How to cultivate orchids? These technical key points must be mastered

1. Select an orchid-specific pot of appropriate size with breathable round holes.

2. Disinfect the selected pot, the prepared growing medium, and the orchid plants with carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl.

3. Cover the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot with a piece of tile (broken and overlapped) or a special plastic mesh or aluminum mesh. Then use bricks, tiles, or shells to gradually fill up to 1/3 of the height to facilitate drainage. The holes on the pot wall can be plugged with palm bark or fern roots, sphagnum moss, and the like, then spread a layer of growing medium the size of bean gravel on top of the bricks and tiles.

4. Hold the pseudobulb of the orchid to be planted. According to the size of the plant and the pot, you can plant a single plant, 2 clumps, 3 clumps, or more in one pot. Be careful not to damage the roots, and slowly place it into the pot so that the orchid roots avoid rubbing against the pot wall as much as possible and spread out naturally.

5. Fix the posture of the orchid plant. When planting one clump per pot, the old pseudobulb should lean toward the back side so that new shoots have room to develop. When planting several clumps per pot, the old pseudobulb of each clump should face the middle of the pot so that new shoots face outward and there is room for new seedlings to develop.

6. Hold the orchid leaves with one hand and add soil with the other. When the soil has covered the roots, hold the base of the orchid plant and lift it slightly upward so that the root system spreads out. At the same time, shake the pot to let the soil go deep into the root zone, continue adding soil, and shake the orchid pot. Adjust the position and height of the orchid clumps until they are above the pot surface, then gently press along the pot edge with your hand to avoid crushing the roots. Finally, make the soil surface slightly higher in the center, forming a steamed bun shape. Spread Selaginella uncinata on top for moisture retention and appearance.

7. After planting, you can also spread a layer of "xiantu" or small stone particles on the soil surface, plant some sphagnum moss, and spray a little mist so that the leaf surface is not polluted.

8. After planting, water thoroughly once, preferably by soaking from the bottom of the pot, and take it out as soon as it is thoroughly soaked. At the same time, spray the leaf surface once with a watering can to wash away dust. Then move it to a shaded place indoors, and after one week care for it as you would a normal orchid. As for an important point, orchids prefer quiet and should be moved less. Avoid places with oily smoke, and ensure good ventilation to prevent harm.

9. Prevention and control of orchid pests and diseases. Orchid diseases mainly include anthracnose, southern blight, and soft rot. Anthracnose can be prevented and controlled with carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl, etc. For southern blight, copper-ion-containing agents such as copper hydroxide can be used for prevention and control. For soft rot, agricultural streptomycin, etc. can be used for prevention and control. The main insect pests include: scale insects, spider mites, whiteflies, slugs, etc. Scale insects can be controlled with deltamethrin emulsifiable concentrate, etc. Spider mites can be controlled with propargite or fenbutatin oxide, etc. Whiteflies can be controlled with fipronil, imidacloprid, etc. Slugs can be trapped and killed with poisonous bait.