The advantages and manufacture of the "bottom hole cover" of orchid basin

Bluegrass, like other green plants, has to breathe, exhale CO2 and inhale O2. Orchid also needs to fix free N2 in the air; if the gas exchange of orchid root is blocked, the metabolism of bluegrass is abnormal, which leads to poor growth and even suffocation. Therefore, how to make the air exchange (convection) inside and outside the orchid basin without hindrance, in order to meet the amount of O2 needed for the gas exchange of the orchid root, has become an important topic for raising bluegrass. Over the years, the author has made many attempts on the cover materials of soil and basin bottom holes, but the results are not satisfactory. Since 1992, the abandoned plastic bottle has been cut into two pieces and processed into a "basin hole inner cover" to replace the original hole mask material to raise orchids. After several years of observation and comparison, the bluegrass in the orchid basin with the "bottom hole cover" grows much better than the one without the "bottom hole cover", and each pot of bluegrass grows vigorously.

The reason is that the inner space of the "bottom hole cover" is large, forming an air storage room in the basin, which is easy for the air outside the basin to enter (infiltrate) into the basin through the bottom hole, from the small hole in the hole cover wall to the slag gap around the cover wall, and then enter the loose basin soil until the basin surface and return to the basin space, forming the circulation of air inside and outside the basin soil (convection). This satisfies the gas exchange of orchid root respiration and the N2 needed by orchid root fungi. So it works better. Second, the basin soil is not easy to accumulate water. Third, it is not difficult to move the orchid basin. Use it to plant other potted flowers, the effect is also very good.

The processing of the "basin hole cover" is extremely simple. The plastic bottle above 8cm in diameter is washed and cut into two, then it is red-hot with 5mm thick wire and regularly branded with small holes on the bottle wall. If you want the "bottom hole cover" not to move in the basin floor, you can determine the height of the cover (1 / 3 or 2 / 5 of the height in the basin), and then cut the lower edge of the cover wall into pieces one centimeter wide with scissors. According to the formula of the inner diameter of the basin bottom, the diameter of the lower edge of the hole cover and the length of the reflex piece, the length of the piece is obtained, and the piece length is flattened and flattened.

The use of "pelvic hole cover" is as follows. Buckle the "bottom hole cover" on the bottom hole in the basin, then beat the calcined cinder stone or waste refractory brick (light) into "square" particles, pour it around the outside of the hole cover wall to the top of the cover, and then take brown fiber to cover the carbon slag (or refractory brick slag) surface and add potted soil to plant grass. The author's practice has proved that the effect of raising orchid with "pelvic bottom hole cover" is very ideal. It is specially dedicated to the orchid friends who love the orchid (with soil) to try.

Xie Mingxin