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What is the relationship between orchid shoot production rate and disease?

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Introduction: Which orchid grower does not want their orchids to produce more shoots and strong shoots? Let me first talk about my own orchid-growing journey. In the first two or three years of growing orchids, I copied the growing methods described in orchid books with only half an understanding, and never once killed an orchid. At that time I once exclaimed: Who says orchids are hard to grow? As my orchid-growing experience accumulated, I was not satisfied with the status quo, and dissatisfied that my orchids had a low shoot production rate and were not tall enough. I tried changing the potting medium, fertilizing, and all sorts of things, and then I started killing orchids. Later, due to a job transfer, for three of those years I was rarely where the orchids were kept, and most of the orchid care consisted of me directing my spouse over the phone. During those years the orchids actually grew very well, and few died. There is also an old orchid-growing friend who grew orchids on his own platform

for years, and his orchids grew exceptionally well. Later he moved the orchids into a "modern" new orchid room built on the rooftop, and he kept killing orchids. Helpless, this old orchid friend moved the orchids back to the original platform, and only then did the orchids stop dying. Strange? It is worth reflecting on.7、8    Humidity

    Orchid growers all know that when humidity is high, the shoot production rate is high, and new growths also grow fast. How can a platform without a humidifier increase humidity? You can increase humidity by watering more.

    Deep planting and shallow planting: Deep planting can increase the humidity around the pseudobulbs and raise the shoot production rate. If ventilation is poor or too much water is given, new shoots rot easily, so only in ventilated places should deep planting be used. When using deep planting, water according to "dry and wet alternately" - that is, water only when dry. Orchids grown on platforms are generally deep planted; in places with ordinary ventilation, shallow planting can be used. In orchid rooms where humidity is guaranteed, such as those with humidifiers, shallow planting can be used, and the watering frequency can be higher. Large orchid farms generally use shallow planting.

    Pests and diseases

    Dry cultivation leads to fewer pests and diseases, but orchid growth will be inhibited. Everyone knows that water is the source of life; with more water, pathogens become active, meaning orchids are prone to illness and to dying, and shoots rot easily.

Insecticide and fungicide: Pathogens generally invade through wounds on the orchid. How are wounds created? There are mechanical wounds, such as those caused by dividing plants and transport, or by strong wind blowing past, or by people brushing against the orchid plants and causing the pseudobulbs to rub against the potting medium. What must be especially mentioned here are the wounds from insect bites. The ones I consider capable of killing orchid plants are snails and red spider mites, followed by nematodes, thrips, and so on. I believe many rotted shoots are caused after damage by snails and red spider mites, so insecticide and fungicide should be applied regularly.

    When humidity is high, wounds heal slowly, and the chance of disease is greater. Therefore, during the moldy rainy season, two rots easily occur, especially soft rot, meaning death of new shoots and death of new growths. To reduce the occurrence of disease, we can water according to "dry and wet alternately" and increase ventilation to promote faster wound healing. Pests and pathogens have the habit of overwintering, so when repotting it is best not to use old potting medium, and orchid roots and pots should also be washed, to reduce the introduction of sources of disease as much as possible.

    How to weigh the relationship between shoot production rate and orchid death is still something for everyone to grasp in practice! (Some views are not necessarily

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