Growing orchids the old rice-basket way: sharing practical experience

Just after this year's National Day, I went with my orchid friend Guoxiang from village to village, looking around to buyorchids. In different places, we came across several orchid-collecting farmers who used old rice baskets tocultivatewild-collected orchids, and the plants were growing very well. The author thinks this method is worth adopting, and has chosen one particularly notable example to present to readers for reference. An old man surnamed Gan in this county has been growing orchids for just over a year. He grows nearly 150 pots oforchidsin plastic orchid pots, with only average growth. Most of his otherorchidsare planted in old rice baskets that are no longer in use (bamboo-made farm tools that local farmers once used to carry rice and other things; one rice basket can hold more than 60 jin of rice). Each rice basket can holdCymbidium goeringiimore than 20 clumps, nearly 80 plants. When the author asked him how he planted them, Old Man Gan explained: because he had few flower pots, and once farm work got busy he could not keep up with the care, he took the lazy way and planted them all in rice baskets. The bottom of each basket is lined with a layer of crushed stones, then sand that has been steamed at high temperature in a wooden rice steamer is mixed with leaf mold to plant them. After planting the orchids in the rice baskets, he places them in a corner of the flat rooftop and builds a frame above for shade, and that is all. He waters very seldom, letting them get rained on naturally and grow naturally. Old Man Gan has not been growing flowers long. In conversation with him, although he has bought severalorchidbooks to read, my impression was that he has not even got a foot in the door, because he cannot even name the douban grass (linear-leavedCymbidium goeringii), soft-leaved Huilan, and Songchun that he dug up on the mountain himself, let alone judge petal forms and identify flowers. But by making do with whatever was available, growingorchidsthe old-fashioned way, he blundered into growing them well, and they even grow luxuriantly. I think this method is worth learning from. Could we adapt to local conditions and make use of whatever is at hand, using plastic vegetable-washing baskets, plastic rice-washing sieves and the like tocultivateChinese orchids? Wang Banglin Mailing address: Group 1, Gubing Village, Xingshan Town, Majiang County, Guizhou Province Phone: 13885500625