What are the key points for caring for orchids in autumn?
Today's focus is to introduce you to the contents of home orchid cultivation, what are the key points for orchid maintenance in autumn? If there are any mistakes, please correct them!
I. The Four Major Risks faced in Orchid Cultivation
In the process of orchid cultivation, orchid growers often face various risks. In my view, the main risks come from the following four aspects: the risk of buying fake orchids, the risk of orchids being stolen, the risk of fluctuating orchid prices, and the risk of orchids dying from improper care. Among these four major risks of orchid cultivation, the first three risks may not be encountered by everyone, but the fourth risk is one that every orchid grower has to face. From my survey results over the past few years, within the Dali Prefecture, based on the cultivation conditions of more than 110 orchid growers surveyed, there is no one who has not killed an orchid, only the difference between more and fewer deaths, and the better and more famous orchids are more likely to have problems. Just from the survey of April to August 2005, within the Dali Prefecture, the estimated loss caused by orchid stem rot disease alone was between 100 million and 500 million RMB. The exact amount of loss is unknown and cannot be counted, but it can be肯定 that the loss amount is very large. This year, the occurrence of stem rot disease in orchids across the province and the country is relatively severe (here referring to the广义 of stem rot disease, namely the disease caused by the rot of pseudobulbs, including diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, and various other causes). If the losses across the province and the country are added together, then the loss amount is certainly huge. Therefore, how to keep orchids healthy and not let them die is a major issue that every orchid grower has to face. Why is there an outbreak of orchid diseases? Why has it caused such a large loss? In my view, the main reason is that in the process of preventing and controlling orchid pests and diseases, the measures taken are inappropriate, and many problems have existed for a long time. Here are the main problems and countermeasures in the prevention and control of orchid pests and diseases that I have investigated over the years.
II. Major Issues in the Prevention and Control of Orchid Pests and Diseases
1. inaccurate diagnosis is the fundamental reason for the occurrence of orchid pests and diseases
When we go to the hospital for treatment, what we need most is for the doctor to diagnose the condition accurately, and then prescribe the right medicine. This is easy to understand. However, in the prevention and control of orchid pests and diseases, many orchid friends often do not diagnose what disease or pest their orchids have before they rush to use medicine. Such prevention and control is not effective. Inaccurate diagnosis is the fundamental reason for the occurrence of orchid pests and diseases.
2. complex conditions for the occurrence of orchid pests and diseases are the objective reasons for their severity
From recent years of surveys, there are almost as many methods of orchid cultivation as there are orchid growers, mainly because of the different cultivation conditions, experiences, and views on different cultivation methods of each person. Because there are many different methods of orchid cultivation and each orchid grower has different conditions, the orchid growing environment is also different; because different orchid growers have different cultivation techniques, the strength of the orchids they grow is also different; because of these differences, the conditions for the occurrence of orchid pests and diseases are very complex, providing a good environment for the occurrence of various orchid pests and diseases. Just from the perspective of orchid stem rot, it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis based solely on the rot of pseudobulbs. For experienced people, it is also necessary to see the physical object, separate the diseased tissue, and culture it indoors appropriately before instrumental analysis can be used to make a preliminary conclusion. For general orchid friends, it may be possible to diagnose pests with the help of orchid pest and disease图谱, but if diagnosing orchid diseases, the conclusion may not be very accurate. Otherwise, orchid stem rot disease would not have occurred so severely across the country.
3. insufficient understanding of the characteristics, mechanism of action, and control objects of pesticides
From the surveys, it can be seen that many orchid friends only know two kinds of fungicides for disease prevention in orchids: carbendazim and methyl thiophanate. They use these two drugs for disinfection when planting orchids, for prevention of orchid diseases, and for the treatment of orchid diseases. This approach often results in losses in years when diseases are severe. This is because these two drugs belong to the benzimidazole class of fungicides, and long-term use can easily lead to resistance in pathogens, and resistance to one will also correspondingly lead to resistance to the other. Therefore, when using a certain pesticide, it is necessary to clarify its mechanism of action and control objects to achieve the desired effect. In terms of the mechanism of action of fungicides, it is necessary to determine whether the drug mainly has a preventive effect, a therapeutic effect, or an eradication effect on pathogens, and also to understand whether the drug has systemic action or contact killing action, etc., in order to use the drug targetedly. In fact, the use of chemicals in the prevention and control of orchid pests and diseases is very precise. What kind of pest or disease needs what kind of pesticide to control is something that must be clarified. For example, if a bacterial disease in orchids is treated with a fungicide for fungal control, the effect is generally poor or ineffective; and even if it is a fungal disease, it is not that any fungicide is effective, targeted use is required to improve the control effect, which is the basic requirement for using drugs to control orchid diseases. It should be pointed out here that a few pesticides, such as copper-containing fungicides like Kocide, have a certain control effect on diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, and viruses, but these broad-spectrum fungicides are generally used for prevention, and their efficacy is generally not high when used during peak disease periods. Using these broad-spectrum agents as the main method to control orchid diseases often results in significant losses.
4. more attention is paid to pests and diseases in the upper and middle parts of orchids, while insufficient attention is paid to pests and diseases in pseudobulbs and roots
In practice, many orchid friends do not pay enough attention to the diseases of pseudobulbs and root pests and diseases, but in fact, the most devastating to the death of orchid plants are the latter two. Generally, most orchid friends only take measures after the orchids have pests and diseases and show symptoms. For pests and diseases in the upper and middle parts of orchids, emergency treatment often has some effect, but for pseudobulb diseases and root diseases, it is often too late. In addition, it is important for all orchid friends to pay attention to the problem of pests in orchid pots. There are many types of pests in pots, and their harm is significant, so they need to be controlled in a timely manner (I have another article discussing this).
5. lack of systematic preventive measures and timely application of pesticides
In orchid cultivation practice, we often see that some people use this kind of medicine today, and tomorrow they listen to others saying that another kind of medicine is good, and then switch to another kind of medicine. As a result, the control effect is often not ideal. Therefore, to achieve a better control effect in the prevention and control of orchid pests and diseases, for a certain pest or disease, it is necessary to use the same pesticide with good control effect continuously, at least 3 times for diseases (7-10 days apart) and at least 2 times for pests, to achieve a better control effect. In terms of control timing, it is necessary to apply pesticides when the number of pests is small, as usual, said to treat early and small; for diseases, it is necessary to remember the principle of prevention first and apply pesticides early; if the orchid is already diseased, it is necessary to grasp the key period of the early stage of the disease and apply pesticides continuously; in addition, in the prevention of pests and diseases, it is possible to use medications in advance based on the common pests and diseases in the local area (correct diagnosis) and remember that the high temperature and humidity season (5-9 months) is the peak period for the occurrence of orchid pests and diseases, and it is necessary to prevent in a timely manner.
III. Countermeasures
1. strictly implement seedling and planting material disinfection measures
Newly introduced orchid seedlings must take corresponding disinfection and pest control methods to minimize the transmission and cut off the source of transmission. When planting orchids, the tools for dividing orchids, planting materials, and orchid pots should be disinfected. After years of practice, I believe that in addition to orchids, a good measure is high-temperature disinfection, which can kill pathogens and pests and is relatively thorough. The specific method is to place orchid supplies, tools, and planting materials in boiling water for 10 minutes or use steam for 30-60 minutes after the water boils. Other methods such as sun exposure and frying can be used, but they may not kill 100% of pathogens, pests, and eggs. This is the first step in planting orchids and must be done well.
2. prevent pests and diseases regularly
In recent years, with the increase of large-scale and modern orchid growers, many high-quality orchids have become very valuable, making this point particularly important. In mid-August 2005, I saw on a well-known orchid website in China that a certain orchid friend had lost more than 50 seedlings of the famous orchid variety Chengmei worth more than 600,000 yuan due to stem rot disease within 15 days. This is regrettable. Think about it, except for a few large-scale orchid growers, can most orchid friends afford such a blow? Therefore, it is necessary to prevent orchid pests and diseases, especially devastating diseases, and it is necessary. In specific preventive measures, in the Dali Prefecture, generally speaking, spring focuses on the prevention of pests and summer focuses on the prevention of diseases, autumn is a period of both pest and disease prevention, and winter is generally a period of light pest and disease occurrence, and specific treatment can be carried out according to individual conditions. However, in winter, special attention should be paid to the protection of orchid roots. If the humidity in the pot is high in winter, orchids are most likely to rot. There is an orchid cultivation saying: "Cultivate roots in winter and leaves in summer and autumn," which makes a lot of sense.
3. use the right medicine
As mentioned earlier, the fundamental reason for the severity and difficulty of controlling orchid pests and diseases is the lack of accurate diagnosis, mainly because the diagnosis is not accurate. The solution is to do a good job of prevention and control yourself, and for pests and diseases that you don't know or are not sure about, consult experienced people nearby or experts in this field, and make sure to get an accurate diagnosis before considering the right medicine. Now, when many people talk about orchid stem rot disease, they have a feeling of blind men touching the elephant and each吹吹各自的.
4. apply pesticides in a timely manner
This measure mainly includes two meanings: one is to control in a timely manner, in addition to doing a good job of routine prevention, it is necessary to use pesticides at the initial stage of occurrence of orchid pests and diseases; the other is as mentioned earlier, for the pests and diseases that have occurred, especially diseases, under the premise of accurate diagnosis, select the right pesticides and apply them continuously, at least 3 times for diseases (7-10 days apart) and at least 2 times for pests, to ensure a certain control effect. Timely application of pesticides is an effective measure to reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases and reduce losses.
5. correctly grasp the concentration of pesticide use and spray evenly
At present, in the prevention and control of orchid pests and diseases, there are two incorrect methods of using pesticides: one is using too high a concentration, such as some people directly applying commercial pesticides without diluting them and applying them directly to the diseased parts. This method is prone to phytotoxicity in orchids (direct phytotoxicity results in the death of orchid plants, and indirect phytotoxicity injures the leaves, growth points, and rhizobia of orchids), and for pests, it is easy to develop resistance. The direct consequence is that the same pesticide used later has poor control effect or no control effect. Now many people say that methyl thiophanate has poor fungicidal effect, which is caused by long-term use and improper use. The other is that some orchid growers are afraid of using pesticides that may harm their orchids, so they use very little or use very low concentrations, which does not control pests and diseases. Both of these methods are unscientific. The correct method is to confirm the effect of a certain pesticide on a certain pest or disease based on the mechanism of action, control object, and usage method of various pesticides, combined with one's own or others' successful experience, and then use it. When spraying, the leaves, both front and back, and the surface of the pot soil should be sprayed to achieve a better control effect.
6. alternate the use of pesticides
For a certain local area's main pests and diseases, it is necessary to select pesticides of different types, and for each pest or disease, at least 3 effective pesticides should be selected, and they should be rotated at least once a month to effectively reduce the resistance of pests and diseases, improve the control effect, and extend the service life of certain effective pesticides. This measure should also be noted by all orchid friends.
7. strengthen ventilation
As the saying goes in the orchid cultivation community in Guangdong during the Qing Dynasty, "The first principle of cultivating orchids is to ensure good ventilation," "Ventilation is the primary task of cultivating orchids," and "The more sun, the better the flowers; the more shade, the better the leaves. This is what is meant by ventilation. If there is no ventilation, then too much sun will cause sunburn, and too much shade will cause suffocation, resulting in death." This is the highest truth about ventilation in orchid cultivation, and it is the truth. This requires us to ensure that the orchid growing environment is ventilated, the planting material is loose and well-ventilated and nutritious, and the orchid pots are also ventilated, in order to cultivate orchids well. Ventilation plays an irreplaceable role in growing orchids well and preventing and controlling pests and diseases, especially diseases, and every orchid grower should attach importance to it.
Why do some orchid roots grow out of the ground?
The main reasons for orchid roots arching out of the ground are two: the orchid pot is too small to accommodate them, such as not changing the pot for three years; and prolonged lack of water, with the pot soil too full and water overflowing, causing the pot soil to be in a state of缺水 for a long time, which can be solved by using an appropriate tall筒 orchid pot and replacing the planting soil, and making sure to water until water comes out of the bottom of the pot.
The above is a detailed introduction to the key points of orchid maintenance in autumn. Have you understood it?