Why do home-grown mountain-collected orchids bloom without fragrance?
When it comes to orchids, the first thing many flower enthusiasts think of is fragrance, a delicate fragrance! But why do some orchids grown by enthusiasts bloom without fragrance? Or why is it that an orchid that originally bloomed with fragrance on the mountain no longer has fragrance when you grow it in a flowerpot yourself? Or again, why is it that for the same variety, someone else's blooms are very fragrant while yours are not? There are quite a few factors that affect orchid fragrance. If your orchid blooms without fragrance, it is very likely related to the following factors.
Variety issues
Most orchid family plants actually have no fragrance at all, including orchids; some varieties simply are not fragrant, and this is not a matter of whether you know how to grow them, because genes decide everything. Some of the orchids we commonly see have no fragrance at all, some have a faint fragrance, some have a strong deep fragrance, and some have a fresh fragrance with a long aftertaste. For example, some varieties of Cymbidium goeringii (spring orchid) and Cymbidium faberi (Faber's cymbidium) smell very good and can carry very far. The orchids shown on TV as being very fragrant and able to be smelled from far away are an exaggerated saying, so do not be fooled. If you want to grow fragrant orchids, you need to grow the right variety. Do your homework beforehand, know which ones are fragrant and which are not, and then go ahead and grow them with a purpose. Some flower sellers say this one is fragrant and that one is fragrant, but it may also just be to trick you into buying. Only doing enough homework yourself is reliable!
Day length
Whether the fragrance released by an orchid is strong or not has a great deal to do with day length and light intensity. Starting from flower bud differentiation, orchids need appropriately increased light, especially after budding, when sufficient light can promote flower bud development and is greatly beneficial to flowering quality and floral fragrance. If light is insufficient, flowering quality is low, and the fragrance becomes faint or cannot be smelled at all. Different orchid varieties also have different requirements for light intensity. For example, Cymbidium sinense (Chinese cymbidium), even in winter, is best kept with appropriate shading. Some orchid varieties, however, can receive full sunlight in winter, and shading instead causes poor growth. Therefore, the day length and light intensity for orchids should be adjusted according to the variety itself.
Temperature changes
The flowering quality of orchids is also related to temperature changes and the size of the temperature difference. For example, Cymbidium goeringii (spring orchid) and Cymbidium faberi (Faber's cymbidium) must undergo vernalization in a low-temperature environment before they can bloom normally. Without experiencing low-temperature vernalization, either the flower buds dry up and cannot open, or the flowering quality is low. Some orchids need lower temperatures to bloom, while some orchids need higher temperatures when blooming. No matter what, most orchids during the bud development and flowering stages require a certain temperature difference between morning and evening. With a reasonable temperature difference, flowering quality is high, and the floral fragrance will accordingly be a bit stronger. Indoor orchid growing makes temperature and temperature difference hard to control, so many orchids bloom easily and have strong fragrance when grown outdoors, while indoors they do not bloom easily and the flowers are not fragrant.
Whether fertilizer is sufficient
The flowering quality and floral fragrance of orchids are also related to whether nutrients are sufficient. With sufficient nutrients, flower buds develop well, and the fragrance is a bit stronger. With insufficient nutrients, flower buds do not develop fully, flowering quality is low, and the fragrance is a bit fainter. Therefore, during the orchid bud development stage, apply light fertilizer frequently as appropriate, and apply a bit more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote flower bud development and growth. Some enthusiasts' orchids are not given attention regarding fertilization, and even if they can produce flowers, the blooms are not vivid, are thin and weak, have a short flowering period, and have low ornamental value.
In addition to the four points above, whether an orchid's fragrance is strong or whether it has fragrance at all is also related to the growing environment. Some orchids, for example, are very fragrant in their place of origin, but after being planted elsewhere, they never have as good a fragrance as in their place of origin, mainly because of changes in the broader environment. Orchids like environments with high air quality, and the fragrance produced by stuffy indoor cultivation is sometimes inferior to that from outdoor open cultivation. So there are many reasons why orchids bloom without fragrance. If you are sure it is a variety that should be fragrant when blooming but it has no fragrance, then you need to work hard on care.