Cultivation of National Orchid: Ten Likes and Ten Fears
Let me tell you about the related content of Cymbidium, the national orchid, including the ten likes and ten fears in its cultivation. Next, the editor will introduce it to the netizens.
By reading and studying classic orchid books such as "A Brief History of Orchids" and combining my own orchid cultivation practice, I have summarized the key points of national orchid cultivation into "ten likes and ten fears" in order to learn from orchid experts and orchid enthusiasts.
1. Likes loose soil and fears compaction: The native growing medium of orchids is mountain soil rich in humus, which the predecessors of orchid cultivation called "orchid soil" (commonly known as "fragrant ash soil"), very loose in texture. When you grab a handful, it forms a ball in your hand and immediately scatters when you open your palm. This kind of mountain soil has good breathability, which is convenient for the fleshy roots of orchids to breathe. Soil with poor structure that easily compacts after watering will make the orchids unable to breathe, and it will definitely not grow well.
According to the习性 of orchid roots liking loose and breathable soil, the predecessors in the orchid community sounded the call for reforming orchid growing medium, advocating the use of soil that is loose, has good breathability, does not compact, and contains certain nutrients. My Jiangsu orchid friends generally use granular Xianshi from Emei Mountain in Sichuan, mixed with planting gold (or pond-based orchid stones, accounting for about 30%) because the granular soil is very rich in nutrients, has strong cohesiveness, does not compact, and has good drainage and permeability. Choosing such ideal growing medium for orchid growth is half the success in cultivating orchids.
2. Likes slightly acidic and fears salty and alkaline: Orchids are perennial slightly acidic flowers. According to this characteristic, the water used for watering orchids must be slightly acidic soft water without minerals. According to the pH scale: pH 7 is neutral, pH higher than 7 is alkaline, pH 5.5 to 6.5 is slightly acidic, and pH less than 5 is too acidic. Orchids prefer slightly acidic water, with a pH of 5.2 to 6 being the best.
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The above are specific contents about the ten likes and ten fears in the cultivation of national orchids for your reference.