How to cultivate Phalaenopsis

Mr. Zhu Fuzhong of the Forestry Bureau of Jidong County, Heilongjiang Province wrote to ask: I bought a pot of Phalaenopsis with nutrition basin in the market. Due to lack of experience, I specially asked your magazine about its living habits and breeding techniques.

Answer: the cultivation of potted Phalaenopsis should pay attention to the following five aspects: first, watering, because Phalaenopsis is an epiphytic orchid in a tropical rain forest with high humidity, there is no thick pseudobulb to store water and nutrients, so it should be cultivated in a ventilated and humid environment. The most suitable air relative humidity is 70% during the day and 60% at night. It can be watered at 5pm every day in spring and autumn, 9am and 5pm in summer, and once a week in winter. The watering time should be around 10:00 in the morning. In case of cold weather, it is better to keep it a little dry. Second, light, potted Phalaenopsis should generally be placed in 50% to 60% shaded places for maintenance, avoid direct sunlight; shading can be adjusted according to the intensity of sunlight in different seasons, 80% in summer, 60% in autumn and spring, and 40% in winter. The second is the temperature, the suitable temperature for its growth is 20 ℃ to 30 ℃, it should be kept above 18 ℃ at night and about 26 ℃ during the day; it should not exceed 35 ℃ in summer and no less than 10 ℃ in winter, otherwise it will seriously affect its overwintering and oversummer; flower bud differentiation should be below 18 ℃, and the temperature after differentiation should be raised to 20 ℃ to 25 ℃, which can induce the rapid growth of flower stem. Fourth, fertilizer, if there is a nutrient solution supply, it can be applied according to the prescribed usage; if there is no nutrient solution, it can be self-regulated fertilization, which is mainly nitrogen fertilizer before flowering, and the cake fertilizer solution with a retting concentration of 20% can be applied every two weeks; near flowering, mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, 0.1% to 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be used every 10 days. Can also be used retting thoroughly chicken and duck manure fertilizer, the concentration of 10% is appropriate; after the plant stops growing, topdressing should be stopped. Fifth, reproduction, mainly raising seedlings in separate plants under family conditions, seedlings with 2 to 3 sturdy roots can be cut from mature plants and planted on suitable plant materials, such as water moss, snake sawdust and fern roots. (Hu Yimin)