How to care for orchids in summer? A detailed guide to summer orchid care essentials

In summer, as temperatures rise, all kinds of orchids enter their peak growing season. At this time, you should focus on heat prevention and cooling, fertilizer and water management, and pest and disease control for orchids to get through the summer, so that the orchids can pass the summer safely.

Shading: entering summer, whether orchids are grown in the open ground or kept indoors, strong light must be blocked. A shade frame should be set up for shading, such as bamboo blinds or reed blinds, opened in the morning and evening to receive the scattered light of dawn and sunset. Semi-open orchid growing sites need all-day diffused light, and variegated-leaf orchids need 15% of full-day light. To speed up the growth of orchid shoots, they can be given 1 hour of weak light in the morning and evening, while in extreme heat it is even more necessary to strengthen shading and heat prevention and cooling. Whether on the ground or on a balcony, it is best to sprinkle water frequently in the morning and evening to increase humidity and lower the temperature. The orchid growing site should be well ventilated, and the air must be kept fresh.

Watering: during the peak growing season of orchids, once there is a water shortage in summer, potted orchids will grow poorly. Orchids need eight parts dry and two parts wet. Watering should follow the principle of "water when dry, stop when wet, and keep slightly on the dry side." Watering must soak through, and half-way watering must not be done. The number of waterings can depend on the potting medium of the orchids. For hard, well-draining media such as volcanic rock, red brick granules, and pumice, water can be supplied once a day; for highly water-absorbent media such as pine bark, pond mud, and humus soil, water can be supplied once every two or three days. Watering is generally done in the early morning or evening, and it is strictly forbidden to water at noon or pour water directly onto the crown. Clean, pollution-free, slightly acidic water (pH 5.5-6.5) is best. Orchid root rot, black spots on the leaves, and rotting leaf buds and other unhealthy conditions are mostly related to improper watering.

Fertilizing: generally speaking, green-leaf varieties should be given fertilizer with a balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while variegated-leaf orchids are better given only phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. In the early part of summer, apply liquid fertilizer once every 10 to 15 days, and when the extreme heat raises the temperature above 30°C, all kinds of orchids should stop being fertilized. Four-season orchids should also not be fertilized during the period when the flower stalks emerge from the soil or when they bloom. No matter what kind of organic fertilizer is used, it must be fully fermented and decomposed, and diluted with clean water before use. The best time to fertilize is in the evening, and then spray clean water once again early the next morning. Yellow and thin leaves mean a lack of fertilizer, so topdressing should be applied; black leaf surfaces and scorched leaf tips mean too much fertilizer, so fertilizing should be stopped. In summer, about every 10 days, spray 0.1% monopotassium phosphate once for foliar feeding, and within one or two hours, water the potted orchids thoroughly with clean water to wash away leftover fertilizer and avoid it gathering at the roots and causing orchid root rot.

Pest and disease control: in summer, when rain is plentiful and air humidity is high, the orchid growing site is too wet and the material in the pots turns sour, which easily breeds all kinds of diseases. If black spot, southern blight, or anthracnose is found, the diseased plants and diseased leaves should be removed and pruned in time, and ventilation and light transmission should be strengthened at the same time to reduce environmental humidity. Southern blight is very likely to occur in summer. A 1:1:100 Bordeaux mixture can be used to drench the roots, and some plant ash or lime can also be scattered at the roots. For black spot and anthracnose, a 500- to 800-fold solution of 50% carbendazim, or an 800-fold solution of 70% thiophanate-methyl, can be sprayed for control. After red spider mites, aphids, and scale insects appear, the infested branches and leaves should be pruned in time to reduce the source of pests. A 1000-fold solution of 40% omethoate or 50% malathion can also be used for control, sprayed 3 times in a row, with good results. I publish orchid knowledge and pictures every day, taking you to understand orchids in depth and teaching you how to grow orchids easily. If there is anything you do not understand about orchids, you can ask me at any time or leave a message below. If my knowledge has helped you, I hope you can give me a like or share it to help more people!