An Analysis of the Key Techniques for Growing Monkey Face Orchids at Home

Among orchids there grows an oddity, the monkey face orchid, so named because its shape resembles a monkey's face. Its price on the market varies, and it ranks among the more expensive flowers. So what should be paid attention to when growing such a precious potted flower?

Monkey Face Orchid

First, sort out the site and environment for planting orchids

Orchid planting can be divided into courtyard planting and large-area field planting. For ordinary home orchid growing, a balcony or rooftop can be used, and a small shed can also be built on a windowsill. Those with the means can build a glass greenhouse. But for the growing site, whether on a balcony, rooftop or windowsill, an appropriate shade net should be built to block sunlight and hot wind, there should be good ventilation conditions, and appropriate humidity should be maintained. When it is too hot in summer, a movable shade net should also be added on top of the shed to control light flexibly.

Choose good growing media and pots

Orchid pots: orchid pots are the dwelling of orchids and have a relatively large influence on orchid growth. In the past, traditional orchid growing used large clay pots; now most premium orchids are grown in small flared pots. There are ceramic pots and also plastic pots, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Which pot is good to use depends on individual habits and the cultivar being grown. But within one orchid shed it is best to use the same type of orchid pot in different size specifications, for unified management in the future.

Growing media: for orchid growing media (base material), pond mud was mostly used in the past; now for growing fine varieties, media such as pond foundation stone, floating stone, weathered stone, water-absorbing stone and ceramic material are used instead. For field growing of home orchids, most people use soft media such as sawdust, rice husk, medicinal residue, coal cinder, sea sand and peanut shells, with foam plastic used as a bottom layer, and so on. Mixed use is relatively common. Using these media each has its strengths and weaknesses. Which medium is better to use also depends on individual habits, the cultivar and the pots used (pots and media must match each other).

Keep summing up experience in practice

To grow orchids well, you must also master the management of watering, fertilizing and the prevention and control of diseases and insect pests. The fertilizing principle among these is generally to fertilize on sunny days, and the fertilizing principle is to apply lightly, apply frequently, and not apply during the dormant period. It is recommended to take part in orchid-growing practice more often, usually read more books, visit more places, ask more questions, and ask when you do not understand, and keep exploring and summing up experience and lessons in practice, so as to continuously improve the technical level of orchid growing.