Fertilization
Abstract: This article discusses the cultivation of orchids, focusing on fertilization as a double-edged sword. Details are as follows:
Orchids naturally grow in deep mountains and valleys with suitable natural environments, loose humus soil, abundant soil fertility, and comprehensive nutrients, allowing them to grow robustly. However, after being moved to the garden or balcony, the environment changes significantly, and the nutrients are not as abundant as in the mountains. Even well-cultivated orchids may not be as sturdy as those growing in the wild. Therefore, we should strive to create a suitable environment for orchids, including good cultivation soil.
Nowadays, many people use hard planting materials (Xian soil, stone, ceramsite) for growing orchids, including my own orchid planting material. The nutrients in these materials are difficult to meet the needs of orchid growth. Without timely fertilization according to the orchid growth cycle, the orchid plants will have few sprouts, slow growth, and slow rejuvenation, making flowering and enjoyment a long-awaited event. Therefore, timely fertilization is essential. It is necessary to understand when to fertilize, the concentration of fertilizers, what type of fertilizer to use during different growth stages, and the preferences of different orchids for fertilizers. This is very important.
Fertilization is a double-edged sword, providing nutrition on one hand and causing harm on the other. Appropriate concentrations are nutrients that can make orchids grow robustly, while excessive concentrations can become toxins, causing the orchid plants to wither, become rigid, rot roots, or even die completely. My orchid planting material is a mix of stone and Xian soil. Below, I will introduce my understanding of different fertilizer elements and how to fertilize.
1. Fertilizer Elements
Orchids require 16 essential nutrients, with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen absorbed from the air, and the rest needed to varying degrees through fertilization to meet the normal growth requirements of orchids. These are divided into macronutrient fertilizers, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers; medium nutrient fertilizers, including calcium, magnesium, and sulfur fertilizers; micronutrient fertilizers, including chlorine, zinc, boron, manganese, molybdenum, iron, and copper fertilizers; and some beneficial element fertilizers, such as silicon fertilizers and rare earth fertilizers.
1. Nitrogen Fertilizer: Nitrogen is the main element of protein, which is the basic constituent of cell protoplasm. Additional nitrogen fertilizer can promote the formation of protein and chlorophyll, making the leaves dark green, increasing leaf area, promoting carbon assimilation, and有利于 increasing yield and improving quality.
2. Phosphorus Fertilizer: Phosphorus is an essential element for forming nucleoproteins and lecithin. Phosphorus can accelerate cell division and promote faster growth of roots and above-ground parts, and facilitate bud differentiation.
3. Potassium Fertilizer: Potassium can enhance the intensity of photosynthesis, promote the formation of starch and sugar in plants, strengthen plant resistance and disease resistance, and improve the absorption and utilization of nitrogen by plants.
4. Magnesium: One of the elements that make up chlorophyll, promoting the process of photophosphorylation.
5. Calcium: One of the main raw materials for building cell walls.
6. Sulfur: A necessary component of certain amino acids.
7. Chlorine: Undertakes certain physiological functions, such as participating in photosynthesis, regulating cell osmotic pressure, and maintaining ion balance in the body.
8. Iron: One of the elements that make up chlorophyll, involved in metabolic processes such as photosynthesis and respiration, and also a component of nitrogenase.
9. Zinc: An essential element for the synthesis of tryptophan, which is a precursor of indole acetic acid.
10. Copper: One of the raw materials for synthesizing chloroplast proteins.
11. Boron: Plays an important role in physiological and biochemical processes, participating in protein metabolism; participating in the formation of pectin substances, reducing pectin when plants lack boron; and participating in the formation of microelements and lignin necessary for vascular bundle development.
12. Molybdenum: Plays a role in plant metabolism and respiration, and is related to plant phosphorus metabolism. A lack of molybdenum is not conducive to the conversion of inorganic phosphorus to organic phosphorus, and molybdenum can also enhance plant resistance to diseases.
The above are the elements required for orchid growth. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers are more familiar, while micronutrient fertilizers may be less familiar.
2. Fertilizers I Use
(1) Magic Fertilizer: I like to use magic fertilizer, which is a compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. It is a slow-release fertilizer that releases nutrients according to the concentration of fertilizer in the soil, not harming roots or buds. Magic fertilizer is effective in promoting sturdy corms and blooming, and I have used it for many years, putting a lot in, about 20-30 granules per pot.
(2) Fast-acting Compound Fertilizer: The flower fertilizer I usually use is a compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Depending on the orchid's growth stage and the different nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ratios needed, flower fertilizer is divided into types 1-5. Different types of flower fertilizer can be used during different growth stages. Flower fertilizer works well but is not easy to dissolve. When using it, make sure to completely filter out any undissolved particles to prevent them from burning new buds and causing plant collapse. I only use type 4, which has a nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ratio of 25:5:20, a purple solution that strengthens roots and leaves, promotes the development of buds and root systems, and strengthens the stem. I use a concentration of 3000-4000 times, very dilute, generally applied every 10 days. After the Spring Festival, when temperatures rise and everything revives, by March, you can start applying it. Flower fertilizer type 4 is still good for promoting bud development, increasing root systems, and strengthening corms. Flower fertilizer type 5 has a nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ratio of 30-10-10, promoting rapid growth of various seedlings, with a high-nitrogen formula promoting rapid initial growth of Cymbidium goeringii. I use type 5 less frequently, and it can be used after the orchid buds open, applied as a foliar spray and root irrigation, with a high-nitrogen formula that makes new seedlings grow rapidly, making the orchid leaves tender, green, and wide. Flower fertilizer type 3 has a nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium ratio of 10:30:20, particularly high in phosphorus, with a gray-black solution that mainly promotes orchid flowering. Fish meal fertilizer: an organic fertilizer, high in phosphorus, promoting flowering.
(3) Bio-biotic Fertilizer: Zhi Quan, Xi Shuo, in addition to containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, also contain a relatively complete set of micronutrients and biologically active bacteria.
3. How to Fertilize
(1) Fertilization Form: Use magic fertilizer as a base fertilizer placed on the top of the pot. For topdressing, use foliar fertilizer and root irrigation simultaneously, not applying foliar fertilizer alone.
(2) Fertilization Methods:
1. Fertilize according to the orchid's growth stage: After spring, everything begins to recover, and orchids start a new round of growth. At this time, apply fertilizers that promote leaf bud differentiation, such as flower fertilizer type 4 at about 3000 times and Zhi Quan at about 2000 times, once a week. After the buds emerge, the main nutrient needed is nitrogen, so I still use flower fertilizer type 4 as the main fertilizer, and I can also apply a small number of times with flower fertilizer type 5 or Li Wei Green and other fertilizers. This season is the time for flower buds to form, and many of my orchids have already formed flower buds. If there are no flower buds yet, apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers on the basis of reducing water, such as fish meal fertilizer or flower fertilizer type 3, or potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and if the grass is strong, flower buds should appear. Orchids at home may be at different growth stages at the same time and should be fertilized differently according to the stage. In the severe summer heat, if there are no cooling measures, fertilization should be stopped. In winter, when orchids are dormant, fertilization should also be stopped. Orchid fertilization should be applied frequently with thin fertilizers.
2. Fertilize according to the orchid's growth: If the orchid is growing well with good roots, fertilize normally; if the orchid is not growing well with poor roots, apply less fertilizer, and wait until the roots are established before fertilizing normally.
3. Use fertilizers according to the orchid variety: I mainly grow Cymbidium goeringii, which has long leaves, wide leaves, and thick roots, so I can fertilize a bit more. Cymbidium goeringii should be fertilized less than Cymbidium faberi.
4. The relationship between fertilizing and watering: If the planting material is dry, fertilize before watering, making sure the fertilizer concentration is very dilute, and after fertilizing, water back and flush the fertilizer inside the buds and planting material away with plenty of water.
5. The relationship between fertilizing and fungicides: Fertilizing and fungicide application can be done simultaneously. Most fungicides for killing fungi and bacteria can be mixed with fertilizers, but be sure to read the instructions first. Do not mix with biotic fertilizers. After using fungicides, you can apply biotic fertilizers to supplement the biologically active bacteria.
6. Soak the orchid plants in a solution of about 500 times Zhi Quan for 30 minutes during division, which can help roots and buds develop earlier.
4. Essential Tools for Fertilizing
The concentration of fertilizer must be accurate. There is a small spoon in the flower fertilizer, with 1 gram per small spoon, and water should be measured with a measuring jug.
Liquid fertilizers should be accurately measured using medical syringes, and syringes of 5ml and 1ml should be prepared.
The above is a detailed explanation of fertilization as a double-edged sword in orchid cultivation, for everyone's reference and suggestion!