How to care for orchids during the flowering period? These care points must be mastered

People who love flowers, trees and bonsai are people of refined taste

Caring for orchids during the flowering period is very important; improper care may cause bud drop or even bud blasting. Spring orchids (Cymbidium goeringii) and Faber's cymbidium (Cymbidium faberi) take nearly half a year from bud emergence to full bloom, so during this period careful attention is necessary, as it directly affects whether the orchids can produce beautiful flowers. Below is a summary of some key care points for orchids during the flowering period:

Key care points for orchids during the flowering period

(1) Once the flower buds emerge from the soil, never touch, squeeze or pinch them with your hands: beginners who see new shoots emerging cannot tell whether they are leaf buds or flower buds, and cannot resist touching and pinching them. But those newly emerged shoots are extremely delicate; one squeeze or pinch of the hand will cause the outer bracts to "scorch", or even cause the flower buds to "become stunted", so you can only observe with your eyes, and must never touch or pinch them.

(2) After the flower buds have all emerged, thin the buds according to the number of orchid plants and their growth condition: remove the weak and keep the strong. For example, for a pot of a famous spring orchid variety with only 4 or 5 plants, keeping one flower bud is enough; 8 or 9 strong plants can keep 2 flower buds; with more than ten plants, keeping 3 is fine too. The author has a pot of "Yipin" with 10 plants that produced 8 flower buds; 6 were thinned out, leaving only 2. That was to avoid consuming too many nutrients. The principle of bud thinning is "remove the weak and keep the strong" - if both the front rhizome (pseudobulbs newly grown in the previous year) and the back rhizome produce flower buds, it is better to keep the flower buds of the strong front-rhizome plants and remove those of the back rhizome; if one strong plant produces two flower buds, keep only one; flower buds produced by weak plants must be firmly removed and must not be kept; flower buds that emerge too late are also best removed; those crowded among the orchid leaves are not as good as those kept around the periphery of the plants.

(3) To prevent bud drop, it is necessary to reduce heat and protect against wind and frost: Faber's cymbidium and autumn orchids that bloom in summer and autumn often flower poorly due to too-strong light and too-high temperatures; cold orchids (Cymbidium kanran), Chinese cymbidium (Cymbidium sinense) and spring orchids that bloom in winter and spring are often vulnerable to attacks from biting northwest winds and frost. Therefore, in summer and autumn, sunlight should be blocked and water sprinkled around to lower the temperature; in winter and spring, protection should be provided against attacks from northwest winds and frost.

(4) From stem elongation to petal opening, humidity should be properly controlled: when the orchid begins to elongate its stem, it needs a certain amount of water; if there is no moist environment in the pot, the flower stem will not grow tall and will shrink down to the pot surface, hidden by the leaves, spoiling the appearance. To make the flower scape grow taller, the pot must be kept moist and not too dry. But when it comes time for the bud to open and the petals to spread, the pot should be slightly dry; if the humidity in the pot is too high, although the flower scape can continue to grow taller, it often causes the side petals to "drop their shoulders", affecting the flower's appearance and quality. Therefore, water should be reduced just before the petals open. But this cannot be generalized; for some unusual varieties, such as spring orchid 'Yu Hudie', 'Liangxi Ruidie', 'Wudie' and Faber's cymbidium 'Duoyun', 'Haiou', 'Fengqiao', 'Lixing Ruidie' and so on, not only should they not be slightly dry, but they should actually be kept more moist, to encourage them to display their unusual petal forms even better when the petals open.

(5) When the flower scape rises and the bud tip emerges from the bracts, adjust the light appropriately: after the orchid's flower scape extends, if it leans, the pot should be turned in time so that it receives even light and maintains an upright, graceful posture. Before the flowers open, diffused light should be given. Too-strong light will scorch the flowers; if the light is too weak, the flower color will not be pretty and the flower's spirit will lose its elegance. During the flowering period, it is best to care for them in a shaded place to avoid stimulation from strong light and ensure the flowers bloom pretty and well-formed. Therefore, when the orchid's petals open, it should be placed away from direct sunlight in a spot with diffused light.

(6) Cut the flowers at the right time: the flowering period of orchids is generally just over ten days, and some last as long as a month or so. Ordinary orchids can be allowed to bloom freely, but for rare and precious orchids, so as not to consume too many nutrients and affect the growth of new shoots, spring orchids should be cut at the right time after the petals open, at most one week after full bloom. For Faber's cymbidium, which has multiple flowers on one stem, they should be cut in time 5 or 6 days after the flowers have fully opened from bottom to top (this does not apply if needed for an exhibition).

Method of cutting flowers: spring orchid flowers can be pulled up together with the stem - pinch the flower stem with two fingers about one cun (approx. 3.3 cm) above the pot surface, and quickly pull upward, and the flower will be pulled up together with the stem, leaving no residual stem; Faber's cymbidium flowers cannot be pulled out, so use scissors to cut the flower scape at a slant about 2 cun (approx. 6.6 cm) above the pot surface. For the cut flowers, use a match to scorch the end of the flower scape to "seal" it, then keep them in a vase with water; they can still be enjoyed for several days without wilting. There is also a simpler method: use a clean glass bottle, pour out the accumulated water, put the cut flowers into the bottle, and cover it tightly; because there is a certain humidity inside the bottle, the flowers will remain as pretty as ever, and can be enjoyed for half a month without fading.

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