Orchid Winter Management
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In the process of orchid winter management, lighting is a very important aspect. All things grow rely on the sun, and orchids are no exception. Whether the orchid germination is strong or not, the lighting in winter is very important. In the central plains area, it enters deep autumn around November every year. At this season, most plants have stopped growing and entered the dormant period, and orchids are no exception.
In fact, the orchid buds have formed in autumn every year and need to gestate through the winter before breaking through the soil in spring.
In winter, it seems that orchids have stopped growing and entered the dormant period, but inside the orchid pot, subtle changes are constantly taking place. Bud points and pseudobulbs continue to expand, and orchid roots also grow slowly. At this time, not only should the orchid leaves be exposed to full light, but the orchid pot should also be exposed to direct sunlight. This can increase the temperature inside the pot, promote photosynthesis, and allow the orchid buds and pseudobulbs to accumulate more nutrients and become stronger.
After a winter of gestation, the orchid buds are fully prepared for breaking through the soil in spring. Once spring comes, they will grow rapidly with accumulated energy, not only germinating early but also easier to grow strong seedlings.
In the central plains area, it is not a problem to grow two generations of strong seedlings in natural conditions every year. Because there is a wall more than 2 meters high on the south side of my orchid house, in winter, due to the oblique sunlight, some orchids on the south side cannot see the sun. Therefore, from November to April of the following year, I change the north side orchid shelf into a stepped shape, so that the orchid pots can fully receive direct sunlight. I have tested it, and the temperature inside the pots with and without light differs by 3 to 5 degrees during the day. Since it is a glass house, the temperature inside the house rises quickly when exposed to sunlight. Therefore, as long as the minimum temperature is not lower than 0 degrees, I always open a small part of the window during the day and at night. This not only maintains ventilation but also controls the daytime temperature from rising too high and allows the nighttime temperature to decrease, creating a larger temperature difference.
After full vernalization and sufficient sunlight exposure, the orchids have laid a good foundation for growth in the next year.
In summary, I believe that whether orchids can survive depends on summer management, and whether they can grow strong depends on winter management. We should fully utilize what nature has given us.
The aforementioned methods of orchid winter management (lighting) are for reference only.