Summer Orchid Management
A brief knowledge about orchids, focusing on summer orchid management, let's learn about it together.
Many orchid enthusiasts lack experience in summer orchid management. The hot and humid climate of summer is the fastest time for the growth of pathogens. A slight negligence can lead to leaf tip burn, black spots, and blotches on the orchid leaves, and in severe cases, soft rot, stem rot, and plant collapse. Therefore,新手 orchid enthusiasts often feel anxious and helpless in the summer, fearing that they might accidentally lose their beloved orchids.
In fact, the hot summer is the most vigorous growing period for orchids. The new seedlings that emerged in spring grow strong during this period, and the orchid's flower buds also differentiate and develop. With proper management, there's no need to worry about diseases or plant collapse, and it can even accumulate energy for new growth and flower bud development in autumn.
Before discussing the summer management methods for orchids, let's talk about their habits. Orchids (national orchids) belong to the terrestrial orchid genus and grow in the灌木林 of mountains. They prefer soft sunlight and dislike direct exposure to strong sunlight; they enjoy a dry and well-ventilated environment and fear humid and stuffy places. Although orchids are averse to stuffiness, they are not afraid of high temperatures, as high temperatures can induce thickening of the orchid leaves, enhancing their growth resilience and improving their adaptability to the environment. In ancient times and in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions today, senior orchid enthusiasts often practice growing orchids during the hottest summer days, fully understanding these habits. Keeping orchids slightly dry in the hot summer can prevent soft rot and plant collapse due to high temperatures and humidity, and it can also promote bud differentiation by controlling water, leading to the formation of flower buds in autumn.
Based on years of experience growing orchids, my personal approach to summer orchid management involves the following key points:
1. Improve the ventilation in the orchid house: Open all windows in the orchid house to allow for adequate air circulation and turn on all fans. Set the upper fans to exhaust to remove hot air and the lower fans to supply cool air, ensuring that the air inside the orchid house circulates fully. Even if the temperature inside the orchid house is above 35℃ to 40℃, there's no need to worry about plant collapse.
2. Keep the orchid house dry: Many新手 orchid enthusiasts are concerned that high summer temperatures might harm their orchids, so they often spray water on the orchid leaves or use humidifiers to increase the relative humidity in the orchid house in an attempt to cool down. However, this can lead to black spots on the leaves or even cause soft rot and plant collapse. Although summer temperatures are high and humidity is relatively higher than in other seasons, adding relative humidity to the orchid house during this period can make it a breeding ground for pathogens. Inadequate air circulation can cause the orchids to easily become diseased and die. I believe that the humidity required by orchids is not necessarily the relative humidity in the environment, but the absolute humidity in the pot where the orchids are growing. Therefore, keeping the orchid house or growing area dry is the most important key to help orchids survive the hot summer.
3. Strictly control the watering schedule: Summer is the period for orchids to grow and develop flower buds. The timing of watering orchids should be strictly controlled during this period. High daytime temperatures and damp growing media are not good times for watering. I believe that watering in the evening when temperatures are slightly lower is best, as orchids enter a dormant state when temperatures exceed 30℃. Watering at this time can cause waterlogging in the pot, leading to root rot and empty roots, and it can easily cause soft rot and plant collapse, resulting in irreversible regret. Moreover, strictly controlling water in the summer to keep the pot slightly dry can induce a sense of crisis in the orchids, promoting bud differentiation. Therefore, strictly controlling the supply of water and the timing of watering is also an important aspect of summer orchid management.
The above introduction to summer orchid management is shared for everyone to learn and understand!