Orchid Growing Tips for Beginners: Key Points of Growing Orchids with Chestnut Leaf Mold
Orchids are flowers with very high ornamental value, but growing them is not simple, especially for beginner orchid growers with potted orchids, orchid cultivation is very difficult. Recently a friend asked: "How do beginners grow potted orchids with leaf mold?" Indeed, Yunnan growers often use leaf mold (chestnut leaves) for Cymbidium lianpan; leaf mold has moderate fertility and pH, and retains water while draining well. But growing orchids with leaf mold also requires certain methods and techniques. Below, the editor will tell you about the method of growing potted orchids with leaf mold for beginners.
The leaf mold used by Kaisheng Orchid Garden is not subjected to high-temperature sterilization. Because after high-temperature treatment, nutrients and beneficial microbial communities are damaged to a certain extent, nutrients are released quickly, and acidity increases, causing newly planted orchids to suffer damage, such as root growth points shrinking and turning black, and leaf sheaths turning yellow and withered. The correct method of use is: take chestnut leaves from the mountains that have been rained on for one season and are in a semi-rotted state, remove debris, soak in clean water for 3-5 days, take them out and mix with snake wood chips, perlite, etc., then place them in a sealed bag or large vat, and they can be used after 1 month.
Kaisheng Orchid Garden uses a growing medium of 60% leaf mold + 20% snake wood + 20% granular growing medium, with plastic pots, and generally repots once every one or two years.
When potting, adjust the tightness according to the degree of decomposition of the growing medium. Those with a short decomposition time should be packed tightly, while leaves with a high degree of decomposition that fall apart when pinched should be packed looser. Newly planted orchids should be watered thoroughly immediately, and observe the speed at which water drains when watering. If water drains too slowly, it means the growing medium is pressed too tightly, and it must be replanted. After planting, place in a slightly cool and shaded place. Ventilation should not be too strong. If there is a wound from dividing the plant, you can expose the wound by pulling it open, and cover it again after 7 days.
For orchids grown with organic growing media such as leaf mold, water until clear water comes out of the bottom of the pot. Water once a day for 5 consecutive days. For those planted in summer, water once each morning and evening, so that the orchid seedling roots recover and grow more easily. Do not use fertilizer within 1 month.
After the plant has adapted to the pot, water once every 3-5 days (occasionally being lazy and not watering for ten days to half a month is no big deal). Every six months, bury 20 sheep manure pellets along the edge of the pot. Use raw sheep manure that has not been fermented; it ferments slowly in the pot and releases fertility slowly, which is very safe; steamed or boiled manure will ferment rapidly, increasing acidity, and orchid roots will be harmed. You can also not bury raw sheep manure along the pot edge, but instead soak raw sheep manure in water and use it to water the pot. The method is: 10 kg of sun-dried raw sheep manure plus 100 kg of clean water (an appropriate amount of insecticide can be added, but fungicide must never be added), soak for 1 month and it is ready. When using, take the soaked stock solution, add 50-100 times clean water, and pour it on. Try not to pour it on the leaf sheaths. During the growing season, do this once every 10-15 days. However, watering this way is rather troublesome; burying fertilizer is still simpler and safer. After fertilizing, be sure to water thoroughly.
Kaisheng Orchid Garden uses a growing medium mainly composed of leaf mold and a corresponding management model; the orchid sprouting rate can reach 200%-300% (the number of simultaneous sprouts is not particularly large; most sprout successively), growth speed is relatively fast, and roughly 2 generations of seedlings reach full size each year.
Cymbidium lianpan can be grown with leaf mold; can other orchid species such as Cymbidium goeringii also be grown this way? The answer is yes. Because the Chinese orchids we cultivate all belong to the terrestrial orchid group, and their growth habits are very similar; in a home growing environment, it is not necessary to use different growing media and different management models according to orchid species. In recent years, Kaisheng Orchid Garden has introduced many orchid species from various places, such as Cymbidium goeringii and Cymbidium faberi from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Cymbidium sichuanicum and Cymbidium ensifolium from Sichuan, Cymbidium sinense and Cymbidium ensifolium from Fujian and Guangdong, as well as Cymbidium kanran, Qiubang, etc. Using the same growing medium and the same cultivation and management methods, all kinds of orchids grow well, and sprouting and flowering are satisfactory.
Of course, the situation described above is the "great similarity"; there are still "small differences" among each type, and these "small differences" will not have much impact on orchid growth. In the process of cultivation and management, slowly understand the "small differences," slowly adjust the growing medium and management methods, and constantly strive for perfection. This is exactly where the joy of growing orchids lies.
Orchid Growing Tips, 5 Orchid Growing Tips and Methods
For orchids to bloom abundantly, have true flower color, and good flower quality, you need to master some small orchid growing tips. When growing orchids, you cannot stick to old rules. Many growing tips, if used well, will make growing orchids twice as effective with half the effort. Below, take a look at the following 5 orchid growing tips.
5 Orchid Growing Tips1. When orchids are close to the flowering period, repot them, and let the orchid roots dry slightly; this is beneficial for flower bud differentiation.
2. In addition to making full use of the growth points on the pseudobulbs, old pseudobulb bases also have usable growth points inside the leaf stalks. As long as you observe carefully, you will find that growth points are still hidden at the junction of the leaf stalk and the pseudobulb. Simply remove the leaf blade, or use a blade to cut the leaf stalk halfway open, then carefully pry it open with a clip, and with careful care, sprouts will soon appear.
3. Old pseudobulb bases of the third and fourth generations have intact roots and leaves, but are not easy to sprout. You can cut off 1/2 or 1/3 of the leaves to reduce nutrient consumption and provide more nutrients to the growth points, then plant with sphagnum moss or coarse river sand; this way they sprout quickly and the sprouts are large.
4. Usually when fertilizing orchids, from small sprouts to mature plants, strengthen the fertilizer components in the order of first nitrogen, then potassium, and later phosphorus.
5. Take charcoal the size of a thumb, soak it in water first, then place one piece at the bottom of the pot before planting the orchid; this is beneficial for root elongation, and the roots will be snowy white and thick.
How to Grow Orchids: Orchid Growing Methods
There are several orchid growing methods, among which the most famous are the dry method and the wet method of growing orchids. The difference between them is actually not great; it is just that the requirements for the environment and growing medium are somewhat different. But most orchid growing methods are basically the same. Let's take a look below.
In the process of growing orchids, pay special attention to the potting soil for orchid cultivation. It is best to use neutral to slightly acidic soil containing a large amount of humus, loose, and well-drained. "Bamboo root mud" and leaf mold soil under moist forests in mountainous areas are good choices.
Not only should you pay attention to the soil for orchid cultivation, you also need to pay attention to its placement location. Choose a place with good ventilation, moist air, and no environmental pollution. Outdoor areas and balconies are both fine. But be sure to maintain humidity, otherwise the orchids you grow will easily develop problems.
Besides potting soil and location, another point to pay attention to in orchid cultivation is fertilizing. Fertilizing depends on the selected potting soil and growth conditions. Those growing luxuriantly and without disease can be fertilized, while those growing poorly should not be fertilized or should be fertilized only lightly. Remember, in orchid cultivation, chemical fertilizers are taboo, and fertilizing is also not suitable in high-temperature seasons.
Throughout the whole process, watering is also a very important step. When watering, start from the edge of the pot, and be sure not to pour water into the flower buds. The amount of watering should be determined according to temperature, the dryness and wetness of the potting soil, and the growth condition of the orchid plant. If the leaves are large, water a bit more; if the leaves are small and narrow, relatively speaking, water a bit less.
Conclusion:There is also a very important point: orchids are most prone to southern blight in rainy and high-temperature seasons. At this time, if there is only a small amount, it can be brushed off with a damp cloth; if there is a lot, it is best to use thiophanate-methyl and spray once every 7-10 days. Only in this way will your beloved flowers not encounter unexpected accidents.