How to cultivate wild orchids to make them bloom
Today, I will introduce to you how to cultivate wild orchids to make them bloom and the correct methods for beginners to grow orchids. Below, the editor will provide you with detailed answers.
After wild orchids are collected from the mountains, the first step is to prune the roots. This topic has been discussed extensively by Good Photographer Farmer in other articles. Don't worry that excessive root pruning will affect the survival rate of the orchid plants. Practice has proven that most of the collected roots are useless and will mostly rot in the potting soil (at most the next year). Root pruning and thinning are to reduce the decay of old orchid roots in the potting soil, thereby avoiding the reduction in survival rate caused by this.
If wild orchids are collected with buds, they can be cultivated to bloom, which is not a problem. If they are collected with flowers (already blooming), it is best to remove the flowers before potting or promptly remove the flowers after potting to avoid excessive energy consumption that could affect flowering and bud formation the following year.
The best soil for planting wild orchids is the humus soil found on the native hillsides. This type of soil helps wild orchids adapt to the pot easily and grow faster. When using it, mix in some granular planting materials to make the entire potting mix more loose and breathable. The watering principle is to keep it dry rather than waterlogged, and water thoroughly when watering.
After 50 days of potting, observe the leaves. If they are growing normally and the leaves are glossy, then they have basically adapted to the pot. At this point, you can apply some phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Good Photographer Farmer commonly uses a triple nutrient fertilizer, which also contains nitrogen. Regular management also requires spraying 800 times the concentration of potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution, once every 15 days, for three consecutive times. Then, after the beginning of autumn, do the same for three consecutive times to meet the phosphorus and potassium fertilizer needs of the orchids.
Orchids require a temperature difference of more than 10 degrees during the budding period (August) to mimic the temperature difference of wild orchids. Therefore, this point also needs to be considered when growing orchids at home. General open-air balconies can meet this requirement, while urban balconies may be slightly lacking, requiring the use of misting to create temperature differences. Misting can also maintain the humidity of the orchid environment.
The above is a complete introduction to how to cultivate wild orchids to make them bloom and the correct methods for beginners to grow orchids, for everyone's learning and understanding!