The use of growing media should follow the doctrine of the mean; balance and moderation are the key

In Zhoushan there were two veteran orchid growers, and their growing media were utterly different. One used plain soil with little water and lean cultivation; over decades his plants were few and small but disease-free, and he kept many varieties. Theorchidshe handled all survived, yetthe orchidsshowed none of the lushness of abundant growth, like poor monks eating vegetarian food and keeping the fast, plain as vegetables; though full of spirit, they were naturally weak. The other planted orchids in rich, fat soil, using crab shells, fish maw, chicken intestines and the like, thoroughly rotted, mixed with coal ash to grow vegetables for a year, and then put into pots to grow orchids.The orchidshad many strong seedlings, and in two or three years they multiplied to fill the pot, with thick leaves, green in color, broad and glutinous. Yet when new plants came into his hands, not a single old root survived; new roots sprouted like white earthworms. So it was either no survival, or if they lived, great luxuriance, with one or two in ten dying. Since the orchid is a grass, that rich soil makes fine grass is the principle of things, and this proves and confirms it. Yet there was an even more extreme case: another old orchid grower, more than ten years ago, obtained several bags of sheep manure, rotted it, and mixed one third of it with mudto grow orchids. The orchids put out strange and unusual growth, to his great delight. So he went so far as to replace the soil entirely with sheep manure in the whole pot, and the grasses died quickly; he rushed to save them but fewer than one or two in ten lived. The orchid is humble: it can be grown in the north and in the south, dry or wet, in soil or in stone, and it can adapt and live on its own. Therefore, to have good orchids, one must not be fickle like a monkey, repotting every three months and changing methods every half year. In lean cultivation, one must not stint on water and fertilizer; in rich cultivation, one must not follow one's own whims. Lean cultivation is the way to keep orchids alive; rich cultivation is the way to make orchids luxuriant. Different paths can be pursued together; to be both alive and luxuriant, only the doctrine of the mean works. Once the mean is settled, if the grass does not change, the person should not change; to hold to the middle one must also keep quiet. Fickleness, hearsay, and carving a boat to seek a lost sword are all ways to kill orchids, yet people todaygrowing orchidsmostly use them. Because orchids have strong adaptability, various growing methods all have their successes, so going one's own way can instead be a wonderful method. (Fang Ping)