How to design an orchid room? Key points for setting up an orchid growing environment

An orchid room is generally used only for overwintering terrestrial orchids to protect them from the cold; in addition, it can also be used as an exhibition room for displaying famous varieties during the flowering period. Terrestrial orchids do not have high temperature requirements; under normal circumstances, it is enough to maintain a room temperature of around 10°C. 1. Location First, choose a high, dry, well-ventilated, sunny spot, with a southeast-facing orientation being the most ideal. On the north side behind the room, plant many trees or have a high wall to help block the biting north wind. The orchid room should be built in a corner of the garden or in front of dense trees, so that it can avoid cold wind attacks without blocking sunlight. In addition, pay attention to keeping away from tall chimneys to avoid the harm of coal gas and soot toorchids. 2. Form and structure of the orchid room Orchid rooms can be divided into three types: ordinary tile-roofed houses, glass greenhouses, and simple single-slope ground boxes built against a wall. During construction, attention should be paid to heat preservation and ventilation, so the structure should be tight and heating equipment should be installed to regulate room temperature. Traditional orchid rooms in China all use tile-roofed houses with strong heat retention or houses with mud-plastered flat roofs. If a glass greenhouse is used, the room temperature should not be too high (around 15°C is the most ideal). According to modern practical experience, overwintering in a glass greenhouse, because of the good temperature and humidity,orchidsgrow more robustly than in ordinary orchid rooms, but ventilation by opening windows must be strengthened; otherwise, too much water vapor condenses into droplets inside the glass roof, which can easily drip onto the leaf clusters and cause rot or scorch spots. As for summer orchids, autumn orchids,Cymbidium kanranand New Year orchids, because their temperature requirements are slightly higher than those ofCymbidium goeringiiand Cymbidium faberi, if conditions permit, it is best to use a greenhouse for overwintering care. In order to maintain indoor humidity, in a dedicated orchid room, gravel should be laid on the ground surface under the orchid benches, so as to drain the water that leaks down during daily watering and also maintain a certain humidity. As for cement floors, because they do not drain easily and block ground moisture, they are not ideal. The size of a dedicated orchid room can be determined according to the number of pots being grown and future prospects. The length and width of the orchid benches can also be arranged flexibly according to the indoor area, but it is always best to make them convenient for operation and good for ventilation and light transmission. If amateurorchid growersare limited by their living conditions, they can use an outdoor south-facing sunny spot along the outside of a wall, borrowing the wall on one side and using bricks on the other three sides to build a single-slope ground box; the size of the area is determined by the number of pots. On top of the box, place a wooden-framed glass window or plastic film window that can be opened and closed flexibly and slanted. Long and tall orchid leaves should be placed on inverted empty flower pots or on stacked bricks, wooden strips, or cement boards of suitable height, while shorter ones are arranged row by row toward the front, and no leaf tips or the tops of curled leaves may touch the window surface. In severe cold seasons, whenever the temperature is too low or on windy and snowy days, the slanted window must be covered with enough straw curtains or other coverings to prevent cold air from entering. When the weather is clear and mild, especially after the Beginning of Spring, when the sun is shining brightly, the cold-protection coverings should be removed early. Near noon, the edge of the window at the end near the wall should be propped up with a wooden block or other object, leaving a gap of slightly more than one cun. If the weather is clear and windless, the covering window can be fully removed or half closed, so as to exchange fresh air. When the sunlight slants, close it promptly to maintain the internal temperature and prevent cold air from entering. 3. Heating equipment This is mainly installed during the coldest days of winter, when the temperature is too low, in order to ensure the temperature necessary for the normal growth oforchids. (1) Open fire This is the simplest method, suitable for amateurorchid growersor those with few plants, as well as for use in areas with limited conditions. When using it, first set up a brazier in a suitable place in the orchid room. Before heating, put some cold ash on the bottom layer of the container; if using a ceramic fire pot, the ash layer should be thicker. Then put in several burning charcoal briquettes, then add a layer of unlit charcoal briquettes on top, and keep adding according to the fire condition; loose pieces of charcoal can also be placed in the brazier and burned for heating. However, because this method has flames leaping about and lasts only a short time, someone must watch over it, and it must be kept away from the orchid benches to avoid scorchingorchids. (2) Heating Using hot water from a boiler room to release heat through pipes. Because it relies on mechanical control, the appropriate temperature can be adjusted at any time, and the heat is evenly dissipated, so drying is not likely to occur in the orchid room. It is the most ideal heating equipment, but the cost is relatively high; it is only suitable for large greenhouses. If there is household heating or a heater, it can be used to helporchidsoverwinter safely, achieving two benefits at once. As for modern air-conditioning equipment and various electric heating devices, infrared heaters and other installations, they are very beneficial to orchid development, and if conditions allow their use, that is naturally best. (Song Shi)