How to Cultivate Orchid Seedlings
Today's tip sharing: How to cultivate orchid seedlings and clever tricks for growing orchid seedlings in the field of floriculture. Let's take a look together.
Orchids have a graceful posture, noble and elegant, placing them at home not only looks beautiful and generous but also adds a touch of cultural atmosphere. Therefore, many flower enthusiasts like to keep several pots of orchids at home for appreciation.
Those who have kept orchids know that this plant has high environmental requirements, such as soil, temperature, and humidity. As a result, many新手 orchid growers often can't keep them well. However, orchids are not as difficult to grow as many people imagine. As long as you care for them according to their growth habits, they can usually be kept thriving. For新手 orchid growers, remember these 4 key points for maintenance to ensure healthy growth and prevent root rot.
Cultivating Substrate Should Be Moisture-Retaining and Breathable
Cultivating orchids is different from other flowers. It has high requirements for the growing soil. Orchids in the wild often grow in loose and breathable humus soil. When growing them in pots at home, we should also try to provide loose and breathable substrates to ensure that the orchid roots grow robust and avoid becoming hollow or rotting.
Why do many新手 orchid growers find that their orchids at home often have rotting roots? Most of the time, it is because the potting soil used has too much stickiness and poor breathability, leading to long-term moisture and causing root rot. Therefore, the first step to growing orchids well is to properly prepare the substrate used for orchid cultivation.
There are many materials used to prepare orchid substrates, usually divided into hard and soft substrates. Hard substrates include volcanic rock, vermiculite, coal slag, broken bricks, etc., while soft substrates include fermented pine needles, bark, peanut shells, coconut bran, etc. No matter which type of substrate is used, it should be loose and breathable and also have some water retention, as it dries quickly after watering, and over time, the roots can easily dehydrate, leading to more hollow roots.
How to Water Properly?
It is often said that "One must be proficient in watering orchids after ten years of practice," indicating that watering orchids is not easy to master. Everyone may have their own watering method, but the same watering method may not be suitable for all orchids. There are two reasons for this. First, different substrates have different water evaporation rates. If the substrate is breathable but does not retain water, it dries quickly and should be watered as soon as it's dry.
Second, different seasons require different watering intervals. The rate of water evaporation in summer and winter is significantly different. You cannot stick to one watering method and should adapt accordingly. Only by understanding the orchids you are growing can you find a suitable watering method, rather than following someone else's schedule.
Many flower enthusiasts say, "Dry-grow orchids, wet-grow chrysanthemums." The so-called dry-grow orchids are meant to avoid excessive watering that keeps the potting soil constantly moist, leading to root rot. It doesn't mean the substrate should be too dry, or it will result in more hollow roots. In fact, orchids grow better in substrates that are moist but not wet and are more likely to sprout new buds.
Issues Regarding Orchid Fertilization
No plant can grow without nutrients, and orchids are no exception. When the nutrients in the substrate are insufficient, especially for orchids grown in hard substrates, without fertilizing to supplement nutrients for an extended period, the plants will become weak, and the leaves will turn yellow and lack vitality.
Improper fertilization can also lead to root burn and yellow leaves, especially for新手 orchid growers who should not fertilize randomly. Adding unfermented organic fertilizers to the pot can lead to root rot.