Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Orchid Care and Management in Summer
Key Points for Orchid Care and Management in Summer
Orchid (scientific name: Cymbidium ssp.): epiphytic or terrestrial herb, with several to many leaves, usually borne at the base of the pseudobulb or on lower nodes, in two rows, strap-shaped or rarely oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, generally with a broad sheath at the base that clasps the pseudobulb, with a joint. Raceme with several to many flowers, colors include white, pure white, white-green, yellow-green, pale yellow, pale yellow-brown, yellow, red, green, and purple. In summer, as temperatures gradually rise and air humidity gradually increases, all kinds of orchids enter their peak growth period. At this time, every aspect must be handled well and careful management carried out. Make sure orchids pass through summer safely.1. Shading
Orchids are semi-shade plants. After the Beginning of Summer, sunlight gradually intensifies, while daytime temperatures rise rapidly. In the north, orchids that have just come out of the growing area can be placed under shady large trees so they can fully enjoy the natural environment; they can also be placed in a shade shed, receiving sunlight in the morning and evening. There is a relatively large temperature difference between the north and south of the motherland, so management methods are not entirely the same. In the south, from late spring to early summer, when orchid leaf buds have grown into new orchid plants less than 15 cm tall, more shading is needed. In semi-open orchid-growing sites, 30% all-day diffused light is needed; to accelerate leaf bud growth, one hour of weak light in the morning and evening is even better. In the intense heat of late summer, shading must be further strengthened to prevent heatstroke and lower temperatures. Whether on the ground or on a platform, water should be frequently sprinkled in the morning, at noon, and in the evening to keep things moist, and the orchid-growing site should be ventilated and aired. The ancients said: “Raising orchids in the seventh month is difficult.” In fact, as long as heatstroke prevention and cooling are done well, pest control and sterilization are strengthened, and attention is paid at all times, raising orchids in the seventh month should not be said to be difficult.
2. Pest control and sterilization
In the south, summer has bright sunshine, rising temperatures, abundant rainfall, and sharply increased air humidity. Early summer is the plum rain season, with a lot of rain. Orchid cultivation sites and potted orchids are often too wet, the growing medium becomes acidic, and it is easy to encourage the reproduction of pests and diseases, so attention must be paid to prevention and control. Therefore, every week, pesticide should be sprayed around the cultivation site and on potted orchids to kill pests and sterilize. Lime sulfur mixture, thiophanate-methyl, omethoate, chlorothalonil, and potassium amiphos and other pesticides can be used alternately. The above pesticides can be diluted at double the rate according to the instructions and used carefully. One to two hours after application, spray the leaf surface with clean water to remove residual pesticide and avoid pesticide injury.
3. Watering
Orchids reach their peak growth period in summer. Once potted orchids lack water, they grow poorly. The water supply guidelines depend both on what kind of growing medium is used and on the ventilation and light conditions of each person's orchid-growing site. If using hard, well-draining media such as brick granules, charcoal, and fern roots, water can be supplied twice a day; if using media with strong water absorption such as pond mud and sawdust, then watering once every three to five days is also fine, as long as mist water is sprayed in the morning, at noon, and in the evening each day. In short, as long as the potting medium for orchids remains 70 to 80 percent moist, it can meet their needs.
During the intense heat of summer, watering should be done before sunrise in the early morning, and in the evening after the residual heat in the surrounding environment has subsided. Orchid root rot, black spots appearing on leaf surfaces, rot at the core of leaf buds, and other pathological conditions are mostly related to improper watering.
4. Fertilizing
Green-leaf varieties should be given organic fertilizer with balanced nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while variegated-leaf orchids should only be given organic phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Regardless of which organic fertilizer is used, it must be thoroughly decomposed or fully fermented, and diluted with clean water before use. The principle of fertilization is that "light fertilizer applied frequently" is the key. In all parts of the north and south of our country, it can be applied from the Beginning of Summer to Grain in Ear in the lunar calendar, applying liquid fertilizer once every 10 days, on clear evenings. Within one to two hours after applying liquid fertilizer, or early the next morning, water the potted orchids thoroughly with clean water to remove residual fertilizer, so as to prevent accumulation at the roots and cause orchid root damage and rot from fertilizer. Newly planted orchids, diseased orchids, and poorly growing old or weak orchids should never be fertilized. Fertilizing is also taboo on rainy days. During the intense heat of the two summer periods, when temperatures are above 30 degrees, all types of orchids should stop being fertilized. It is also inadvisable to fertilize during the period when flower stalks emerge from the soil or during flowering. If moss or weeds appear on the surface of the orchid pot's growing medium, they should be removed immediately, and at the same time, the soil should be loosened or the surface soil of the pot replaced. As long as management is careful, orchids will naturally grow and bloom well.
5. Ventilation
After entering July, with high summer temperatures, due to urban high-rise buildings and rolling heat waves from road surfaces, the urban greenhouse effect becomes prominent. If orchids are grown on a balcony without attention to ventilation, diseases or plant collapse are likely to occur. The measures are: first, pay attention to opening windows for ventilation so as to achieve air convection; second, an electric fan can be used for ventilation. Generally, a low-power electric fan or small ceiling fan with adjustable wind direction should be used, achieving low-speed ventilation and gentle breezes, with orchid leaves swaying from time to time.
6. Moisture retention
In hot seasons, because evaporation is high, orchids are prone to scorched tips and disease, so moisture retention is especially important. How to create a microclimate for orchid growing on a balcony? According to the experience of orchid friends, I believe that balcony orchid growing should be gradually standardized, continuously improving orchid-growing conditions, and striving to grow orchids on flower racks, with unified orchid pots, unified growing medium, and unified humidification, so as to achieve basically standardized management. In this way, the moisture-retention effect of orchid growing will be better. Specific methods: a water tray can be set under the flower rack, generally with a height of 10—15 cm, and the orchid pots should be about 5 cm above the water surface. A drainage switch should be installed under the water tray to facilitate changing the water. A small oxygen pump can also be used in the water to increase humidity. Add disease-prevention chemicals to the tray water, such as carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, and the like. In this way, humidity can be increased, disease can be prevented, and a cooling effect can also be achieved, accomplishing multiple things at once. It is appropriate to change the tray water about once every half month. If ground spraying is also added, it can basically meet the orchid's humidity needs.
Key Points for Orchid Care and Management in Summer (Experience Edition)
It can now be said that summer has arrived. There is a lot online about the key points of orchid care and management in summer. This article is a summary by flower friends based on their own orchid-growing experience of summer orchid growing, including ventilation, sun shading, watering, and so on. It is a very good reference for beginner flower friends.
Getting orchids through summer greatly tests the orchid-growing skills of growers, because in the hot, humid summer, if management is poor, orchid plants are prone to disease. In mild cases, the orchids grow poorly; in severe cases, plant collapse is caused. Therefore, when growing orchids in summer, I personally believe the following points should be noted:
1. Strengthen ventilation: In the hot summer, only strengthened ventilation can lower the temperature of the orchid room environment. Of course, if air-conditioning equipment is available, an air conditioner can be used to cool things down, but ventilation is still indispensable; otherwise, a long-term closed space will instead make orchid plants more susceptible to disease. Moreover, after watering the orchid plants well, strengthening ventilation will quickly blow dry the moisture on the leaf surfaces, especially the moisture in the central leaves of new shoots, and try as much as possible to avoid the occurrence of soft rot. I have always believed that what many orchid-growing predecessors said, that ventilation is the first priority, is not casual nonsense, but a famous saying accumulated from their long-term orchid growing.
2. Properly shade sunlight: In fact, orchid friends in many orchid-producing areas can discover this. In summer, if there is a place where orchids grow, the area above the orchids is already densely covered with tree leaves. When a person walks in, it is incomparably cool, which shows that tree leaves not only shade sunlight but also absorb a lot of heat. Therefore, for us orchid growers, simulating a natural shading method for orchid plants is a task that must be done. Because the shade nets we use now are black, although they can shade sunlight, because they are black, they absorb even more heat. Under sunlight, the temperature near the shade net is relatively high. Therefore, when I personally shade orchids in summer, I use several layers of shade net, spaced at a certain distance, so as to achieve the purpose of shading and cooling.
3. Pay attention and water carefully: As for watering orchid plants, I personally follow the principle of not watering if not dry, and watering thoroughly if watering. And after watering well, strengthen ventilation to blow dry the moisture in the central leaves of new plants as quickly as possible. When watering, try as much as possible to avoid the time when the temperature is high. Generally, early in the morning before the sun comes out or after ten o'clock at night is better, www.yuhuagu.com.
4. Be cautious with fertilizing and avoid repotting: Fertilizing and repotting in summer, I personally believe, are major taboos in orchid growing. Because summer temperatures are relatively high, orchid roots are in a semi-dormant state. If fertilized, orchid roots will not absorb it and convert it into nutrients. It is easy to cause fertilizer damage and burn the roots. Therefore, fertilizing at this time is counterproductive. As for repotting, after orchid plants are repotted, the previous small environment has already been destroyed. To let the orchid roots adapt to the new environment, that is, to settle into the pot, takes half a month to a month or even longer, and it is easy for stiff buds and plant collapse to occur.
5. Observe more and pay frequent attention: Once signs of disease are discovered, handle them immediately. In this way, losses can also be reduced to the lowest degree.