Also on Mountain Selection: Some of My Views and Thoughts
Orchids grow mixed among the valleys. People today love them more and more, and they spare no hardship among the many mountains. Lovers, dreamers hoping to strike it rich and support their families, all kinds of people are among them. But for beginners, it is hardest of all. One must know the steepness of the mountains and the perils of the tangled woods, so safety must be the first principle! Over the years I have sought orchids, sometimes with companions, sometimes alone in the deep mountains. Now I write a brief summary for my orchid friends.
Four key points for entering the mountains: first food, second medicine, third and fourth fire starter and knife. On first arriving at a place to seek orchids, one must observe and ask: first, ask the mountain farmers to know the depths; second, survey the mountain's shape to make divisions; third, examine how dense the tangled woods are; fourth, identify sparse woods and rocky bamboo slopes. Recognize where the southeast has orchid-bearing aspect, then fix a reference object behind you. Once in the mountains, one should climb slowly and look carefully. If you encounterorchid plantsyou have surely arrived atorchid plantssuitable growing ground, avoid going straight up the mountain; search slowly in a zigzag pattern. If you meet a dangerous spot, remember firmly: "Better to detour ten zhang than to straddle one chi of danger." Remember this!
Strong plants in the mountains almost all put up flower buds, and few are without buds; nowadays more people are peeling buds. Apart from butterfly-type, odd-type, and lotus-type being easy to distinguish, beginners find it hard to tell plum-type from immortal-type. Here is one method: observe the tongue of the bud you have peeled. If the tongue is slightly longer than the nose, or equal to or lower than the nose, it is acceptable. When digging, one should be careful, and the best is not to injure the orchid roots. Make the hole large, and also note whether the terrain of this plant is shady or sunny, so as to have a clear idea for future cultivation and care. When peeling buds, one should also carefully observe the plants on this mountain. If leaf shapes vary greatly from plant to plant, and buds also differ greatly from one another, one should search carefully, because the orchids on this mountain have hybridized too much and are very likely to produce fine varieties. I hope you remember this.
In the mountains there are occasionally dumb plants, and these should also be examined closely. I will briefly speak of how to judge them here: first observe the plant's appearance, then discuss root constriction, look at whether the leaf tip is rounded and forms a hood, whether the leaf sheaths are short, tight, dense and round, feel the leaf texture for glutinous thickness and whether the leaf tip has thickened, and whether the veins and teeth have changed. The central leaf should be rather slender and upright. Then see whether the orchid roots are even. If there are many of these features, by all means take it.
In short, orchid plants are infinitely varied, and it is lamentable that no one has ever fully understood them. Before descending the mountain, most people are already tired, so one should rest a little, get the direction clear, and go down slowly. Attached to the same post are several promising plants from past years for orchid friends to enjoy. My study and reading are not refined; please do not repost!!
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screen.width-500)this.style.width=screen.width-500;" border=0>Related pictures of this topic are as follows:
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screen.width-500)this.style.width=screen.width-500;" border=0>Related pictures of this topic are as follows:
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screen.width-500)this.style.width=screen.width-500;" border=0>Related pictures of this topic are as follows:
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My study and reading are not refined; please do not repost!!