Cultivation and management of bottle orchids

Adjust water bottle orchid in the branch and leaf growth period, too much watering is easy to cause branches and leaves to grow, hinder flower bud differentiation; flowering water will hinder pollination and fertilization, easy to cause flower and fruit drop; too much water in young fruit development period, easy to cause physiological fruit drop; drought in fruit growth period will cause fruit withering. The bottle orchid should keep the soil moist properly during the whole growth stage.

Choose soil bottle orchid with well-developed taproot and small fine root, which is suitable for rotten leaf sandy loam; it is suitable for soil alkali acidity, and the ideal pH value of neutral partial acid is between 6.5 and 7.0; the pot soil should be changed after two or three years of cultivation, and remember not to hurt the fibrous root.

Timely fertilization bottle orchid needs more nitrogen fertilizer in the branch and leaf growth period, and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer in the germination stage and fruit development stage. Fertilize three times a year. Base fertilizer should be applied in mid-December in winter, accounting for 50% of the amount of fertilizer applied in the whole year. Topdressing once in July to promote flower bud differentiation and fruit hypertrophy. In September, topdressing made the plant strong and the fruit full and glossy.

Sufficient light bottle orchids like light, the whole growth process needs sufficient light. Lack of light will cause branches and leaves to grow, affect flower bud differentiation, and easily lose fruit physiologically. Domestic bottle orchids should not be exposed to sunlight for less than 6 hours a day. Bottle orchid is a temperature-loving plant, but it has strong cold tolerance and is easy to survive the winter indoors in the south.

Most of the artificially pollinated bottle orchids are dioecious (few monoecious), and the parthenocarpy is weak. Bottle orchid should be equipped with pollination varieties, or collect male pollen for artificial pollination. Spraying 2.4-DE-10PPm, or naphthylacetic acid 50PPm, or 920200 PPm at full flowering stage also had a certain effect on increasing the parthenocarpy rate of bottle orchids.

Shaping and pruning bottle orchids is a good material for making bonsai. According to its growth condition, proper pruning is helpful to improve the ornamental value.