Key Points of Spring Management Techniques for Orchid Cultivation and Pest and Disease Control for Edible Fungi

After the beginning of spring, the climate changes greatly, with many overcast and rainy days, and cold waves often still occur, which is very unfavorable for orchid growth. If management cannot keep up at this time, it can easily lead to root rot and bud rot in orchids, and may even cause the entire plant to die.

Heat preservation and waterlogging prevention: In spring, Cymbidium sinense and Cymbidium goeringii in full bloom must be kept indoors to protect the flower scapes and flowers, because cold and rainy weather will shorten the blooming period, and if they are drenched by cold rain, the flowers will also rot. For Cymbidium ensifolium, Cymbidium kanran, and others in the budding stage, they can be placed outdoors, but attention must be paid to drainage and waterlogging prevention in the orchid pots, and it is best to set up plastic film above the orchid pots to shelter them from rain. During this period, orchids must absolutely not be given any fertilizer, and the potting soil should remain slightly moist; otherwise, the new buds of Cymbidium ensifolium and Cymbidium kanran will rot and die, with the bud tips rotting and turning dark brown, extending until the entire bud withers and dies, commonly known as "black death." Spring buds rotting and dying will seriously affect the growth, propagation, and flowering of the entire pot of orchids that year.

Pest and disease control: Spring has continuous overcast and rainy weather, which is a period when various pests and diseases occur frequently. High-humidity environmental conditions will lead to the occurrence and aggravation of orchid brown spot disease, and will also cause damage from pests such as snails, aphids, cutworms, and mole crickets. For brown spot disease, when it first appears, spray 50% carbendazim or 70% thiophanate-methyl at 800 times to 1000 times dilution, spraying 2 to 3 times consecutively, with an interval of 7 to 10 days. For pests, manual capture is the main method, keeping the orchid pots and surroundings clean, and scattering quicklime to prevent pests from entering the pots through the pot walls and drainage holes at the bottom to cause damage.

Timely fertilization: For Cymbidium sinense and Cymbidium goeringii whose flowering period has passed, fertilizer should be supplemented in a timely manner, preferably by applying dilute horseshoe chip water and spraying the leaf surface with a 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution, to stimulate spring growth. May is the fertilization period for all orchids, and 50 grams to 100 grams of slow-release organic fertilizer granules and bone meal can be buried along the edge of the orchid pots. Spray bud-strengthening fertilizer weekly, with the fertilizer solution being 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate; to prevent diseases, thiophanate-methyl or carbendazim pesticide can be added for mixed spraying.