Watering Management Methods for Growing Orchids on a Balcony

Beginnergrowing orchids, I also went up the mountain to collect them and plant them in flower pots. Because at that timeorchidbooks were rarely sold, and they could not be found at all in the county bookstores. Due to busy farm work and lack ofcultivationtechnique, more than ten pots oforchidsall died, especially the loss of a clump of broad-leaved large tiger-stripedCymbidium ensifoliumwith four seedlings, which truly hurt my heart. Later I changed the method and planted all the collected wild orchids in the soil behind the house, so deaths became rare and I only saw sprouting. This patch of soil behind my house is about one mu or more of farmland that had grown crops for many years. The soil is fertile, acidic, black sandy loam, with a slope of about 30 degrees. This plot runs from southwest to northeast, and the sun at 8 o'clock in the morning can shine directly until 4 in the afternoon. When collecting orchids on the mountain, I often encountered places in the forest with dense shade. Althoughorchid plantshad lush leaves, they rarely bloomed. In order to see flowers earlier, the orchids I collected on the mountain three years earlier were planted in the soil without any shading treatment, only letting the weeds growing in the field block part of the sunlight. Mostorchid plantsjust brought down from the mountain had more than one-half of their leaf tips scorched by the sun, looking extremely ugly. After the second and third generations of new plants adapted to the new environment, although the leaves turned yellow-green and were not lush, the flowers were abundant, and flower buds and leaf buds formed very easily, with a sprouting rate of about 50%-200%, and the flower colors were brilliant. The orchid classic says: "More shade gives good leaves, more sun gives good flowers." "Orchidsare enjoyed for flowers for one month and for leaves for a year." In order to organically combine the two, after adopting the method of building frames for partial shading in 2003, the orchids grew basically satisfactorily. More than ten orchid friends from other counties and cities with deeper experience than me who came to my home to buyflowersall considered this method advisable. The specific method is: 1. Shading 1. Method of building a frame and covering with grass for shade. In the middle of the orchid garden and around it, plant wooden poles 10-20 cm in diameter; those with forks are even better. Plant one every 2 m, bury the posts 15-20 cm in the soil, and set them firmly. On top, use wooden strips or bamboo 8-10 cm thick to connect the tops of the posts, with the wooden poles spaced about 70 cm apart, and fix each joint with thin iron wire. Finally cover with wheat straw or miscanthus grass cut on the mountain in winter, etc. If strong direct light hits the sides, the top-covering method can be used to surround it with a fence. A shade density of 75%-80% in summer and autumn is sufficient. In winter and spring, in places with little or no frost and snow, the covering can be removed to increase light inside the shed, enabling the plants to improve their resistance to freezing damage. If there is no mountain or other object in the northwest direction to block the cold wind, the fence and roof covering on the northwest side can be left unremoved or made thicker to form a windbreak wall, blocking severe cold and frost attack. 2. Method of building a frame and growing gourds for shade The method of building a frame and growing gourds for shade is slightly the same as covering with grass, except that more thin wooden strips are added to the roof. When spring warms and flowers bloom and the soil revives, plant more than ten (the specific number should be determined according to the gourd variety planted and the size of the orchid garden) seeds of pumpkin, bottle gourd, or seedlings of chayote and other vines around the orchid garden. By using the strong-light-loving characteristics of such plants, when the summer sun is scorching, these plants have long vines and lush leaves, completely blocking the strong light. The orchid garden is then pleasantly shady with scattered light, both ventilated and cooled, fully suitable for the appropriately warm and humid environment needed for orchid buds to grow vigorously. In winter, especially after frost descends, when flower buds emerge from the soil and flower scapes elongate, the gourd leaves have already been frosted and withered, and the mild sunlight shining on orchid leaves and scapes increases, providing conditions fororchidflowers to have brilliant color and cold resistance. However, note that if many gourds form in the shed, some can be picked to eat or sell to reduce the load on the frame. If the gourd leaves do not grow lushly and cannot block the scorching sun, more nitrogen fertilizer can be applied outside the roots. 3. Method of building a frame and covering with shade netting This method is the same as the previous two, except that fewer wooden strips can be placed on the roof, saving material, reducing weight, and extending the life of the wooden frame. For shading, 85% plastic netting can be used for covering. In winter and spring, when light is weak and there is no frost or snow, it can be left uncovered. 2. Management 1. Weeding. Becauseorchid plantsare planted on farmland and other soil, the ground itself has many weed seeds and root propagules, and additionally weed seeds blown in by the wind from elsewhere take root, so the orchid garden must be weeded frequently. The best method is to pull them up by hand. Generally once a month in summer and autumn. Especially from the stage when orchid young shoots emerge from the soil to when flower buds emerge, one must be extremely careful, slowly parting the grass and pulling them out one small plant at a time, so as not to take away orchid leaves. Generally, weeding one mu of land requires a workload of three to five. 2. Fertilizing. When growing orchids on farmland, one can fertilize less or not at all, because the soil that has grown crops is generally not fertilized due to sufficient fertility. If orchid plants have been planted for more than one year or before winter begins, spray once or twice with monopotassium phosphate foliar fertilizer or apply a small amount of calcium-magnesium fertilizer mixed with potassium sulfate outside the roots. If the land is poor, before planting orchid plants, spread a layer of sifted fine coal ash or plant ash on it. One can also spread a layer of dry firewood and grass on the soil surface where orchids are to be planted and burn it, which can also play some role in killing insects, sterilizing, killing weed seeds, and increasing potassium fertilizer. Then sprinkle a small amount of superphosphate, turn the soil loose and mix it evenly, and then plant the orchids. For topdressing, if planting more than a hundred clumps of orchid plants over a large area, the simplest method is to apply a small amount of 25% NPK ternary compound fertilizer beside the orchid plants, but not too close (note: use cautiously on variegated-leaf orchids, and do not apply to weak seedlings). The purpose of my adopting this method is: the soil is steep, sandy, and nutrients leach quickly, while granular compound fertilizer releases slowly and is not likely to harm the orchids. 3. Pesticide use.Growing orchidswith pesticide use, because it is large-area fieldcultivation, there are many insect pests, and diseases are also likely in hot and humid seasons. Therefore, after each weeding, spray some insecticides and fungicides in rotation every week, such as: Kechade, Baishouqing, carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, etc. 3. Conclusion Homeorchid growingflower wildcultivationmethod has the following benefits: 1. It is especially suitable for beginners in orchid growing to recognize and identify orchids. Through observation and comparison, in practice master the differences in leaves, sheaths, buds, veins, color, etc. during growth among various orchids that produce petal-shaped flowers, colored flowers, plain-heart flowers, deformed-petal flowers, etc., and the differences in the temperature, humidity, light, fertilizer, soil, etc. required for growth. 2. For farmers in mountainous areas, this method can use their own contracted land to domesticate collected orchid plants, rather than directly selling them, and avoid the bad habit of throwing them away if they cannot be sold. Generally orchids will have the possibility of mutating into superiorflowers, and orchid mutation has two types: sudden mutation and gradual mutation. The gradual process is slow; some mutate after two or three years of cultivation, while others take longer to change. For wild-collected plants cultivated in the field, whenever superior flowers or promising varieties appear, experienced orchid growers can be invited to come and select them, or one can breed them directionally oneself for greater development. Ordinary varieties are still left planted in the soil. 3. The imitation wild cultivation method is also suitable for experienced orchid growers to handle ordinary varieties that are not up to grade. Most orchid enthusiasts have the habit of buying plants at flower markets or collecting orchids on the mountain, but not every time can fine orchids be found. Due to unsatisfactory results or factors such as a cramped living environment, if one wants to deal with ordinary varieties and finds it a pity to throw them away but is unwilling to give them away, one or more people can find a plot of land and use this method to cultivate them, which can comfort the heart. 4. Whenever orchid friends encounter ordinary wild-collected orchids discarded in the orchid market, they can pick them up or ask someone to collect them and plant them by this method, rather than turning a blind eye and letting resources go to waste, for which one also bears responsibility. I think the imitation wild cultivation method for home orchid growing is feasible, because for more than four years I have used this method to cultivateCymbidium goeringii、Cymbidium faberi, Songchun, Chunjian, Douban,Cymbidium ensifolium, Erbahui and other varieties, more than ten thousand clumps and tens of thousands of seedlings. Every spring many rare and fine orchids appear, and the benefits are truly substantial. Interested orchid friends might as well give it a try, and orchid enthusiasts with strong economic strength and the intention to buy orchids are welcome to visit during the Spring Festival. (Xie Baoming, Nanhai, Guangdong)