Detailed Explanation of Orchid Single-Plant Propagation and Cultivation Methods

From orchid books and journals, we learn that the ancients grew orchids mainly for flower appreciation, and their cultivation and propagation methods focused on growing robust plants that would bloom easily and produce fine flowers. Therefore, they advocated not dividing unless the clump was thriving, and when dividing, keeping the divisions as clumps, at least with the mother and child plants still connected. Hence the saying: "For fine varieties, divide every three years; for precious varieties, divide every five years." After hundreds or even thousands of years, with biological evolution, climate variation, technological progress and updated ideas, people no longer grow orchids for the original purpose of "blooming easily and producing fine flowers." While appreciating rare flowers and exotic plants, they now pay more attention to orchid proliferation, requiring more shoots, better shoots, more returns and more profits. Through decades of continuous experimentation and exploration by many orchid growers and enthusiasts, gratifying results have been achieved in single-plant propagation and cultivation, providing valuable experience for orchid growers. Their main practices are as follows:

Orchid Single-Plant Propagation

The purpose of single-plant propagation is to increase the number of new shoots and expand the orchid colony. Its principle is to cut the connection points between the pseudobulb chain, cutting off the flow of nutrients between the links, stimulating the sprouting of buds, and letting the nutrients produced by the orchid plant itself flow to the bud tips and young shoots, turning them into new plants. To achieve this, the following points need attention:

Division conditions. First, variety selection. According to their reproductive capacity and plant vigor, the first choices are Cymbidium ensifolium (jianlan) and Cymbidium sinense (molan). Because their pseudobulbs are large and plump and their growth is strong, after cultivation they can completely become independent plants. Next are Cymbidium goeringii (chunlan), Cymbidium tortisepalum (chunjian) and Cymbidium tortisepalum var. longibracteatum (lianbanlan). Among Cymbidium goeringii, Songmei, Tonglemei, Tangmei, Hongyuemei, Zheng Tonghe and Jizi all have successful practical experience. Third is Cymbidium faberi (huilan). Although Cymbidium faberi has inconspicuous or no pseudobulbs, it grows vigorously and has long, thick roots. Second, the orchid plant must be robust. Only when the pseudobulbs are large, the plant is strong and the root system is good can it, after being divided into a single plant and cultivated for a period, sprout new shoots and be divided again for propagation. Third, a superior cultivation environment must be created. That is, the orchid growing site must be suitable, with scientific watering, reasonable fertilization, and effective regulation of light, temperature and air humidity.

Weighing the pros and cons. When dividing orchids, whether to plant singly or in clumps should be determined by weighing the pros and cons according to the plant's flowering condition and the original planting method. Those that can be planted singly should be planted singly; those that should be planted in clumps should be planted in clumps. One must not make subjective assumptions or rigidly follow dogma. If the offspring plants are robust and mature, the grandparent generation's root system is still acceptable, and after separation they can survive independently, then each generation can be separated and planted singly to strive for more offspring. Otherwise, the child and mother generations, or the mother and grandparent generations, should first be planted as clumps to ensure safety.

Division methods. This depends on the specific situation; it can be done in one step or in two steps, also called the full separation method or the half separation method. One step means separating all the child, mother and grandparent generation plants of the orchid into single plants. The child generation can sprout more and stronger shoots, the mother generation can sprout shoots, and the grandparent generation may also sprout dormant buds, greatly increasing the shoot production rate and achieving orchid proliferation. Under certain circumstances, the child plant can also be separated singly while the mother and grandparent plants remain connected. Two steps means twisting the connection point (commonly called the "road") between each plant, or between the child plant and the mother and grandparent plants, without breaking it, cultivating it in a half-separated state, and then dividing it into single plants after some time.

Careful operation. In clustered orchids, the "road" between the child and mother plants is often very narrow, making separation relatively difficult. In addition, the season suitable for orchid division is often also the period when the child generation plants begin to sprout. This requires that during separation one must be cautious and careful, not impatient; the wound should be minimized as much as possible, and orchid buds should be avoided from damage. Because after separation the plant has fewer roots and its own stability is poorer, it easily topples over. During cultivation, necessary fixing measures should be taken to protect the orchid seedlings from any damage.

Orchid Single-Plant Cultivation

Regarding orchid cultivation, the ancients said, "Orchids like to cluster and fear leaving the mother." That is to say, orchids like to grow in clumps and fear being divided into single plants. Going from clump planting to single planting is an innovation by modern people in orchid cultivation, and it will inevitably encounter many new problems that require new exploration and new experience to be summarized. Based on the practices of orchid enthusiasts, single-plant cultivation requires grasping the following points:

Growing medium. Because it is single-plant cultivation, the requirements for the growing medium are higher. The main materials are generally Zhijinshi and Xiantu, combined with other auxiliary materials in a mixed preparation. Some also add bone charcoal at 5% of the total amount to the growing medium to increase phosphorus and play a role in inducing buds. The prepared growing medium should be granular, loose and breathable, draining well while retaining fertilizer, sterile and pest-free, and slightly acidic.

Light. Maintaining a certain amount of light is beneficial to the sprouting and growth of new shoots; but the light should not be too strong, otherwise it will scorch the orchid plant. In winter and spring, full light can be received; in early summer and late autumn, morning sunlight is suitable; in midsummer and early autumn, shading is necessary, and the shading degree should be no less than 70%.

Temperature. The growth of orchids is closely related to air temperature. Too high a temperature will cause the orchid plant to dry up, while too low a temperature will lead to poor growth. In summer and autumn, attention should be paid to ventilation and cooling, with the temperature controlled below 30 degrees; in late winter and early spring, attention should be paid to cold protection and warmth, and the indoor temperature should be kept above 8 degrees.

Water. Water is one of the key measures in orchid growing. The orchid pot must be moderately sized; a pot that is too large easily accumulates water and causes root rot, while a pot that is too small easily dries out and causes water loss. In daily care, attention should be paid to observing and exploring the dry and wet condition of the growing medium, and watering should follow the principle of "dry but not parched, moist but not wet."

Humidity. This includes two aspects: the humidity of the orchid pot and the air humidity. The growing medium in the pot should maintain moderate dryness and wetness, avoiding both excessive dryness and excessive wetness. For the air humidity of the orchid site, during the growing period it should be kept at 80%-85%; during the dormant period it can be slightly lower, maintained at around 60%.

Fertilizer. Growing orchids is about growing roots; when the roots are good, the shoots will surely be strong, and it will easily produce more shoots and strong shoots. To protect the orchid roots from damage, try not to apply farmyard manure, especially raw manure and concentrated fertilizer. It is best to apply trace-element fertilizers and special fertilizers for orchids, such as "Zhifa", "Zhiquan", "Lanjunwang", "Huabao No. 5", etc. The fertilization method should mainly be foliar spraying, supplemented by root watering. Some orchid enthusiasts report that one week after planting, "Zhifa" can be sprayed at 2/3 of the required concentration, twice a week. After two months, begin spraying "Zhiquan" at about 1/2 concentration, also twice a week. When the young shoot emerges 1 cm above the surface, "Huabao No. 5" at 2000 times dilution can be used to drench the roots, once every 10 days, which can promote the growth of young seedlings.