How to grow orchids best? Master the correct care methods
Orchids are flowers that combine beauty of bloom, fragrance and foliage, and together with chrysanthemums, narcissus and acorus, they are known as the four elegant flowers and plants; they are also one of China's top ten famous flowers. In ancient times, good writing was called "orchid prose", and close, deeply affectionate friends were called "orchid friends" or "orchid friendship", so orchids became a symbol of all that is beautiful in the world. Here I will share with you just how to grow orchids best.
Care environment
Orchids generally grow mostly in high mountain dense forests and among shrubs and weeds, and are also found in wild woods and bamboo forests. A saying about growing orchids goes, "love the morning sun, avoid the setting sun, prefer southern warmth, fear northern cold", and orchids are afraid of smoke and dust.
1. Growing medium
Wild orchids grow on shady, well-ventilated mountain slopes where water does not accumulate, so the growing medium must be airy, loose and soft, well-draining, and slightly acidic. For outdoor cultivation, muddy flower soil is the most commonly used.
Orchid mud refers to the soil found in hollows of rocks on mountains, formed by plant leaves rotting after being exposed to wind, rain and sun; the soil is loose and soft, airy and slightly acidic. In the Jiangnan region of China, people traditionally dig orchid mud from places such as Kuaiji Mountain in Shaoxing, Yanwo Ridge in Yuyao, Shiniu Mountain in Fuyang, Baoshan in Hangzhou, Tongguan Mountain in Yixing, Junshan in Nantong, and Yushan in Changshu. Before liberation, there was a saying of "one carrying pole of flower mud for one carrying pole of rice".
Weathered mountain rock gravel soil can also be used as a growing base. Farmers in Cangyan Town, Shengzhou, use the gravel soil of the local Cangyan Mountain as a growing medium; Cangyan Su has been cultivated with this soil for over a hundred years. Some people also use red soil brick gravel and red soil mountain mud as a growing base, and some use soil with clumps of weeds that has been roasted over fire into crushed roasted soil as a medium. Both of the above fit the characteristics of being airy, permeable and slightly acidic, and are rich in phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, so they can be used as orchid growing media, but nitrogen fertilizer should be supplemented appropriately.
In recent years, with the introduction of orchid growing from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, China and abroad, indoor orchid growing has become more widely promoted, so sphagnum moss, perlite, volcanic ejecta rock, granular brick pieces, granular immortal soil and granular peat have become ideal media. Their greatest advantage is that they make water management easy.
2. Temperature and humidity
The optimal growing temperature for Jiangsu and Zhejiang orchids is 18-30°C; below 5°C and above 35°C growth is slow, and the reproductive growth period is 5-18°C.
Orchids grow well when the relative air humidity is 60-70%; being too dry or too wet can easily trigger orchid diseases. Therefore, outdoor cultivation should create a gradual humidity microclimate suitable for orchid growth, and indoors, sprayers and hygrometers should be installed.
3. Light control
Wild orchids grow beneath dense forests and tall bamboo, where the woods block intense sunlight, making orchids love shade and fear strong sun. Sunlight is essential for plant photosynthesis and is the energy source for producing nutrients. Orchids like morning sunlight. When the morning sun first rises, the sunlight angle is low, so the orchid receives light over a large area. Also, because morning sunlight is blocked by morning mist, the light is relatively soft and direct exposure will not scorch orchid leaves. After accumulating nutrients at night, orchids have the strongest photosynthetic capacity in the morning. Therefore, in summer, sunlight can be allowed to shine directly on orchid leaves before seven o'clock, and after seven o'clock a 50%-90% shade net should be used to block the sunlight.
Around Qingming, orchids can be given more sun to promote root growth and more leaf buds; after Bailu, when the weather turns cool and most new plants have grown, they can also be given more sun to promote plump flower buds and allow the orchid plant to store more nutrients for the coming year's growth. The length of sunlight exposure directly affects orchid growth. With more sunlight, orchid leaves are more yellow, roots are well developed, and flowers are healthy. Conversely, orchid leaves are dark green, the root system is poorly developed, and flowering is not easy. With long sunlight exposure, petals are thick in texture; conversely, petals are thin in texture. But if exposed to sunlight excessively, orchid leaves may be scorched, and it may even cause dehydration and death.
4. Water requirements
Controlling water is the most fundamental condition for growing orchids well. Orchid leaves are relatively thick in texture and protected by a cuticle on the surface, so orchid leaves do not consume large amounts of water. The pseudobulbs and fleshy roots of orchids can store a certain amount of nutrients and water, so they are relatively drought-tolerant. Apart from the root-growing and sprouting stages and the rapid growth period, when they need more water, they consume less water at other times.
If there is too much water, it causes waterlogging in the soil, blocks root respiration, and easily causes root rot. Too much water also causes orchid leaf cell walls to become water-filled and leaf stomata to open, resulting in diluted nutrients, which leads to weak tissues, poor growth and disease. Orchids love rain but fear waterlogging, and love moisture but fear wetness. Because air humidity differs in spring, summer, autumn and winter, orchid growth rates differ, and water requirements also differ. Accordingly, there is a saying that whether you can grow orchids mainly depends on whether you can water them.
5. Air control
Orchids like circulating, unpolluted air. The orchid-growing site should be far from coal gas and cooking fumes, and far from places with flying dust. Cooking fumes and dust attached to the leaf surface will block leaf respiration and affect photosynthesis. If air does not circulate, bacteria and viruses will attach to the leaf surface, harming orchid growth.
6. Fertilizer requirements
Orchids like light feeding, so fertilizer should be applied lightly rather than heavily. Like other plants, nitrogen can promote lush growth of stems and leaves. Phosphorus can promote well-developed orchid roots, promote robust development of reproductive organs, and spread stems and leaves. Magnesium, sulfur, iron and other trace elements can make leaves green and flowers strong.
During the vigorous growth period, orchids should be fertilized more; during the dormant period or weak growth period, no fertilizer may be applied. If fertilizer is applied excessively, it will burn roots and leaves and cause irreparable loss.
"Three parts planting, seven parts care" - this is the ancients' experience in growing orchids. The quality of care determines whether orchids will flourish and whether they can bloom, so it makes sense that predecessors attached great importance to this. Below is a specific introduction to the methods of caring for and managing orchids.