What effects do cold waves and high temperatures have on orchids?

"To do a job well, one must first sharpen one's tools; to do business well, one must first know one's goods; likewise, to appreciate a thing, one must first learn its nature." This is a passage from a recent article by Professor Liu Qingyong titled "Growing orchidsto make a fortune andgrowing orchidsto be fooled." On reflection after reading it, the meaning is indeed profound. Truly,growing orchidsis not like growing other flowers; those who can grow other flowers well may not necessarily grow orchids well. Becauseorchidshave their own unique growth habits and cultivation methods, and without mastering the knowledge and skills, how could one possibly grow them well by planting them carelessly at random? In nature,orchidsmostly grow at altitudes of 500-800 m in secluded mountain valleys under trees or shrubs, in loose, moist soil with fresh air. In the region south of the Yangtze River in our country, the climate withfour distinct seasonsplus abundant rainfall is extremely suited to the growth oforchids. There are also northerners who grow orchids well, but they must create a good environment suited to the growth habits of orchids to get their wish, and this naturally costs far more than what southerners spend on growing orchids. It can be seen how important climate and environment are to the growth oforchids. The cold wave that struck in mid-March this year and the sustained high temperatures and drought in the south from June to August indeed caused no small losses for most orchid growers in Jiangnan who grow orchids outdoors or onbalconies, some even suffering severe losses. As for the reasons, I might as well speak freely here. First, from late February to early March this year, the climate turned noticeably warmer, and the warm sunshine of early spring in February urged most southern orchids to open, with orchid shows in various places held one after another, and the pleasant sight of an early spring and lovely blossoms that people had longed for appeared early before southerners' eyes. But just when southerners were already immersed in this pleasant scene, no one expected that in mid-March a cold wave would suddenly strike; the low temperature of minus 3-4 degrees Celsius truly startled those who grow orchids outdoors and onbalconies. The anti-cold plastic film or anti-cold plastic boards that had just been removed could not be put back immediately, and orchid friends could only hope the cold wave would retreat early; who knew it would last a full week, causing severe losses to many orchid friends' orchids, with many feeling endless complaints. As for the reasons: first, theorchids'leaves and roots were severely frostbitten, and moreover the frostbitten roots were then scorched by the high temperatures of summer, so quite a few plants died directly. Second, the leaves and roots were frozen, causing the new shoots that were about to sprout in early spring to be unable to break through the soil, and with the high temperatures they died under the mud. This seriously affected the sprouting rate. For example, I myself hadCymbidium goeringiicultivars Dahonggui, Cuitao, Xiaohudie, Cangshan Ruixue, and Chike Hesu, andCymbidium fabericultivars Dongfanghui, Hanbimei, Yinbianhui, and Jibanhui that did not send up even a single shoot; others sent up very few shoots, such as Yipin, Xiaochun, Wenzhou Su, and Duanhuimei, which each had more than ten old plants yet sent up only one new shoot, whereas by normal sprouting patterns there should have been at least 2-3 shoots, or 4-5 new shoots at most. This is certainly due to various other reasons, but the cold wave was the main cause. According to conversations with orchid friends in Huangyan, this phenomenon is fairly common. Therefore, I still want to say that although winter cold protection is important, the old ancestor's saying "do not take them out in spring" remains an axiom and has its reason, and it is best to remove the cold-protection facilities only around the Qingming period, so as to avoid repeating the same mistake. Second, the sustained high temperatures of 35-40 degrees C, even above 40 degrees C, that began on June 26 this year, along with severe drought, continued until mid-August, when multiple thunderstorms finally appeared, alleviating the drought and slightly lowering the temperature. But during this high-temperature period, many orchid friends who had installed relatively advanced and scientific greenhouses for growing orchids were hardly affected, while it was precisely those growing orchids outdoors or onbalconieswho likewise complained endlessly. The main reason is that high temperatures and dryness caused water in the orchid pots to evaporate quickly, forcing orchid friends to water twice a day, morning and evening, and even to sprinkle once in between. Although this kept the water in the pots moist, the excessively high temperatures made the moist soil in the pots stuffy and hot, and because the sustained high temperatures lasted a long time, the orchid roots remained in hot soil for a long period, causing many orchid friends' orchids to develop root rot and neck rot, and some also developed Baras disease, especially since these three diseases currently have almost no cure in the orchid world. For example, an orchid friend spent 30,000 yuan at the Shaoxing orchid show in April this year on 3 plants of Chengmei, and after potting them they sent up two new shoots, but could not withstand this high-temperature ordeal and ended up developing neck rot and being "wiped out entirely." Another large orchid grower had various high-, medium-, and low-grade orchids worth about 300,000 yuan taken from him by the neck rot and root rot caused by these high temperatures, leaving him complaining endlessly. For another example, my own orchids were also affected by the high temperatures; although they did not develop neck rot or root rot, quite a few developed Baras disease (that is, viral disease). I used Piyanping cream to apply to the affected areas, plus spraying with a 1:60 clarified lime solution; although this controlled the progression and spread of the disease, the disease spots left on the leaf surfaces were hard to erase, seriously affecting appearance and presumably also affecting next year's sprouting rate. Orchids afflicted by the above-mentioned sustained high temperatures are not few here in Huangyan. This sustained high temperature and drought, a once-in-fifty-years event, is truly rare in history, and its effects onorchidsare also obvious. It seems there is not much prior experience to draw on for how to deal with it, and orchid friends are almost helpless and at a loss. I now recount it here for the broad community of orchid friends to discuss together, forming a situation of collective planning and collective prevention; I believe there will always be ways to overcome it, so as to sum up experience and leave it for later generations. Zhejiang Zhang Jinguo Unit: Huangyan District Science and Technology Association, Taizhou City Address: No. 156 Qingnian East Road, Huangyan Telephone: 0576-422527 Postal code: 318020