1) growth and development temperature
Lotus belongs to orchid species, which blooms in early spring or late spring, and its growth temperature is basically the same as other orchids, but lotus is relatively resistant to low temperature, and it is often no problem to approach 0 degrees in a short time. And now it is at the stage of 0~ 10, which is the best time for lotus to breed flower buds. If the temperature is too high in the reproductive stage of bud stage, it will bloom ahead of time, with abnormal flower quality and abnormal flowering period.
Solution: when the temperature is controlled at 15~20 degrees, the normal petal shape and flowering period of lotus petals can be guaranteed; If it exceeds 20 degrees or even 25 degrees to 30 degrees, the petal shape will be affected and destroyed, the petal width will become narrow and distorted, the flowering period will be shortened and the flowering will not be smooth. Therefore, controlling the ambient temperature is one of the key factors to cultivate lotus petals.
2) Air humidity demand
Lotus root requires high environmental humidity. Generally speaking, the relative humidity of air should be around 65%~70%. Except for the rainy season in summer, the relative humidity of the air in the northern region is suitable, and the climate in spring, autumn and winter is generally dry, especially in the bud stage of orchids. Low ambient air humidity is a major disadvantage of orchid cultivation. Therefore, how to solve the air humidity is the key to raise the lotus.
Solution: When it is dry and windy in spring and autumn, you can sprinkle water or spray it on the ground, space, shelves and walls to increase the air humidity of the environment; Turn on the humidifier, set up a shallow sink or pool, and store the water in the sink or pool. Immerse one end of cotton articles such as towels in water and hang the other end on a blue shelf. By evaporating the moisture on the towel to improve the humidity, the air humidity can be significantly improved and the temperature can be reduced.
3) light intensity requirements
There are many sunny days in summer in northern China, especially from noon to afternoon 16. At this time, the hot sun is scorching, and the lotus petals must not be directly exposed to the hot sun. Due to such strong light, the surface temperature of orchid leaves can reach more than 40 degrees, which is easy to cause orchid leaves to be burned. Indoor balconies and south-facing windowsills are also easy to make orchid leaves yellow under the sunshine in late spring and early autumn.
Solution: In order to prevent orchids from being exposed to strong light, a sunshade net should be hung on the inner side of the balcony, especially in hot summer, orchids need shade and maintenance, or it is appropriate to place orchid pots in places where light is scattered. In summer, you can use the balcony with anti-theft net to block the strong sunshine; Shading items include bamboo curtains and reed curtains. Black nylon mesh, in particular, has different specifications such as 50%, 60%~70% and 70%~80%. Single-layer or double-layer shading net can open shading according to different seasons. Under normal circumstances, it is single-layer in spring and autumn, double-layer in summer, and it doesn't block the sun in winter.
4) Ventilation is the first priority.
If orchids are raised in humid or sultry air, poor ventilation will do great harm to the growth of orchids. In particular, poor ventilation will affect its normal growth, plant wilting, decreased transpiration of orchid leaves and weakened respiration of orchid roots, which will easily cause root rot, black spot, anthracnose, stem rot and insect pests.
Solution: To close the balcony, measures such as opening and closing windows and turning on ventilators should be taken to ensure that the balcony is in a good ventilation state. If the weather is fine and the temperature is suitable, all the windows of the balcony should be opened to facilitate air convection; On windless days, as long as the flowerpots are properly placed, the air will continue to flow up and down; And then through a fan, an exhaust fan, etc. , can basically meet the needs of orchid ventilation.
Methods of cultivating lotus petals on balconies in northern China;
1) Improve the growth environment of orchids.
Like most orchids, the cultivation environment is the southeast balcony, which can receive the soft sunshine in the morning; The light demand of lotus petals is more cloudy than that of Cymbidium hybridum and Cymbidium hybridum, and slightly sunny than Cymbidium hybridum and Cymbidium hybridum. Every morning from sunrise to around nine o'clock, you can give it two or three hours of full light, and the other time should be mottled "flowers and plants" or bright scattered light. Proper illumination can make the lotus orchid short and strong, with a large number of leaves, thick and hard leaves, round pseudobulb and easy flowering.
The northern region is cold in winter and dry and hot wind blows in summer, which is not suitable for planting lotus petals outdoors. The balcony enclosed by glass has some characteristics similar to the glass greenhouse used in gardening. Compared with the open balcony, the closed balcony has the characteristics of small light intensity, small temperature difference, high air humidity, no interference from wind and rain, and easy manual adjustment.
In the rainy season and after spraying water, the air humidity can reach about 80%, and the annual change law is similar to that of nature, but the change range is small, which is more conducive to orchid growth. The key is that the temperature difference needs to be solved by manual adjustment. If air conditioning equipment is used to raise or lower the temperature, the temperature difference between day and night will be formed, which can completely meet the demand of orchid breeding buds for temperature difference.
2) Select suitable planting materials for cultivation.
The best planting material for cultivating lotus root is loose and breathable, which can not only keep moisture but also drain water. Soft plants such as 50% peat soil, 20% peanut shell and 10% pine bark can be selected and mixed with coarse inorganic plants such as 10% phytosilica, 10% red brick or vermiculite. Plant materials are loose, breathable, moisture-retaining and strong in drainage; Peat soil, rotten peanut shells and pine bark are rich in organic matter and slightly acidic. When mixed with coarse-grained minerals, it is very helpful for orchids to take root and grow leaves, and it is a good planting material for cultivating orchids on the balcony.
3) Select a breathable orchid pot for planting.
Orchid pots are characterized by air permeability. Therefore, when choosing a blue basin, we should pay attention to its ventilation, moisturizing, water absorption and heat dissipation. Generally, the balcony is dry and humid, so you can choose pottery pots, purple sand pots, wooden boxes and porous plastic pots. In order to enhance the air permeability of the blue basin, a few small powder holes can be punched in the waist of the earth basin, purple sand basin and wooden box to facilitate air permeability.
4) Watering adopts a combination of spraying and soaking.
As the saying goes, "live in water, but be strong or not." Water and fertilizer management is the key to orchid cultivation, and watering is the most important thing to cultivate lotus petals. Therefore, when cultivating orchids on the balcony, there are two ways to water them:
(1) spray water. Balcony air is dry, and water can be sprayed to increase air humidity. When there is more humidity in rainy days, spraying water can promote the circulation of moisture and avoid internal humidity and external dryness. At the same time, spraying the inside and outside of the orchid pot can also wash away the polluted air in the pot, which is beneficial to the breathing of the orchid roots and can promote the orchid to breathe more smoothly.
(2) soak the basin and keep it moist. In spring and autumn, plants are easy to lose moisture after air drying. Potted plants should be soaked for 1 time in about 20 days, and the soaking time varies from 30 minutes to 2 hours each time, depending on the dry humidity and air humidity of potted plants. When the walls of potted plants are not polished and too dry, the soaking time should be prolonged, otherwise it should be reduced. This pot soaking method can not only replenish water to the plants in the pot, but also bring fresh air to the roots, which is beneficial to the growth of the roots.
5) Apply thin fertilizer frequently to eliminate pests and diseases.
To raise orchids, it is necessary to be well-nourished and not sick, so that orchids can grow well, and the leaves of orchids are green and shiny, so that flowers will be good. Therefore, when fertilizing orchids, fertilization should be carried out according to the fertility of planting materials, the growth of orchids and the varieties of orchids. Generally speaking, in addition to changing 1 planting materials once every 1~2 years, according to the growth momentum of orchids, it is appropriate to apply fertilizer 2~4 times in spring and autumn.
Spring is the vigorous growth period of orchids, and nitrogen fertilizer should be applied mainly, supplemented by potassium fertilizer; However, in May-June of flower bud differentiation, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be mainly applied to promote flower bud differentiation and flower bud pregnancy. The fertilizer can be urea, magic fertilizer, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, calcium superphosphate, etc. Topdressing orchids with fertilizer solution should be based on the principle of "thin fertilizer and diligent application", and thick fertilizer or raw fertilizer is prohibited.
Most diseases of orchids are caused by pathogens and pests in leaves and plant materials, so prevention should be given priority to. When there is no disease, spray should also be used to prevent it. At the same time, plant materials should be disinfected, and pesticides should be used if there are diseases, which is not worth the candle. Spraying fungicides and insecticides 4~6 times a year in spring, summer and autumn. Commonly used pesticides are deltamethrin, omethoate, methomyl, avermectin and so on.
Commonly used disinfectants include thiophanate-methyl, mancozeb, carbendazim and chlorothalonil. , should be used in strict accordance with the proportion of instructions, not too concentrated or insufficient, and should be placed where children can reach. Generally, agricultural departments or large flower markets all over the country sell them. It is necessary to identify trademarks and prevent counterfeit and shoddy products.