Rough-and-ready orchid care: foam boxes with crushed brick soil, too lazy to even water

Newcomers to orchid growing hit walls everywhere; when they learn and imitate, most grasp only the surface and miss the essence, while the orchid masters seem to have some method in their every move. Take a look at this young owner called "cyhaln" - he is a master of "rough-and-ready" orchid growing, who grows orchids well with the simplest methods. Let's learn from him.

1. "Rough" orchid growing works very well too

The orchids in the picture are all from this young owner's home, grown in a row of foam boxes, which surprised many young owners - they carefully grow orchids in purple clay pots with little success, yet a few foam boxes with casual planting do better. Let's take another look at his "rough growing" method.

First, the growing medium he uses is rather "rough-and-ready" - whatever is around, he uses. According to "cyhaln", he has never deliberately mixed orchid soil; he commonly uses two types of soil: one is "all red soil", and the other is all "crushed stone soil", similar to soil casually dug up beside a construction site around here, and his care method is even more "rough".

He rarely waters; the few pots of orchids you see have been watered only a handful of times since he started caring for them - you could count them on your fingers. He mainly lets the orchids rely on heaven, yet the orchids at home really do him proud. This young owner made a comparison himself: if orchid experts are the technicians of a pig farm, then he is the one free-ranging pigs in the mountains - quite apt, haha.

2. For beginners growing orchids, "adapting to local conditions" is more important

However, while feeling envious, beginner orchid owners should not deliberately imitate him. The reason he can grow orchids so successfully is largely related to his environment - with a good environment, growing orchids on the ground is naturally much simpler. If we grow orchids on a balcony, where the environment changes greatly, then the care method must be appropriately adjusted. Let me give two examples (the picture above shows how crushed stone soil sets together).

First, there is still some skill to mixing soil. Although soil is the mother of all things, when growing orchids on a balcony, using all soil would place very high demands on care technique. So beginners should first try a care method of half soil and half granular growing medium - this is safer. Then, use a root-strengthening organic nutrient solution to care for the orchid roots, which can greatly increase the survival rate (the picture above shows crushed stone soil).

Second point: small pots, little soil, and strong wind - these 3 features of a balcony determine that the watering frequency must be increased. Water it once the potting soil is slightly dry - this is the safe approach. You cannot blindly imitate the watering method used in the large foam boxes on the ground; this is also a detail that beginner orchid owners must remember. Water by looking at the potting soil, not by copying others' methods - this is what we need to pay attention to.

Actually, growing orchids does not require deliberate "spoiling", nor does it mean not loving them at all, haha. Fellow young owners can share your views in the comments section, and let's exchange ideas, haha.