How to grow Chinese orchids? Only by regulating the environment well can you grow good orchids
OrchidsCultivation: How to Regulate the Environment to Benefit the Cultivation of Chinese Orchids (Repost)
I. Naturalorchid growingon a balcony: why Chinese orchids die, grow poorly, get smaller with each generation, and have a very poor sprouting rate.
(1) A post by orchid friend Lizhuan: Boss Qiu wrote: I only believe that orchid friends in orchid-producing areas have the conditions to grow orchids in a natural environment, because the natural environment of orchid-producing areas is suitable for orchid growth. Non-orchid-producing areas definitely cannot grow orchids well using a natural environment! Our country is vast in territory and rich in resources, with diverse natural climate changes, and only by scientifically creating a small environment for orchid growing can orchids be introduced into every household. My understanding: What is natural orchid growing??? No shading in summer, no insulation in winter, letting wind, sun, frost, and snow batter them, is that natural orchid growing?? No!! In my area, summer highs reach 38-40 degrees, with the scorching sun like fire, and winter lows drop below -10 degrees, with piercing cold wind. In such a natural environment, I cannot do such natural cultivation. What I understand as natural cultivation is: creatingorchid plants'original ecological growing environment; in my area, only by scientifically creating a small orchid-growing environment can orchids be grown beautifully and pleasingly. (The above content is taken from Senior Taoyi's article - A Few Words on Natural Orchid Growing)
(2) The meaning of this passage is that orchidflowers'growth all has a certain temperature, humidity, sunlight intensity, and ventilation. If orchids are cultivated beyond their temperature range too much (too hot or too cold), then the orchids will only die or grow poorly. To change this phenomenon, the only way is to improve the orchidflowers'growing environment.
(3) The following cites statistics from Taiwan Chung Hsing University on the growth and flowering environments of various orchids. Of course, there are many types of orchids, and this table may not be entirely accurate. The environment of the orchid's place of origin should still be the standard; this table is for reference only.
Growth and Flowering Environment of Chinese Orchids
Name Growing Altitude Optimum Growing Temperature Light Intensity Relative Humidity Flower Bud Differentiation and Development High Temperature Bud Abortion
(m) (Night/Day Temperature) (Lux) (%) Temperature for Stem Emergence Temperature
Bao Sui Lan 300-500m 20-25°C 16,000~22000 60-80% 15-20°C Above 25°C
Four SeasonsOrchid 250-2,500m 20-28°C 21,000~27000 (No low temperature stimulation needed) 20-28°C
(Suxin Lan)
Chunlan 900-1,600m 15-25℃ 16,000~21,000 15-20℃
Hanlan 800-1,200m 15-25°C 22,000 Humid and ventilated (Sensitive to climate)
Jiuhua Lan 1,500-3,000m 15-25°C 22,000
II. How to Distinguish Between Greenhouse Orchid Growing and Natural Orchid Growing.
(1) Simple definition of a greenhouse: it is an enclosed space where conditions for plant growth such as temperature, humidity, light, and ventilation can be regulated …. Therefore, as long as the surroundings are an enclosed space, it can be called greenhouse orchid growing. Depending on the mechanical facilities for regulating the environment, it can be divided into standard greenhouses and simple greenhouses. Of course, standard greenhouses control the spatial microclimate better than simple greenhouses, so thecultivationresults for plants are naturally better.
(2) Natural orchid growing means the orchid growing environment is not an enclosed space, with the same temperature and humidity conditions as the atmosphere, with less human control of the environment, allowing orchids to grow naturally.
III. How to Control the Environment's Temperature, Humidity, Light, and Ventilation to Benefit Orchid Growth
??(1) If in an orchid-producing area, the environmental temperature, humidity, light, ventilation, etc. are all suitable for orchid growth and flowering, then orchids naturally do not need environmental regulation and can grow very well on their own. But if in a non-orchid-producing area, where climatic conditions are no longer suitable for orchid growth, and during orchid growing you find that new shoots cannot emerge, growth is slow, each generation is smaller than the last, and root rot and death occur frequently, that means the orchid growing environment is not suitable for orchid growth. Unless the orchid growing environment is improved, it will be very difficult to grow orchids well.
(2) Environmental regulation for natural orchid growing.
Orchid growth and flowering all have certain temperature, humidity …. etc., but if orchids leave their place of origin and go to the grower's environment, and if in a non-orchid-producing area the climatic conditions differ greatly, orchids are prone to death or poor growth. However, since the natural growing environment is connected to the atmosphere, the ability to regulate the environment is very poor, so human methods should be used as much as possible to raise or lower temperature and humidity, adjusting them to the range suitable for orchid growth. My methods are as follows
1. Temperature:
(1) When growing orchids, you must first understand your own environment, where the "hot spots" or "cool spots" are. "Hot spots" refer to the hottest places in the orchid growing area, and "cool spots" refer to the coolest places in the orchid growing area. For example, I grow orchids on a second-floor rooftop. In places facing south where the sun shines, summer highs can reach 42 degrees, and winter highs can reach 25 degrees, while in places on the north side where the sun shines less, summer can reach 35 degrees and winter 6 degrees. So in summer, grow orchids in the "cool spots" on the north side of the rooftop, and in winter, it is best to be in the "hot spots" on the south side where the sun shines. The main point is to lower temperature in summer and raise temperature in winter, to get as close as possible to the orchid's growing temperature.
(2) "Horizontal temperature difference" refers only to the temperature across the flat surface of the second-floor rooftop. Why do hot spots and cool spots have temperature differences? Mainly because of the influence of sunlight, wind, and buildings. Some places get sun, some do not, and places with sun are more than 7 degrees Celsius hotter than places without sun. Therefore, by understanding the hot spots and cool spots of the orchid growing location, you can place orchids in different locations in summer or winter to raise or lower their temperature, bringing them close to their growing temperature, so as to help orchids grow smoothly.
(3) "Vertical temperature difference" refers only to the temperature from the rooftop or shade net down to the ground in the growing area. The main influence on this temperature is the ventilation around the rooftop. If ventilation is poor, hot air will gather above, so the temperature will rise, while at ground level, because of water vapor evaporation, the lower the location from the ground, the lower the temperature, and the closer to the rooftop, the higher the temperature. So in summer, the vertical temperature can differ by 3-5 degrees. Therefore, in summer I always place orchid pots as close to the ground as possible to keep them cool, but the prerequisite is that there is water on the rooftop ground.
(4) In summer, I have already controlled the temperature and humidity on my rooftop as much as possible, but the temperature in the orchid growing area still reaches 28-32 degrees. Since what I grow is Bao Sui Lan, whose appropriate growing temperature is 25 degrees, and above 30 degrees it gradually stops growing, I can only use the method of watering one hour before dusk, watering until water flows out of the bottom of the pot and then continuing for 10 seconds before stopping, and after finishing, going back and watering once more, stopping as soon as water flows out of the pot bottom. If the temperature before watering is 32 degrees, after watering it can drop to 28 degrees, and the orchids can still grow. The next morning, if the sun comes out and the ground is dry, then water once more until water flows out of the pot bottom and stop. On sunny days in summer, the ground must be kept moist and must not be allowed to dry out.
(5) In winter, the temperature is 18-6 degrees. On the south-facing rooftop where the sun shines, the temperature can rise by 7 degrees Celsius, that is, 25-13 degrees. Therefore, growing orchids in this place, in winter you can still feel that the orchids are growing.
2. Humidity:
This has already been discussed in the article "How to Maintain Humidity in an Open Environment," so it will not be repeated.
3. Light:
What I grow is Bao Sui Lan, which is relatively afraid of sun exposure, so I use one layer of 70% shade black net all year round. But when the temperature rises to 30 degrees at the Dragon Boat Festival, I pull up the second layer of black net, and only after the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the temperature drops below 30 degrees, do I put away the second layer of black net.
4. Ventilation:
A friend suggested that I use an electric fan to strengthen ventilation, but using an electric fan for ventilation requires sufficient humidity in the environment. Only with ventilation will the humidity in the environment be even and cool. But if the environment is dry and hot, the electric fan blows hot air, which will be counterproductive. So I do not use an electric fan; I only leave a 15 cm gap above the black net on all sides to let hot air flow out naturally.
5. Growing orchids in a natural environment, because it is connected to the atmosphere, makes the control of temperature and humidity very difficult, and the effect is not very good. One can only do one's best in placement and watering to control temperature and humidity, so as to meet the orchid's growth needs.
(3) Non-natural greenhouse cultivation
Natural orchid growing can grow orchids well, so of course natural cultivation is better. But in non-orchid-producing areas, where conditions are already far from the orchid's native environment, orchids will either die or stop growing. At this time, one must consider using a greenhouse to grow orchids. But what is meant here is to use the greenhouse concept to grow orchids, that is, looking at atmospheric conditions, geographical environment … etc., and using human methods to adjust temperature, humidity, sunlight, ventilation, and other conditions to bring them close to the orchid's native environment to benefit orchid growth. The conditions for constituting a greenhouse are as follows:
1. Enclosed space: This means a greenhouse must be an enclosed space. Only in such a space can temperature and humidity be regulated. If it is an open space connected to the atmosphere, then no matter how you regulate temperature and humidity, there will be no effect, because atmospheric conditions are the macro environment, while the orchid growing environment is the micro environment. If there is no barrier between the two, then no matter how the micro environment raises or lowers temperature and increases humidity, it will quickly become the same as the macro environment's temperature and humidity, and then the significance of greenhouse environmental regulation is lost.
2. Facilities for raising and lowering temperature
?(1) Black net:
In Taiwan, places exposed to the sun are more than 7 degrees Celsius hotter than places not exposed to the sun. Therefore, above the greenhouse there are two layers of black net. When the temperature rises to the upper limit for orchid growth, the automatic control system will, depending on the situation, pull up the two layers of black net. When the temperature drops to the orchid's growing temperature, the black net will automatically open, and sunlight entering the greenhouse will have a warming effect, keeping the temperature at an appropriate growing temperature. Therefore, the orchid growing period in a greenhouse is longer than that of general natural orchid growing.
?(2) Humidifying facilities:
Relying only on black net in summer cannot lower the temperature to the growing temperature required by orchids, so the humidity in the air must be increased, and the temperature will naturally drop. In Taiwan, under 50% humidity conditions, using water walls, humidifiers, water pools … etc. to humidify the air can lower the temperature to the upper limit of 28 degrees. Of course, the lower the humidity in the air, the better the cooling effect, and the higher the humidity, the worse the cooling effect. Therefore, whether the cooling effect reaches the orchid's growing temperature also affects the orchid's growth condition.
?(3) Refrigerated air conditioning facilities:
In Taiwan, because of humidity, cooling with water walls or humidifiers can only lower the temperature to 28 degrees, which already meets the upper limit of Chinese orchid growing temperature, so refrigerated air conditioning systems are rarely used for cooling. But if you want orchids such as Phalaenopsis to
flower during the non-flowering period, then air conditioning and refrigeration systems must be used to lower the temperature to the flowering temperature to promote flower bud formation, but the costs of water and electricity are very high, so this type of greenhouse is often set up on high mountains.
?(4) Heating facilities:
If the temperature of the orchid room is lower than the growing temperature, heating equipment must be used to extend the orchid's growing period. For example, Northeast orchids are grown in enclosed balconies, where there is heating supply inside the house, maintaining about 25 degrees all year round, so all kinds of orchids grow well. Of course, to flower, the temperature must be lowered so that the orchids undergo vernalization before they can bloom. So temperature is very important; too cold or too hot is unfavorable to orchid growth.
3. Ventilation facilities
(1) External circulation: Sunlight shining into the greenhouse will produce a warming effect, making the temperature inside the greenhouse higher than outside, so an exhaust fan above the greenhouse is needed to draw hot air out of the greenhouse to lower the temperature and replace the air inside.
(2) Internal circulation: Two layers of electric fans, upper and lower, should be installed inside the greenhouse. The main reason is that there are temperature differences and humidity differences between the upper and lower parts of the greenhouse. Therefore, turning on the electric fans makes the temperature and humidity the same in every corner of the greenhouse, and also dries water droplets on leaf surfaces as quickly as possible, increasing transpiration and promoting root water and fertilizer absorption.
4. Supplemental lighting facilities:
When the orchid garden has insufficient light, or after watering and fertilizing, the lights should be turned on to supplement lighting. In this way, the orchid's photosynthesis is better, and the orchid will grow relatively quickly. In addition, the length of lighting time can also advance or delay the orchid's flowering time.
(4) After watering in a humid environment, why should the internal circulation electric fan be turned on?
If the electric fan is not turned on after watering, when the air inside the greenhouse is stagnant, the orchid's physiological processes (transpiration, respiration, photosynthesis, etc.) still need to continue. The effects of still air on orchids are as follows:
1. Physiological processes: Taking orchid leaves as an example, most of their interior is water, so the relative humidity inside the plant body is 100%. When the air is still, water vapor escaping from the stomata forms a viscous boundary layer on the leaf surface. Although this thin boundary layer is not easy to see with the eyes, it can block the continuous movement of water vapor out of the leaf body, thus seriously hindering the orchid's transpiration. After sunlight shines on the leaf surface, because the leaf body temperature and air temperature differ, air convection is produced, and only then can this boundary layer be eliminated. The existence of the boundary layer hinders the transpiration of orchid leaves, and along with it hinders the outflow of water vapor, while also preventing the inflow of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so photosynthesis is affected. And if transpiration does not proceed smoothly, it will also affect the root's water absorption and nutrient uptake. Therefore, if the orchid room is humid, stuffy, and poorly ventilated, orchids are prone to root rot.
2. Reproduction of diseases: Under stagnant air after watering, water droplets on the surface of orchid leaves do not evaporate easily. Water droplets can promote the development of bacteria, fungi, and spores, helping hyphae penetrate into the plant body, causing diseases to reproduce rapidly. Therefore, stagnant air has a great impact on orchid diseases inside the greenhouse.
3. Therefore, turning on the internal circulation electric fan after watering can quickly blow dry the moisture on orchid leaves, prevent disease occurrence, and increase water evaporation from the leaf surface, which helps the orchid roots absorb water and supports healthy orchid growth
4. On a dry, ventilated balcony after watering orchids, there is no need to turn on a fan to strengthen air flow. The main reason is that dry air quickly evaporates the moisture on the leaf surface, so the leaves dry quickly, and therefore diseases are also unlikely to occur. (The data in subsection four refer to relevant materials from Taiwan Chung Hsing University)
(5) Use the greenhouse concept to grow orchids, not build a greenhouse to grow orchids
Orchid growth and flowering have certain conditions of temperature, humidity, sunlight intensity, and ventilation. The closer to these conditions, the better the orchid's growth and flowering. Therefore, we should use the perspective of a greenhouse to transform our orchid growing environment. First observe what the orchid growing environment lacks, and supplement whatever is missing, improving the orchid growing environment at the lowest cost. For example, in high-latitude areas, what is most lacking in orchid growing is temperature, so growing orchids indoors where there is heating supply allows orchids to grow very well. If there is no appropriate temperature, a single winter will freeze many orchids to death. As for professional orchid growing, of course it is best to choose an environment suitable for orchid growing or build a professional greenhouse, because the orchid's reproduction rate is related to profitability and competitiveness.
IV. Refer to the Good Orchid Growing Environments of Seniors to Improve Your Own Environment
If beginners do not know how to set up a good orchid growing environment, they can, according to their own orchid growing environment and geographical location (the equipment of an orchid garden varies according to climatic conditions), select suitable orchid growing seniors from the articles below, observe the orchid growing facilities from the perspective of a greenhouse, and use them as reference to improve their own environment. I believe this will definitely help with orchid growing. Of course, the management methods of the orchid room should still be learned from local experienced seniors to be safer.
(1) Mountain orchid growing environments:
1. Senior Orchid Piglet grows orchids by the mountainside in Huangyan, Zhejiang. In the article "Open-air Orchid Garden and Beautiful Orchid Plants Under High Temperature," there are photos of the orchid garden environment.
2. Xiaozhi Guolan introduces Taiwan's mountain orchid growing environment in "Chinese Orchid Paradise - Jiaren Orchid Garden."
(2) Flatland orchid growing environments:
1. Senior Zhang Yan's ground-level orchid garden in Chengdu, Sichuan. In the article "Nothing to Do, So I Took Some Photos of the Orchid Shed for the Record," there are photos of the orchid garden.
2. Lanzhuju Orchid Garden's semi-ground-level orchid garden in Weifang, Shandong. In the article "Now Is the Moment to Witness a Miracle," there are photos of the orchid garden.
3. Senior Sleeping Until Noon's ground-level orchid garden in Chengdu, Sichuan. In the article "Orchid Growing Newbies Please Come In, Teach You to Quickly Become an Expert," there are photos of the orchid garden.
4. Senior Zhu Dayong's ground-level orchid garden in Tai'an, Shandong. In "HuilanIntroduction Experience," there are some photos of the orchid garden.
5. Zhengzhou Qingfeng Garden's flatland orchid garden in Zhengzhou, Henan. In the article "Using Light in Winter," there are some photos of the orchid garden.
6. Xingyun Orchid Garden's flatland orchid garden in Yingkou, Liaoning. In the article "My Growing Environment," there are photos of the orchid room.
7. Qincui Pavilion Orchid Garden's flatland orchid garden in Dujiangyan, Sichuan. In the article "Qincui Pavilion Growing Medium, Environment and Management," there are photos of the orchid garden.
8. Donglin Flowers grows orchids on flatland in Foshan, Guangdong. In the article "Workflow for Exporting Orchids," there are photos of the orchid garden.
9. Senior Taoyi grows orchids on flatland in Jiangshan, Zhejiang. In the article "A Simple Orchid Room Built by Myself," there are photos of the orchid garden.
10. Senior Lizhuan grows orchids in Bengbu, Anhui. In the article "My Own Orchid Growing Environment," there are some photos of the orchid garden.
11. 527 Orchid Studio introduces the orchid growing environment of an orchid-growing family in the article "Inspecting an Orchid-Growing Family Yielded Quite a Lot."
12. Senior Flower Essence grows orchids on flatland in Changning, Shanghai. In the article "This Year's New Shoots Are Growing Robustly," there are some photos of the orchid garden.
13. Yongjia Orchid Garden grows orchids on flatland in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. In the article "My New Orchid Garden," there are photos of the orchid garden.
(3) Greenhouse orchid growing environments:
1. Senior First Fragrance converted a balcony into a small greenhouse for growing orchids in Taizhou, Zhejiang. In the article "The Most Important Factor for Growing Orchids Well - Environment," there is an introduction on how to turn a balcony into a small greenhouse.
2. Jianqiao Orchid Room in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, is the person in charge of Sanjing Greenhouse Company, a professional greenhouse manufacturer. In the article "Modern Orchid Room," there are detailed photos of a standard greenhouse orchid room.
(4) Open-style orchid growing environments on apartment balconies:
1. Senior Zhu Chunyuan grows orchids in an open-stylebalconyin an apartment in Kunshan, Jiangsu. In "Pesticides, Spraying, and Root Drenching All Together," there are some photos of the orchid garden.
2. Jingjiang Gulan grows orchids in an open-style window area of an apartment in Guilin, Guangxi. In the article "Hanging a Frame Outside the Balcony to Grow Orchids," there are photos of orchid growing.
3. Senior anjun grows orchids in an open-style apartment in Chengdu, Sichuan. In the article "My Balcony Orchid Rack - Fully Natural," there are photos of orchid growing.
4. New Orchid Fan grows orchids in an open-style setup in Chengdu, Sichuan. In the article "Orchid Water-Feeding Cultivation Method," there are photos of the orchid garden.
5. Senior Natural Shed grows orchids in an open-style apartment in Nanning, Guangxi. In the article "New Home, New Balcony," there are photos of orchid growing.
(5) Closed-style orchid growing environments on apartment balconies:
1. Senior Watching Chess's sealed, heated orchid garden environment in Rizhao, Shandong. In the article "Showing Off Flower Racks and Flower Buds," there are photos of the orchid garden.
2. Senior Beiyuan Lanren's sealed balcony orchid garden with heating in Jilin, Northeast China. In the article "Interpreting Northeast Orchid Growing," there are photos of the orchid garden.
3. Senior Yaya's sealed and open-style balcony orchid garden in Changping, Beijing. In the article "This Is How I Grow Orchids," there are photos of the orchid garden.
4. Senior Fanchen's sealed balcony orchid garden in Kunming, Yunnan. In the article "Complete Record of Balcony Orchid Growing Renovation," there are photos of the orchid garden.
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5. Square Dance grows orchids on a sealed balcony in Gansu. In the article "Reflections on Fiddling with Plants in Golmud, Qinghai," there are photos of the orchid garden.
5. Dance in the Square: Growing orchids on an enclosed balcony in Lanzhou, Gansu. There are photos of the orchid garden in the article "Tips from Fiddling with Grass in Golmud, Qinghai".
6. Beijing Orchid Friend grows orchids on a sealed balcony in Daxing, Beijing. In the article "This Is How I Grow Orchids," there are photos of the orchid garden.
7. Senior Peanut grows orchids in a sealed room in Zhengzhou, Henan. In the article "My Small Orchid Room," there are photos of the orchid garden.
8. Senior Yinuo grows orchids on a sealed balcony in Harbin, Heilongjiang. In the article "Northern Orchid Growing Notes, Continued," there are photos of the orchid garden.
9. Senior Tieshan Lan grows orchids on a sealed balcony in Jieyang, Guangdong. In the article "My Balcony," there are photos of the orchid garden.
10. Senior Wind, Flower, Snow, Moon grows orchids on an apartment balcony in Chengdu, Sichuan. In the article "Orchid Growing Environment," there are photos of the orchid garden.
11. Senior Changbai Mountain grows orchids on a sealed apartment balcony in Baishan, Jilin. In the article "Growth of Orchid Plants Grown on a Northeast Balcony," there are photos of the orchid garden.
12. Senior Youxuan grows orchids on an enclosed balcony of an apartment in Beijing. In the article "Important Data in Theory, More Important" there are photos of the orchid room.
13. Mr. Wang grows orchids in an enclosed apartment balcony in Deyang, Sichuan. In the article "Humidity Is Key to Growing Flowers on a Balcony" there are photos of the orchid room.
14. Senior Wang Kun grows orchids in an enclosed balcony of an apartment in Shandong. In the article "Little Experience of Growing Orchids on a Balcony" there are photos introducing the management methods.
15. Senior Wuyan grows orchids in an enclosed balcony room of an apartment in Tianjin. In the article "Current State of My Small Orchid Room" there are
photos of the orchid garden.
(6) Orchid-growing environment on apartment rooftops:
1. Shunliang Orchid Garden is an open-air orchid garden on the fifth-floor rooftop in Changzhou, Jiangsu. In the article "Management Methods for Open-Air Cultivation and Direct Sunlight on a Fifth-Floor Terrace" there are photos of the orchid garden.
2. Senior linjng719 has an open-air orchid garden on the ninth-floor rooftop in Meizhou, Guangdong. In the article "My Orchid Shed on the Ninth-Floor Rooftop" there are photos of the orchid garden.
3. Senior Lancao jinshui grows orchids in an open rooftop setup in Longyan, Fujian. In the article "Look at My Rooftop Cold-Growing Cymbidium Garden" there are photos of the orchid garden.
4. Senior Laobai grows orchids in an open rooftop setup in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. In the article "My
Summary of Growing Cymbidium goeringii on an Open Balcony" there are photos of the orchid garden and cultivation methods.
V. Several Misconceptions in Growing Chinese Cymbidiums
(1) Mistaking survival conditions for conditions for growth and flowering.
Orchids are very tough and hard to kill, but getting them to grow and flower well is truly difficult. Many orchid enthusiasts believe that after being grown for a long time, orchids will adapt to their environment and grow and flower normally, but in non-orchid-producing regions this is impossible, because an orchid's genes have already set at what temperature it grows and at what temperature it flowers; without these environmental conditions, the orchid will show it by dying, failing to grow larger, or not flowering….. At that point, only by changing the environment to match the orchid's original ecology will the orchid grow and flower normally.
(2) Wondering why some of my orchids grow very well while others do not.
Earlier I discussed the native habitats of orchids, ranging from 300-3000 meters. Because orchids' native environments differ, the environment each type of orchid needs also differs. Naturally, orchids suited to one's own environment grow well, while those not suited to it grow poorly. Therefore, when buying orchids, one should first assess whether that type of orchid suits one's own environment, to avoid failure in introducing them.
(3) Are wild-origin plants better or are re-exported plants better?
If this question is changed to whether local plants are better or non-local plants are better, I believe the essence of the problem can be seen more clearly. If it is an open growing environment, then of course buying local plants is better, as they can better adapt to the local climate and reduce the orchid mortality rate. But if it is enclosed growing with appropriate temperature, humidity, light, and ventilation conditions, then no matter whether they are wild-origin plants, re-exported plants, greenhouse plants, or tissue-culture seedlings….. they can all be grown very well. So which type of plant to buy depends on the orchid grower's environment.
(4) Why is it that when I grow orchids according to others' methods, I still always fail to grow them well?
Nowadays online information is very developed, and all kinds of orchid cultivation and management methods are available, which often leaves beginners even more confused. Which cultivation method is actually suitable for me? As for growing media, there are water, soil, sand, stones, bricks, Kanuma soil, bark, tree fern, foam, peanut shells……… and so on. There are all sorts of strange things. Looking at the growing results, the roots are all numerous and grow well, but sometimes when these materials are used for planting, the results are not very good and root rot occurs. The main reason is that the materials used do not match the local climatic conditions. So beginners going online must find local orchid enthusiasts and see whether the orchid-growing environment is the same as their own, what materials and pots they use to grow orchids, and what their management methods are, then improve gradually after starting to grow orchids. Of course, others' orchid-growing experience can also be referenced, but one must consider whether it suits one's own environment. For example, some people say that after watering you should use a fan to blow them dry, while others say you do not need to. Naturally, management methods differ in different environments. You must look at your own environment to decide how to manage your orchids.
VI. Conclusion:
When the orchid-growing environment is right and suitable for orchid growth, orchids are very easy to grow. Look at wild orchids in orchid-producing regions: exposed to wind, sun, and rain, growing in the soil, needing no watering or care, they grow very well naturally on their own. So orchid enthusiasts in orchid-producing regions often feel that orchids are very easy to grow. But when orchids arrive in non-orchid-producing regions, they have left their original living environment, and the poor environment causes orchids to die, new shoots to fail to emerge, and no flowering, and so on. If after several years of growing them there is still no way to improve the situation, then this is not a problem with cultivation technique but a problem with the environment. So one should consider using an enclosed environment to adjust the microclimate, and only then can the orchids possibly return to normal growth. Therefore a senior once said: "In a poor environment, wanting to grow orchids well is very difficult." This is truly a wise saying.