do not work and are not right. Only later did I think about what orchids need and how to grow them better, taking the orchids as the main focus in looking at growing and management methods, constantly adjusting and changing. After more than ten years of exploration, I finally managed to grow orchids in a natural environment without a humidifier or water wall for cooling, without electric fans to strengthen air flow, and without agricultural chemicals for pest control and sterilization, while still letting orchids grow normally in a natural environment. Therefore orchids are my best teacher.
Three, conclusion:
If orchid growers' orchids do not suffer root rot and grow well, then there is no need to change the growing and management methods, because your own method is the best method. If you change the growing materials and methods, then the environment and watering must also change accordingly. Recently some orchid growers in the mainland, seeing that others' growing materials produce very good results, also changed materials for growing, and as a result the orchids suffered root rot and heavy losses. It can be seen that there are too many variables in growing orchids, and others' experience can only be for reference. No wonder some orchid growers say growing orchids is truly "growing hard", and senior Huang Peiran further says, "Those who do not know speak, those who know are silent." This means that the factors for growing orchids well are very complex. If, without considering the environment and orchid type, you tell others growing methods, often it is a good method, yet it makes people grow orchids to death. So it would be better not to speak and to keep silent. Therefore growing orchids requires insight. If orchids do not grow well, you must think about where the problem lies and how to solve it. When all the problems are solved, you will naturally be able to grow orchids well.