How to Set Up an Orchid Stand? A Detailed Guide to Setup Methods and Techniques

Orchid stands may be made of wooden frames, iron frames, or cement. Besides specially made fixed forms, these stands can also make use of existing outdoorcultivationdevices brought back indoors for use. Orchid stands can be divided into stepped types and platform types. Another simplest method is to place pottedorchidsdirectly on the ground, or on the bottoms of inverted empty flower pots, or on steps built from bricks and stone slabs. However, for the form of the orchid stand, it is best to use the platform type, because it is more convenient during daily management and operations; the stepped type receives light well, but wastes more usable area. Whichever form is adopted, the goal is always to receive more sunlight and to facilitate air circulation above and below. For a platform-type orchid stand kept away from the ground, a height of about 1 m is ideal, and a tabletop width of 1-1.5 m is suitable; if too wide, it is inconvenient for daily operations and management such as watering, fertilizing, weeding, and pest removal. Passageways must be left between the platforms. When building the stand, first use bricks and stones to build 5-6 sturdy legs, or use cement pipes as support columns, then lay across thick wood or cement strips strong enough to bear the load, and then place square wooden strips about 7-8 cm wide, or cement boards about 20 cm wide, one by one on top. A gap of 5-7 cm should be left between each wooden strip or cement board, so that the drainage holes in the bottoms of the orchid pots can align with the gaps, which helps ventilation, air convection, and drainage. Besides being used for daily open-air placement of potted orchids, the various self-made stands mentioned above can also be moved indoors during the winter. To make them durable, all wooden strips and boards must be replaceable, and should be coated with tung oil to achieve anti-corrosion protection. Although cement boards are durable, they do not dissipate heat easily in hot seasons. After thunderstorms, the hot vapor they give off is great and has an effect onorchid plants, so if conditions permit, wooden strips are more ideal for the tabletop. (Song Shi)