Phalaenopsis orchids are decorative flowers suitable for growing at home
Why do I say Phalaenopsis orchids are very suitable for decorating our homes? Let's take a look!
1. Phalaenopsis orchids have a beautiful face and stand out among the many plants. Decorating a home with them will add a touch of purple to the home. Whether a house is full of vitality or not, color is very important. In addition, living things also play a very good role. Considering these two points, Phalaenopsis orchids are a very suitable choice. The Phalaenopsis genus is a famous cut flower species. Phalaenopsis is a monopodial epiphytic orchid with short stems, large leaves, and one to several arching flower stems. The flowers are large and named for their butterfly-like shape. Its flower posture is graceful and its colors are gorgeous. It is a treasure among tropical orchids and has the reputation of “Queen of Orchids.” The most beautiful and most capable person in a country is the queen. With such a title, Phalaenopsis's strength is self-evident.
2. Phalaenopsis orchids fill a home with a joyful atmosphere and reflect a home style that yearns for happiness. We all know that there are many kinds of Phalaenopsis orchids. The Phalaenopsis genus is a famous cut flower species. Phalaenopsis is a monopodial epiphytic orchid with short stems, large leaves, and one to several arching flower stems. The flowers are large and named for their butterfly-like shape. Its flower posture is graceful and its colors are gorgeous. The most attractive are blue, pink, red, yellow and pink. With so many color choices, if viewed together, they create a colorful effect that can fill a home with a festive atmosphere, like the New Year. Think back to how we feel every New Year. We all have many wishes and are very happy. Everyone has a new beginning. As the saying goes: “Good spirits come with happy events.” Plant Phalaenopsis orchids, and the bright colors make a home cheerful and festive. When you feel good, your spirits are naturally high.
3. Phalaenopsis orchids can create an elegant home style. Everyone knows that Phalaenopsis orchids are relatively expensive among flowers. It is like buying a piece of clothing in daily life: a famous brand can be recognized at a glance, and the feeling is different. Phalaenopsis orchids are the same, so pairing them with equally classic and expensive Chinese-style furniture adds even more luxurious texture, reflecting an elegant, generous and luxurious home style.
Placed at home, Phalaenopsis orchids give people a feeling of prosperity, and just thinking about it makes one happy. Try growing one at home!
Indoor plant - Golden Barrel Cactus
For the plant list below, friends can reply with the name to get it automaticallyAutumn-flowering flowers: geranium, forget-me-not, obedient plant, snapdragon, tuberose, marigold, carnation, French marigold, garden phlox, creeping phlox, corn poppy, cyclamen, red spider lily, nasturtium, morning glory, China aster, gazania, blue-eyed daisy, cornflower, African daisy, black-eyed Susan, black-eyed Susan, chrysanthemum, Rieger begonia, bamboo begonia, tuberous begonia, iron cross begonia, painted-leaf begonia,
Summer-flowering flowers: daylily, powdery thalia, iris, pickerelweed, cockscomb, impatiens, wax begonia, Dianthus sternbergii, cosmos, Chinese violet, dahlia, blue salvia, globe amaranth, zinnia, hydrangea, sensitive plant, florist's rose, verbena, pansy, sunflower, water lily, balloon flower, moss rose, jasmine, stock, Oncidium, gardenia, baby's breath.
Winter and spring flowers: hyacinth, cineraria, kalanchoe, Phalaenopsis orchid, clivia, primrose, lily, daisy, Christmas cactus, narcissus, pitcher plant
Indoor foliage plants: pothos, spider plant, asparagus fern, Schefflera, dwarf umbrella tree, ZZ plant, anthurium, peace lily, Peperomia, arrowhead plant, Cordyline, Hawaiian palm, fishtail palm, areca palm, lucky bamboo, bamboo palm, Radermachera, Alocasia, Philodendron, calla lily, Calathea, Aglaonema, money tree, snake plant, cactus, ball cactus, Golden Barrel Cactus
Ferns: maidenhair fern
Hanging and climbing plants: pothos, spider plant, English ivy, heartleaf philodendron, cissus, string of hearts, necklace vine, hoya, Boston ivy, morning glory
Herb plants: basil, French marigold, mosquito plant, angelonia, marjoram, Cuban oregano, thyme, rosemary, lavender, mint.
Plant care knowledge: cuttings, hydroponics
Golden Barrel Cactus
1 Alternative names
Ivory ball, Golden Barrel cactus
2 Family, genus, origin and morphology
Origin: native to central Mexico
Family, genus and morphology: It is a perennial spiny succulent plant in the Cactaceae family, Echinocactus genus.
Stem and spines: The stem is spherical, single or clustered, 1.3 m tall, 80 cm in diameter or larger. The top of the ball is densely covered with golden-yellow wool. It has 21-37 prominent ribs. The areoles are very large and densely covered with hard spines. The spines are golden yellow, later turning brown. There are radial spines 8-10 cm long, and 3-5 central spines, relatively thick, slightly curved, 5 cm long.
Flowers: Blooms from June to October. The flowers grow among the wool at the top of the ball, bell-shaped, 4-6 cm, yellow. The flower tube is covered with pointed scales.
3 Brief description of varieties
Its variant varieties include wild-spined golden barrel cactus, short-spined golden barrel cactus, and white-spined golden barrel cactus.
4 Flower language and allusions (flower-giving guide)
Warding off disasters and evil.
5 Uses
The Golden Barrel Cactus has a large ball body, long and hard spines, bright and rich spine colors, strong vitality, easy cultivation, and a long lifespan. It is easy to grow in pots for ornamental purposes. As people's living standards continue to improve, planting Golden Barrel Cacti has also become a fashion today. Using large specimen balls to decorate halls creates a resplendent golden brilliance. Enthusiasts carefully cultivating one or several specimen balls further demonstrates their level of cultivation skill;
It is also an ideal flower to place in the bedroom because it releases oxygen at night. If several or dozens of plants are grown, they can be made into an interesting bonsai or a magnificent desert plant landscape.
In addition, it is also edible. After the stem flesh is candied and processed, it can be made into “cactus preserves”; the mucus in the fleshy stem has a water-purifying effect, providing a good water purifying agent for field work.
6 Planting and flowering time
The best time is when its winter dormancy ends and before it begins to grow. The next best time is the summer dormancy period. It blooms from June to October.
7 Growth habits
Cultivation difficulty: average
Light: When cultivating the Golden Barrel Cactus, its demand for sunlight should be met as much as possible. Except when it is brought indoors for care in winter, it must be placed in a sunny place all day in spring, summer and autumn. If the Golden Barrel Cactus is kept indoors for a long time, it will affect its body color and spine growth, cause the ball body to become deformed and abnormal, and lose its ornamental value. In winter, when the Golden Barrel Cactus is brought indoors, it should be placed in a sunny spot on the windowsill. After some time, turn the pot so that all parts of the ball receive light evenly. During the intense direct sunlight of midsummer, appropriate shading is needed.
Temperature: Temperature plays an important role in the growth cycle of the Golden Barrel Cactus. In winter, the Golden Barrel Cactus is in a dormant state. In April, the Golden Barrel Cactus wakes up and begins to grow. In May and June, when the temperature reaches the suitable growth temperature for the Golden Barrel Cactus of 25-30°C, it enters a vigorous growth period. In July-August, when the temperature exceeds 35°C, the Golden Barrel Cactus enters summer dormancy. In September, when the temperature drops to 30°C, the Golden Barrel Cactus wakes up again and begins to grow again. If managed well in autumn, its growth rate may exceed that in spring. In mid-to-late November, as the temperature drops, the Golden Barrel Cactus gradually enters dormancy. At this point, the annual growth of the Golden Barrel Cactus comes to an end.
Water: Although the Golden Barrel Cactus is drought-tolerant, it does not mean it does not need water. Some Golden Barrel Cacti never grow large, or even shrink, which is related to not watering for a long time. During the spring and autumn growth periods, the Golden Barrel Cactus should be given sufficient water. During the winter and summer dormancy periods, watering should be controlled. In the early growth stage, water once every 4-5 days or once a week. Water should be poured from the edge of the pot, preferably at 9 or 10 in the morning or 4 or 5 in the afternoon. Tap water is best left to stand for 2 days before watering. From late April to June, the Golden Barrel Cactus's water demand increases. Water once in the morning and once in the evening, and water thoroughly. During the plum rain in June, be careful to prevent the potting soil from becoming too wet, which can cause root rot. In July and August, the Golden Barrel Cactus enters summer dormancy, and watering should be controlled. From late September to October, the Golden Barrel Cactus enters the growth period again, and should be watered once every 3-4 days. In November, the growth of the Golden Barrel Cactus tends to stagnate, and watering can be done once every 10 days. In December, the Golden Barrel Cactus enters dormancy and may not need watering, so as to enhance its cold resistance.
Fertilizer: In spring, apply light fertilizer frequently, once a week. In May and June, once every 4-5 days, and the concentration can be slightly higher. Do not fertilize during the high temperatures of midsummer. In September and October, apply once a week. From November to the following spring, do not fertilize. Fertilizer can be made from fully decomposed poultry and fish meat residues or poultry manure diluted with water. It should be applied at 9-10 in the morning or after 5 in the afternoon. Water again one day after fertilizing.
Soil: It requires loose soil with moderate fertility, neutral or slightly acidic pH, and rich in organic matter. Bagged soil is available on the market, or it can be mixed at home. For potting, use 2 parts leaf mold, 4 parts sandy soil, 3 parts garden soil, and 1 part decomposed chicken and duck manure, mixed evenly, and place a small amount of crushed bone meal or shell powder at the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer.
8 Propagation and seedling management
Sowing: Before sowing, first soak the Golden Barrel Cactus seeds in clean water for 12 hours. After drying, mix with river sand and sow evenly on a prepared seedbed. The substrate should use a material with good aeration that both retains water and drains well. Generally, river sand, rice husk ash and honeycomb coal ash are used, mixed evenly at a ratio of 1/3 each. Do not water after sowing; only use spraying to maintain humidity, then cover with a plastic arch film and shade net to maintain temperature and humidity and avoid direct strong light. When more than 80% of the seeds have sprouted, all plastic arch film and shade net should be removed for hardening the seedlings to prevent the seedlings from growing too tall.
Cuttings: This is also a relatively commonly used propagation method. First cut a mature small piece from the mother ball and place it in a shady place for half a day, then insert it for cuttings. This is the key to survival. The cutting substrate should use a material with good aeration that both retains water and drains well. Generally, river sand, rice husk ash and honeycomb coal ash are used, mixed evenly at a ratio of 1/3 each. Do not water after cutting; only use spraying to keep the sandy soil slightly moist.
9 Pruning
None for now
10 Symptoms of common pests and diseases and control methods (considering that many people grow plants in pots at home, I am compiling some environmentally friendly small remedies)
Mealybugs: The scale insect that harms the Golden Barrel Cactus is the mealybug. It harms the plant by sucking plant sap. In severe cases, it can cause the plant to wither and easily induce sooty mold, causing great harm. The control method is to remove them with a bamboo strip or a small hard brush when there are not many affected plants, combined with pruning. Chemical control is to use 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 1000-2000 times dilution when the insect body has just hatched and has not yet been covered with wax.
Rot disease: There are two types of symptoms. One is that the tissue at the base of the plant develops brown soft rot, which then spreads upward and causes the death of the whole plant. The other is that the pith of the plant first forms sponge-like cavities, then rots, while the exterior temporarily shows no visible change. In this case, discovery is already too late and it cannot be saved. Prevention should be the main approach. First improve the structure of the growing medium and other cultivation conditions, and operate correctly and carefully when potting. Check plants frequently. For pots where continuous over-wetness of the potting soil is caused by rain leakage or improper watering, promptly remove the pot and check the root system. If there is no rot, dry it and repot it, then place it in a shaded place. If the plant has a local infection, use a sharp knife to remove the infected tissue, and also remove part of the adjacent healthy tissue, then apply sulfur powder and dry the wound in the sun. If necessary, cut off a healthy part for cuttings or grafting. Chemical control is to spray fungicides regularly, commonly used ones include zineb (concentration 0.15%-0.35%), carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl, etc.
Sooty mold: Because the areoles of the Golden Barrel Cactus often secrete sugary liquid, mold is easily produced. Once the plant is infected, the affected parts look as if they are coated with soot, greatly reducing the ornamental value of the ball body. This disease occurs together with mealybug damage. The control method is to strengthen ventilation, eliminate mealybugs, and spray fungicides such as zineb. Infected plants can be scrubbed with water to remove the soot and restore the plant to green.
11 Other precautions
(1) The root system of the Golden Barrel Cactus secretes an organic acid that acidifies the soil and causes root rot. Therefore, the soil should be replaced every 1-2 years, preferably in spring or autumn.
How to follow this platform
WeChat Contacts - Subscription Accounts - Search - enter huacao990923, or in the small text section below the article title there are the two characters “flowers and plants”. Click into it - Follow, or scan the QR code of the article).
By replying with numbers, you can view past content!
Reply 1, 1.1 - Basic knowledge of flower and plant care;
Reply 2 - Comprehensive collection of common street trees (recommended);
Reply 3 - Identification and control of common pests and diseases (recommended);
Reply 4 - Comprehensive collection of common indoor foliage plants (recommended);
Reply 5 - Guide to choosing plants for purifying indoor air (strongly recommended).
A journey of fragrance through the sea of flowers that enchants us - remembering 20 years of changes in Zhengzhou's flower market
Over 20 years of changing days and months, if the lens were focused on Zhengzhou's “flower girls,” the following scene changes might appear: a few pots of Chinese roses placed on the windowsill at home are now various succulents; a bouquet of plastic flowers held by a bride has been replaced by white roses giving off a delicate fragrance; the past street-side flower selling with pushcarts has developed into multiple large flower markets and an industry with about 30,000 workers.
Years like flowers, as brilliant as mountain blossoms, happy as flowers…… Flowers are often used to describe the beauty of life. Looking back at 20 years of Zhengzhou, this city's bond with flowers is worth telling.
Flower market
From nothing to something: flower selling went from street cries to roadside sheds
In July of this year, at the wedding of Xiaoxiao, a post-90s girl in Zhengzhou, she wore a wedding dress and held white roses. As she walked through the aisle of love, petals also fell from the sky, and both sides were decorated entirely with bright bouquets. Later, she dug out her parents' wedding photo from back then for comparison and found that her mother was holding a bright red peony plastic flower.
That's right. In Zhengzhou in the 1980s, there was no tradition of browsing flower markets, fresh cut flowers were still rare, and at most people went to the department store to pick out some plastic flowers.
Until before 1995, Zhengzhou had only a few stores selling fresh cut flowers on Jingqi Road. The so-called potted flower business was also just selling flowers along the street while pushing a tricycle.
“At that time, people did not yet have the habit of giving flowers for birthdays. Weddings used fake flowers, and people visiting patients also brought food. Market demand for flowers was very small.” Niu Hongyang can be considered one of the earliest people to dabble in the flower business. He recalled that around 1996, at the intersection of Jingliu Road and Weiwu Road, the intersection of Baihua Road and Huzhu Road, and near the old North Bus Station on Huayuan Road, each gathered ten or twenty flower stalls. Several bamboo poles were set up to build plastic sheds, which counted as having fixed storefronts.
During this period, villagers of Chenzhai Village in the northern suburbs of Zhengzhou smelled the market's “flower fragrance.” They introduced glass greenhouses from the Netherlands, tried growing high-end flowers such as anthurium and African daisy, and subsequently conceived the idea of building a flower market.
From small to large: the market reached 3 billion yuan, and “flower second generation” appeared
In 1998, a 15,000-square-meter flower market appeared in Chenzhai near Beihuan Road, equipped with glass sheds and heating, a scale rarely seen north of the Yangtze River.
In the face of rapid economic development, the spring of flower consumption arrived. Bai Zhanfang, general manager of Chenzhai Flower Market, estimated that the turnover reached 300 million yuan in 2004, grew to 1 billion yuan in 2010, and grew to 3 billion yuan in 2014, a full 10-fold increase in 10 years.
“In 2005, Chenzhai Flower Market moved to Guojii Road, and its scale expanded to 50,000 square meters. On opening, the occupancy rate reached 80%.” Bai Zhanfang said.
According to estimates by the Zhengzhou Flower and Nursery Stock Association, about 30,000 people work in Zhengzhou's flower planting industry.
Searching for “flower shop” on Baidu Maps shows 833 in the urban area of Zhengzhou. Flower consumption has “flown into ordinary people's homes.” In a flower market on Zhengbo Road, many shop owners are young post-80s faces. They took over the “mantle” from their parents who sold flowers in the 1990s and became the “flower second generation.”
Zhengzhou's flower market still needs to go further. Different from the shed flower markets of the past, high-end flower markets similar to shopping malls have also begun to appear.
Data list
Before 1995, most flower sellers pushed tricycles along the street to sell.
Around 1996, at the intersection of Jingliu Road and Weiwu Road, the intersection of Baihua Road and Huzhu Road, and near the old North Bus Station on Huayuan Road, each gathered ten or twenty flower stalls. The varieties were mostly traditional local flowers such as Chinese roses, cockscomb, and scarlet sage.
In 1998, a 15,000-square-meter flower market appeared in Chenzhai near Beihuan Road. Anthurium, azalea, and bromeliads became common flowers, and high-end flowers such as Phalaenopsis orchids and cymbidium orchids also appeared.
In 2005, Chenzhai Flower Market moved to Guojii Road, and its scale expanded to 50,000 square meters. High-end flowers were in vogue.
In 2015, searching for “flower shop” on Baidu Maps showed 833 in the urban area of Zhengzhou. Flower consumption “flew into ordinary people's homes.” Small potted plants became popular, and succulents rapidly gained favor.
The estimated total turnover of markets under Chenzhai Flowers reached 300 million yuan in 2004, grew to 1 billion yuan in 2010, and grew to 3 billion yuan in 2014, a full 10-fold increase in 10 years. There are about 30,000 workers.
Flowers
Varieties: no longer pinching leaves to ask if they are real, people care about the “flower language”
Over 20 years, Zhengzhou's popular flowers have also changed several times. Overall, it has gone from traditional to rich.
In the memory of flower-growing expert Luo Jingchao, in 2000 the flower varieties were still relatively traditional. On a business trip to Guangdong, he saw edible aloe and insisted on carrying it back by train, even paying extra weight fees. “90% of the Zhengzhou market was traditional flowers.”
Afterward, new flower varieties continuously entered Zhengzhou. Li Xianhong, who has sold flowers for 17 years, could not help laughing when recalling the earliest flower-selling scenes.
“Flower sellers did not even know the flowers. Every time a new type of flower came in, everyone stared with big eyes and open mouths. They could not even name anthurium, azalea, bromeliad, or narcissus.” She said that when residents visited the flower market and saw new varieties, they often curiously reached out to pinch the leaves, and the most common question was, “Are these flowers real or fake?” Their uncommonness also pushed up prices. Phalaenopsis orchids and cymbidium orchids that now sell for a few dozen yuan each could sell for several hundred yuan at that time.
As a northern city, indoor heating has already solved the problem of flowers overwintering. In recent years, Zhengzhou has become an important distribution center for flowers “going north from the south and west from the east,” with every kind of flower variety available. The popular phrase residents ask when buying flowers has become, “What is the flower language of this flower?”
The same is true for fresh cut flowers. At noon on July 14, in a flower shop near the intersection of Jingqi Road and Weisan Road, a clerk was making a bouquet with pink Awakening roses paired with dancing lady orchids, Lisianthus, ping-pong chrysanthemums, and coral grass, looking varied in color. Chang Suying, a store manager with 13 years in the industry, said that in the past consumers focused on how many lilies or roses, but the style was monotonous. Now more attention is paid to the quality of matching flowers, and novel flowers are constantly being introduced.
Consumption: flowers became part of ordinary life, succulents became popular
Residents' attitudes toward fresh cut flowers reflect changes in ideas from the side. More than 10 years ago, fresh cut flowers were quite unwelcome. People often complained, “Buy them home and just wait for them to die. Who would spend that wasted money?” Now, on Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, flower shop fresh cut flowers are often in short supply, and buying flowers has become a habit for residents.
After the initial development of the flower market, from around 2005 to 2012, high-end flowers gradually became fashionable and reached their peak, becoming hot-selling gifts.
After the Central Eight-Point Regulation, flower consumption began to return to a more ordinary level, and small potted succulents became popular.
On the afternoon of July 15, at a flower market on Yufeng Road, each stall set aside half its area for small flowers, especially succulents. Haworthia cooperi, Hongye Ji, Sedum pachyphyllum, Sempervivum arachnoideum, Graptopetalum paraguayense…… palm-sized small pots with special shapes and novel names.
“In the past two years, succulents have been especially popular. On a good day, several hundred pots can be sold.” The shop owner said that post-80s and post-90s people especially like succulents. They are easy to grow, do not require much careful attention, can absorb computer radiation, are suitable for placing in offices and on windowsills, and can also be used for DIY mini landscapes.