Wine bottle orchid cultivation methods and precautions

soil

Bottle orchid is relatively resistant to barrenness and drought, so the potting soil requires good drainage. It is suitable for growing in sandy loam rich in humus. The soil can be mixed with fertile garden soil, leaf mold and river sand.

temperature

Bottle orchid likes warmth and the most suitable growth environment is 20-28 degrees Celsius. It can survive in a high temperature environment of 33 degrees Celsius, but it is not cold-resistant. It will generally stop growing at around minus 13 degrees Celsius. The temperature in winter must be kept above a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius, otherwise it will cause rot at the base and cause the plant to wither.

illumination

Bottle orchid is suitable for growing in an environment with sufficient light. Due to its strong growth ability, it can also tolerate a certain degree of shade. Insufficient light will cause the leaves to become thin and weak, which is not conducive to the survival and development of the plant.

Except for summer, the bottle orchid needs sufficient sunlight to ensure its healthy growth. During the summer period of growth, it needs to be shaded, with the shade area reaching more than half of its own area, otherwise one side of the leaves will turn yellow and wither.

When receiving light, it is necessary to move it regularly to ensure uniform light exposure, so that the plant has a beautiful appearance. It is best to turn the flowerpot over once a month and a half.

Moisture

Bottle orchid likes moisture. Therefore, the relative humidity of the air should be maintained at 70%-80%. If it is too low, the leaves will turn yellow, wither, or fall off, becoming dull and lifeless, affecting the overall ornamental value.

The bottle orchid has thick rhizomes, so it is drought-resistant and can grow and develop without watering for about half a year. Just control the humidity of the bottle orchid, ensure that the soil in the pot is slightly dry, reduce watering in autumn and winter, and do not allow water to accumulate in the pot.

Fertilization

Generally, bottle orchids are fertilized with compound fertilizers or liquid fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and fertilization should be stopped in winter.

Repotting

As long as it is properly maintained, the bottle orchid will grow very fast. When it grows to a certain size, you should consider changing it to a larger pot so that it can continue to grow vigorously. The culture soil and component ratio for repotting can be one of the following: garden soil: slag = 3 : 1 ; or garden soil: medium-coarse river sand: sawdust (vegetable residue) = 4 : 1 : 2 ; or one of paddy soil, pond mud, and leaf mold.

Remove from the basin

Place the flower to be repotted on the ground, first pat the sides of the pot lightly with your palms to vibrate the roots and separate from the pot wall. Turn the pot upside down on your left hand, gently hold the plant between the index and middle fingers of your left hand, support the edge of the pot with your wrist and fingertips, pat the bottom of the pot with your right hand, and then use your thumb to push the root soil down through the bottom hole to let the plant out. After taking it out, gently pat the soil in the pot with your palms to let the excess soil fall off.

Winter maintenance

Move it indoors to a brightly lit place for maintenance

Outdoors, you can wrap it with film to overwinter, but you need to remove the film every two days at noon when the temperature is higher to allow it to breathe.

Light: In autumn, winter and spring, it can be given sufficient sunlight, but in summer it must be shaded by more than 50% . When keeping it indoors, try to place it in a place with bright light, such as a living room, bedroom, study room, etc. with good lighting. After keeping it indoors for a period of time (about a month), you should move it to a shaded place outdoors (with insulation conditions in winter) for a period of time (about a month), and alternate between the two places.

Fertilizer and water: For potted plants, in addition to adding organic fertilizers when potting, proper fertilizer and water management should also be carried out during normal maintenance. Spring, summer and autumn are the peak growth seasons for bottle orchids. Fertilizer and water management should be in the following order: fertilizer - clean water - fertilizer - clean water. The interval period is about 1 to 4 days. The interval period is shorter on sunny days or during high temperatures, and longer or no watering on rainy days or low temperatures.

During the winter dormancy period, the main thing is to control fertilizer and water. The fertilizer and water management should be in the following order: fertilizer - clean water - clean water - fertilizer - clean water - clean water, with an interval of about 3 to 7 days. For plants planted in the ground, apply fertilizer and water 2 to 4 times in spring and summer depending on the drought conditions: first, dig a circle of small trenches 30 to 100 cm outside the root neck (the larger the plant, the farther away from the root neck), with the trench width and depth both at 20 cm. Sprinkle 25 to 50 kilograms of organic fertilizer, or 1 to 5 ounces of granular compound fertilizer (chemical fertilizer) into the ditch, and then water it thoroughly. After winter and before spring, fertilize again according to the above method, but no watering is needed.

Pruning: When the plant enters a dormant or semi-dormant period in winter, the weak, diseased, insect-infested, dead, or overcrowded branches should be pruned off. The branches can also be arranged in combination with cuttings.

Pest control

Pests and diseases can also hamper the growth and development of bottle orchids, especially leaf spot disease, which can be controlled by spraying 1:1:100 Bordeaux liquid once every 15 days. The main insect pests are whiteflies, scale insects, etc., which can be controlled by spraying 40% malathion emulsion.