Orchid Ventilation Management Tips: Mastering the Key to the "Qi" of Orchid Growing

OrchidCultivation: A Brief Discussion of the "Qi" of Qigong andOrchid Growing's "Qi" (That Is: Ventilation Management) (Repost)

Idle and bored, I leafed through some old books and surprisingly found one on health-preserving qigong. The book says: practicing qigong has three stages: one, transforming essence into qi; two, transforming qi into spirit; three, returning spirit into emptiness. It emphasizes using the cultivation of "qi" to coordinate essence, qi, and spirit. Thinking it over carefully, isn't orchid growing just the same? Except that this "qi" is wind. (Note: This post is purely for discussion and may contain far-fetched or insufficiently rigorous points; please forgive me)

One, transforming essence into qi ------------ This means using an electric fan (even in winter) to blow wildly at the lower part of the pot after watering

1. It prevents waterlogging and reduces pressure on the roots (from swelling with water);

2. It conforms to the old saying that orchids - like moisture but dislike wetness -;

3. It helps "clear qi rise" and "turbid qi descend" - inhibiting fungal growth and so on

Two, transforming qi into spirit ------------ This means gently blowing with a fan during ordinary misting and when dispersing heat at noon

1. A gentle breeze blowing on orchids helps improve the orchid's bodily immunity;

Just think: why are small trees under big trees and flowers and plants in greenhouses so fragile in vitality? What they lack is the tempering of wind and rain

2. It can reduce water accumulated on orchid leaves and disperse stagnant qi and hot qi

3. Ventilation helps rooting - only with good roots can the seedlings be better

Three, returning spirit into emptiness --------------- This means providing more ventilation and using electric fans during the plum rain season and intense heat

As the saying goes: "The earth has three treasures: water, fire, and wind; people have three treasures: essence, qi, and spirit." Since a person's "essence" and "spirit" can be regulated through "qi," then the earth's "water" and "fire" should also be regulable through "wind," turning obstruction into benefit. The plum rain season means there is excess water (belonging to yin); regulating it through wind disperses water vapor, nourishes yin and supplements yang, benefits orchid growth, and helps with sprouting and preventing and resisting heat. Intense heat means there is excess fire (belonging to yang); regulating it through wind disperses fire qi, nourishes yang and supplements yin, benefits orchid dormancy, and helps with bud formation and preventing and resisting cold. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the movement of qi's rising, descending, exiting, and entering is called "qi mechanism." When the movement of qi's rising, descending, exiting, and entering is unobstructed, the body is healthy and vigorous. Otherwise, qi mechanism becomes disordered, that is, the movement of qi's rising, descending, exiting, and entering is blocked, and the body will develop pathological states such as "qi stagnation," "qi counterflow," "qi sinking," "qi binding," "qi depression," and "qi blockage." Once the movement of qi mechanism stops, life activity will also terminate. -- This also explains the importance of ventilation.Growing orchids on a balcony, where ventilation is insufficient, the best policy is to use a fan reasonably.

An additional note: if with granular substrate orchid roots show a need for water or a non-waterlogged state in 1 day, and with soft substrate in 3 days, then its qi mechanism is already unobstructed, and that is a different matter!