Orchid cultivation methods and precautions

1. Soil

Generally, we choose humus-rich, loose and fertile soil to grow orchids. You can plant them directly with leaf mold, or you can prepare the orchid soil yourself. Mix leaf mold, perlite and river sand in a ratio of 7:2:1 to make culture soil. Perlite can also be replaced by compost.

2. Moisture

The water requirements of different varieties are different, but generally follow the principle of moist but no water accumulation, keeping the potting soil slightly moist.

The climate is relatively dry in autumn, so the amount of water can be increased appropriately. You can also use a spray bottle to spray water on the leaves to increase the air humidity. In spring and autumn, water the plants every two or three days. In summer, when the sunlight is strong and evaporation is high, water the plants once or twice a day.

The temperature is low in winter, and orchids have basically entered a dormant period. At this time, you should reduce the amount of water appropriately to avoid waterlogging, root rot or freezing. It is only necessary to water them once a week.

3. Lighting

Orchids prefer semi-shaded environments and avoid direct sunlight, especially black orchids. When caring for orchids, shade is required in spring, summer and autumn. You can build a shade shed or place them under the eaves or in other cool and ventilated places. They can receive scattered light, and the best light is in the early morning and evening. In winter, it can be placed under a well-lit indoor windowsill, where it cannot be directly exposed to sunlight.

4. Temperature

Orchids prefer a warm environment and can thrive at normal room temperature, which should be between 15 and 25 degrees. The temperature is relatively low in winter, so move it indoors for maintenance. The temperature should be around 11 degrees, and 5 to 10 degrees at night. When keeping it indoors, pay attention to ventilation and the humidity should not be too high. The temperature is too high in summer, so the main thing is to avoid getting burned by the sun and keep the temperature below 28 degrees.

5. Fertilizer

Do not apply too much concentrated fertilizer to orchids. Use more liquid fertilizers. You can also use foliar fertilizers. During the period of vigorous growth, you can apply decomposed cake fertilizer water once every half month to twenty days, which is also a thin fertilizer. Because orchids have a special fleshy root system, in order to avoid root rot, the fertilizers applied must be decomposed.