Basin utensils generally use tile basin, pottery basin, wood basin, plastic basin, etc., especially the waist shaped tile basin and pottery basin are ideal, with good air permeability and strong water absorption, which is very suitable for dry cultivation of orchids.
The basin requires drainage holes at the bottom and ventilation holes at the side. If it fails to meet the requirements, it can be processed properly.
The size of the pot can be determined by the size of the orchid plant. It is the key to the success of orchid cultivation to avoid the selection of plant materials in small and weak pots.
In general, dry farming mostly uses humus derived from the orchid growing in the deep mountains, and then is properly modified by adding appropriate bark, particle burning soil and foam plastic particles. This kind of plant is rich in humus, slightly acidic, loose and breathable, and is very suitable for orchid growth.
Before potting, the plant materials shall be dried or sterilized with steam. The sieves of different sieves shall be divided into coarse, medium and fine particles, which shall be stored separately. The powdered soil shall be discarded.
On the top of the basin, the bottom of the basin is mixed with broken tiles and foam blocks to fill the drainage layer, which is mainly used for drainage and air permeability. This layer accounts for about 1/5 of the basin height.
Then add a layer of coarse-grained plant material, and add a small amount of leavened sheep manure as the base fertilizer. This layer is the base layer, which mainly plays the role of water filtration, ventilation and nutrition, accounting for about a quarter of the basin height.
Carefully put the pruned, sterilized and dried orchids into the pot, straighten out the orchid root, hold the orchid plant with the left hand to keep it in the ideal cultivation position, gradually add the medium grain planting material with the right hand, when the planting material is added to a certain amount, gently lift the orchid plant, gently shake the pot, and then gently compact with the hand to make the orchid root fully contact with the planting material, so as to prevent the gap between the orchid root from causing the empty root, and then continue to add When the plant material reaches the pseudobulb, shake the orchid basin again to make the plant material filled tightly.
This layer is the nutrient layer, which is the main place for the growth of orchid roots and the main place for orchid to absorb nutrients. Its thickness accounts for about half of the basin height. Of course, according to the different orchid species, its thickness should also be adjusted.
Then add the fine plant material to cover the two-thirds position of the pseudobulb, and gently compact it to make it look like a steamed bread, which is the covering layer.
In order to prevent the fine planting materials from being washed away by water or splashed into the orchid center by mud water, a proper water conservation protective layer should be added to this layer. Generally, coarse-grained hard planting materials are used in this layer, such as granular burning soil, orchid stone, planting gold stone and even multicolored stone.
Then pour the root fixing water and put it into a cool and ventilated place for management and protection.
In the aspect of watering, it is emphasized to see wet as well as dry, and the watering must be done thoroughly.
Water less in winter, about half a month to a month or so.
In spring, the temperature is getting higher and the air is dry. The water supply can be increased appropriately, generally once a week or so.
From midsummer to early autumn, the temperature is high, and the orchid needs a lot of water, about 3-5 days.
From mid autumn to early winter, the temperature difference between morning and evening is large, and the air is relatively dry. About 7 weeks, water is given once.
In rainy days, water supply and watering can be reduced appropriately. Generally, repeated water supply method is adopted. A small amount of water is supplied along the edge of the basin in a spiral shape for several times until it is fully poured. Basin immersion can also be used, but only one basin is immersed at a time. After pouring it out, new water is used to soak another basin, and attention shall be paid to prevent cross infection of diseases.
Because there are rich nutrients in the plant materials, and orchid growth is relatively slow, and the demand for nutrients is not as large as other plants, so it is generally recommended to use the dry method to raise orchid fertilizer light and thin, about once a month, in order to prevent fertilizer injury. It is better not to apply fertilizer to weak orchid and diseased orchid.
