How to Choose Containers and Potting Media for Pleione Cultivation

The root system of Pleione is relatively shallow, and the roots complete their life cycle within the same year. They grow in spring and dry up and die in autumn and winter, unlike common orchid plants. Therefore, it is best to use shallow potsfor cultivation, with a pot height of about 10 cm and a diameter of 20-30 cm. The bottom of the pot must have good drainage and aeration, and needs to have large and numerous drainage holes. If plastic pots are used, additional drainage holes must be drilled in the bottom. For a pot with a diameter of 25 cm, the bottom must have about 20 drainage holes with a diameter of 6 mm. You can also use the common sieve-like square or round small plastic baskets available on the market. Having many drainage holes at the bottom of the pot can reduce or eliminate the need to fill the lower part of the potting medium or soil with broken pot pieces or broken bricks. To prevent disease infection, used old flower pots must be cleaned, disinfected and sterilized before use. The potting medium requires good looseness, water permeability and aeration, and also strong water retention capacity. Therefore, ordinary garden soil and commonly used potting soil are generally not suitable for growing Pleione. You can choose the cultivation medium used for epiphytic or semi-epiphyticorchidsaspottingmaterial. There are many kinds of potting medium ratios. The more commonly used ones are: bark chunks used for growing epiphyticorchids(below 5 mm, sifted to remove dust) 6 parts, coarse-grained perlite 1 part, moss cut into 5-6 mm lengths 1 part, and crushed peat 1 part. When potting, fill the lower 2/3 of the pot with the above coarser particles, and put slightly finer ones on top. Fill fine bark chunks and shorter moss around the new pseudobulbs. Peat soil and leaf mold with relatively high humus and fiber content, with 1/2 bark chunks (diameter below 5 mm) added, or with some coarse-grained perlite added, can also be formulated into a potting medium and used for potting Pleione. In addition, a potting medium made by mixing moss with broken brick pieces and charcoal pieces (3-5 mm in diameter) at 1/2 each is also relatively good. The author has used moss alone for potting Pleione and also achieved very satisfactory results. Adding a small amount of coarse sand to the above potting medium is beneficial for stabilizing the Pleione plants planted in the pot, so they will not topple over because thecultivationmedium is too light and loose. Of course, too much sand or broken brick will also make the medium too compact and affect the growth and development of the root system. Adding a small amount of rotted beech or oak leaves, or adding some dried cow manure, to the potting medium is beneficial for growing Pleione well. In the Yangtze River Basin, especially in the vast areas of the provinces and regions in the southwestern region, suitable places can be selected for introducing and cultivating Pleione. In relatively good woodland, special nurseries can be set up for large-scale productive cultivation. Pleione can also be planted together with other garden plants. Open-field planting (not pot cultivation in a greenhouse) should choose a loose soil, containing a large amount of humus, and well-drained location under the forest or in semi-shade. It requires good ventilation and relatively high air humidity in spring, summer and autumn. If the soil is too heavy or poor, the soil should be replaced or some leaf mold, broken bark chunks, broken wood shavings or peat soil should be added to the garden soil. The lower layer of the soil can be filled with some granular drainage materials, such as broken coal cinders, broken brick pieces, etc. (Lu Sicong)