Growth habits of orchids

I. Requirements for cultivation substrates

Wild orchids grow in shady, ventilated, non-ponding mountains, so the cultivation substrate requirements: ventilation, soft, good water leakage, slightly acidic. The most common outdoor cultivation is mud soil.

Orchid mud refers to the soil attached to the rock recess on the mountain. It is made of plant leaves decayed by wind and rain. The soil is soft, airy and slightly acidic. Jiangnan area of China is accustomed to digging orchid mud in Kuaiji Mountain, Yanwoling Mountain, Fuyang Shiniu Mountain, Baoshan Mountain, Yixing Tongtong Mountain, Nantong Junshan Mountain, Changshu Yushan Mountain and other places. Before liberation, there was a saying of "one load of flower mud and one load of rice."

Weathered rock and gravel soil can also be used as cultivation base. Farmers in Cangyan Town, Shengzhou, have cultivated "Cangyan Su" in the gravel soil of Cangyan Mountain for more than one hundred years. Recently, some people have also used laterite gravel and laterite mud as cultivation bases, and some people have used ground soil with overgrown weeds as a substrate. The above two kinds are attached with the characteristics of ventilation, water permeability, slight acid, etc., and rich in phosphorus and potassium, which can be used as orchid cultivation substrate, but nitrogen fertilizer should be supplemented appropriately. In recent years, with the introduction of orchids from Hong Kong and Taiwan and abroad, indoor orchid cultivation has been greatly promoted. Therefore, water moss, pearlite, volcanic exhalation stone, granular brick, granular fairy soil, granular peat and so on have become ideal substrates. Their greatest advantage is their ease of moisture management.

II. Requirements for temperature and humidity

The best growth temperature of Zhejiang orchids is 18--30 degrees Celsius, below 5 degrees Celsius, slow growth above 35 degrees Celsius, reproductive growth period is 5--18 degrees Celsius.

Orchids grow well when the relative humidity of the air is 60--70%, too dry or too humid are easy to cause orchid disease. Therefore, outdoor cultivation should create a humidity microclimate suitable for orchid growth, and indoor sprayers and hygrometers should be installed.

III. Requirements for sunlight exposure

Wild orchids grow under lush forests and bamboo shoots, and the jungle blocks the strong sunlight. To make orchids love yin and fear yang. Sunlight is essential for photosynthesis and is the energy source for making nutrients. Orchids love the morning sun. Sunrise, sunlight exposure angle is low, orchids light area is large. Because the morning sun is blocked by morning fog, the light is relatively soft, and direct sunlight will not burn the orchid leaves. After accumulating nutrients at night, the photosynthesis ability of orchids is the strongest in the morning. Therefore, before seven o'clock in summer, direct sunlight can be allowed to orchid leaves, and after seven o'clock, 50%--90% shading nets can be used to block sunlight. Before and after "Qingming," orchids can be exposed to more sun, promote root formation and multiple leaf buds. After "White Dew," the weather turns cool, most of the new grass grows, but also more sunlight, so that orchids can accumulate more nutrients for growth in the coming year. The length of sunlight exposure directly affects the growth of orchids. Sunlight exposure, more yellow orchid leaves, orchid roots developed, healthy flowers. On the contrary, the orchid leaves are dark green, the root system is not developed, and it is not easy to flower. The petals with long sunlight exposure time are thick, otherwise, the petals are thin. However, if the sun is too much, it may burn the orchid leaves and even cause water loss and death.

IV. Requirements for moisture

Water control is the most fundamental condition for raising orchids. Orchid leaves texture thicker, cuticle surface protection, therefore, orchid leaves do not consume a lot of water. The pseudoscale base and fleshy roots of orchid can store certain nutrients and water, so they are more drought-tolerant. Except rooting, germination and rapid growth period, which require more water, the other time consumes less water. If too much water, resulting in water in the soil, blocking the root breathing, it is easy to rot roots. More water will also cause the orchid leaf cell wall to fill with water, leaf stomata open, resulting in thin nutrients, and then cause tissue thin, poor growth, resulting in disease. Orchids are "happy rain but afraid of water, happy moist but afraid of moisture." Because spring, summer, autumn and winter air humidity is different, orchid growth speed is different, also different to moisture requirement. Along with this, there is a saying that "whether you can plant orchids depends mainly on whether you can water them."

V. Requirements for air

Orchids like circulating and unpolluted air. Orchid breeding places to stay away from gas, oil smoke, away from dusty places. Oil smoke and dust attached to leaf surface will block leaf surface respiration and affect photosynthesis. The lack of air circulation will attach bacteria and viruses to the leaves, endangering orchid growth.

VI. Requirements for fertilizer

Orchids like light, fertilizer rather light not thick. As with other plants, nitrogen promotes vigorous growth of stems and leaves. Phosphorus can promote the development of orchid roots, promote the development of reproductive organs robust, stem and leaf stretch. Magnesium, sulfur, iron and other trace elements can make leaves green and flowers strong.

Orchids should be fertilized more during their peak growth period, but not during their dormant or weak growth periods. Over-fertilization will burn roots and leaves, causing irreparable damage.