Several Changes to Note in Orchid Cultivation
OrchidCultivation：OrchidCultivationSeveral Changes
1. Growing media going from soft to hard. Traditional growing media mostly used humus soil, vegetable garden soil, etc. With these media, moisture is rather hard to control, and considerable experience is required; moreover, some media carry certain harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses, making it relatively difficult to grow orchids well. Now, with updated concepts and the development of the supporting orchid industry, growing media are being introduced at a rapid pace. The most widely used and most effective are various types of granular media, even crushed brick granules, small stones, granular bark, etc. Most of them have been treated at high temperature and carry no harmful pathogens. Of course, to increase the water retention of the media, some orchid growers in Yunnan now commonly use granular media plus a little chestnut leaves, coconut shell, Artemisia stems, peanut shells, etc., which helps control moisture distribution and also provides some insulation and fertility, with good results.
2. Pot choice going from large to small. In the past, traditional cultivation mostly used large pots: first, they consume media; second, they take up space; third, they easily accumulate water; fourth, the soil is cold, prone to residual fertilizer accumulation, and poor in air and heat conductivity, causing root rot and burned tips. Now most people choose No. 10—5 black plastic pots, with the size just barely able to accommodate the orchid roots. Small pot capacity saves media, takes up less space, avoids water and fertilizer accumulation in the media, facilitates air and heat conduction, maintains an appropriate balance of water, air, heat and fertilizer in the pot, and better meets the growth requirements of orchids.
3. Division going from clumps to single plants as much as possible. An old saying goes, “Orchids like to grow in clumps,” but this is not entirely true. In cultivation practice, people have found that the shoot production rate of clump-planted orchids is not ideal, and for high-value orchids, one shoot may be worth tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan, so producing one more or one fewer shoot makes a great difference in economic benefit; moreover, if the plants are not repotted and separated for a long time, the root system in the middle of a large clump of orchids will also rot; in addition, when a large pot of orchids is planted together, if disease occurs, there is a risk of “total annihilation”; at the same time, clump planting is also unfavorable for sales, because with large clumps of orchids, first, few people can afford them, and second, experienced orchid buyers do not like orchids with such a structure, because once the old shoots in the middle are taken back and divided, their value drops greatly. For this reason, if one wants to produce more shoots, reduce cultivation risk and facilitate sales, in recent years many orchid growers have divided orchids into relatively single plants for planting, and whenever they can be divided into single plants, they absolutely do not plant them in clumps.
In addition, planting as single plants can also greatly increase the utilization rate of orchid plants. The normal lifespan of an orchid plant is three to five years, after which it will shed leaves and collapse; if it is not separated and replanted to induce new shoots, it will also die naturally; if separated and replanted, its resources are effectively utilized. For especially rare varieties, it is even more important to cherish the effective use of every single orchid plant.
4. Fertilization going from organic to inorganic. Organic fertilizers are mostly composted and decomposed grass leaves, bean cakes, fish and shrimp scraps, etc. They smell bad, easily carry diseases, and their application rate is relatively hard to master; moreover, growing orchids is also meant to beautify life, and if the whole room (balcony or courtyard) is filled with a foul odor, it becomes “uglifying” life. For this reason, in recent years many orchid growers mainly apply inorganic fertilizers to orchids, choosing imported products or urea, monopotassium phosphate, orchid mycorrhiza king, Zhiquan, Zhifa, magic fertilizer, Huabao, etc. sold by agricultural supply companies or flower and tree shops. Some are relatively complete in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements, while others are rich in a certain nutrient, meeting the needs of orchids at various growth stages.
5. Water management going from dry to wet. “Dry orchids, wet chrysanthemums”: traditional orchid growing emphasized controlling moisture, keeping media moisture at around 30%, and some even watered (soaked) only three to five times a year. But the premise was large pots, much soil that was fine and dense, and poor air mobility in the environment. However, when orchids are in a state of water deficiency for a long time, it is unfavorable to their growth and development. Water is an important component of orchid plants, accounting for about 80% of their fresh weight. It is an important raw material and medium in metabolic processes and plays an important role in the life activities of orchids. Water deficiency will affect theorchid'svarious physiological and biochemical activities. Therefore, at present most people adopt the “wet methodof orchid growing.” As long as the growing media are used properly (such as granular media), the pot size is appropriate, and the environment is ventilated and air-permeable, watering once every one or two days is not too much, and watering once every three to five days is also fine; frequent watering can fully exchange gases in the media and release nutrients, which is beneficial to orchid growth. Especially during the new shoot germination period, a large amount of water is needed to participate in physiological and biochemical processes, and water deficiency must be avoided, otherwise new seedlings are prone to slow development and may even become stunted.
6. Placement going from appropriately dense to sparse. For a fairly long period in the past, the density of orchid pot placement did not attract much attention, but in recent years many orchid growers have come to understand its pros and cons and have changed from dense placement to appropriately sparse placement for cultivation. The reasons are roughly as follows: dense placement of orchid pots, first, is unfavorable for observing orchid growth and hinders plant protection operations; second, it causes poor ventilation; third, orchid leaves rub against each other, which may cause mechanical damage and transmit diseases.
7. Greenhouse temperature going from low to high. Old experience has always emphasized that the orchid greenhouse temperature should be cool, but in practice people have found that appropriately high temperatures are beneficial to rapid orchid growth, allowing them to complete their growth cycle as quickly as possible, grow into large seedlings and mature seedlings, and germinate new shoots as soon as possible. For this reason, many orchid growers nowadays attach importance to raising the greenhouse temperature, and in greenhouse design, equipment configuration and routine management they treat effectively raising and controlling the temperature of the greenhouse and orchid pots as a major task. According to data in several authoritative orchid works, the temperature generally suitable for orchids is 18—28°C. But when the greenhouse temperature is high, and if humidity is also high, it is very easy to cause orchid diseases. For this reason, growers who raise the greenhouse temperature must put greater effort into orchid disease control.
8. Greenhouse shading going from sunny to shady. In the past, greenhouse construction overemphasized “all things grow relying on the sun,” and people always liked to let orchids grow in an environment with relatively abundant or even intense sunlight, which easily caused intense sunlight to scorch orchid leaves and seedlings, making leaf color yellowish and appearance poor. Moreover, orchids under intense light bear more flowers and have a lower shoot production rate. Nowadays many orchid growers prefer relatively shady cultivation, which effectively prevents orchid tip scorch and leaf blight, keeps the seedlings verdant and fresh green with better appearance, and at the same time effectively increases the shoot production rate.
Of course, the above changes should still be referenced and improved according to actual local climate conditions, greenhouse environment, orchid varieties, business concepts, long-formed cultivation habits, etc. One must absolutely not copy them mechanically, and even less act with undue haste, promoting them on a large scale without small-scale and medium-scale trials, or blindly following trends. After all, “practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.” If your orchids are already growing very well, then there is no need to change easily, lest a major mistake be made.