How to care for orchids to make them grow better?
The editor will explain how to care for orchids to make them grow better and master "5 tips" for easy maintenance. Next, our site editor will introduce the related knowledge.
With the improvement of living standards, more and more people are growing flowers. Keeping some flowers and green plants at home can beautify the living space, purify the air, improve air quality, and benefit the health of family members. Orchids are one of the very popular potted plants. They are monocotyledonous, perennial herbaceous plants, with tubular roots and leaves clustering from the stem, usually 2-3 leaves forming a bundle. Keeping a pot of orchids at home has a faint fragrance and features elegance and purity. Have you started growing one?
Recently, I've seen many flower enthusiasts leave comments, with many people saying that orchids are difficult to grow, often not growing, yellowing leaves, rotting roots, or not blooming. Why is that? In fact, caring for orchids also requires certain skills. By grasping a few growth points, maintenance becomes very simple. If you still don't know how to do it, here are some precautions to share in the process of orchid care. Let's take a look.
01. Light
Orchids prefer shade and are sensitive to direct strong sunlight. However, to grow them well, light is indispensable. Therefore, in most cases, they are kept in places with ample scattered light, which helps the plants grow strong and bloom. If kept in a dark environment for a long time, orchids are prone to excessive growth, and blooming may also be affected, or they may not bloom at all.
Therefore, when growing orchids, enthusiasts should maintain proper scattered light exposure to increase the intensity of photosynthesis, which is very important for the growth and blooming of orchids. Never expose them to strong sunlight.
02. Water
Learning to control water is a fundamental condition for growing orchids well. Orchid leaves are thick and have a protective cuticle, so they do not require much water. Moreover, the pseudobulbs and fleshy roots can store a certain amount of nutrients and water, making them somewhat drought-resistant. In routine maintenance, except for the rooting, growing, and germination periods when some water is needed, they consume very little water at other times, so it's enough to keep the potting soil slightly moist.
03. Control Fertilization
Orchids prefer a light diet, so fertilizing should be frequent with low concentrations. Appropriate nitrogenous fertilizer can promote stem and leaf growth, phosphorus fertilizer can strengthen the roots, and promote plant metabolism, helping with blooming. Magnesium, sulfur, iron, and other trace elements can make the leaves green and the flowers robust.
When growing orchids, fertilizing is not allowed during three periods: dormancy, weak growth, and just repotting. Fertilizing during these periods will only harm the orchid growth. Over-fertilizing will burn the roots and leaves, causing irreversible damage.
04. Preventing Pests
When growing orchids, it's necessary to disinfect them every once in a while to avoid the invasion of diseases and pests. You can use some pest control drugs, but be aware that after each pest control, it's important to wash the leaves with clean water within about 2 hours to avoid chemical damage.
05. Pruning
In the process of growing orchids, pruning is also very important, especially after blooming. Enthusiasts need to cut off all the spent stems to avoid nutrient loss and prepare for new shoots. Moreover, after each pruning, to prevent the occurrence of diseases or infections, you can use a cloth soaked in 0.1% pest control medicine to wipe the cut parts.
The above sharing on how to grow orchids well and master "5 tips" for easy maintenance is for everyone's reference.