How to Care for Orchids to Ensure Vigorous Growth
Today's focus is on introducing how to care for orchids to ensure vigorous growth and the methods and techniques for orchid cultivation, followed by a detailed explanation from our editor for netizens.
Since ancient times, the Chinese people have loved, cultivated, extolled, and painted orchids. Orchids symbolize purity and elegance, and are often referred to as one of the "Four Gentlemen" along with plum blossoms, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, making them a popular choice for displaying in living rooms and adorning studies. Orchids are simple and unadorned, with evergreen leaves and fragrant flowers that have high ornamental value. Moreover, they are also easy to cultivate. It is usually recommended to choose a tall orchid pot and use humus soil as the potting mix. In terms of daily care, it is enough to fertilize regularly during the growing and flowering periods, water on time to keep the soil moist, maintain a temperature of 16-24°C, and repot every 1-2 years. Next, we will discuss orchid cultivation methods in terms of soil selection, fertilizing methods, watering techniques, temperature requirements, and repotting requirements.
I. Soil Selection:
The soil for cultivating orchids should be loose and fertile, well-draining, and slightly acidic, preferably using humus as the main component, such as decomposed leaf soil or mountainous humus soil.
II. Fertilizing Methods:
During the growing season of orchids, you can choose a thin solution of 15% decomposed cake fertilizer or a mixture of 0.1% urea fertilizer and 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate fertilizer, applied every 15-20 days; before and during flowering, you can spray the leaves with 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate or wood ash water 2-3 times to promote the development of roots, stems, and flowers. Note that unrotted fertilizer should not be used to avoid root rot.
III. Watering Methods:
Watering orchids can be done according to the season, watering every 2-3 days in spring and autumn; in summer, which is the peak growing season for orchids, water once or twice a day and also spray a little water on the leaves to increase humidity and promote growth. Additionally, orchids have specific requirements for irrigation water, preferably rainwater, or if using tap water, it should be left to stand for 2-3 days before use.
IV. Temperature Requirements:
The optimal temperature for orchid growth is between 16-24°C. In colder winters, maintaining a room temperature of around 10°C is ideal. Also, ensure good air circulation and avoid direct sunlight.
V. Repotting Requirements:
The pot for growing orchids can be a tall orchid pot with a thicker upper part and a thinner lower part, with multiple drainage holes or drainage holes in the pot wall. Repotting should be done every 1-2 years. When repotting, you can also trim away withered, yellow, and diseased leaves to improve ventilation.
The comprehensive explanation provided above about how to care for orchids to ensure vigorous growth and the techniques for orchid cultivation is hoped to be a starting point for solving your problems with green plants.