A Complete Guide to Orchid Arrangement and Care Methods
Orchid leaves are elegant, slender and graceful, numerous yet orderly; their flowers have a delicate fragrance that carries far, rich and refreshing. With one plant in a room, the whole house is filled with scent. Orchids, together with plum, bamboo and chrysanthemum, are known as the "Four Gentlemen." Orchids grow among secluded valleys, sparse rocks and fallen leaves, with silver roots tangled and interlaced, leaves leathery and evergreen. They do not vie for splendor with peach and plum blossoms, nor change color because of frost and snow. Their bearing is serene and elegant, their fragrance overflowing. No wonder people call them "the finest fragrance under heaven" and "national fragrance."; The ancient scholar Zhang Yu wrote a poem praising orchids: "It can be white and can also be yellow, fragrant even when no one is around; its heart was never large, yet it holds so much fragrance." From this poem it is clear that the ancients likened orchids to a true gentleman, regarding them as a symbol of steadfastness, beauty and nobility, and they are fully deserving of this.
1. Shaping and Layout
When making bonsai with orchids, they are often combined with rocks, imitating the layout method of "Orchid and Rock Pictures" in Chinese painting. Some plant several orchids of varying heights at one end of the pot, and place one or two relatively tall, exquisitely perforated rocks at the other end not far from the orchids, with 2 to 3 small stones of graceful form placed at suitable spots on the pot surface for contrast. Others plant 4 to 5 orchids of different sizes and heights in a well-spaced, staggered arrangement in the pot, with several appropriately sized, elegantly shaped rocks placed at suitable positions in the pot. When making an orchid-and-rock bonsai, note that the orchids and rocks should differ in height; if they stand on equal footing with no distinction between primary and secondary, the artistic conception will not be beautiful. For making an orchid-and-rock bonsai, the most widely cultivated orchid in China, the spring orchid (Cymbidium goeringii), can be used. Spring orchid leaves are narrow and long, generally 20 to 50 cm; the flower scape is upright, pale yellow-green, fragrant, with a blooming period from February to March. In a bonsai made with spring orchids and rocks, the rocks are tall and vigorous, the orchid leaves curved and soft; hardness and softness complement each other, serene and natural, with a delightful fragrance, full of poetic charm.
2. Planting and Pot Selection
Orchids just purchased from a flower shop or dug up from the mountains should first be cultivated in clay pots for 1 to 2 years, so the plants can adapt to the new environment. Only after they have grown robust can they be placed in fine pots to make bonsai. For bonsai pots, rectangular, oval, round, elongated octagonal and fan-shaped pots are best. Medium-depth purple clay pots are commonly used; if the pot is too deep, the artistic conception of the bonsai will not be beautiful; if too shallow, it is more difficult to care for.
Orchid planting is generally carried out in March to April. After tipping the orchid out of the pot, first cut off old roots and rotten roots, then divide the clumps while planting. Select several plants with differing heights and leaf lengths and plant them at one end of the pot; the line connecting their roots should form a scalene triangle, and they should not be planted in a straight line, otherwise they will look stiff.
For planting orchids, soil rich in humus, loose, and well-drained, neutral or slightly acidic (pH 5.5 to 7.0) is best. You can use three parts peat soil mixed evenly with one part sandy soil, or use humus soil mixed with an appropriate amount of fermented sawdust and cow manure, mixed evenly; you can also buy special orchid soil. Generally, no base fertilizer is applied when planting.
3. Care and Management
(1) Location.Orchids prefer a shaded, warm, humid and well-ventilated environment. But this does not mean orchids need no sunlight at all; spring orchids in particular need more sunlight. Sunlight is an indispensable condition for all green plants to carry out photosynthesis and produce nutrients; it is only that due to differences in plant classification, the amount of sunlight needed varies. If orchids are kept in shade year-round, they will grow poorly and bloom little or not at all.
Orchids prefer cool shade and fear direct strong light. From late spring to early autumn, placing orchids on a north-facing balcony where they can receive sunlight in the morning and evening will meet their sunlight needs. If placed in a sunny spot, from 8 a.m. to ? p.m. each day, reed mats should be used for shading. In late autumn and early winter, when sunlight weakens, orchids should receive more light than in summer, to favor flower bud differentiation.
The growth of orchids is closely related to temperature. Generally speaking, the minimum temperature for orchid growth is 5 to 10°C; the suitable temperature is 15 to 25°C; the high critical temperature is 30 to 35°C (because orchid varieties differ, their temperature requirements also vary). Below 5°C and above 35°C, orchids will stop growing. Whether potted orchids are in the north or the south, they should be brought indoors to overwinter in winter. Spring orchids have a certain cold resistance; a room temperature of about 7°C is enough for them to overwinter.
(2) Watering.Orchids like moist soil, but also fear too much water; when soil moisture is high and air is scarce, aeration is poor, which affects gas exchange in the root system. If the pot soil is too dry, it will cause the plant to lose water and grow poorly. Therefore, the amount of watering should be determined by the season and the orchid's growth conditions. Generally speaking, during hot, dry weather and the orchid's growing period, water appropriately more, and in winter water less. Orchids are fleshy-rooted plants, and too much water easily causes root rot, so water must not accumulate in the pot. Orchids like a humid environment; it is best if they are placed beside a water tank. If this condition is not available, you can often sprinkle water on the ground around the orchid bonsai to maintain a certain humidity.
(3) Fertilizing.For potted orchids, from May to September (except during the dog days), apply a thin, well-rotted organic liquid fertilizer once every half month. Do not fertilize in winter or during the flowering period. In the year of repotting, if the soil contains abundant nutrients, you may also skip fertilizing. If repotting is done only once every few years, then fertilize in a timely manner. When fertilizing, be careful not to splash fertilizer onto the leaves; if it gets on them, immediately spray water to rinse it off.
(4) Shaping. When orchids develop old leaves, yellow leaves, and especially leaves with pests or diseases, they should be cut off promptly. Pseudobulbs without leaves should not be cut off during shaping and trimming, because they can store nutrients and water, which is beneficial to orchid growth. After flower buds emerge from the soil, keep one flower bud per plant and cut off the rest. If too many flower buds are kept, they compete with one another for nutrients, and not only will they all grow poorly, but flowering the following year will also be affected. Two weeks after spring orchids bloom, the flowers should be cut off to prevent pollination and seed formation from affecting the next year's flowering.
(5) Pest and disease prevention. Orchids mainly suffer from diseases and pests such as rot, black spot, scale insects and red spider mites, which should be prevented and eliminated promptly.