Management methods for orchids during the bud stage and flowering stage
Biyue, a new Piaomen variety of wild-collected Cymbidium goeringii, was collected in Zhoushan, Zhejiang at the end of 2002. At that time there were 4 plants in total. It was selected and named by Mr. Yu Hongda. It is a typical small-grass type from Jiangsu and Zhejiang; at about 30 cm in height the grass is already very large, and the flower stem is also very tall.
To make every one of one's orchids bloom to standard is, I think, the dream of every orchid lover, but truly achieving this is not an easy thing. Especially in the warm winters of recent years, many orchid enthusiasts' orchids have bloomed early with the spring, and their bloom quality is mostly not up to standard, so it is really hard to show the spirit and charm of the orchid. To be honest, I am also a novice at growing orchids, and I have no good experience with orchid bud development or bloom management, so I am just rambling, aiming to throw out a brick to attract jade, hoping that other orchid experts can offer some guidance, so that I and other orchid novices can gain some insight from it. Thanks in advance from Xinlan.
As for orchids blooming properly and to standard, I think it is not something that can be achieved overnight. It mainly starts with the following points:
1. The orchid plant must be robust, and the old pseudobulbs plump.
2. When the orchid produces flower buds, keep the good ones and remove the poor ones, thinning the buds appropriately. And apply some light fertilizer appropriately.
3. For varieties with shorter flower stems, such as Cuigai, after the flower bud emerges from the soil, cover the bud with a dark-colored sleeve, open a small hole at the top, appropriately increase humidity, and use the plant's phototropism to make the flower stem grow taller to a certain extent.
4. For petal-type flowers, when the flower bud opens, control water; keeping it slightly dry can prevent the petals from elongating.
5. For unusual flowers, such as butterfly flowers, peony flowers and Piaomen types, appropriately increase humidity, which can let the petals stretch out and curl back, showing the elegance that this type of flower should have.
6. For plain-heart and colored flowers, appropriately control light. For example, for plain-heart flowers, they should receive less light; some orchid enthusiasts in the southwest also use black sleeves to cover the flower buds so that the plain-heart flowers that open are even whiter and more tender. For red-flower and yellow-flower series flowers, they should receive more light, which can make the flower color more outstanding.
7. Follow nature and let the plant go through the vernalization process.
It can be seen that to make orchids bloom well, besides the orchid plant itself needing to be robust, the most important thing is to do a good job with light, temperature and humidity, and fertilizer and water management after the flower buds emerge from the soil.