Are orchids suitable for growing indoors or outdoors?

Orchids are simple and unpretentious, with evergreen leaves all year round. The leaves are soft yet firm, and the leaves are graceful and beautiful. Even if they are not in the flowering period, they are also good flowers for foliage viewing. Once it blooms, the fragrance fills the room and is refreshing. But in people's impression, they always think that "orchids are difficult to grow", but this is not the case.

The pots used for planting orchids are generally suitable for small pots and deep pots, and the bottom holes should be twice as large as ordinary pots. A layer of coarse sand should be placed on the bottom of the basin, and a layer of fine sand should be placed on top of the coarse sand to facilitate drainage. The most taboo thing when planting orchids is that the orchid stems will be lost in the soil. The soil used can be humus soil or mountain mud containing humus. It has been screened, impurities removed and reconditioned for more than half a year before being sterilized by sunlight exposure. Orchids can be placed indoors by a window. In order to control the amount of light, curtains can be used for shade. When the sun is not directly exposed in the afternoon in spring and autumn, the curtains can be opened to receive sunlight scattering to enhance vitality and promote the differentiation of flower buds. Orchids should be kept dry rather than wet. The best water quality is river water or rainwater. Tap water must be stored for one day to allow harmful gases to evaporate before use. Normally water should be watered from the edge of the pot, not onto the leaves. Watering in summer should be done in the morning and evening, but it should not be watered too much. If the roots of newly planted orchids are damaged, they should be kept slightly dry. Orchids should avoid heavy fertilizers, bean cake fertilizer is better, fishy water, human feces and urine are also suitable. Fertilizer should not be applied to orchids that are weak in growth and newly planted. Those with vigorous growth can be fertilized with thin decomposed bean cake fertilizer and water from April to June. Summer is hot, so stop fertilizing. After September, thin bean cake water can be applied once or twice. Cut off old yellow leaves and broken leaves frequently to facilitate ventilation and maintain a beautiful plant shape.

How to grow orchids

"One third to plant, seven to seven to nourish", this is the experience of the ancients in raising orchids. The quality of maintenance is related to whether the orchid is lush and blooming, so it makes sense that the predecessors attached great importance to it. Here are some details on how to care for and manage orchids.

1. Place

The place where the orchid is placed is very important, it directly affects the growth and development of the orchid. Orchids are generally placed in the open field in spring, summer and autumn (in the shade in the open field in summer), and indoors in winter. It is best to be outdoors with open space and moist air. There should be enough light indoors, preferably facing south. This is beneficial to the growth of orchids. It is best to place the orchid pot on a wooden frame or table, not on the ground.

2. Shade

Orchids are mostly semi-shade plants. Most species are afraid of direct sunlight and require appropriate shade. Orchids can receive more sunlight in early to mid-April to promote their growth. Appropriate shade should be provided after late April. The varieties with upright leaves of summer orchids and autumn orchids are best placed in the south of the shade so that they can receive more sunlight; the autumn orchids and spring orchids with weeping leaves should receive two hours of light every day. From June to September, shade should be provided early every day. If a reed curtain is used, a dense curtain or two layers of thin curtains can be used. After October, the weather gets cooler and the sunlight is weaker, so you can postpone the shading, but you still need to pay attention to shading around noon.

3. Rainproof

Orchids can be exposed to light rain, but they must be protected from mildew, showers or continuous rain. During the mildew season, special precautions should be taken to prevent rain. From late June to mid-September, showers are common. If it rains for a short period of time and the rainfall is small, water more in the evening to drain the heat from the pot. Otherwise, the orchid will be damaged and even the roots will rot and die. If the sun comes out after a shower, it needs to be shaded in time to prevent the heat from rising from the ground and affecting the growth of the orchid.

In seasons with heavy rainfall, orchids are in the stage of sprouting leaf buds. If the pot soil is too warm, it will cause poor growth of leaf buds or cause disease. At this time, a small amount of plant ash can be sprinkled to adjust the humidity of the pot soil.

4. Watering

The flower proverb says: "Dry orchids and wet chrysanthemums", there is a certain truth to this. Generally speaking, the best conditions for orchids are eight parts dry and two parts wet. If it is too wet, the flowers will easily rot and die. The principle of watering should be: water when it is dry, stop when it is wet, and be moderately dry. When grasping the details, general attention should be paid to: watering should be appropriate during the growth period (end of May-June), watering should be appropriate during the leaf bud period (about March-April) and flowering period (about March-April). During the dormant period (winter), watering should be less or no more. Large flower pots with small orchid plants should be watered less, while small pots with large orchid plants should be watered more. When the climate is hot and dry, you should water more appropriately; when it is cold, cool and humid (such as the mildew season, etc.), you should water less or not at all. If the orchid is newly dug from the mountain and has few roots or many broken roots, water less and make the pot soil dry. This will prevent root rot and help grow new leaves.

The experience of the ancients saying: "Autumn is not dry, winter is not wet" is a good summary of how to water spring orchids and summer orchids. However, in some areas in the north, the climate is too dry in winter and early spring, which does not make orchids too dry.

Watering time: In summer and autumn, water after sunset so that the orchid leaves are dry before nightfall. Watering can also be done in the early morning; in winter and spring, water before and after sunrise. as well. Do not irrigate with cold water immediately after being scorched by the sun, to avoid lowering the soil temperature, affecting water absorption by the root system, and disturbing physiological balance. The amount of watering should not be too large to prevent the occurrence of diseases.

Watering method: Watering should be poured from the pot, not into the flower buds to avoid causing rot.

Predecessors have good experience summarizing the watering of orchids. For example, Yu Zhao proposed different watering methods based on the twenty-four solar terms in a year in "Dumen Yilan Ji". It is excerpted below for reference. However, two points should be noted: First, "Domon Yilan Ji" is based on the climate of Beijing; second, the months in the text refer to the lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. For example, "the first month" is actually February of the Gregorian calendar.

1. At the beginning of spring, when it rains, the spring orchids have already bloomed. The soil should not be too dry and should be slightly moistened along the pot edge; if the autumn orchid pot is not dry to the bottom, do not water it.

2. During the Awakening of Insects, when the spring orchid pot is dry to half of the pot (the top is empty and the bottom is solid), it can be moistened with water, but not too much. The same as before for autumn orchid.

3. At the vernal equinox, the spring orchid flowers have faded. Avoid moisture. You can moisten the pot with water when it is half dry.

4. During Qingming Festival and Grain Rain, do not let the pot soil get too dry and moisten it with water every 5 days.

5. At the beginning of summer, orchids start to leave the house, so it is advisable to water them thoroughly once.

6. When the pot is full, the pot soil should not be too dry or too wet. Spots on the leaves are too wet, and new shoots withered tips are too dry. Water one liter (about a dry cup) every 4 days to keep the pot dry. It is appropriate for the soil to be 2/3 moist from bottom to top.

7. Ear seeds have a dry climate, so be careful not to over-dry or wet them.

8. During the summer solstice, the pot soil should not be too dry. If it rains heavily, it can only be tolerated for one day. If it rains continuously, the pot must be moved to a ventilated place.

9. During Slight Heat, the air is too humid at this time, and the pot soil should not be too humid. The pot should be placed in a ventilated place. If it is hot and dry and there is little rain, water one liter every 2 days. After heavy rain or wet weather, it must be Dry to 2/3 of the pot soil, otherwise it should not be watered again.

10. In the severe heat, the soil in the basin is easy to dry out. Please note that it should only rain or get wet once a day.

11. At the beginning of autumn, orchids need water at this time. They need 2 liters of water every 3 days and should be sheltered from the wind every second.

12. Water the plant once every 5 days. Except for continuous haze rain, it can be exposed to rain and dew.

13. White dew and autumn orchids require more frequent watering than spring orchids, but they must be dried out before they can be wet again.

14. At the autumnal equinox, if the autumn orchids have bloomed, watering should be slightly less; if flowers have not bloomed, watering should be slightly increased.

15. In cold dew, autumn orchids should be watered thoroughly, while spring orchids should not be thoroughly watered and should be moistened.

16. When frost comes, orchids should be brought into the house. The watering time should be changed to midday. After watering, it needs to be exposed for 1-2 hours in midday.

17. At the beginning of winter, it is only advisable to moisten the water, about half a liter every 5 days.

18. During light snow, the greenhouse should not be kept warm and should not be too humid. If it is too humid, it can cause root rot, scarred leaves and even withering. If the pot is not dry to the bottom, only slightly moisten the soil.

19. Autumn orchids do not need water due to heavy snowfall, but spring orchids should be lightly moistened.

20. Irrigation is not suitable during the winter solstice.

21. During mild cold, avoid watering.

22. In the severe cold, autumn orchid still does not need water, but spring orchid can be lightly moistened with water.

5. Fertilization

Fertilization for orchids depends on the growth of the orchid. Fertilizer can be applied to plants that grow vigorously and have no disease. Fertilizer should not be applied or a small amount of fertilizer should be applied to plants with poor growth. Do not use fertilizer on orchids that are newly dug from the mountains before their new roots develop. They need to be cultivated for 1-2 years. Fertilizer can only be applied when the new roots are strong, otherwise they will easily die.

Generally speaking, when the orchid leaf buds extend about 1.5 cm from June to July, thin and well-rotted liquid fertilizer can be applied 1-2 times (chemical fertilizers are not suitable), but fertilization is not suitable during high temperature seasons. Apply 1-2 times of well-rotted and thin liquid fertilizer from August to September. For orchids grown in Suxin, plant ash leaching solution can be applied 1-2 times, and the effect is very good. The best time to fertilize is in the evening, and water again in the early morning of the next day.

The easiest way to distinguish whether an orchid needs fertilizing is to look at the depth of the leaf color. If the leaves are yellow and thin, it means lack of fertilizer, and top dressing should be applied; if the leaves are black and the leaf tips are scorched, it means too much fertilizer has been applied, and fertilization should be stopped.

Fertilizer, you can make your own fertilizer using various methods introduced above. When applying these fertilizers, they need to be diluted 8-9 times with water and must not be too concentrated. When applying fertilizer, apply it into the rhizosphere of the plant and never onto the leaves.

6. Pruning

Pruning should be done continuously during orchid cultivation. When the old leaves turn yellow, they should be cut off in time to facilitate ventilation. The tips of some leaves should also be cut off when they are dry. Especially leaves that are damaged by diseases and insect pests need to be removed promptly to avoid infection. When cutting off diseased leaves, do not use scissors to cut off disease-free leaves to prevent virus infection. If you use the same pair of scissors, they need to be disinfected.

After the precious orchid flower buds are unearthed, if there are too many flower buds, strong buds should be left and the remaining thin flower buds should be removed. It is appropriate to leave 1-2 flower buds in each pot. If there are too many flower buds, it will not only cause poor blooming of the current year's flowers, but also consume too much nutrients from the mother plant and affect the flowering of the next year. Generally, the flower buds of orchids do not need to be cut off.

The flowers of spring orchids need to be cut off after about half a month of blooming; the flowers of summer orchids should also be cut off when they bloom for a week after the last flower on the inflorescence. Expensive varieties should not be pollinated and set, otherwise they will affect flowering the next year. If it is used for cross-breeding, additional training is required to make the fruit plump and mature.

7. Cold protection

Qiulan should be protected from cold in advance. If the temperature is 2-3℃, it can be moved indoors. Cold orchids growing in the south need to be protected from cold in advance. Spring and summer orchids have strong cold tolerance, so they should be moved indoors in time if there is any freezing. It can survive the winter if the room temperature can be maintained at 1-2°C. In case of a severe cold wave and the room temperature drops below zero, timely heating is required. Generally, it is enough to keep the room free of ice.

Indoors, autumn orchids should be placed on the south side, and spring and summer orchids should be placed on the other side.

Around noon, windows should be opened facing the south and southeast for ventilation (Qiulan should not open windows on cloudy days at 1-2°C to prevent cold wind from frostbiting the leaves). Autumn orchid prefers to be drier in winter, while the pot soil of other orchids should be kept moist.

8. Picking flowers

For orchids with poor growth, few leaves per cluster, or poor roots, the flowers should be picked. For better varieties, 1-2 buds can be properly removed for spring orchids, and 1-2 buds for summer orchids can be left when the buds elongate, and the rest can be removed, so that the flowers can bloom longer and new leaves can be produced. If you pump too much, the old leaves will not die easily.

Pick off the precious spring orchid flowers after 3-5 days of blooming to allow the leaf buds to grow strong; when the summer orchid flowers bloom to the top, they can also be cut an inch away from the pot surface.

9. Flood prevention

If the cultivation site is surrounded by open space and the terrain is high, when strong winds or typhoons pass through in summer, wind protection work must be done to prevent the leaves of summer orchids or cold orchids from being damaged. was broken.

10. Spraying

In the dry season, spray on the balcony where potted flowers are placed every evening, mainly to moisten the ground and increase the air humidity. The surface of the orchid pot should also be sprayed. When spraying, spray upwards so that the mist points fall evenly and the leaves are moist. This can promote the orchids to grow well and make the leaves shiny.

12. Control of pests and diseases

sterilization treatment (exposed to the hot sun is enough) to prevent the occurrence of diseases. Orchids are most susceptible to white silk disease in rainy and high-temperature seasons, and can be prevented by spraying 800 times thiophanate or Bordeaux mixture. If the disease is severe, you can use 500-750 times of thiophanate and spray it every 7-10 days. Among insect pests, scale insects are the most common. These insects are attached to the base of leaves. If scale insects are found, they should be removed in time. If you want to avoid scale insect infestation, starting from April, you can use "1059" 2000 times liquid for control.

In order to suppress the occurrence of orchid diseases, in addition to properly controlling the dryness and humidity of the pot soil, you should also use as many mud pots as possible and less glazed pots when choosing flower pots. Especially for orchids that have poor growth and are newly dug from the mountains, they must be planted in mud pots. Doing this will make the potting soil dry easily, which can promote the growth of orchids and reduce the incidence of diseases.