How to cultivate Cattleya orchids
This article provides a detailed explanation of how to cultivate Cattleya orchids, including knowledge about green plants and flowering techniques, with the following specifics:
Cattleya orchids are often considered as beautiful and noble flowers for the Chinese New Year. Many people buy Cattleya orchids with large flower buds or blooming, which can be directly placed in the living room for appreciation.
However, after the flowers have bloomed, many people stop taking care of them. After the New Year, many people discard their Cattleya orchids, believing they will never bloom again and there's no point in keeping them. In fact, there are four essential elements to cultivate Cattleya orchids well, and all are indispensable to make the flowers bloom profusely. Have you achieved these key points?
First, Cattleya orchids require good ventilation.
Many people think that ventilation in indoor gardening simply means opening the windows. However, ventilation is about allowing air to circulate. If there is no air circulation indoors, even with the windows open, ventilation is still poor. Caring for Cattleya orchids and other orchids requires high ventilation. You can place an electric fan on the balcony, or friends who keep succulents can add a fan or an exhaust fan to let the air circulate. After watering, this will evaporate excess moisture and carry it away. If the air does not circulate, it's easy to get waterlogged and rotten roots. Of course, if conditions permit, placing it in a semi-shaded outdoor area is also very good.
Second, they need ample sunlight.
We know that most orchids prefer scattered light or semi-shaded environments, such as being placed in a brightly lit indoor area. Orchids don't require much sunlight, with the exception of the black orchid, which is the most shade-tolerant and requires the least sunlight. Other orchids don't need to be exposed to direct sunlight either. However, Cattleya orchids have harder and wider leaves, making them very tolerant of sunlight. More sun exposure won't burn their leaves, but during the summer, you should shield them from the intense midday sun. Overexposure can also cause problems. Let them get sunlight before 10 am and after 4 pm in the summer. This will make their leaves grow straight and lush, enhancing their flowering ability. If the light is too weak, they are prone to soft rot, black rot, and the plants may fall over.
How to cultivate Cattleya orchids
Third, the soil must be breathable.
We know that the most important aspect of caring for orchids is that the potting mix must be loose and breathable. Most people use special orchid soil, and Cattleya orchids are no exception. If the soil has poor breathability, it's hard to keep them alive. You can see that when repotting, the orchid mix is very loose and breathable, with a lot of granular soil added, such as red brick particles or peanut shells, which contain nutrients and have good breathability.
For Cattleya orchids, you also need to use breathable orchid soil. You can use materials like pine bark and perlite, or peanut shell granular soil, mixed in a 1:1 ratio. In fact, this works for any orchid. The potting mix should have good breathability and holes can be made around it to allow excess water to drain out and increase ventilation at the bottom.
Fourth, buy a plant with multiple seedlings in one pot.