How to raise orchids for beginners

Orchids are indeed more difficult to grow than other flowers. The difficulty lies in the fact that the roots of orchids are sensitive to water and are easy to "drown" or "die of thirst". When the plant is too wet or dry for more time than Langen can bear (to be exact, the hypoxia or lack of water in the plant lasts longer than Langen can bear), it will cause rotten or empty roots; for longer, the root problems will be reflected in the leaves, and the plant will eventually turn yellow and die.

Because the false bulb of the orchid itself contains water, and whether the root of the orchid is rotten or empty, the residual part of the orchid still has a trace of water absorption function, so even if there is something wrong with the root of the orchid, it can still linger for a period of time. It is not easy to find problems from the aboveground part of the plant.

In fact, orchids are more likely to be "drowned", that is, due to improper selection of plant materials, water retention is too strong or watering too frequently, resulting in plants always wet. When this excessive wet state lasts longer than the orchid can bear, the orchid root will rot and the orchid plant will eventually die. In addition, some people have heard that orchids are "afraid" of water, so they seldom water them. As a result, orchids are "thirsty to death". This is also the case. Thus it can be seen that whether to control the water content in the plant material is the key to determine the success or failure of orchid cultivation.

Why can't orchids be raised in ordinary soil?

Let's first analyze the changes in the dry and wet state of the soil after watering: "wet" → "wet", "→" moist "→" and "→" dry. Among them, "wet", "wet" or "dry" or "dry" are not conducive to the growth of orchid root, only "run" is the most suitable for orchid growth. Ordinary soil continues to be "wet" or "wet" for too long after watering, which exceeds the time that orchids can bear, so tragedies occur naturally, so ordinary soil is not suitable for orchid cultivation.

Thus it can be seen that the fundamental goal of orchid cultivation is to shorten the time when the plant is in the "wet" and "dry" state and prolong the time in the "moist" state. No matter the selection of plant materials, the selection of orchid pots (the size and texture of orchid pots also have a great influence on the change of water content of plants), or watering, they are all carried out around this goal.

It can also be seen from here that the water retention or hydrophobic characteristics of the plant determine the change of the water content of the plant to a great extent, and even determine the success or failure of orchid cultivation. It can be said that watering is the external factor that determines the change of plant water content, while plant material is the internal cause that determines the change of plant water content. In order to control the water content of the plant material, the prerequisite is that the plant material must be selected.

How to judge the orchid effect of a kind of plant material?

The so-called orchid effect of plant material, that is, the root effect of plant material. If the root is well raised, the aboveground part (leaves, buds, etc.) must grow well; if the root is not raised well, the aboveground part will not be good. Therefore, the growth of Langen can be judged from the growth status of the aboveground part.

Such as orchids on the pot, after 1-3 weeks to restore vitality (spring and autumn recover quickly, summer and winter slow), the leaves are shiny, new seedlings grow (obviously grow tall), new buds emerge (such as in spring), the leaves feel tough when brushing the leaves by hand, indicating that the orchid root grows well, the plant material is ideal, and the management (mainly refers to watering) is also in place.

If the plant material on the basin for a period of time (about 1 month), the leaves are not glossy, the new seedlings are stagnant (rigid seedlings), the new buds do not grow or grow less (spring), the leaves feel soft and collapsed, and black spots are easy to grow on the leaves when the temperature is slightly higher, then it shows that there must be something wrong with Langen, and the planting material may not be ideal. In this regard, it is necessary to pour the pot. If you pour the basin at the usual time of watering (such as watering once every 5 days, pour the basin before watering on the 5th day).

It is found that the plant material is wet and the root has been completely or partially blackened, indicating that the water retention of the plant material is too strong, so it is necessary to add some breathable and leached plant material to the plant material, such as granular plant material, snake wood, rotten peanut shell and so on. Of course, if you feel that the water retention and hydrophobic characteristics of the plant material are ideal, then if you do not improve the plant material, as long as the watering interval is properly prolonged, the problem can also be solved. If the root and plant material are found to be dry or even empty when pouring out the pot, some plant materials with strong moisturizing properties, such as rotten leaf soil and perlite, should be added to the plant material; if it feels that the plant material is ideal, then it is OK to shorten the watering interval.

It is difficult to judge whether the underground part (root) is healthy or not from the growth status of the aboveground part of the orchid plant, and the most simple and intuitive way is to pour the pot and look at the root. There are two kinds of pouring basin: the surface basin and the whole basin. The surface layer was poured out of the basin, and the depth was 5cm to 10cm. The growth status of the periphery of the pseudobulb and the surface root of the plant was observed. If there is a new root or there is a crystal head on the tip of the old root, it shows that the plant material and management measures are ideal; if there is no new root, or the root tip of the old root turns black or even rotten, it means that there is something wrong with the plant material or watering. If you want to know the growth state of all the roots, you have to pour them all. Whether you pour the basin on the surface or the whole basin, be careful not to hurt the root, especially the root tip. Although pouring pot is a bit troublesome, it is the most intuitive and accurate way to understand the effect of plant material on orchid cultivation, and it is also a necessary way for beginners to accumulate experience.

Orchids are not dead, there are no new seedlings, half-dead, how to do?

As mentioned earlier, if the aboveground part of the orchid does not grow well, there must be something wrong with the orchid root. The aboveground part is half dead, indicating that the underground part is not good-most of the roots do not grow well, and there may be one or two roots to maintain the life of the plant. In this regard, the basin must be poured and the ideal plant material must be replaced.

How can I make a good plant material?

There are many plant materials that can be used to raise orchids, and local materials can be used locally, but in order to produce ideal plant materials, the following principles must be followed:

The main results are as follows: 1. The physical structure of plant is ideal, breathable and hydrophobic. With granular plant material, there is a certain gap between the particles, which has good natural permeability and hydrophobicity. If powdered plant materials such as rotten leaf soil are used, perlite, snake wood, and granular plants should be added to make them fluffy.

2. The chemical composition of plant material is reliable and there is no harmful component. Some organic plants, such as peanut shell and pine bark, should be mature; otherwise, substances harmful to orchid root will be decomposed after use.

3. The plant material has good moisturizing property, which can both drain and retain water. The ideal plant material should be "wet" for a short time and "moisturized" for a long time. That is to say, after watering, due to the good physical structure of the plant material (there are gaps between the plants), a large part of the water is leaked, and then because the plant itself absorbs a certain amount of water, it can remain "moist" for a long time. Then slowly change from "moist" to "dry" (note: the plant material does not suddenly change from "moist" to "dry", but slowly. That is, the plant material has been in the "dry" state from "moist" to "dry" for a long time).

This has three major advantages: first, the plant material is "wet" for a short time, avoiding rotten roots; second, the plant material is kept "moist" for a long time, creating favorable environmental conditions for the growth of Langen; third, the plant material "dry" state lasts for a long time, and the ideal watering time when the plant material is in a "dry" state, obviously, it is easy to water in this way, and there is no big problem one or two days earlier or one or two days later. If the moisturizing property of the plant material is not good, it will quickly change from "dry" to "wet", and the duration of "dry" is relatively short, and the watering time must be judged more accurately in order to ensure that the watering time falls within the time range of the plant in the "dry" state. It is difficult to water easily too early or too late, which is not conducive to the growth of orchids.

In a word, the plant material with good moisturizing property can not only avoid the rotten root phenomenon of orchids, but also reduce the difficulty of watering. Of course, in order to prepare plant materials with ideal moisture retention, we must have a full understanding of the water retention and hydrophobic characteristics of each plant material and the fluffy effect it can play in the mixed plant material.

As long as this principle is followed, a good plant material can be prepared. Of course, whether a kind of plant material is good or not will not be known until it is used. It is worth noting that after the allocation of an ideal plant material, do not rush to replace all orchids with new plant material, you must first try one or two pots, and then use it in a large area after the effect has been verified.

Do you have an orchid formula that is simple and effective?

1. Classic formula

65% of gold stone + 35% of fairy soil. (volume ratio, same as below)

This formula is widely used and widely recognized by Lanyou. With this formula, the plant material is aerated and leached, there is generally no problem with Langen, and orchid cultivation is easy to succeed. Note: there is a big difference in the quality of immortal soil sold in the market, and it is necessary to buy something of reliable quality; both must be soaked thoroughly before use, that is, they must be soaked thoroughly, that is, they can only be used if they are wet in the middle of the particles.

Using this formula, due to the lack of nutrients, the basin can put more than 30 grains of Haokangduo or 10 grains of 30 grains (depending on the size of the basin) magic fertilizer. The south balcony dry wind is bigger, the orchid basin can be slightly bigger, the basin surface can cover a layer of water moss, play a moisturizing role.

2. Simple formula

Rotten leaf soil 50% + perlite 50%.

Rotten leaf soil (or mountain skin soil), can be taken under the broad-leaved forest with withered branches and leaves of the topsoil (also contains soil). This kind of soil is loose, it forms a mass when it is pinched with the hand, and the soil spreads when the hand is released. With the same amount of perlite, the rotten leaf soil is more fluffy and will not harden. Perlite has strong fluffy effect, good moisturizing and low price, so it is an ideal plant material. On this basis, one or more of the coal ballast particles (coal ash sifted particles after powder removal), mature peanut shell, mature pine bark, soybean-sized bricks, small pond cornerstones, and small stone plants can also be mixed with 20%, 50%, 50% of other granular plant materials.

It is worth mentioning that the formula of rotten leaf soil developed by Lin Shengzhou has the advantages of simple material collection, low cost and ideal planting effect. Its formula is: 50% rotten leaf soil + 50% sand bag soil. Sandy soil is a kind of semi-differentiated sandy soil, which is not easy to bond.

Because the rotten leaf soil is rich and sufficient in nutrients and does not need to apply fertilizer, the seedlings are strong. In particular, it should be noted that some beginners are always afraid of orchids "starving to death" and like to apply various fertilizers to orchids. Orchids are often "fermented to death" by fertilizer.

3. Commercial plant materials

If you find it troublesome to prepare your own plant materials, you can choose and buy commercial plant materials that have been prepared. Its components are as follows:

1 part rotten leaf soil + 1 part perlite + 1 part snake sawdust + 1 part pond foundation + 1 part immortal soil + half part coconut bran (all refer to volume).

After years of experiments, the orchids cultivated with this plant have good roots and strong seedlings, and the effect is good.

Orchid friends from other places can choose their own according to this formula; they can also use local materials according to local conditions and make appropriate improvements or ingredients to the formula.

Orchids have black spots, most of which are caused by anthrax, which is caused by two main reasons:

1. If the orchid seedlings are not strong enough, the resistance of the orchid seedlings is weak. The root cause is that the planting material is not ideal, and Langen does not grow well, so we still have to make efforts on the planting material.

The root is not good, resulting in black spots on the leaves

2. Orchids are exposed to the sun at higher temperatures or the environment is muggy. Orchids should be shaded when the temperature exceeds 28 ℃. At the same time, in the high temperature season, the environment should be ventilated to avoid muggy conditions, and the key is to improve the cultivation conditions, which is a permanent cure. If necessary, you can spray 800 times liquid Shi Bao Gong (amidine fresh amine) or Shigao to curb the development of the disease.

There are two main reasons why the leaves of orchids turn yellow.

1. Leaf yellowing caused by natural aging. In spring and summer, the metabolism of orchids is booming, new buds continue to emerge, and some old seedlings that have grown for many years will die. This kind of "old death" yellow leaf has three characteristics, one is that it occurs on the old false bulb, the second is that the false bulb is not abnormal (such as blackening or decay), and the third is that the leaf yellowing usually starts from the outer leaves of the orchid plant and then to the inner leaves, from the leaf tip to the leaf base. In addition, there will not be any black spots on the yellow leaves.

2. Leaf yellowing caused by disease. Stem rot or bacterial soft rot or white silk disease occurred in orchid plants. This kind of yellow leaf often occurs on the new seedling, the leaf yellowing starts from the heart leaf to the outer leaf, the leaf base to the leaf tip, and there are often abnormal conditions on the pseudobulb (such as blackening and rot, etc.). For many of these, the diseased plants should be removed, and the remaining healthy roots and pseudobulbs should be soaked in broad-spectrum fungicides (such as carbendazim, carbendazim, etc.) for 1 hour, and then re-pot with the new plant material.

By grasping the key points of orchid cultivation, orchids can be raised easily:

1. Go to the surrounding mountain, take some loose rotten leaf soil or epidermis soil with withered branches and fallen leaves (with withered branches and fallen leaves is more fluffy), according to the method described in the above "simple formula", add the same amount of perlite; if there is no perlite for a while, it can be mixed with the same amount (volume) of sandy soil, or twice as much broken brick or coal ballast (it is better to mix two or more). The preparation of fluffy, breathable and leached plant material is the key to raising orchids.

2. A medium-sized orchid basin will be fine. Too large, the plant material is not easy to dry, easy to lead to rotten roots; too small plant material is too easy to dry, difficult to manage.

3, put the orchid on the south balcony or courtyard (do not put the north balcony or keep indoors for a long time). Let it bask in more sunshine in spring and winter, and in summer and autumn, when people feel uncomfortable in the sun, orchids are not allowed to be exposed directly in the sun. You don't have to fertilize.

4. The plant material should be watered when it is dry. If you are not sure on time, you can remove the basin plant material two or three centimeters deep, if it is dry here, water it immediately; if it is not dry, water it in a day or two. When pouring, the whole basin is thoroughly watered for a while, so that all the plant materials are "eaten" to water.

5. In the north, when the winter temperature is close to 3 ℃, the orchids should be moved indoors to avoid freezing damage; in the south of Fujian, orchids can survive the winter safely outside.