Orchid Growing Experience Preface: Sharing Orchid Care Insights

Orchid Growing Experience -Orchid CarePreface to Insights

Someone once said: "Growing orchids is difficult, yet actually not hard; growing grass is easy, yet truly not easy." These words are quite profound. Growing orchids is actually not
a difficult task. We all know that even iforchid plantsare thrown into a corner and neglected, letting them naturally wither away is not an easy thing. As long as
they can occasionally catch some rain and dew, they will not only continue to survive, but can even bloom and grow new shoots. The truly difficult part is how to grow them well, so that their leaves
are lush and their shoots are dense,and the flowersbloom with good form. This is indeed not an easy skill, and it is also a
subject that we orchid lovers devote our entire lives to studying.
Regarding discussions on orchid cultivation techniques, since ancient times there have been a hundred schools of thought contending, and our ancestors did indeed leave us much valuable
orchid cultivation material for us to reference and learn from. But is the ecological environment and living space of that time the same as today's environment?
The answer is no. Our current living space, with the advancement of industrial technology, man-made ecological destruction, and the impact of the Earth's
greenhouse effect, is in every way different from the spatial environment of our ancestors' time. Therefore, should we still rigidly adhere to the orchid cultivation methods left by our ancestors?
Or should we innovate? I personally believe we should use our ancestors' orchid cultivation theories as a foundation, then
improve and innovate upon them, creating a new set of orchid growing techniques suited to current conditions, so that our long-standing Chinese orchid culture can be
eternally passed down.
As the saying goes, "To do good work, one must first sharpen one's tools." In terms of technique, I personally believe the way of growing orchids should proceed from the following aspects
in order to achieve twice the result with half the effort:
First, location: The key to cultivating orchid plants lies first in the location. The main considerations in choosing an orchid growing site are ventilation, light, temperature and humidity
control. Modern people, due to population expansion, reduced available land, and rows upon rows of high-rise buildings, finding
an independent and spacious orchid growing site is already beyond what the average salaried worker can afford. Most people use the balcony of their own apartment as an orchid growing
site. Thisbalcony orchid growingmethod was something the ancients never experienced, but in order to adapt to changes in the modern environment, we
have no choice but to develop a new set of "balcony orchid growing" techniques in response. We all know that orchid plants grow in clusters under dense shrub forests
, with trees above providing shade and protection from frost, and the surroundings both cool and ventilated. Compared to a balcony environment, there is truly a world of difference. However, orchid
plants themselves have extremely strong adaptability to their environment. Regardless of the cultivation site, they can
self-regulate and adapt to the environment whether it is summer's high temperatures or winter's low temperatures. If the temperature is too high, it will slow down growth or pause slightly; if the temperature is too low, it will enter dormancy.
This instead allows it to accumulate energy, which benefits the differentiation of flower buds and leaf buds, nurturing them to reproduce offspring. As for the light issue at the cultivation site,
shade nets can be installed or artificial lighting can be used as a supplement to control it. Humidity can also be regulated with a humidifier
. Only ventilation is the most important direction to consider, and it is also the key factor in choosing an orchid growing site. Therefore, the primary consideration for an orchid growing site
should be ventilation conditions as the first requirement, whether it is a ground-level orchid house (shed) or a high-rise balcony.
Second, pots: There are many materials for orchid growing pots, such as clay pots, ceramic pots, purple clay pots, sweating pots, plastic pots... etc.
With so many types of pots, which one should we choose as the best choice for cultivation? If from an appreciation
perspective, purple clay pots would be the first choice. Orchid plants with graceful leaf forms paired with simple and elegant purple clay pots always make people sincerely
admire them, unable to resist taking another look. This is the ultimate expression of why orchid plants are called works of art. However, although purple clay pots are beautiful
and have fairly good breathability, and can indeed add to the beauty of orchid plants when used for display, if viewed purely from a cultivation standpoint, I still
believe that inexpensive and unremarkable plastic pots are the best cultivation vessels; because plastic pots are made of polyethylene-type inorganic material
, pathogens and other microorganisms do not easily adhere to them, and a quick rinse is all it takes before using them to pot orchids. If holes with a diameter of
about 0.8-1 cm can be evenly drilled around the pot body to improve air circulation inside the pot and enhance the vitality of beneficial aerobic
bacteria such as orchid fungi and photosynthetic nitrifying bacteria in the pot, the orchid roots will certainly grow white, clean and plump, and the orchid plants will be even more full of vitality.
Third, growing medium: From ancient times to the present, discussions about orchid growing media have been truly diverse, with each school having its own unique formula. I will
not elaborate further here, but will only summarize my personal practical experience for everyone's reference. Traditional orchid growing generally usesorchidmud
(or mountain mud) combined with humus soil and brick granules (or orchid stone). The medium is fine and dense, providing good moisture retention in the pot, but its drawback is poor
air circulation inside the pot, and as time passes, the medium easily silts up and clumps together, hindering drainage and more easily becoming a
breeding ground for pathogens. This will cause harm to the growth and development of orchid plants. Although orchid plants like moisture, their fleshy root system fears
waterlogging. Excessive moisture or water accumulation in the pot easily causes root rot and can trigger disease outbreaks. Modern orchid growers, in order to improve the traditional medium's tendency to
waterlog and accumulate water, and to improve air circulation in the pot, adopt granular media, or even soillesscultivationmethods,
using mineralized granular soil (such as Xiantu) or orchid stone (such as pond cornerstone, Zhijinshi), or using synthetic fiber media. Although this
solves the problem of excessive moisture in the pot and improves air circulation, orchid plants lacking soil have relatively reduced
fragrance. The reason re-exported orchids are not as fragrant as native species is largely due to the type of growing medium used.
I personally believe that modern orchid growing should learn from tradition and then innovate and improve, so that the flower form of orchid plants remains unchanged, the fragrance does not diminish, and even accelerates
the growth and development of orchid plants, shortens the maturation period from new seedling to strong plant, and promotes the shoot production rate. Therefore, "Active Soil" was developed,
an organic-based active growing medium for orchid cultivation. The use of Active Soil plays a
decisive role in controlling the environment inside the orchid pot. Orchids have special ecological requirements for their growing medium, and after potting, corresponding improvement measures sometimes need to be taken.
Only by creating good ecological environment conditions inside the pot can orchid growth and development be benefited. The reason growing media can
cultivate orchids is that they have fertility and the substances and trace elements needed for orchid plant growth; fertility is a special quality of the growing medium.
A good growing medium is the ability to supply and coordinate nutritional conditions and environmental conditions for orchid growth. It is also the comprehensive manifestation of the physical,
chemical and biological properties of the growing medium. All these properties affect orchid growth
and development through both direct and indirect pathways. Therefore, when the growing medium's fertility is insufficient, fertilizers must be regularly supplemented according to the different growth cycles of orchids. This
is called artificial fertility. The natural fertility of the growing medium is dominated by biological factors, with beneficial microorganisms playing the leading role, so
Active Soil plays an important role in the natural fertility of the growing medium. Although Active Soil is based on cultivating mycorrhizal fungi
(orchid fungi) in orchid roots and beneficial microorganisms such as nitrifying bacteria in the growing medium, this is not the only function and purpose of Active Soil. Therefore,
when we add Active Soil to the growing medium, we should not fixate solely on whether mycelium appears, because the time
it takes for the fungi to appear and the amount produced are inextricably linked to the temperature and humidity of the cultivation site, the type of growing medium, and management methods; they are
also related to the types and quantities of orchid fungi originally carried by the orchid plants and the population of other microorganisms in the growing medium. Regardless of whether
mycelium can be seen with the naked eye, it does not hinder the effectiveness and function that Active Soil provides to orchid plants. Moreover, Active Soil serving as a culture substrate for microorganisms
is merely a means, not the ultimate goal. Its final purpose is to achieve the result of restoring orchid plants to their native state
of "consolidating the foundation and purifying the source."
For the selection of orchid growing medium, I personally believe coarse granular media are best, because granular media have better air circulation than traditional
media and do not easily silt up and clump together, causing waterlogging in the pot. Having accumulated years of orchid growing experience, I personally believe the
best combined growing medium for orchids should be granular mountain soil or mountain mud mixed with Tangshan stone (also called "Taiwan Puli orchid stone"; this is a
type of brick-like orchid stone fired from river mud in the mainland) or crushed brick, charcoal bits or crushed tree fern, and Active Soil. The coarseness of the medium should be about the size of an
index finger. Mix all the media thoroughly before use. As for the mixing ratio between various media, it should depend on the type of orchid
being cultivated. Taking the fine-leaf orchid typeCymbidium goeringii (spring orchid)as an example, the medium type ratio is medium-coarse granular mountain soil 35-40%, crushed
brick (or Tangshan stone, orchid stone) 45-50%, Active Soil 10-15%, charcoal bits 0-5%, thoroughly mixed before use. For the broad-leaf
orchid typeCymbidium sinense (Chinese ink orchid), medium-coarse granular mountain soil 30-35%, crushed brick (or Tangshan stone, orchid stone) 40%, Active Soil 15-20%
, charcoal bits or tree fern bits 10-15%. The proportion of Active Soil added should be adjusted according to the moisture requirements of the orchid type and the
moisture retention effect of the combined media, in order to achieve the best effectiveness of Active Soil in orchid growing.
Fourth, fertilizer: The key to orchid plant growth mainly lies in the source of nutrition. In order to supplement the nutrients needed for orchid plant growth and development
, thereby achieving rapid orchid growth, shoot production and flowering, we choose to apply fertilizers as a supplementary nutrient source. But with the dazzling
array of fertilizer types on the market, which types should we choose to benefit orchid plants? Although fertilizers have a supplementary influence on orchid plant
growth and development, the main nutritional source for orchid plants comes from the interdependent relationship of parasitism and
symbiosis with microorganisms. If improper fertilizers or excessive nutrients are applied, they can instead cause fatal
harm to orchid plants. I once conducted some comparative experiments, applying various inorganic chemical fertilizers and growth hormones during orchid cultivation.
The results showed that in the short term the orchid plants appeared thriving; but over the long term, the disease rate of orchid plants gradually increased, and the
germination rate of new shoots and strong seedlings also significantly decreased. Another group received no fertilizer at all, only thorough watering.
This group still bloomed and grew shoots year after year, and as time went on and the number of orchid plants increased, the shoot production rate also significantly improved. So if we
need to supplement artificial fertility for orchid plants, it is best to choose organic fertilizers, whether homemade soybean water fertilizer or commercially available
organic fertilizers (such as "fish essence" fertilizer). Both cause less harm to orchid plants than chemical fertilizers or hormones, and orchid plants can thereby obtain
sufficient nutrient supplementation to develop and thrive.
Fifth, management: The final key to success or failure in orchid growing lies in management. Even with the best hardware, if an orchid grower
does not have correct management methods, they still cannot achieve success. As for the daily care and management of orchid plants, we can discuss it from the following key
points:
1. Humidity: Humidity management has a great impact on the development and health of orchid plants themselves. When most people talk about humidity, they always
focus on the relative humidity of the cultivation site, but overlook that the humidity inside the orchid pot is the biggest key affecting orchid plant growth and development
. It should be noted that the relative humidity of the natural native environment where orchid plants grow is not constant. Throughout the year'sfour seasons, day and night, the environmental
relative humidity all differs, but even if the relative humidity in the environment is very low, it will not cause orchid plants to collapse or have growth impeded,
because the humidity factor affecting orchid plant growth and development lies in the absolute humidity of the soil in contact with the orchid roots. In addition,
in high-temperature and high-humidity environments, various diseases of orchid plants are more easily triggered (such as black spot,soft rotand even viral diseases...). Therefore,
I personally believe we should not rigidly adhere to convention, focusing only on the relative humidity of the cultivation site while ignoring the absolute humidity inside the orchid pot that truly affects
the key to orchid plant growth and development.
2. Light: Light has an inextricable relationship with the growth vigor, flowering, and variation of orchid plants. Although orchids
Orchids prefer shade, but nothing in heaven or earth can grow healthily without sunlight. Although orchids fear strong, direct sunlight,
if there is insufficient sunlight, it will also cause the orchid plants to be weak and delicate, and even affect flowering and the evolution of variegation.
Generally speaking, orchids should receive at least 3 hours of sunlight per day in spring, autumn and winter; in summer they should also receive 2 hours of sunlight.
The best time to receive sunlight is early morning. In summer, after 8 o'clock, 75-80% shading should be provided. If there is insufficient sunlight,
artificial lighting can also be used as supplemental light. There are generally three types of lamps used for artificial lighting. The first is a sunlight lamp (wavelength
840nm), the second is a plant lamp (wavelength 800nm, color temperature 10,000K), and the third is a super blue wave lamp (wavelength 40
0-440nm, peak wavelength 420nm). In the spectrum of artificial supplemental lighting, a complete combination of red and blue spectra can give plants the best
growth, especially blue wavelengths can help orchids carry out photosynthesis and promote metabolism. Therefore, installing artificial lighting
equipment in the orchid room and using artificial lighting for about 3 hours a day will help the growth of orchids and promote the
evolution of variegation in variegated orchids.
3. Watering: The ancients said, "Watering takes three years of skill," meaning that although watering seems simple, it actually contains profound
principles, and only long-term accumulated experience can grasp the knack. For a beginner new to orchid growing, it always seems that watering is
an extremely simple task - nothing more than spraying the leaves of the orchids and wetting the potting medium, and that is considered success. But for
veterans, watering is a profound lesson. One must grasp the timing of watering, how to water thoroughly without causing waterlogging, and the
timing and critical degree of water restriction - these are all major areas of study. There was once a good friend
who had just become interested in Chinese orchids. He entrusted all his orchids to my care. Every time he watched me water, he would carefully inspect each pot one by one, which was quite troublesome, so
he suggested that he share the watering task. On one hand, it could make things easier for me, and on the other hand, he could also learn. Unexpectedly, after only
a short year, the orchids were either afflicted with diseases or barely alive and nearly on the verge of collapse. Only then did he acknowledge that watering
was indeed not simple. But how do we grasp these knacks? I personally believe that if the pots have high breathability and the potting medium
also has strong drainage, watering the orchids and rinsing the leaves daily is helpful for promoting the orchids' metabolism. However, during the high
temperatures of summer, which is also the time when orchids carry out flower bud differentiation, water restriction measures should be applied to the orchids, keeping the potting medium
in the pots slightly dry. Besides helping flower bud formation, this can also prevent diseases arising from high temperature and high humidity, and prevent the
crisis of plant collapse. When the climate gradually enters low temperatures, the frequency of watering must also be gradually reduced. On one hand, this avoids
frost damage to the orchids during dormancy; on the other hand, it can slow down the orchids' metabolic mechanism, allowing the flower buds to accumulate energy so as to avoid early flowering that affects flower quality.
4. Fertilizing: Regarding the issue of fertilizing orchids, the Dalian orchid expert Mu Anxiang once wrote an article, "Methods of Fertilizing Chinese Orchids."
In this article, why orchids need fertilizing, the types of fertilizers and fertilizing methods are described in great detail, so I will not
repeat them. What I want to discuss is the issue of fertilizing after using activated soil. We all know that the main source of nutrients for orchids themselves comes from
the metabolic products of microorganisms in the potting medium and the nutritional mechanism produced by the parasitic symbiotic relationship between orchid roots and orchid fungi. Activated soil serves
as a basic medium for rapidly cultivating and propagating orchid fungi and photosynthetic nitrifying bacteria. Because it is developed from natural organic materials, after
fermentation it also contains a small amount of nutrients, and activated soil can promote orchid fungi and photosynthetic nitrifying bacteria to produce enzymatic effects
that make phosphorus, potassium and trace elements easier to absorb. In addition, activated soil can promote increased secretion from aerobic bacteria, decompose sulfides,
salts and nitrates, prevent the potting medium from acidifying and enhance fertilizer efficiency. Activating aerobic bacteria can reduce acidic diseases, decompose harmful
substances, and increase the reproduction of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, so that free nitrogen in the air can be fully utilized. Basically, after using activated soil,
there is no need to apply other fertilizers; it is enough to meet the nutritional needs of the orchid plants. If you want to strengthen the growth of orchids, supplemental fertilizer should preferably be
natural organic fertilizer. For example, in spring apply homemade soybean water fertilizer (nitrogen fertilizer) at a dilution concentration of 200-300 times, which can enhance the
lush green density of orchid leaves and promote the formation of round pseudobulbs; in autumn apply the commercially sold "Fish Essence Flowering Fertilizer" (phosphorus and potassium fertilizer). For regular watering,
the dilution concentration is 5000 times, and for promoting flowering the dilution concentration is 3000 times. Never apply inorganic synthetic chemical fertilizers or hormones,
so as to avoid variation in the cellular genes within the orchid plants and trigger disease. Also, one must strictly observe the principle of "weak fertilizer, frequent application."
Never reduce the dilution concentration of fertilizer out of eagerness for quick results, otherwise it will cause irreparable harm to the orchids.
5. Pesticide use: Whether orchids grow in their natural native habitats or in artificial cultivation environments, they will suffer diseases due to factors such as climate, environment
and management. If these diseases are not treated promptly, at best they affect growth and seedling production, and at worst they lead to plant collapse and extinction.
Most people spray pesticides for treatment as soon as they discover symptoms in orchids, but the use of pesticides must be cautious. After all,
no matter how good the efficacy of any pesticide and no matter how low its toxicity, it will always cause varying degrees of harm to orchids. Therefore, I
advocate that "prevention is more important than pesticide use," reducing the rate of orchids suffering from disease or pest damage by strengthening preventive management. Ordinarily,
we should maintain ventilation and clean hygiene in the orchid growing site. Upon discovering ants, aphids, scale insects, snails or other soft-bodied organisms,
they should be removed immediately. Cover the cultivation site with gauze netting to isolate insects and reduce the spread of disease-carrying pathogens. Newly introduced
orchids should first be isolated and observed for a period of time before being placed together with existing orchids. Do not arbitrarily apply fertilizers, especially inorganic chemical fertilizers and
hormones, to reduce viral invasion and toxin disease caused by cellular lesions. If pesticides must be used, low-toxicity
pesticides should be chosen. After spraying, orchids should be rinsed with clean water as soon as possible, first to reduce the pesticide concentration, and second to wash off residual pesticide, so as to avoid
toxic residues harming the orchids. If the above management work can be done well, orchids should be able to grow and develop healthily and naturally without needing to
rely on the use of pesticides.
Looking back on thirty years of orchid growing, I have gone from a beginner enthusiast to a veteran in the orchid world. My orchid growing methods have gone from traditional
mountain soil cultivation to being an early adopter of chemical fertilizers and hormones, and after experiencing a period of painful failure, returning to an improved
potting medium (granular medium) traditional orchid growing method. I also developed activated soil, hoping to use the development of biochemical technology to bring about
another beneficial revolution in the orchid world. During this long journey, the joys and sorrows were like drinking ice water on a cold day, every drop felt in the heart.
What is most worth recalling for a lifetime is my sworn brotherhood with Big Brother Weichun and Little Brother Honggang, as well as the friends from all over
who I met through orchid online forums. Everyone came together because of orchids, exchanging and learning from each other, growing and progressing together. For this reason, disregarding my shallow qualifications,
I have turned my personal insights into words with a superficial level of literacy. There may be a risk of being laughed at by experts, but I ask all
knowledgeable experts not to hesitate to correct me. This is my hope!!