Characteristics and description of the home orchid
Orchid – one of the ancient plants, belongs to the large Orchidaceae family, and is divided into five subfamilies. In nature, there are more than 25,000 different species with different characteristics and properties. A large number of breeds are crossed with each other and get hybrid offspring.
Growing these plants at home is not so difficult if you regularly pay attention to them. They come in all colors and sizes. The most popular of which are the Phalaenopsis orchids, which are easy to care for.
Flowers can grow differently depending on the type of plant. Some inflorescences are concentrated on leaf axils, and some bloom on long stems, such as the Phalaenopsis orchid.
The roots of these plants are aerial, actively involved in photosynthesis with leaves. This is why it is important to plant orchids in transparent pots so that the roots get plenty of light.
Varieties of orchids that grow at home
Although there are a large number of species in nature, only a few varieties can be grown at home that can adapt to indoor temperature and humidity. For home cultivation, the following types of orchids are distinguished:
- Phalaenopsi;.
- Cattleya;
- Denbrobium;
- Wanda;
- Dracula;
- Miltonia;
- Lady’s slipper.
Phalaenopsis – withthe most popular home orchid. The natural habitat of this species is the tropical forests of Asia and Australia. It can bloom at any time, the duration of flowering is 2-6 months. The root system must be located in the air, and it needs light.
Cattleya from the central and southern region of America. This plant is one of the most spectacular orchids. Its flowers are extremely large, their size can reach 30 cm. They can be of various shades: from dark purple to white.
Denbrobium orchids are well known because they are easy to care for and do not require special requirements. There are many varieties of this orchid. They need a lot of bright light, which must be diffused.
Miltonia hybrid orchids. Leaves thin-skinned, linear-lanceolate. The flowers are planted on thin peduncles, velvety and similar in appearance to violets. Miltonia – is one of the easiest epiphytic orchids to grow. It usually blooms in early summer and autumn.
Pafiopedulu Orchid – “Lady’s slipper”, with an unusual shape of flowers, in which the lower lip looks like a woman’s shoe. They are easy to grow indoors. Dry air is detrimental to orchids. A tray of wet pebbles, a room humidifier, or regular misting will help keep the humidity at least 50%.
Vanda Orchid – an unusual type of orchid, a distinctive feature of the flower is the ability to grow without a substrate. In the axils of the leaf, long racemes are formed, with large flowers of different colors (orange, yellow, white, red and even blue). Flowering occurs in late autumn or early winter. With proper care, the Vanda orchid blooms several times a year.
Dracula, due to the small spots that form in the middle of the flower with a rough texture, is known as dragon or monkey face orchids. These unique flowers require high humidity to develop and open well.
How to grow an orchid at home
Orchid at home – capricious plants that require the creation of optimal conditions for their cultivation. In fact, caring for them is relatively easy if you know how to properly care for them. Beginners are advised to start orchids from simple species. Phalaenopsis is easy enough to grow at home.
Preparing soil for orchids at home
For all orchids, ordinary nutrient soil is not suitable. These flowers in nature most often grow on other plants and large trees. Today, special orchid substrates are sold, which mainly consist of a mixture of sphagnum moss, pine bark, peat, and a small amount of charcoal. The bottom drainage layer in a pot should always be ceramic.
The soil for the plant is prepared in advance. You can use commercially available orchid soil. The choice of soil depends on the type of orchid chosen. The substrate should not retain excess water after watering.
Pay attention! The purchased substrate must be disinfected or dried in the oven so that the plant does not hurt and takes root easily. Change the soil 2 times a year.
Optimal conditions for growing orchids at home
If you do not delve into all the intricacies of home care for orchids in a pot, you can lose an exotic beauty.
Water
In their natural environment, orchids do not like excess moisture and stagnant water. When choosing a watering regime, you should pay attention to the features of natural conditions: the intensity of sunlight, the size of the pot, air humidity and room temperature. With insufficient watering, the leaves begin to darken, and excess moisture leads to rotting of the root system and yellowing of the plant.
An increase in the frequency of watering is necessary only during the period of active growth or flowering, when the orchid needs more strength. Watering is best done with warm water, using the shower method, so that after moistening, excess water can completely drain from the holes at the bottom of the pot.
Humidity
Most orchids love 60-80% humidity. If there is no such room, then you can install the pots on special pallets with pebbles, which are filled with water. Optimum humidity can be achieved with an orchid sprayer.
Lighting
The plant is quite photophilous. The main factor for flowering orchids is proper lighting.
In this case, it is necessary to protect the flower both from sunburn and from lack of light. If there is not enough lighting, then the plant does not have enough nutrition during the growing season, and, conversely, with excessive lighting, the orchid will simply burn out. The plant does not like direct sunlight.
Ideally, place pots with orchids on the east window, if this is not possible, then the south or west side will do. If the sun is too hot, take the flower from the windowsill. It is better to place it in the back of the room.
Pay attention! If the leaves are large, the plant needs more light. Additional artificial lighting is provided in autumn and winter.
Temperature
The temperature regime is also important for the successful cultivation of orchids. The optimum temperature is from 16 to 24 degrees. The difference between night and day temperature should not be more than 5 degrees. With the central heating turned on, orchids can be transferred to cooler rooms at night, which ensures the rapid appearance of flowers.
Fertilizers
During the period of lush flowering, it is necessary to feed the flowers with fertilizers. In flower shops you can always buy a special fertilizer complex for orchids. Fertilizers for other flowers should not be used. A special fertilizer for orchids is added to the water for irrigation. Frequency and period vary by species. During the dormant period, plant nutrition can be reduced.
Planting an orchid at home
Today, flower shops sell a special substrate for planting orchids, but if desired, such soil can be made independently. The most common substrate mixture is moss and pine bark, often crushed pine bark and peat are used.
Transparent plastic pots with good drainage holes are considered the best option for growing orchids.
Clay pots do not tolerate excess water well, in addition, with such pots, the roots will not receive light. At the bottom, you need to pour a layer of drainage, which can also be purchased at the store. The orchid is placed in a container, and covered with a prepared substrate.
Planting a room orchid is recommended from March to May. Each species can reproduce in a certain way.
You can breed an orchid at home in the following ways:
- by planting aerial roots (bulbs);
- propagation by cuttings;
- reproduction by lateral shoots;
- by dividing the bush.
“Kids” of orchids: how to plant? Shoots may appear on the peduncle, between the roots, from the leaf axil. It is often advised not to cut off a faded peduncle, as a baby ” can grow out of it under certain conditions.
In order for its root system to develop well, it is necessary to create the necessary moisture around the process. To do this, you can constantly spray from the spray gun to the bottom of the process.
“Baby”, which has begun to develop on the peduncle, is left until it has 3 leaves and the roots reach 5 cm in length. And only then a young rosette is cut with a sharp pruner,
Before cutting off the rosette, you first need to check the length of the root system. If the roots under the bark have reached the required length, the sprout is cut off with a pruner from the mother plant. In this case, all sections are treated with any antiseptic.
It is more difficult to separate the shoots that have appeared from the axils of the leaf from the bush, since serious damage can be done to the mother plant. Such a “baby“ is not recommended to be separated. It is better to just leave it to grow together in the same pot.
Bulbs that have several root shoots are carefully cut off from the main rhizome. Sections are treated with powdered charcoal, and transplanted into a new container with pre-prepared dry soil. The first watering is done 2 weeks after planting. Up to this point, spray daily with warm water.
More info! In order for a new plant to take root in a new substrate, the root system is soaked in any root stimulator before planting. “Kids“ without roots are grown in greenhouse conditions.
Seedling cuttings is the most common method of plant propagation. Select part of the shoot with leaves and aerial roots. The cut cutting is placed in a transparent container with soil consisting of peat and sand. Watering begins a day after transplantation. Gradually, a flower grows from the cutting. Dendrobium and Epidendrum orchids are planted by cuttings.
The most convenient way to propagate orchids at home is to divide the bush. Transplantation is carried out in the spring before flowering. Only mature plants with large bushes and a well-developed root system are suitable for this.
Before dividing, you need to make sure that there are at least 3 bulbs in the pot. The plant is carefully, without damaging the rhizomes and bulbs, removed from the pot and cleaned of soil residues. The most formed bulbs are selected, and the roots are cut between them with a sharp knife, separated from each other. Places of cuts are treated with charcoal or activated charcoal, powdered. Bulbs are planted in individual containers with pre-prepared nutrient soil. This method is used to grow such types of orchids as Cymbidium, Cattleya, Oncidium, Miltonia, Dendrobium.
During the breeding procedure, various errors lead to disease or death of plants:
- unfavorable time for a transplant;
- propagation method unacceptable for this type of orchid;
- damaged or diseased roots are not removed when planting;
- The sections have not been disinfected with antiseptics.
Planting, carried out in accordance with all the rules, and then further proper care for the “children” of the orchid will soon allow you to get a healthy plant that will delight others with beautiful and unusual flowers.
