Common Maintenance Methods for Cymbidium, Jianlan, and Shilan
Sharing experiences on the maintenance of Cymbidium orchids, the common maintenance methods for Cymbidium, Jianlan, and Shilan will surely be of help to you. Let's get to know them together!
1. Control Light and Reduce Temperature Jianlan thrives at an average annual temperature between 15-23°C. In summer, when temperatures are hot, use a 70-80% plastic shading net to reduce temperature.
2. High Temperature Promotion and Reduction High temperatures caused by excessive sunlight should be mitigated by increasing the layers and density of shading. In the summer and autumn seasons, with strong sunlight, stuffy air, and high temperatures, windows and doors should be opened to allow for complete air circulation in the orchid field, promoting temperature reduction. Sprinkling water in the passageways and under the orchid shelves, as well as spraying water mist in the indoor space, can also help reduce temperature. Applying new high-fat film can regulate water absorption, preventing drought and rain淋.
3. Moisture Retention and Ventilation The humidity and ventilation of the orchid field should be adjusted to the most reasonable state to benefit orchid growth. Maintaining air humidity can be achieved with advanced automatic humidifiers or by spraying water mist in the space, passageways, and under the orchid shelves. Maintaining substrate moisture should be adjusted based on light, humidity, and ventilation conditions. For soil cultivation, water once every 2-4 days, adhering to the principle of "better dry than wet," with watering timing tailored to local conditions. Wild orchids are native to mountain valleys with open surroundings but shaded by forests and grasses, with gentle breezes blowing, allowing them to grow in a fresh air environment. Therefore, the orchid field also needs to create these growing conditions for the orchids, with more ventilation in enclosed orchid fields to promote air circulation.
4. Insulation and Frost Prevention: Jianlan can only tolerate short-term, intermittent low temperatures of -2 to -5°C under wind and frost protection. Therefore, insulation should be provided in greenhouses during winter, and heating equipment can be used if conditions allow. Fertilization should be "tailored to the orchid, based on seedling growth, avoiding thick fertilization, and applying thin fertilization at the right time." This means mastering the timing based on the orchid species, seedling vigor, and physiological characteristics. Dry fertilizers include: bovine bone meal (containing 4% nitrogen, 22.06% phosphorus), wood ash (1.04% phosphorus, 6.41% potassium), cake fertilizer (7% nitrogen, 1.32% phosphorus, 2.12% potassium), and burned soil mixed fertilizer, alternating with compound fertilizers, applied at least 4 times a year in pots. Liquid fertilizers should be filtered and diluted organic matter fertilizers, with urea, monopotassium phosphate, or special flower fertilizers alternated for top dressing or foliar application, generally every 15 days. When applying foliar spray, the leaves should be sprayed with water once every two days before and after to rinse away dust and residual fertilizer.
Fertilization times include:
① Germination Fertilizer (late spring to early summer): Dry fertilizer once or twice, foliar application every 10 days, mainly using nitrogen and potassium fertilizers to promote the growth of stems and leaves above ground and the expansion of roots below ground.
② Development Fertilizer (late summer to early autumn): As new leaves of the shoots extend, promote robust growth of the new shoots with nitrogen as the main nutrient, applying frequently and thinly. After the new leaves open, potassium is the main nutrient to promote strong seedlings. Use monopotassium phosphate spray once a week, applying stem thickener to make the plant stems thicker, leaves fleshy, leaf color fresh, and the plant lush.
③ Flower Promotion Fertilizer: Once the new shoot leaves stop growing, it enters the flower bud differentiation stage, with phosphorus as the main nutrient. Apply dry fertilizer twice and foliar application once a week. Spraying flower thickener can promote strong flower buds, large petals, beautiful flower colors, fragrant flowers, and prolonged flowering period.
④ In late autumn to early winter, during the time of Cold Dew to the beginning of Winter Solstice, orchids will enter the dormant period. Apply dry fertilizer once and liquid fertilizer twice, with foliar spray every 10 days to ensure safe overwintering, containing nutrient-rich nectar and improving the germination rate in the spring.
The above is a detailed description of the common maintenance methods for Cymbidium, Jianlan, and Shilan (with images), for everyone's reference and operation.