A Detailed Guide to the Top Ten Basics of Orchid Cultivation
The Top Ten Basics of Orchid Cultivation...
1. Disinfect wounds first
When repotting or dividing plants, if the stems, leaves or roots have wounds, first apply a fungicide to the wounds to prevent pathogens from entering. After planting, waiting 2-3 days before watering is even safer.
22. Old pots must be disinfected
Plantingorchidsin principle always requires new pots, but for large-scalecultivationusing a pot only once is too wasteful, so you can disinfect old pots with a disinfectant and use them again.
33. The pot should not be too large
Planting a small plant in a large pot means using more growing medium, which easily leads to poor aeration, and the moisture from watering is not easily uniform. If you water more, too much water is absorbed, the medium does not dry easily, bacteria can easily invade, and the roots rot.
44. Orchid plants should be planted shallowly
Orchid plants must not be planted deep; if planted deep, the base stays damp for a long time and rots. When planting, fill the medium around the roots, and the base or pseudobulbs must be left exposed, not buried in the medium.
55. Place the new shoot in the center
When planting an orchid, you do not place the whole plant in the center of the pot; you should place the new shoot in the center of the pot. For the time being it looks as if it is leaning to one side, but in the future, when the new shoot grows and blooms, it will be in the center of the pot.
66. The roots must be spread out
When planting an orchid, the roots should be spread evenly in all directions and must not be squeezed into a clump. Only then can each root touch the medium, and aeration is also good; otherwise the roots rot easily.
77. The plant body must be fixed
Orchid plants cannot be planted deep, so they often wobble and stand unsteadily. Therefore, you must use a stake, tying wire, or a hanging hook as a support to fix it so that it does not move and injure the base.
88. Press the medium down slightly
Orchid growing medium must have good aeration and drainage, but the medium should also be pressed down slightly; otherwise the space at the base is too large and root growth is poor. The correct method is to press firmly from both sides, not to press heavily from above.
99. Do not water for several days
Newly planted orchids may have injured roots. After the wounds are coated with fungicide, do not water for 3-5 days so that the fungicide can take effect and also promote the growth of new shoots and new roots. This is where orchids differ from ordinary herbaceous flowers.
1010. Avoid strong light
Newly planted orchids must all avoid direct strong sunlight to prevent excessive dehydration, and should be placed in a warm and shaded spot. You can even mist to raise the humidity in the air until the orchid plant returns to normal growth.