How to care for orchids in autumn? An old orchid grower's 7-word management method makes the leaves elegant and the flowers fragrant
Autumn is the flowering season for Cymbidium ensifolium, and many orchid enthusiasts on social media have been posting beautiful photos one after another, with quite a good harvest this year. The one below is an orchid enthusiast from Tianjin who has been growing orchids for several years and has fairly rich care experience. This is the result of the Cymbidium ensifolium 'Yushan Qidie' in his orchid garden - not bad, right?
Even an orchid enthusiast with many years of experience could not avoid losing many varieties to decline this summer, and felt quite sad about it! So in September, this golden season for orchid growth, management must be strengthened to grow strong plants, strive to divide them next year, and make up for the varieties lost this summer.
Growers, seeing other enthusiasts grow plants so well, are always curious about what special care they provide, so when I saw that this Tianjin orchid enthusiast's orchids all bloomed so beautifully, I also asked him about his "flower-forcing" technique. He summed up his management in 7 words: big water, big fertilizer, big sun.
1. Big water. Autumn is a fairly dry season, with low air humidity, and the potting medium dries out easily, so orchids are prone to dry, curled leaf tips. That is why the ancients said of orchid care, "do not let them dry in autumn" - meaning that in autumn you should water orchids more, avoid the potting medium becoming too dry, and keep it on the "moist" side.
The autumn climate is dry, especially in northern regions, so you must be sure to increase the air humidity in the orchid room. You can install a humidity meter in the orchid room; the air humidity orchids like best is around 60%, and if it falls below 45%, you must increase humidity artificially. You can place a water tray under the orchids or spray water on the floor, and if conditions allow, buy a humidifier, which works very well.
We must humidify in moderation; if humidity is too high, the orchids' resistance will decline, and in an orchid room with poor ventilation, the plants will immediately get soft rot or stem rot, so this still needs attention. In southern regions, where there has been a lot of rain recently, you need to control water and keep the orchid room ventilated. After the weather clears, it is best to wait until the potting medium is slightly dry before watering.
2. Big fertilizer. In September the weather turns cool, and the orchids enter a rapid growth period. If you want to promote this year's new growth into large, strong plants and accumulate nutrients to prepare for producing big shoots and large plants next year, you must manage fertilization well. Fellow orchid growers can fertilize once every 10-15 days according to their own orchids' growth conditions. The Tianjin orchid enthusiast's fertilization method is: alternating use of organic nutrient solution + potassium dihydrogen phosphate.
He first uses an organic nutrient solution specially for orchids to water the potting medium, because this nutrient solution is made from sugarcane bagasse through microbial fermentation and is rich in organic matter, which is good for rooting - and in orchid growing, growing roots is very important; after 15 days, he then sprays the leaves with potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and the flower spikes shoot up rapidly while the leaves also grow very handsome. Of course, the fertilizer concentration must be weak - apply dilute fertilizer frequently. After fertilizing, water again the next day; this can effectively prevent fertilizer burn.
3. Big sun. Orchids are shade-loving plants, and moderate light can enhance the plants' resistance. In September weather, when the temperature is below 25 degrees, growers can move the orchid pots to a place with sunlight and let the orchids bask in the sun; if it is above 25 degrees, you should still shade them appropriately to avoid scorched tips and shrunken leaves.
When the orchids have already shown flower buds, you need to control water to promote drying and encourage flower bud development. Autumn is the golden season for orchid growth, so fellow growers should make good use of this season of harvest and expand their collection!