Keep the orchid potting medium airy and well-draining: heavy rain is no problem, and it even promotes sprouting

As the season brings high temperatures and muggy air, the plants at home start to act up, and ventilation in their care is key.

In fact, plants do not always have to be shielded from heavy rain; if the potting medium is airy and well-draining, even the heaviest rain is nothing to fear, because thunderstorms carry a large amount of auxin, which benefits orchid growth. On sunny days, water evaporates quickly, the leaf tips scorch and dry out, and new shoot growth is affected, so watering must be increased.

Orchid shoots grow out from the pseudobulbs, and the pseudobulb is the mother body from which the orchid roots, sprouts, grows leaves, sets buds and blooms. Although in theory each mature plant can produce about 6 orchid shoots, under normal conditions each plant produces only one shoot; only strong, vigorous plants with abundant roots and leaves can produce double shoots, or even more, while the remaining growth points stay dormant. It is clear that raising one's orchid-growing skill so that cymbidiums and orchids have abundant roots and leaves is the basic prerequisite for increasing the orchid sprouting rate.

To get more sprouts, they must first be well fed. Orchids growing vigorously can be fertilized without worry, while those growing poorly should not be fertilized in a hurry. From July to September, fertilize once every 3 weeks; if the temperature is really high, hold off on fertilizing for now. It is best to fertilize in the evening and water again the next morning, which avoids fertilizer burn.

Every time my mother-in-law goes out for a walk, she picks up some twigs and such and brings them home, dries them in the sun and puts them in the flower pots; they also make a very good potting medium.