How do you grow orchids well? Keep these five points in mind

The orchid is the gentleman among flowers, possessing the fragrance of a king. The orchid is elegant, noble and steadfast; the orchid is like an unassuming modest gentleman. With an orchid by your side, it always gives a feeling of quiet seclusion. Since ancient times, scholars have praised it, painters have painted it, and philosophers have sung of it. It can be said that by growing a pot of orchids, we are already living amid poetic charm and artistic beauty.

Only the orchid's fragrance is just right, briefly famed throughout Wuyang City. We all surely want to know how to grow an orchid well. In fact, growing an orchid well comes down to just a few words: soil, fertilizer, water, light, temperature - yet it is not as simple as just a few words.

Orchids are very demanding about soil

We all know that orchids have fleshy roots and live symbiotically with orchid fungi, so the best soil for orchids is naturally humus-rich soil. In the south, orchid mud (the humus soil of their place of origin) is commonly used to grow orchids; in the north, perlite and vermiculite plus humus soil can be artificially mixed into a growing medium. The principle is: loose, water-permeable and airy. As the saying goes, when orchid grass is grown well, even the wind can blow it over - that is exactly how it is. Orchids dislike alkalinity, so the soil used should be slightly acidic.

Fertilizer for orchids must be light

Orchids live symbiotically with orchid fungi and are self-sufficient in nutrients; added to reasons such as their own slow growth, their nutrient consumption is low, so basically no base fertilizer is needed. As for top dressing, experts generally use potassium-containing wood ash water, insisting on the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently, and never concentrated; unrotted fertilizer will corrode the orchid's fleshy roots and should be avoided. In addition, growing orchids definitely means growing orchid fungi - the two are symbiotic and indispensable to each other. So new orchids are given old soil, and old orchids are given new soil; the orchid fungi in the old soil can establish a new symbiotic mechanism with the new orchid, and that is exactly the reasoning here.

Watering is the key to growing orchids

As the saying goes, understanding orchid growing takes one hint, but watering takes ten years of practice. The key to growing orchids lies in growing the roots, and the key to growing the roots lies in watering. With too much water the orchid's roots rot; with too little water the roots become hollow. With too much water the leaves scorch; with too little water the leaves shrivel. Watering generally follows the principle of not watering until the soil is dry, and never leaving it half dry and half wet. Beginners at growing orchids need a bamboo skewer to test the soil moisture: if the skewer is wet, the orchid roots are wet; if the skewer is dry, the orchid roots are dry. After watering, there must also be dehumidifying treatment and so on. So watering orchids cannot just be armchair tactics; it requires time and experience.

Light needs attention

Orchids come from deep mountains and secluded valleys, so they naturally prefer shade. Direct sunlight will affect the growth of orchids, so orchids are suited to under the eaves or in the study; when the light is slightly weaker, take them out for ventilation.

There are certain requirements for temperature

Orchids have the quality of not fearing the oppression of frost and snow and not changing color in the cold, so they can naturally endure low temperatures. However, if you want to care for your orchids, you should still move them indoors at the time of frost's descent. Overwintering indoors is enough, with no other heating measures needed. In summer, avoid the effects of excessively high temperatures on orchids. In addition, the three orchid varieties Cymbidium sinense (Chinese cymbidium), Cymbidium kanran (cold orchid) and Cymbidium goeringii (spring orchid) can survive severe cold outdoors.

A broken mirror does not change its light; a dead orchid does not change its fragrance. Growing an orchid can indeed add much color to life. The longer you grow orchids, the better you will understand them and the more you will like them.