Let's learn about the growing environment of wild orchids. Wild orchids generally grow in forests or bamboo forests mixed with chestnuts, pines and bamboos. Chestnut, pine and bamboo are luxuriant in branches and leaves, with large crown and high height, which can well block the sunlight and make it scatter on the ground. The fallen leaves covered on the ground are not only loose and breathable, but also provide sufficient nutrients for orchids, effectively maintaining the ground temperature, which is also the reason why wild orchids are not easy to freeze to death in a low temperature environment. Very few orchids can be found in mountainous areas with short trees, because the short trees block too much sunlight, resulting in too much water at the bottom, making it difficult for orchids to blossom and bear fruit, unable to reproduce effectively, and the number naturally decreases or becomes extinct.
It is not difficult to raise wild orchids. The key is to master the method. There is a big difference between wild orchids growing in the wild and growing in our family environment. When we raise orchids at home, we need to simulate the living environment of orchids in the wild as much as possible, which is mainly reflected in four aspects: light, temperature, moisture and nutrients. This paper only expounds how to raise healthy orchids from these four aspects.
First of all, light
Orchids belong to semi-negative plants, avoid strong light and like cool environment. If the light is too strong, the leaves will burn, and there will be grayish brown patches or dehydration. If there are flowers, they will wither ahead of time, but they have strong phototaxis. When the light is insufficient, the fragrance and color of flowers will be very weak, which will affect their ornamental value. The suitable light for orchid growth is about 10000-30000LUX. The light in this range can make the leaves of orchids green and shiny, while the leaves with weak light are dark green and shiny. Therefore, orchids should be placed in a well-lit place, which can neither be exposed to the sun nor lack of light, but can only be scattered. In spring and winter, orchids can receive direct sunlight properly before 9 am. When the light intensity is high, they should be placed indoors. Avoid direct sunlight in summer and autumn, and keep the place cool and ventilated.
Second, the temperature
Wild orchids grow in cool mountain areas, and the temperature is neither too high nor too low, which is not suitable for orchid growth. The optimum temperature is between 25-30℃, and orchids can survive according to the environment between 30-40℃. If you exceed this limit, you are in danger of death. So our family should pay attention to heatstroke prevention and cooling in summer. If you put orchids in direct sunlight, you must shade them in hot weather, and the shading rate is about 70%, so as to prevent strong light and scorching sun from burning orchid leaves. The shading rate of wide-leaved varieties is slightly higher, while that of narrow leaves is relatively lower, because the photosynthetic capacity of wide leaves is stronger. Closed farms can cool down according to fans or water curtains; In winter, it is necessary to keep warm and cold. When the temperature is lower than 0℃, it should be heated or moved to a place where the temperature is higher than 0℃ and the sun is sufficient and warm to prevent the leaves and roots of orchids from freezing.
Third, moisture.
Orchids like to be wet in the wild and avoid water accumulation. Keep the soil moist indoors at ordinary times. We must plant orchids in orchid flowerpots with bottom holes, so that the accumulated water in the flowerpots can be discharged out of the pots in time and conveniently. We should also choose professional orchid planting materials with drainage and moisture retention, such as planting stones, snake wood, pine chestnut king, peat, coconut bricks and so on. And properly control the water until the top soil meets white water, so as to do it. In hot and dry weather, in addition to proper watering, air humidity can be increased by water curtain or spray, which is beneficial to the water absorption of roots and the metabolic balance of water in leaves and prevents plants from wilting. When spraying, try not to plant leaves or flowers, in case the leaves get sick or the flowers wither prematurely. In rainy weather, due to the high air humidity, it is necessary to reduce the water in the basin and water it less or not.
Fourth, nutrients
Wild orchids grow in forests and bamboo forests mixed with chestnut and pine trees. After years of accumulation of fallen leaves, a thick layer of humus will form on the ground. This humus layer is fluffy, breathable, nutritious and rich in cyanobacteria. Friends who often go up the mountain can find that when the fallen leaves are turned up, a large number of white hyphae are attached to them, which is a beneficial bacterium suitable for orchid growth, also called cyanobacteria. The roots of orchids do not directly absorb nutrients, but interact with beneficial bacteria. Nutrients are obtained from fungi, so when we choose planting materials, we can refer to the soil environment where wild orchids grow, and choose orchid planting materials that are rich in orchids or well ventilated and conducive to the growth of fungi. These orchid planting materials are mainly organic soft planting materials, such as pine bark, chestnut bark, pine needles, chestnut leaves, pine cones, rotten pine hearts and so on. , rich in orchids, basically do not need fertilization in the later stage. If you choose inorganic hard media such as plant stone, stone, ceramsite, brick and tile, because it does not contain nutrients, you need to apply fertilizer later to supplement nutrients. Suitable fertilizers include plant ash, decomposed bean cake water, rice washing water, coated long-acting slow-release fertilizer, etc. Use chemical fertilizer as little as possible, and proper nutrient supply can increase the color, improve the quality of flowers, prolong the flowering period and increase the fragrance. However, in order to prevent the application of concentrated fertilizer, dilute fertilizer should be applied frequently after high dilution to avoid fertilizer damage and endanger the life of orchids.