A detailed guide to planting orchid grass, easy for beginners to master
Several aspects to note in orchid cultivation. Our country has a long history of growing orchids, and our predecessors have accumulated rich experience in orchid cultivation for us. We should thoroughly understand the experience of our predecessors, absorb its essence, and deeply recognize that: cultivation environment, planting medium, watering, fertilizing, and pest and disease control are the five major links in orchid cultivation and management.
1. The choice of environment is relatively important.
Cymbidium faberi mainly grows under shrubs in subtropical mountain forests, which has cultivated the orchid's growth habit of preferring half shade and half sun, and preferring moisture and ventilation. As long as you master the growth patterns of orchids and provide or create environmental conditions close to the orchid's growth environment, all parts of the country are suitable for cultivating Cymbidium goeringii and Cymbidium faberi.
2. The use of planting medium.
According to cultivation experience from various places, as long as it is slightly acidic, no matter what kind of planting medium (including soilless cultivation) is used, orchids can be grown well. The problem is that different planting mediums should adopt different management methods. For flower pots, it is best to use clay pots or Yixing clay pots, because orchids are aerial-root plants and breathable pots are very beneficial to orchid growth.
3. Reasonable watering is the key to growing orchids well.
The water used for watering orchids must be clean and slightly acidic, and must never be sewage water carrying pathogens. The watering method should vary according to different plants. Loose mountain soil contains sufficient water, and granular soil plus rock-containing volcanic stone also absorbs water relatively fully, but does not accumulate water. After different planting mediums are watered thoroughly once, when the pot surface is seen to be dry, the planting medium about one centimeter deep turns whitish. To increase air humidity, you can spray the pot surface to increase the moisture of the upper layer of planting medium so that the orchid grass and pseudobulbs maintain a certain degree of moisture. When the whole pot has not dried thoroughly from top to bottom, water heavily and thoroughly again.
4. Fertilizing:
On the basis of mastering watering well, in order to promote better growth of orchid grass, fertilizing becomes even more important. Organic fertilizer, that is, farmyard manure, should be diluted and can be applied once every ten days or so. Other inorganic fertilizers (chemical fertilizers) should be used according to the instructions. During the orchid's growing period, foliar fertilizer can be applied as a top dressing outside the roots. Base fertilizer is also very important. When repotting and changing soil, an appropriate amount of base fertilizer can be added as long as the fertilizer does not touch the orchid roots. Too much fertilizer can easily burn the orchid roots and cause black spots. If fertilizing is done properly, it can produce strong seedlings and good flowers. The general requirement for fertilizing orchids is a small amount, clear and dilute, truly achieving light fertilizer applied frequently.
5. Pest and disease control:
Insect pests are easy to prevent, but fungal diseases are hard to cure. If scale insects and other pests are found on orchid grass, they can be sprayed according to the instructions with oxamyl or decamethrin, and it is best to use them in combination, 2-4 times per year. General fungal diseases such as black spots can also be treated with fungicides such as copper hydroxide, thiophanate-methyl, and chlorothalonil according to the instructions, with regular alternating treatment and preventive spraying every 15-20 days during the growing period. If Barss's soft rot disease (rot coccus disease) is found, it is a terminal disease among orchids and cannot be cured fundamentally. Once discovered, remove it promptly. Therefore, when purchasing orchid grass, you must pay attention and never buy lower-priced diseased grass and bring it home, thereby affecting other precious orchid grass.
At present, with the increase in demand for orchids at home and abroad, the trend for orchids is quite promising. In particular, premium, rare, and superlative varieties are climbing to astronomical prices. Therefore, the orchid market and the potential orchid market are very broad, and the development of orchids still has great space and prospects. So we must correctly face, adapt to, and comply with this encouraging situation. Fully protect the increasingly depleted orchid resources, skillfully master the growth habits of Chinese orchids, and grow your own orchid grass better.
After orchid grass has been carefully selected, it must all be potted. Orchids have fleshy roots, so the pot's drainage performance must be good. Leaf mold soil or mountain soil containing more humus (commonly known as "orchid mud" - for home flower growing, it can be purchased at flower shops) should be selected, with a pH value of 5.5-6.5 being suitable. This kind of orchid mud can also be selected and dug from leaf mold soil on sandstone and igneous rock layers in the mountains, or an acidic culture soil can be prepared by yourself. The mud transported from the mountains must first be screened to remove impurities such as grass roots and stones. It is best to use mud that has been piled for 1-2 years. Before use, it still needs to be exposed to sunlight for sterilization, then placed in a cool place for later use.
The time for potting (or repotting) is generally March-April in spring or October-November in autumn. Flower pots with a small mouth, deep body, and large bottom hole are best. Wild seedlings newly dug from the mountains need to be planted in clay pots (mud pots), because in this way orchid mud dries easily, has good ventilation, and roots are more likely to develop; only after 2-3 years can they be transferred to purple clay pots or porcelain pots. The method of planting orchids (in pots) is different from that of general flowers. Especially for famous orchid varieties, roots must be washed when repotting and moving pots. The method is to immerse the roots in clean water, gently scrub with an old toothbrush or brush, and be sure not to use too much force and damage the roots; use scissors to cut off residual leaves, yellow leaves, broken roots, and blackened rotten roots, taking care not to damage young buds. Then place the treated plant in a cool, ventilated place to dry. When the roots turn white and show fine wrinkles and become soft, plant them in the pot.
Drainage at the bottom of the pot is also very particular. For clay pots, fill with broken tiles; for purple clay pots, a perforated nylon gauze must be used to cover the bottom of the pot. Before planting, first spread coarse stones in the pot, accounting for about 2/5 of the pot depth, then coarse stone culture soil, 3-5 cm thick, and then place the orchid grass in. When potting, note that the roots should spread out naturally and must not curl. When planting famous orchid varieties, be sure to keep the old grass near the edge and place the new grass in the center, so that there will be room for new grass to grow. When planting, hold the orchid grass with the left hand and add soil with the right hand (be careful to prevent soil from entering the leaf center), then lift the orchid plant slightly so that the roots spread naturally. Then add soil while shaking the pot so that the soil and roots are in close contact. Then use your hand to press the soil tightly around the stem. Finally, make the pot surface slightly mound-shaped (that is, slightly lower in the middle and around the edges). Cover the top with a layer of moss or fine stones, so that the pot soil is not easily compacted and water evaporation can be reduced. After potting, water immediately. The first watering should be sufficient in quantity. Finally, place the orchid pot in a shaded place. Within one month, it should not be exposed to direct sunlight, and watering should be controlled, not too wet. Afterward, the placement location should be chosen in a place with half shade and half sun, ventilation, and morning sunlight.