Reflection on raising Orchid on balcony

Balcony can raise orchids, this is an indisputable fact. But not everyone can grow orchids on balconies. I think, reflect on the normal, constantly adapt to environmental changes, can raise orchids.

I. Reverse thinking-dare to rebel

There is already a lot of balcony orchid cultivation knowledge, but also formed a perfect theoretical knowledge system. If you talk about it, everyone has a big set. But why do orchids vary so much? To find out why, we need to learn to reverse thinking, a little rebellious spirit. That is to say, we should constantly update our inherent concept of orchid cultivation.

There is such a story: a photographer prepared a lot of works for the competition, unfortunately, a fire broke out in his home, all the works were destroyed, and he had to take out one of the works left in his mother-in-law's house. Surprisingly, this painting, which I thought was not the best, won the grand prize. Later, many times, the photographer took what he thought was the best work to participate in the competition, but he never won the prize again.

Thinking about this story, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that what we think is best is not the best. The same is true of orchid cultivation. Is it true that the breed you think is the best is the one that people recognize as the best? Is there a better way to grow orchids than the best way you stick to? The road to success calls us to think from another angle. Forever standing tide head, we need to dare to break the traditional concept.

News needs to constantly update ideas in order to attract more audiences; teaching and educating people needs to constantly update teaching methods and knowledge structure in order to meet the needs of students; practicing calligraphy needs to constantly correct wrong cognition and bad actions in order to become more profound. Orchid breeders also need to reflect on their inherent knowledge and experience, and constantly rebuild them. If they repeat, they can gradually form more scientific and reasonable methods and experiences for raising orchids. There are advertisements that say,"there is no best, only better." Better--that's what keeps people moving forward.

It is particularly noteworthy that the thinking concept of the orchid can not be too stubborn, do not always think that "Lao Tzu is the best in the world, mine is the best". He didn't know that there were experts at the back of Qingshan Tower outside the mountain!

II. Drain and ventilate_enough is enough

"Draining and ventilating" is the four-word mantra of orchid cultivation. When the ancients said this sentence, there were not many high-rise buildings, at least not as many as now, and generally they would not go to the balcony to cultivate orchids. At that time, most orchids were grown in gardens under almost completely natural conditions, and most of them were directly planted with mountain mud. Therefore, the theory of "draining and ventilating" is necessary and popular.

Now for Lan, the environment has changed, and the world has changed. They began to live in more and more high-rise houses, one is because people's living environment is limited, the other is that there is no protective measures to raise orchids in the courtyard is not safe. The change of conditions also requires us to change the orchid cultivation accordingly_draining and ventilating, enough is enough.

Wild orchids grow in a cooler environment, and the moisture in the soil of the earth can be properly maintained at a "moist" level. Farewell to the earth, orchids lose this advantage for survival. Now, people strongly advocate particle orchid, water is not easy to preserve. In addition, emphasis on ventilation, window fan to strengthen air convection, so that rapid water loss. Orchids living in high-rise buildings are just like people moving to the windy and dry northwest. If we emphasize "draining and ventilating" blindly, theoretically speaking, isn't it man-made "drought" that often forces orchids to a dead end?

Everyone knows, yunnan person likes to use rot leaf to raise orchid, plastic basin has wall week without hole, basin surface adds coating plastic film, balcony does not open a window easily ventilated, that orchid grows very good however. There are also some greenhouse orchids, similar to this. This cannot help but ask people, do they raise orchids to ventilate? On the contrary, do orchids really need to be drained and ventilated that much?

Chinese people like "just right" most, then orchid "drainage ventilation" should also be "just right, just enough" bar. Therefore, balcony orchid cultivation, we should comprehensively consider the environmental factors inside and outside the orchid basin, ensure moderate humidity and moderate ventilation, so as to make it more conducive to the growth of orchids.

III. Cultivation management--conforming to nature

Orchid cultivation already has a certain formula: first, pad the pot, then thicken the granules, then add fine plants to the head of the reed, and finally clean up the pot surface. From which we can easily see that the lower part of the orchid basin is relatively empty and breathable. If the environmental humidity can be reached, the root growth of orchids should be very good. But what if the open balcony doesn't have enough humidity? If the owner is away on business and can't come back for more than half a month? I'm pretty sure Langen is either short or hollow at the tip.

I remember when I first raised orchids, I didn't know what size and thickness of plants to use in layers. Anyway, I started planting orchids after mixing them with bones and brains. It took me ten and a half days to remember to manage them. Now open those photos and look at them carefully. They look really good. In 2009, I began to plant gold stone to cultivate orchids, completely according to the principle of first thick and then fine cultivation, happened to be on a business trip to Qinghai for more than a week in August, after returning home and continued high temperature, dare not water, at the end of the year found in the pot, many originally well-grown snow white roots empty due to lack of water.

The lessons of success and failure inspired my thinking and turned into my idea: What if the plants in the pot were the same size from top to bottom? Maybe things will change. At the end of last year, when turning the pot again, I mixed the sizes uniformly. Instead, I used coarser granular materials at the head of the reed. First, because the head of the reed was empty, moist and clean, it was conducive to stimulating the buds of the orchid roots. Second, it was to avoid the water accumulation and stem rot at the head of the reed. Moreover, he used barbed wire to make a thumb-thick hydrophobic cover. After spring, creeping roots of grass are planted on the surface of the pot, and the grass born in the pot is never pulled out, which can create a natural environment for the orchid, observe the moisture situation in the pot, and also play the role of loosening soil and regulating water and fertilizer.

Balcony orchid management, depending on the specific circumstances, Yunnan Lan Youduo closed balcony, and emphasize warming humidification, more Lan Yougang is open balcony, and strive to be natural. Either way, humidity, temperature, sunlight, ventilation are daily issues, thousands of people thousands of methods, can not be generalized. Only one thing must be noted, that is, to judge whether the management is appropriate, according to the growth of orchids and different seasons to determine. Moisture, shade, ventilation to summer and autumn, especially in summer to make judgments. Some orchid friends see spring balcony humidity is good, feel oneself that "one mu 3 points" suit to raise orchid, and arrived summer, also manage according to spring way, careless branch big leaf, the result causes dry root rot seedling, lose breed. Some open-air balcony orchid friends, spring and autumn feel very cool, orchid growth is also prosperous, but the summer temperature is too high, you need shade cooling, otherwise the consequences are unthinkable. And the friend that northern balcony raises orchid, want to pay attention to the heat preservation of winter and windproof job especially, avoid orchid frost.

IV. Variety selection--tailor-made

Generally speaking, the balcony area is not too large, and there are too many varieties of good flowers, and the money on hand is too little, so Yang Lan Yang must be tailored to keep it relaxed and natural, fun endless.

Balcony orchid, first of all not suitable for a large number of orchid. A lot of grass will occupy a lot of balcony space. The building itself is not large, if the orchid occupies too much space, it will inevitably reduce the activity space of a family. Before 2008, I had raised more than 100 pots of gambling grass, occupying the only balcony and four windows with protective fences at home. There was no place to dry the clothes washed at ordinary times. When the sunshade net was pulled, the house was dark enough to turn on the lights in broad daylight, so that my wife, children, relatives and friends often "impeached" me. Because the quantity is too much, management is too troublesome, each watering takes two days, most afraid of summer, the dried basin soil must be soaked in the basin, it takes more time, often tired back pain. In 2009, the painful determination to raise only varieties, this is a release.

Secondly, balcony orchid cultivation should pay attention to variety selection, can not be greedy for perfection, is to cultivate varieties of orchids also have to choose. Whether it is self-entertainment, or business to make money, choose a few of their favorite, or have "money" varieties can be. Of course, making money on a larger scale is another matter. A few days ago, I chatted with a QQ friend in Yunnan. His balcony orchid is not much, but his annual income is considerable, realizing the real "balcony economy". He didn't emphasize that the more varieties of orchids, the better. The key was to choose one or two good varieties every year and be willing to sell them when appropriate. This year, he partnered with others to enter two seedlings of pink lotus, and a few seedlings of Douban red river red. He said he lived a relaxed and happy life, had a high interest in raising orchids, and wrote many articles about orchids. A Lanyou in Zhejiang Province, the main business of his family is to run cars. He loves orchids very much, but over the years, there have been no more than ten varieties and no more than twenty pots. He has always adhered to the principle that "there are orchids on the line, regardless of how many." These two balcony orchid friends, although the purpose of orchid cultivation is not the same, but they all know that enough is enough, not tired.

In addition, attention should be paid to geographical differences and the selection of variety characteristics. For example, southern orchid friends should raise less spring cymbidium that needs vernalization to bloom. After years of hard work, it would be a pity not to smell the flowers.

Balcony orchid, the original masters have a lot of experience to talk about, I just put their own practices and insights out for everyone's reference, inappropriate, Lan friends as a lesson. I will publish orchid knowledge and pictures every day, take you to understand orchids deeply, teach you to easily raise orchids, you can ask me at any time or leave a message below if you don't understand orchids, if my knowledge brings you help, I hope you can help me like or forward help more people!