Treasure Book of Orchid cultivation: several Common misunderstandings in Orchid cultivation

Orchid cultivation: several common misunderstandings in orchid cultivation

Understanding the growth habits of all kinds of orchids and achieving "knowing orchids and raising orchids" is the basic skill of a good orchid. Due to the lack of knowledge about the growth law and habits of orchid grass, there are some impractical practices contrary to scientific management in the maintenance of orchid grass in the aspects of watering, fertilization, planting, medicine, and so on, due to the lack of knowledge about the growth and habits of orchid grass, especially those who have just raised orchids. There are five common misunderstandings that affect the growth of orchid grass.

1. Formulaic fixed watering method

Water is the source of life of orchids, the root of growth, water should be luxuriant, water is lost. Therefore, to grasp the watering of orchid grass is the key to raising orchids, and there is never a definite "method" for watering orchids. "there is only a unified watering principle, and there is absolutely no unified watering method." Rigid and impractical formulaic watering methods must never be used. For example, some people think that "watering once every 3 days in spring and once every 7 days in winter" is a watering method derived from other people's conditions and environment, which is not necessarily suitable for one's own orchid watering. If you rigidly apply the watering method of others, it can only harm the growth of orchid grass.

Watering orchids is complicated in daily management and must be watered according to season (more watering in hot and dry summer, less or no watering in plum rainy season, less watering in early spring with lower temperature, more watering in late spring with mild climate, and more watering in dry autumn). The weather (more watering in sunny days, less watering in cloudy days, no more watering in rainy days, no watering in rainy (snow) days). Light (sufficient sunshine and good ventilation, more watering in dry places, less ventilation in places with insufficient sunshine, and less watering in wet places). Plant material (grain plant material is more watered, orchid mud plant material is less). Orchid pots (mud pots are watered more, ceramic pots and plastic pots are less watered). Orchid grass (more watering of strong seedlings, less watering of diseased plants, less watering of weak seedlings, less or no watering of orchids in need of rescue; more watering of plants in the basin, less watering of plants; more watering of growing or budding period, less watering of dormant period; more watering of flower buds, less watering after germination; more watering of flower buds, less watering during flowering, stopping watering for several days after flower shedding, rewatering after dormancy). Environment (orchid environment includes areas and places, good ventilation, low humidity in the air, strong transpiration, more watering; otherwise less watering). Varieties (different orchid varieties, there are certain differences in water requirements, such as cymbidium and cold orchid, relatively dry, spring orchid, cymbidium, relatively damp). And other factors, combined to form their own set of flexible and scientific watering methods.

Predecessors summarized the watering of bluegrass: there are "four plus five minus six free" watering method, which has a good reference value and guiding significance for orchid lovers.

"Siyi plus": if the summer heat is too cool, if the north wind is too tight, in many places near the sun, and if the basin is small, Lansheng will add.

"five should be reduced": the frequent rain decreases, the basin mud melts, the near overcast decreases, the basin big orchid decreases, the blue head is black, and the starting point of leaves decreases.

"six should be exempted": rain, overcast, snow, mud, tea bran and tobacco bones will be exempted (when pesticides are about to be applied), and pots will be exempted.

In short, "it is easy to plant orchids, but it is difficult to water them." there is a folk proverb: "it takes three years to water orchids." it tells us that it cannot be mastered in one day. It is necessary to spend a certain amount of time to explore and understand it from practice and gradually accumulate experience. in order to master and master the essentials of watering. The formulaic fixed watering method is not advisable.

(2) the selection of materials is uncertain, and the basin will not stop turning.

The choice of ① is uncertain. Plant material is the basis of orchid growth, and the selection of plant material is very important for the cultivation of orchids. According to the growth characteristics of orchids, good plants should have the conditions of loose ventilation, convenient drainage, comprehensive nutrition, moderate acid and alkali, clean and aseptic and so on. With the development of orchid industry, there are more and more plants for orchid cultivation, such as humus soil, peat soil, pond mud, coconut shell, peanut shell, sawdust, bark, leaves, moss and so on. There are inorganic plant materials, such as phytolith, volcanic stone, pond cornerstone, wind fossils, coarse river sand, brick grains, pumice, cinder and so on. There are also specially made granular plants for raising orchids, such as fairy soil, vermiculite, all kinds of nutritious soil, active soil and so on. You are free to choose. But there is no perfect plant in the world, each has its own advantages and disadvantages. You can only master its characteristics, implement scientific preparation, and seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Bluegrass has a strong adaptability. All kinds of plant materials can grow orchids as long as water and fertilizer are managed properly. Because of this, the choice of plant material is not necessarily the best, but the most suitable, suitable for your environment, bluegrass, methods and personal habits, as long as you believe that a certain plant material can adapt to your orchid growth in breeding practice. Do not listen to people to "change every day", turn over and over again to change the plant material, turn the basin too much to change the plant material, which will affect the nutrition absorption and normal development of orchids. Turn the basin once, change the plant material, need to re-produce blue bacteria, adapt to the new environment, orchid seedlings in a period of time in a state of inhibition, stop growing. In particular, old seedlings and weak seedlings are likely to be tossed to death.

② can't stop turning the basin. Turning the pot is an important measure in the maintenance of orchids. Because, in the process of bluegrass cultivation, there are always some phenomena that hinder the growth of bluegrass, which must be solved by turning and changing materials. Generally, there are seven situations that need to be turned over: first, after 2023, the nutrition of potted orchids has been exhausted, unable to meet the needs of the continued development of orchid seedlings, orchid seedlings appear thin and short; second, after years of water exposure, the structure of orchid mud has changed, plant material hardening, affecting air permeability and water ventilation. Third, there are too many orchid seedlings with intertwined roots, and there is no room for new seedlings and new roots to continue to develop, which also affects the normal growth environment of old seedlings; fourth, the plant material is infected by bacteria, fungi or viruses, which brings a survival crisis to the orchid plant; fifth, "turn the basin" for the coordination and unity of pots and plants. The sixth is to turn the pot in order to produce more seedlings and plant them separately. The seventh is to turn the pot for the exchange or sale of individual plants. But do not turn the basin often at will, do what should be turned, and try not to turn what should not be turned.

At the same time, turning the basin can not be blindly formulaic operation, we must grasp the orchid situation, according to different orchid conditions for different turning basin treatment. Purposeful and targeted reversal of the basin. For example: for diseased grass: "turning the basin" focuses on sterilization and disinfection. The diseased plants should be strictly pruned, cleaned, disinfected, dried and soaked in root-promoting solution. Then dry the root, put it on the pot, and change the fresh cultivation materials. One link is indispensable, although it also kills the Yilan bacteria symbiotic with bluegrass at the same time, which leads to the negative effect of the temporary growth period of bluegrass, but it is worth sterilizing and killing pests in exchange for the life of bluegrass.

For disease-free and weak grass: the focus of turning the basin is to supplement the supply of nutrients, which does not need to disinfect the substrate, but simply prune, soak the root growth-promoting factor, and replace the effective plant material on the basin. Pour "root water" for two days slowly. It not only complements the fertilizer effect, but also reduces the damage to beneficial symbiotic bacteria, and shortens the incubation period.

For disease-free strong grass. The focus of turning the basin is to solve the problem of small expansion of the basin, there is no need to work too carefully, as long as simply flush, trim, split, change part of the matrix on the basin. However, for those who have been sick or whose roots are mostly damaged, it is necessary to soak them with medicine for a period of time, but there is no need to rinse with clean water before soaking, because Langen will expand rapidly in a short period of time after rinsing with clean water. hinders the inhalation and exertion of the drug. If you rinse with clean water, you need to cool and dry before soaking the potion.

Turning the basin also has its time, and mastering the appropriate time to turn the pot to plant bluegrass is an important part of raising bluegrass. The orchid scripture of Linghai Lanyan talks about the "six taboos" of planting orchids: "seed taboos in extreme heat, severe cold, scorching sun, weak gun, orchid bud opening, rainy species (gun: orchid plant)". Planting and planting should be avoided. This clearly tells us that in these six cases, orchids should not be planted. He also said: "when the orchids are planted in pots, the Jews live separately, but if they are too prosperous, the roots will wither, and if they are not divided, the leaves will be weak." According to the method of planting and cultivation, the crude product is one point every three years, and the Guiyang product gets the most every five years (crude product: general orchid, expensive product: high-grade orchid). After the division of Chunlan, the Spring Equinox, Qiulan and Lesser Cold, the old leaves will come to an end, and the new buds will be born without fail. It is clearly pointed out that the right time to plant orchids. The summary of predecessors has important guiding significance for the division and planting of bluegrass. In general, the traditional turning season should be the Spring Equinox or the Autumn Equinox, while the north should be after the Spring Equinox or before the Autumn Equinox. Due to the differences in climate in different regions, we can also control the temperature according to the temperature. generally speaking, the low temperature is above 10 degrees Celsius, and the high temperature below 30 degrees Celsius is the appropriate temperature for normal basin turning. According to this, the time of turning the pot of orchid is generally the most suitable in spring and autumn, when the orchid plant is in the mature stage, and the damage rate can be reduced to the lowest. The first half of the year had better be the Spring Equinox to Grain Rain, when the florescence is over, the leaf buds have not yet sprouted, it is not easy to suffer frost injury, and the pot can be turned at the right time. In the second half of the year, it is best to be the Autumn Equinox to Frosts Descent, the orchid will enter a dormant state, when turning the pot will less affect the growth of the orchid, after winter rest and recuperation, nutrition accumulation, it will be able to blossom and sprout well in spring. To master the propagation time of bluegrass is also an important link to maintain orchids.

Therefore, turning the basin is very simple, but the operation has its complexity and scientific nature. Turning over the basin can promote the activity of vegetative growth, improve the disease prevention resilience and germination rate of orchid plants, and bring vitality to orchids. If the pot is not turned properly, it will also bring potential crisis to the orchid. Especially for some diseases and weak seedlings, it will accelerate their death. To this end, turning the basin is not only an important link in the conservation of bluegrass, but also an orchid cultivation technology that every orchid farmer must experience and master. If not in accordance with its habits and requirements, arbitrary operation will not turn the pot well, bluegrass will suffer. Therefore, we should make great efforts in turning and planting, and follow the guiding ideology of "seven-point planting and three-division management", instead of blindly turning over the basin.

3. Unrealistic and indiscriminate fertilization.

The fertilization of bluegrass cannot be carried out according to the heart, whenever it pleases, whatever fertilizer it wants, and not in proportion, and so on. This kind of unrealistic random fertilization can only harm the growth of bluegrass. Fertilization should be scientific and practical, and should be considered according to season, temperature, seedling condition, orchid species, plant material, growth stage, and so on. It should not be applied randomly, nor can it be fertilized singly. It is necessary to achieve accurate and targeted fertilization, what fertilizer is lacking, what fertilizer should be applied in time, and the correct preparation should be carried out according to the prescribed proportion of water and fertilizer. At the same time, we should adhere to the principle of frequent application of thin fertilizer and avoid the occurrence of fertilizer damage. Unrealistic and indiscriminate fertilization has the following manifestations:

①, a kind of fertilizer, is used to the end. The fertilizer requirement of bluegrass is multifaceted, including 9 kinds of element fertilizers (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur) and 7 kinds of trace element fertilizers (iron, manganese, copper, zinc, molybdenum, boron, chlorine). If a kind of fertilizer is used in the end, it not only can not meet the fertilizer demand of orchid grass, but also causes a single nutrient and affects the growth of orchids. Especially when nitrogen fertilizer is applied too much and exceeds the amount, the concentration of plant material solution will be too high, thus forming salt damage and affecting the normal growth of orchids. The lack of a certain element in plants will have a certain impact on the growth and flowering of bluegrass, showing certain "symptoms". For example, the lack of boron will have an effect on the flowering and flowers of bluegrass, and the symptoms of lack of green on the veins of tillering seedlings will appear when iron deficiency.

② does not apply fertilizer randomly according to season and climate. Fertilization must look at the season: spring and autumn seedlings, more application when flowering, little or no application of winter and summer orchid dormancy. Second, look at the climate: it is not suitable to apply on rainy days, (fertilization is washed away by Rain Water, greatly shout less and reduce fertilizer efficiency). It is not suitable to apply high temperature and low temperature weather (bluegrass dormancy, root injury by fertilization). If it violates the natural law of plant growth regardless of season, regardless of climate, the result can only be counterproductive and harmful to the growth of bluegrass.

③ does not apply fertilizer indiscriminately according to seedling condition. According to the growth law and habit of bluegrass, the elders of Yilan summed up the principle of "according to the conditions of the orchid, look at the seedling to determine the fertilizer, rather light than thick, timely thin application". In other words, the fertilization of orchids, first, should not be too much, should be thin fertilizer diligently. Second, there should be different fertilizers according to the fertilizer needs of different varieties of orchid. Generally speaking, cymbidium, cymbidium, orchid, lotus petal and cold orchid need more fertilizer than spring orchid, lotus petal and cold orchid: plants tall and small need more fertilizer, and granular plants need more fertilizer than humic plants. The amount of fertilizer application of Cymbidium is less than that of other orchids, rare and precious varieties should be given dilute fertilizer, and line varieties should be given less nitrogen fertilizer and magnesium fertilizer. Third, look at the seedling fertilizer, that is, strong seedlings can apply more fertilizer, new species of orchid plants, old weak orchid plants, diseased orchid plants do not apply root fertilizer, properly spray some foliar fertilizer to maintain growth. Third, look at the growth stage: in the vegetative growth stage of orchids, nitrogen fertilizer is mainly applied, while potash fertilizer is needed to ensure the healthy growth of plants; the pregnant flowering stage, that is, the reproductive stage of orchid needs phosphate fertilizer. It helps the orchid blossom. Bluegrass enters the dormancy stage, with little or no fertilization.

④ applied concentrated fertilizer at will. Fertilization should be correctly prepared according to the prescribed proportion of water and fertilizer, and at the same time, we should adhere to the principle of frequent application of thin fertilizer and avoid the occurrence of fertilizer damage.

Because the roots of orchids have good absorptive capacity, it is easy to dehydrate the roots with concentrated fertilizer, and the symbiotic bacteria in the roots are also easy to die from the application of concentrated fertilizers. Therefore, fertilization should follow the principle of "applying thin fertilizer frequently".

Based on the experience of predecessors, it is concluded that scientific fertilization should adhere to the principle of "four more, four less, five no": more application when flowers appear yellow and thin, more before germination, more during pregnancy, and more after flowering; fourth, less when thriving, less when sprouting, less when dormant, and less during rainy season; fifth, no application is applied for a long time, when newly planted, diseased grass is not applied in summer, and not in severe cold. The proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be adjusted according to the growth characteristics of orchids. Generally, nitrogen fertilizer should be the main fertilizer at the beginning of seedling growth, and the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be increased at flowering stage. When the orchid plant enters the dormant period, the nutrient supply should choose the fertilizer with high phosphorus, and fertilize temporarily after dividing the pot, which should be followed.

4. Ignore the "personality" management of bluegrass.

The growth of all kinds of bluegrass has the "common" management requirements of shading, ventilation, moisturizing, looseness, ventilation, fertilizer preservation and so on. However, due to some differences in the growth environment of all kinds of bluegrass, there are also some "personality" differences in the growth habits of bluegrass. Such as spring orchid moisture resistance, Chardonnay sun resistance, autumn orchid fertilizer resistance, cold orchid dry resistance, ink orchid shade and so on. Therefore, we can not generalize and recognize the habits of bluegrass. Under the premise of following the "commonness" maintenance and management, we also need to take into account the "individuality" of all kinds of bluegrass. It is necessary to establish the concept of "knowing orchids and cultivating orchids". Strive to plant and manage according to the growth rules and habits of all kinds of bluegrass. To cultivate and manage all kinds of bluegrass scientifically. How to recognize the different habits of bluegrass ("personality")?

The cold resistance of ① orchid grass is different: because of the difference of living environment, there are some differences in cold resistance of all kinds of orchid, such as cymbidium, spring orchid, especially cymbidium, which is stronger than other orchids, while the cold resistance of Cymbidium and Jianlan is worse than that of other orchids, while the cold resistance of lotus petal, spring sword and cold orchid is between Cymbidium and Cymbidium. The difference of cold resistance provides a scientific basis for the management of orchid entering and leaving the room and the arrangement of all kinds of bluegrass in the greenhouse. The bluegrass with low cold resistance enters the room before leaving the room, and the bluegrass with high cold resistance enters the room and leaves the room first to overcome the disadvantages of entering the room too early or too late to ensure that the bluegrass does not suffer frost damage. At the same time, the discharge positions of all kinds of bluegrass are also different. The drought-tolerant and sun-tolerant cymbidium should be placed in the sunny place near the window of the upper layer, while the shady and moisture-resistant cymbidium and cold orchid should be placed in the scattered light in the lower layer, which is conducive to the safety of orchid grass in the winter.

The light performance of ② orchid was different: among orchid grass, Jian Cymbidium, Cymbidium and Cymbidium prefer Yang, while Cymbidium, Cold Orchid, Lotus Orchid, Ye Yilan and Dwarf Cymbidium prefer Yin. This difference provides a scientific basis for the different requirements of shading degree of bluegrass. There are differences in maintenance to adapt to its light requirements, so that bluegrass can grow better.

The humidity performance of ③ orchid is different: the roots of Cymbidium and Cymbidium are strong and developed, and their drought tolerance is strong. Mo Lan, Chun Jian, is required to be wet.

The fertilizer requirement of ④ orchid is different: cymbidium, cold orchid and lotus orchid require more fertilizer than other orchids. Because these orchids have small false bulbs, less nutrients stored, more leaves, more flowering, and high fertilizer consumption, nutrients are inevitably in short supply, so roots and leaves need to be absorbed and replenished in time, and thick roots and leaves need more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer for long. The root system of Jianlan is thick and strong, and the pseudobulb is obvious and round, which can store more water and nutrients. The leaves and pseudobulbs of Cymbidium contain a lot of phosphorus, and its old roots also have a strong ability to absorb phosphorus, so the amount of phosphorus required by Cymbidium is less. On the other hand, the plant of Cymbidium has thick leaves and broad leaves, and has a great demand for nitrogen and potassium.

The plant performance of ⑤ orchid grass is different: the root of cymbidium is very stout. In order to ensure the ventilation and healthy growth of the root of Cymbidium, the plant material must be loose and the particles should be thick rather than fine. Cold orchid, lotus petal orchid on the contrary, the requirements should be fine rather than thick. With reference to the soil quality of the original place, choose the plant material which is soft and rich in humus. No matter what kind of plant material, cold orchid and lotus petal orchid should be mixed with some mountain mud (corrosive soil) to grow best.

The deep and shallow planting performance of ⑥ orchid is different: Cymbidium has strong root and luxuriant leaves, high foot shell, so it is suitable to be deeply planted. Lotus petal orchid, cold orchid to shallow planting, lotus petal orchid, cold orchid root is many and long, especially angry, there are "if you want the orchid to grow well, the wind will fall." According to the proverb, shallow planting is good for ventilation. In general planting, Reed head can be exposed to soil surface 1, 3, 3 and 2, while lotus orchid and cold orchid should be exposed to soil surface 3, 3 and 4. The Reed head of Cymbidium can be embedded in the plant.

⑦ need vernalization to avoid overheating performance is different: Cymbidium, Cymbidium and Chunjian adapt to the cold climate in winter for a long time, in the bud development period, they need a low temperature period of "vernalization stage" before they can bloom normally. In southern Fujian, Guangdong and other places, due to the high temperature in winter, there is no low temperature period of orchid vernalization, so the flowering rate is low, and the flowers are not good, which proves the importance of vernalization to flowering. Cold orchid, Jianlan, Mulan, etc., do not need vernalization.

The habit of ⑧ orchid clumping is different: most orchid species are not important to this habit, while a few orchids have the habit of being clustered, such as cymbidium and lotus orchid, because of their small false scales and long leaves, such as breaking up and planting alone, they lose the condition of being in the same boat and weakening their resistance. individual reproduction, even if barely survived, is getting smaller and smaller, and it is difficult to blossom in a short time, resulting in a loss outweighing the gain.

According to the different personalities of bluegrass, the cultivation of bluegrass can not be uniform a thousand times, and should be treated differently in management and should vary according to grass. Under the premise of cultivating orchids in accordance with the "commonness" of orchids, it is necessary to take care of the "individuality" of all kinds of orchids and carry out different scientific cultivation and management in order to cultivate orchids well.

5. Untargeted misuse of drugs.

In the work of disease prevention and treatment of bluegrass, it is necessary to overcome the misuse of drugs without diagnosis and accurate diagnosis. for example, if you apply this drug today, you will apply that drug tomorrow, and you will hear others say that it is good and change it to another drug the day after tomorrow. As for the medicinal properties and efficacy, whether the disease of bluegrass has improved or not after application, there is a kind of blindness, which will not only kill bacteria, but also cause drug harm as a result of random application. When choosing a certain pesticide, the action mechanism and control object of this pesticide must be made clear. In terms of the action mechanism of fungicides, it is necessary to make clear whether the drug mainly plays a role in prevention, treatment, or eradication of bacteria, and whether the drug has internal absorption, contact effect and so on. Such as orchid bacterial diseases, should choose streptomycin, cyanomycetin, chloramphenicol and other drugs. If you use fungus pesticides to control, the general effect is very poor or ineffective; and the same diseases caused by fungi, we should choose topiramate, chlorothalonil, mancozeb and other agents; if you use pesticides to control bacteria, there is also little efficacy, so targeted drugs can improve the effect of prevention and control. At the same time, it is best to take drugs before or at the initial stage of the disease, that is, to give priority to prevention. By the time the disease breaks out, it will be too late. The pesticide should be applied continuously, the disease should be applied at least 3 times in a row (once every 10 days), and the pest should be applied at least 2 times in a row, which can get twice the result with half the effort. This is the basic requirement for the prevention and control of orchid diseases.

At the same time, it can not be used alone, that is, it can always be used as a germicidal medicine. This will cause the bacteria to develop drug resistance and reduce their efficacy. Therefore, it is better to use several fungicides to spray alternately.

In short, management must not be divorced from reality, according to personal imagination, contrary to the growth law of bluegrass, watering today, fertilizing tomorrow, turning pots and changing soil the day after tomorrow, often turning over, so that the orchid is not peaceful. This kind of haste, hope that the idea and practice of "pulling out seedlings to encourage" is extremely harmful to the growth of orchids, and the result is counterproductive, leading to the frustrating situation of "looking at flowers every year, grass in two years, and soil in three years." Only earnestly study and master some knowledge of orchid cultivation, explore, explore, verify, comprehend and sum up from the practice of orchid cultivation, and humbly ask experienced orchid friends for advice to constantly improve their cultivation techniques. Establish the scientific concept of "knowing orchids and nourishing orchids", according to the growth habits of orchid grass, orderly maintenance and management, in order to raise strong orchid grass, more seedlings, more flowering, flower fragrance Amoy intoxicated.

This article mainly provides the novice of feeding orchid as a reference for the maintenance and management of orchids. Thank you!