How to grow orchids on an enclosed balcony during the hot season?

After the summer solstice, most parts of China enter the hot season, and sweltering weather around 35°C often occurs. The hot season is a troublous time for pottedorchids, and the slightest negligence in daily care can cause unexpected harm, soorchid growersmust respond with caution. As for growingorchidson an enclosedbalcony, I think three aspects deserve attention.
1. Open the sliding windows moderately, and make clever use of temperature differences and gentle breezes
Hot, stuffy conditions are a great enemy of orchid growing. Therefore, ventilation is very important when growing orchids on an enclosed balcony in the hot season. Enclosed balconies generally have sliding aluminum alloy glass windows that can be opened and closed freely. As long as there is a temperature difference between inside and outside the balcony, the degree to which the sliding windows are opened can be used to control convection and create natural ventilation. In summer, when the bright sun shines and heat waves strike from outside the window, because an enclosed balcony receives limited direct sunlight in summer, the balcony temperature is generally 2-5 degrees lower than the outside temperature. Therefore, during the day the sliding windows should not be opened too wide, generally about 20 cm is suitable; in this way, the temperature difference between the balcony and the outside can be used to form natural convection, with a gentle breeze blowing and orchid leaves swaying, just right. If the windows are opened too wide, the temperature difference becomes too small to form convection, and instead ventilation becomes poor. At night and on rainy days, the sliding windows can be fully opened to exchange fresh air. Practice has proved that an enclosed balcony can completely rely on opening the sliding windows to form natural convection, and generally there is no need to use an electric fan; natural ventilation is still better.
2. Create humidity according to local conditions, and avoid both excessive dryness and excessive wetness.
Evaporation is fast in summer, and on clear days the air humidity is low, which is a bottleneck restricting orchid growing on a balcony, so efforts must be made to create a small environment suitable for orchid growth. According to my experience, using water troughs to increase humidity in summer is a good way to raise air humidity. The water troughs are best set up together with the orchid shelves, and each layer of the orchid shelves should be fitted with a water trough. The low end of the water trough should be fitted with a drainage switch so that dirty water can be drained off from time to time. The depth of the water trough is generally best at 20-30 cm. Fill it with water and cover it with wire mesh, with the orchid pots sitting on top; this not only increases air humidity but also has a certain cooling effect, achieving two things at once. Combined with spraying water on the floor, the balcony humidity during the day can reach about 40%, which can basically meet the humidity requirements of orchids. Air humidity is not better the higher it is; especially in summer, excessively high humidity is the source of a hundred diseases in orchids, and orchid enthusiasts should take this as a warning. In the hot season, water evaporation is large and the potting medium dries easily, so the timing and frequency of watering should be flexibly controlled according to the pots and potting medium used. Generally, watering in summer is best done at night and in the morning. From time to time, it is best to give the orchids a shower with water mixed with fungicide, which both cleans the orchid leaves and exchanges the air in the pots, with good results; but be very careful not to let water accumulate in the leaf hearts of new shoots, to prevent heart rot. Summer is the peak growing season for orchids; as long as the medium is kept moist but not soggy, a somewhat moist potting medium is beneficial to the development and growth of new orchid shoots, and the potting medium must never be allowed to become too dry.
3. Focus on prevention, keep things clean diligently, and take precautions before it rains to prevent orchid diseases.
The hot season is also a season whenpests and diseasesoccur frequently in orchids. In daily management, one should follow the principle of prevention first and combining prevention with control, and strive to avoidpests and diseases. Ordinarily, attention should be paid to the cleanliness and hygiene of the balcony, and all kinds of dirt in the orchid-growing area should be removed in time. The floor and orchid shelves should often be sterilized and disinfected with limewater, which is economical, affordable and effective. In hot and humid environments, orchids easily breed scale insects and thrips, which damage orchid leaves, and they should be killed with pesticides in time.Soft rotis a major enemy of orchids insummer, and improper handling can very easily lead to the death of an entire pot of orchids, which is deeply distressing. Once this disease is found, a prompt decision should be made, the pot should be turned out immediately, and the diseased shoots along with as many adjacent shoots as possible should be cut off without hesitation. Healthy shoots can still have hope of survival if disinfected and replanted. One must never harbor a wishful thinking mentality and delay the timing of prevention and control, only to regret it too late.