Orchid flowering management
If you want to understand the experience of orchids, the management of orchid flowering, the following editor will answer in detail for you
Orchid flowering management is very important, and it may cause the flower buds to wither if not careful. From the emergence of flower buds to the full blooming of Cymbidium and Huilan, it takes nearly half a year. During this period, careful nursing is required, which directly affects whether the flower buds can develop normally and whether they can bloom beautifully. It not only involves technical issues related to flowering care but is also an artistic skill. The main points of flowering care summarized from the author's experience in raising orchids are elaborated as follows:
1. When the flower bud emerges from the soil, do not touch or squeeze it with your hands: beginners who raise orchids see the new buds emerge from the soil and cannot tell whether they are leaf buds or flower buds, so they can't help but touch and squeeze them with their hands. But those tender new buds that have just emerged from the soil are very fragile. Once they are pinched and squeezed by hand, the outer layer of bracts will become "burnt," and even cause the flower bud to "stagnate," so they can only be observed with the eyes and should not be pinched by hand.
2. After the flower buds are all out, thin the buds according to the number and growth condition of the orchid plants, removing the weak and leaving the strong: for example, for a famous variety of Cymbidium with only 4 or 5 seedlings, one flower bud is enough; 8 or 9 strong seedlings can retain 2 flower buds; more than 10 seedlings can retain 3 without any problem. The author has a pot of "Epin" with 10 seedlings, which produces 8 flower buds, 6 of which are thinned, leaving only 2. This is to avoid consuming too much nutrient. The principle of thinning is to "remove the weak and leave the strong" - if both the front ridge (new pseudo-bulbs of the previous year) and the back ridge produce flower buds, it is better to leave the strong buds of the front ridge and remove the ones from the back ridge; if a strong plant produces two flower buds, only one should be left; the flower buds produced by weak seedlings should be removed resolutely; the flower buds that emerge too late should also be removed; those growing among the leaves are not as good as the ones around the orchid plants.
3. To prevent the flower buds from frostbite, they must be moved into a room for the winter during the severe cold: place the pots with flower buds in a sunny room to let them bask in the warm sunlight. During the day, when the temperature rises, the windows should be opened for ventilation to strengthen the air circulation. When watering, care should be taken to avoid letting water droplets enter the bracts to prevent decay.
4. During the period from shooting to blooming, the moisture level should be properly controlled: when the orchid begins to shoot, it needs a certain amount of water. If there is no moist environment in the pot, the flower stalk will not grow tall and will shrink on the pot surface, which will be遮掩 by the leaves and affect the appearance. To make the flower stem grow tall, the pot must be kept moist and not too dry. However, when the flowers are blooming, the pot should be slightly dry. If the humidity in the pot is too high, although the flower stem can continue to grow, it often causes the side petals to "drop shoulders," affecting the appearance of the flowers. Therefore, water should be reduced before the flowers bloom. However, this is not always the case for some special varieties, such as Cymbidium Yu Butterfly, Liangxi Petal Butterfly, Dancing Butterfly, Huilian Duoyun, Seagull, Fengqiao, and Lixing Petal Butterfly. They not only should not be slightly dry but need to be even more moist to better display their unique petal characteristics when blooming.
5. When the flower stem grows and the stigma tip is exposed out of the bract, light should be controlled: it is more suitable to place it in a place with scattered light. If the light is too weak, the color of the flowers will not be bright; if exposed to direct sunlight (too strong light), the petals may turn yellow after blooming, or even easily get "burnt," damaging the appearance of the flowers. Especially for the orchids with plain hearts, too strong light will make the tongues slightly yellow. Therefore, orchids should be kept away from direct sunlight and placed in a location with scattered light when blooming.
6. Trim the flowers at the right time: the flowering period of orchids is generally about ten days, and some can last for a month. Ordinary orchids can be left to bloom freely, but for precious orchids, in order not to consume too much nutrient and affect the growth of new buds, the flowers of Cymbidium should be trimmed a week after blooming. For Huilan with multiple flowers on one stem, they should be trimmed 5 or 6 days after they have fully bloomed from the bottom up (except for exhibition needs). Flower trimming method: the flowers of Cymbidium can be pulled out with the stem - pinch the flower stem with two fingers about an inch away from the pot surface and pull it up quickly to pull out the flower and stem together, leaving no residual stem; Huilan cannot be pulled out and should be cut obliquely with scissors about 2 inches away from the pot surface. The cut flowers can be burned at the end with a match to "seal" and placed in a vase with water to be admired for several days. There is also a simpler method: place the cut flowers in a clean glass bottle, pour out the accumulated water, seal it tightly, and because there is some humidity in the bottle, the flowers will remain beautiful as usual and can be admired for half a month without withering.
The above introduces the specific introduction of orchid flowering management, hoping to bring some flower knowledge to flower enthusiasts.