What points should be noted in adaptive cultivation of orchids?

Among the orchids we currently introduce, some are re-exported seedlings from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, China. No matter where they are introduced from, they all go through a process of adapting to one's own growing environment. Based on my more than four years of practice and observation, any re-exported seedling (robust seedling) must take three years to rejuvenate, or at least two years. If handled improperly in that year, it is prone to collapse, black spots, and fuzzy tips and scorched edges. To avoid the above phenomena and help introduced growing seedlings adapt to the environment and rejuvenate as quickly as possible, the following procedures should routinely be carried out during care.

I. Common knowledge of introduction:

1. When introducing orchid seedlings, one must first understand the care environment and (including domestic) care methods. This is the key to success or failure in introduction. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles with a hundred victories." This is a summary of experience. Growing orchids is the same: besides first understanding their characteristics, one must also analyze the methods to be adopted for one's own care environment; only then can introduced orchids be grown well. This is the most basic common knowledge of orchid growing. If one ignores this point and blindly copies others' experience, it is very difficult to grow introduced seedlings well, and the result is losing confidence in orchid growing, blaming heaven and others, not blaming one's own inability, but blaming the quality of others' orchid seedlings. This is unscientific and completely unreasonable.

2. You should know that re-exported seedlings are cultivated entirely under artificial all-weather conditions, either in granular medium or hydroponically. Transitioning to cultivation under our natural weather is a major turning point in environment. According to relevant reports and introduction practice, the rate of reaching the robust seedling standard of the place of origin is no higher than 5%, while the rate of becoming weak or diseased is as high as over 95%. This is a fact. However, predecessors' practical experience concludes that the key lies in the word "adaptation." As long as they adapt, they can likewise be grown well, and can produce robust seedlings, and can also ensure that the mother and grandfather-generation plants produce new roots.

The transition from fully artificial all-weather conditions to natural weather, rapidly and effectively improving the stress resistance of orchid plants in a short period, is the primary condition. The orchid's own stress resistance can, under natural ecological conditions, improve broad-spectrum resistance and adaptability to virus sources, fungal sources, pests, temperature, day-night temperature difference, monthly temperature difference, seasonal temperature difference, relative air temperature, humidity and microbial content, the nutritional completeness rate of the potting medium, and relative shade level. This is what improves the stress resistance of orchid plants. In terms of physiological mechanisms, accelerating cell differentiation, strengthening photosynthesis of chlorophyll cells, improving nutrient conversion, accelerating metabolism, and enhancing this series of physiological functions require supplying the plant with hormones and complete nutrients. Because rapid supply is needed, the method of foliar spraying can only be used. In planting, in addition to strict sterilization, it is best to soak in nutrient solution (Pincuigensheng) for more than 2 hours. This method is very effective for orchid seedlings shipped long distances to quickly restore normal growth. This is because seedlings shipped long distances have large nutrient loss; having grown in a superior environment and suddenly changing environment is like a person living in a superior home who cannot adapt when conditions change to living in a harsh environment; they should adapt slowly. Moreover, the roots of orchid seedlings shipped long distances are mostly severely damaged, the root epidermis is damaged, and they have lost orchid mycorrhiza; therefore soaking in nutrient solution is a quick and safe practice before planting and cultivation. For example, Pincuigensheng nutrient solution can quickly repair damaged parts of the fine root epidermis and promote new root growth. Practice has proved that plants soaked in Pincuigensheng nutrient solution before potting root quickly and sprout early and abundantly. If after potting, Pincuigensheng nutrient solution is sprayed once a week, very pointed root tips (crystal heads) or new roots can grow within ten days. Soaked orchid roots must be air-dried until white and soft before potting.

3. The potting medium selected should be coarse granular medium. Practice has proved that all re-exported seedlings (including local seedlings shipped long distances and kept out of soil for a long time) root quickly, recover quickly, and sprout early when grown in Xiantu. Therefore, in the first year of introduction it is best to use coarse granular clay. When using Xiantu, the Xiantu must be soaked until it turns black before potting. If conditions permit, it is still better to plant Caiyun grass, which can achieve heat preservation and moisture retention.

II. Increase light to accumulate energy.

The relative shade level for re-exported seedlings must be about 80%. Use increased light to accumulate energy, appropriately enhance photosynthesis, accelerate chlorophyll cell synthesis (using Liweilv), and promote metabolism. If the weather is cold when watering, mixing hot water to reach normal temperature for watering is better.

III. Medium humidity to assist growth.

Relative humidity should be above 70%, to enhance leaf respiration, accelerate leaf epidermal cell metabolism, and promote leaf adaptation to the environment. Newly potted plants must absolutely not be too dry, especially with Xiantu; be sure to retain moisture and heat, and prevent strong wind. When the weather is relatively cold (below 10 degrees), it is not suitable to spray water on the leaves; if conditions permit, placing them in a warm shed (with scattered light) is more suitable. In spring, it is best to move them out of the house on May 1.

IV. Watering stress: use high-frequency watering stress, watering thoroughly once every seven days. After two thorough waterings, withhold water once. Use physical methods to stress root cell differentiation and strengthen absorption function. That is to say, after potting (referring to the traditional method with mountain soil) and watering thoroughly, wait until the pot soil is 80% dry, when fine cracks appear on the pot surface, or when it feels hard to the touch, then water thoroughly once again, then wait until it dries until the above phenomenon turns to moist watering. After half a month, if the pot surface (Caiyun grass showing life or moss appearing) has vitality, it indicates suitability for orchid growth; thereafter repeat the above cycle, and the orchid will quickly settle into the pot and turn to normal growth. After turning to normal management, water should also be withheld at fixed times (once every half month or once a week), to help regulate air circulation in the pot and promote orchid rooting. When using Xiantu for planting, the above method is not needed; as long as Caiyun grass grows normally, it proves the orchid is also growing normally. It is best to immerse the pot once every seven days. For individual cases where new plants do not grow roots, there are roughly two reasons: watering too frequently and not watering thoroughly, so the top is wet and the bottom is dry; and spraying too much water on the leaves. The other is lack of light, especially when new buds first sprout and are kept for a long time in a shaded, dim place; this will likewise cause new plants not to grow roots.

V. Supplemental feeding outside the roots: once every seven days, in the early morning or evening, carry out one foliar fertilizer spray (Pincuigensheng mixed with Jialanbao); the effect is ideal. While spraying foliar fertilizer, also appropriately spray the base of the pseudobulb. The next day (except on cloudy days), spray leaf water once (just short of dripping). If the pot soil is relatively dry, combining with thorough watering is better.

VI. Cleaning and sterilization. Re-exported plants generally undergo long-distance transport, and during the orchid trader's business process, customers select them, and after being handled by thousands of hands, hand sweat and oily dirt remain on the orchid plants. After long-term water spraying by orchid traders to retain moisture, these are absorbed into the orchid plants. Therefore, cleaning re-exported plants should be done carefully. First rinse under a faucet, then place in clean water to soak (at least 30 minutes), then place in sterilizing medicinal water to soak for about 10 minutes, pour off the medicinal water and air-dry until the roots turn white, then place the roots in 1/500 nutrient solution (soaking up to the pseudobulb) for more than two hours, then air-dry the roots until white or soft before potting.

At present, orchid friends who have just entered the orchid-growing ranks and are in a state of half-understanding often think that the longer the orchid sterilization soak, the better; some even mix medicinal powder into the mud, or soak the pot in medicinal water. This is a wrong practice. Everything has a proper limit; exceeding it produces the opposite effect. Water damage, fertilizer damage, and medicinal damage are all caused by unscientific practices. You should know that medicines include systemic and non-systemic (as stated in the instructions) drugs. If systemic drugs are used, the longer the orchid plant is soaked and the more times they are used, the more likely it is to suffer medicinal damage disease; non-systemic drugs play a surface sterilization and protective role. Whether systemic or non-systemic, both are to prevent invasion by various pathogens. Therefore, sterilizing drugs can only play a preventive role, not an absorptive role. Medicinal damage is even more serious than fertilizer damage; this is the so-called viral disease, which is generally very difficult to cure. Usually most die; even surviving plants produce smaller and smaller growths, because the orchid plant contains a large amount of toxins, just like a person poisoned; the aftereffects left behind are very difficult to cure, leaving disability. Fertilizer damage and water damage, by contrast, are only temporary, not poisoning. They damage a certain part, that is, root rot or black spots or fuzzy tips. As long as the diseased roots are cut away, new roots can grow and the plant can rejuvenate. This is the difference from drug poisoning. Whether caused by medicinal damage, water damage, or fertilizer damage, the common feature is mainly shown in the next generation of new buds: white spots appear on the bud tips (like leaf variegation, which some people call "Baylasi"), and after growing into a plant they slowly disappear, leaving very few traces. But there is often the phenomenon that the plant does not grow large; mild cases still grow into large plants, but virus-infected plants cannot rejuvenate, and old plants collapse very quickly, and the leaves shrink back severely, even shrinking generation after generation. This is also a symptom of viral disease, but it is not "Baylasi" disease. In other words, it is drug poisoning disease. Therefore, without fully modern orchid-growing conditions, open-air, that is, natural orchid growing, should still be advocated, managing according to the orchid's characteristics, and starting from improving the stress resistance of orchid plants. Just like a person, besides food nutrition, exercise must be strengthened to have a strong body. Orchids are the same: after passing the adaptation stage, if cared for according to one's own conditions, they can still produce robust plants (of course, with poor conditions, more procedures are needed). In general, watering and fertilizing follow the same principle: with sufficient sunlight and good drainage (including environment and pot opening), water more. In shady cultivation with poor air permeability, water less. With sufficient sunlight and good drainage, fertilize more than in shady cultivation. Because metabolism is faster and consumption greater than in shady cultivation, the plants also grow larger and faster, so nutrient supplementation must keep up. Once it cannot keep up, growth stops, causing the phenomenon of robust buds and small plants. This phenomenon is often attributed to too much fertilizer, but that is not the case; it is precisely caused by fertilizer and water not keeping up. Fertilizing is to some extent like people eating: coarse tea and plain rice can also produce a tall person and strong body, and good nutrition can also produce a good body; comparing the two, one certainly finds that a body built with sufficient nutrition has better constitution, longer life, and fewer illnesses, while one built on coarse tea and plain rice has a shorter life and more illnesses. Orchids follow the same principle. Then, excess nutrition in a person is like fertilizer damage in an orchid: weak constitution, abnormal development, and many illnesses.

I believe orchid growing should emphasize scientific rigor and that one should explore more in one's own practice. Because each person's care environment, potting soil, fertilizer, and species differ, do not blindly copy others' methods; one should treat them differently, because orchid nature is common but conditions differ. Therefore, only by creating an environment consistent with orchid nature can more and better orchids be cultivated.