Cultivation methods and precautions for orchids
The editor answers your questions about orchids, including the cultivation methods and precautions for orchids. The specific contents are as follows:
Although the title of this article is "Cultivation methods and precautions for orchids" which should be more theoretical, experienced summary is more valuable for orchid enthusiasts. The author has been growing orchids for a long time, made many mistakes, and gained a lot of insights. The following is the author's experience.
If we talk about how to grow orchids, we may need to talk about the environment for growing orchids first. Some orchid enthusiasts ignore this prerequisite and directly talk about their planting material ratios and watering methods without mentioning their own orchid growing environment. This is actually very misleading. Others' environments are very different from yours, and the results you get by following your methods will definitely be different. Moreover, many orchid enthusiasts have poor judgment and can only say: "Great post! I've learned a lot!" and "I'll take it all in!" without distinguishing between right and wrong. This shows that only talking about planting materials without mentioning the environment has a significant negative impact.
I divide the orchid growing environment into two categories: ground-grown orchids and air-grown orchids (balconies, rooftops). The biggest difference between ground and air is that ground-grown orchids can connect with the earth, while air-grown orchids cannot get the earth's energy. What I call "earth's energy" is a kind of humid, cool, and flowing air. The earth has the function of breathing, transporting moisture, nutrients, and air in the soil. If you don't believe it, just observe how the street trees in the bustling city survive. Those street trees grow in a square meter of soil, surrounded by concrete, and even that square meter of soil is compacted by people. Nevertheless, the trees are still lush and thriving. Isn't it the earth's merit? Compared to air-grown orchids, ground-grown orchids are closer to the natural growth state. Orchids get energy from the earth, and once the ventilation problem is solved, half of the orchid cultivation problem is solved. This is the advantage of ground-grown orchids.
Since ground-grown orchids (potted) have such superior conditions, the planting materials do not need to be so particular. As long as the environment has shade, ventilation, and not much direct sunlight, even garden soil can be used. For those with slightly poorer conditions, such as poor ventilation, adding some granular materials to the garden soil is fine. This is what I have experienced. In the past, I lived in a bungalow and did it this way without any problems. Orchids have gone through millions of years of evolution and have this adaptability. Therefore, it is not mysterious for some people to grow orchids well with garden soil.
However, when using garden soil, one must follow the principle of placing some coarse granular materials at the bottom of the pot and then adding garden soil on top. You cannot have a coarse top and fine bottom, with coarse granules on top and garden soil below. This is obviously disadvantageous, as it blocks the earth's energy and easily causes a dry top and wet bottom, leading to root rot and diseases. This is one of the taboos in orchid cultivation. What good does it do for the orchid plants?
Air-grown orchids are quite different. Without the earth's energy, you have to solve the ventilation problem yourself, which mainly involves solving the root ventilation problem. How to do it? You can only use granular materials. The upper part of the roots, close to the pot surface, can easily get air, so fine granules are used, while the lower part of the roots, confined in the pot, cannot easily get air, so coarse granules are used. This configuration of fine on top and coarse on bottom has many benefits, at least three can be mentioned:
First, it solves the ventilation problem.
Second, it does not accumulate water and can reduce water evaporation, keeping the pot in a humid environment for a long time. Due to this fine on top and coarse on bottom structure, the humidity in the upper and lower parts remains roughly the same, eliminating the situation where the upper part is completely dry while the lower part is still wet.
Third, it can reduce diseases. I have experienced that if a pot of orchid plants has black spots or stem rot, it must be that the planting material in that pot is problematic. The material is too fine or does not follow the principle of fine on top and coarse on bottom, causing excessive moisture and poor ventilation. In short, it fails to resolve the contradiction between roots, water, and air. If you follow the principle of fine on top and coarse on bottom, black spots and stem rot will not appear.
If you still have such diseases after doing this, it means the planting material is too fine. Changing to a coarser one can fundamentally prevent black spots and stem rot. You don't have to worry even if you water too much! How about that, is my trick a unique skill?
Of course, too much water and fertilizer can also cause other problems, but that is not the topic of this article.
Garden soil should never be used, and even adding coarse granular materials to garden soil is not allowed. All orchid enthusiasts should remember: the biggest taboo in air-grown orchids is mixing very fine powder, such as fine soil, in the granular materials. Garden soil undoubtedly contains a lot of this fine powder, which obviously blocks the ventilation channels, making it equivalent to not using granular materials at all. If someone still insists: "I use garden soil with granular materials and it works well," then I can assert that your orchid plants are growing slowly and will become smaller each year, and diseases are also difficult to control. Otherwise, it is the special situation I mentioned earlier, that is, you have a very shaded rooftop garden.
However, using only granular materials still has flaws, as the large gaps between the granules reduce the contact area between the orchid roots and the material, weakening their ability to absorb nutrients. This problem is easy to solve by applying thin and frequent fertilization. As long as you master the words "thin" and "frequent," you won't have major concerns.
Air-grown orchids have a special environment where they can be grown well without using pure granular materials. This is when some people have a garden on their rooftop with large trees and vines providing shade, and a lot of soil for planting other flowers and trees, creating a humid and ventilated environment similar to the ground. Placing orchid plants under the vines or in shady corners can also achieve some of the effects of connecting with the earth, and the orchid plants can grow well without using pure granular materials.
In conclusion, I must clarify that I live in the south, and what I have said is based on my experience in growing orchids locally. It may not be suitable for orchid cultivation in other regions, especially in the north.
Do you know the detailed introduction of the cultivation methods and precautions for orchids shared above?