Orchid: proper care at home (how to care for an orchid)

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Orchid: proper care at home (how to care for an orchid)
Orchid: proper care at home (how to care for an orchid)
Anonim

Orchid

Orchid
Orchid

Orchid attracts many flower growers with its beauty. However, this plant is very demanding to care for. If you do not follow certain rules, then the orchid may die without pleasing its owner with beautiful flowers. Therefore, it is so important to choose the optimal soil for the plant, provide it with sufficient moisture and observe the irrigation regime.

Adaptation of orchids to housing conditions

Any move is stressful for a plant. In order for it to endure it with minimal losses, you need to follow the rules for caring for it from the first days of the appearance of a new “tenant” in the apartment.

How long is quarantine?

How long does the quarantine last
How long does the quarantine last

Immediately after the move, the plant must be quarantined for 14 days. The orchid should be placed separately from other flowers. A bedside table is quite suitable for this purpose, provided that there is no place for a flower on the windowsill. In addition, a plant that has been in the store for a long time does not need direct sunlight. The orchid should be given rest.

Do not apply any fertilizer in the first two weeks after moving. It is necessary that the flower independently adapt to the conditions surrounding it.

It is also worth giving up watering, but you need to carefully monitor the condition of the leaves and stem of the plant. This will allow timely identification of possible pests and stop their reproduction.

After 2 weeks, you can put the orchid on the windowsill, but you need to do this gradually, at first only in the morning and evening hours, so that it gets used to the sun. From the same time, you can start watering the flower.

Briefly about transplanting orchids

Briefly about transplanting orchids
Briefly about transplanting orchids

As a rule, the purchased orchid will not need to be transplanted for two years. However, if Sphagnum moss was used as soil for the plant in the store, then the flower should be transplanted as soon as possible.

After the plant is introduced into the new soil, there is no need to fertilize it. It is enough just to keep it in a dry state, and it will get used to the new conditions on its own. If there are no insects and spots on the orchid, then you do not need to treat the plant with any preparations. Excess chemicals can harm even an absolutely he althy flower.

As practice shows, a newly bought and transplanted plant does not need anything but complete rest. You shouldn't even water it. Thus, it activates its own forces to the maximum and adapts to new conditions.

How to properly care for an orchid?

Orchid is considered to be a very capricious plant that requires careful and reverent attitude. It requires the creation of suitable conditions. However, do not be afraid to start a flower, you just need to know the basic rules for caring for a plant.

Proper lighting

The he alth of the plant and the frequency of the appearance of flowers depend on how well the lighting is chosen. If the orchid has enough sunlight, then it will bloom regularly. The fact that the plant needs additional lighting will be indicated by pale leaves, which will subsequently stretch and turn yellow.

In order for the orchid to feel as comfortable as possible, you should follow simple rules:

  • Do not allow direct sunlight to hit the flower. The light must be diffused.
  • During the summer months, it is best to use frosted window film to darken the plant's habitat a little. This will avoid burning the leaves.
  • In autumn, the sun is not so intense, so the film can be removed. Soft rays will not harm the plant, but will contribute to its comfortable transition to a state of rest. At this time, old shoots ripen, and new ones are also set, which will become flowers in the future.
  • Lack of light harms the orchid no less than its excess. For normal flower growth, daylight hours must last at least 12 hours. Therefore, in winter, it is necessary to provide the plant with artificial lighting. To do this, you can use a lamp with fluorescent lamps.

Selection of the optimal temperature regime for an orchid

Selection of the optimal temperature regime for an orchid
Selection of the optimal temperature regime for an orchid

The temperature regime must be selected depending on the type of orchid:

  • Orchid "Venus slipper", as well as flowers of the genus Dendrobium and Lelia are cold-loving plants. They grow in countries with a subtropical climate, as well as in the highlands. For such varieties of orchids, the optimal summer temperature is 22 degrees, and winter - 12-15 ° C.
  • Orchids of the genus Miltonia and Odontoglossum are plants that prefer average temperatures. They grow in the mountainous regions of tropical countries. The optimal daytime temperature for such flowers in the summer months is 18-22 degrees, and in winter -12-15 ° C.
  • Cattleya orchids, Phalaenopsis and some flowers from the genus Dendrobium are heat-loving plants. Their natural habitat is the forest belt of the coastal tropics and tropical plains. The optimal daily temperature range for these varieties is 15-32 degrees in summer, 15-18 degrees in winter. It is important that daily temperature fluctuations do not exceed the range of 3-5 °C.

Thus, almost all orchids are able to tolerate daytime temperatures of 18-27 °C, and night temperatures of 13-24 degrees.

Watering orchids

Watering an orchid
Watering an orchid

Orchid is a plant that does not tolerate stagnant moisture, so watering should be moderate. However, the watering schedule varies for different types of flowers. So, orchids of the genus Oncidium and Dendrobium require moisture only after the soil is completely dry. In turn, Phalaenopsis and Paphiopedilum orchids prefer moist soil.

In any case, all orchids tolerate drought much better than overwatering. During active growth, during the release of peduncles and during flowering, they require more moisture. Insufficient moisture supply is indicated by the appearance of wrinkles on the leaves and wrinkling of the pseudobulb. An excess of water is characterized by yellowed and soggy leaves, as well as rotting roots.

In winter, at low temperatures and in low light, you do not need to water the plant at all. Moisturizing the orchid in the period after flowering, as well as at the dormant stage, should be very moderate.

The water used to water the flower must be soft. It is good if it is possible to water the plant with melted or settled rainwater. If this is not possible, then ordinary boiled water should be used for irrigation.

During the summer months, the dry surface of the soil will indicate the need to moisten the soil. As a rule, 2-3 waterings per week are enough for the orchid to feel comfortable. You should also pay attention to the pseudobulb. If it wrinkles and decreases in size, then the flower needs additional moisture.

It is equally important to properly water the orchid. To do this, it must be placed directly in a pot in a bowl filled with warm water. The exposure time is 10 minutes. You can use the shower, watering the plant from above. In the latter case, it is important to allow excess moisture to drain. To do this, the pot is placed on a grate so that the water leaves through the drainage holes. Only after that the flower can be returned to the decorative pot.

Feeding and fertilizing

Fertilizer should be applied no more than 1 time in 14-21 days. This should be done only when the orchid is in the active growth phase. You can use top dressings such as Bona Forte, Pocon, Greenworld. Do not add more fertilizer to the pot than indicated on the package.

Flowers do not tolerate mineral s alts well, and their excessive concentration can lead to the death of the plant. Therefore, it is so important to wash the soil with running water once a week. You can alternate fertilizing with flushing: 1 week - watering, 1 week - top dressing.

Do not use fertilizers that are intended for other plants to feed orchids. There is no need to apply them in the winter and during the dormant period.

Most flower growers believe that frequent feeding of an orchid only harms the plant. This negatively affects the state of its natural immunity, as a result of which the flower begins to suffer from various diseases more often.

Fertilization can be completely abandoned if the frequency of soil renewal is observed. In order for the plant to receive all the nutrients from it, the soil must be changed at least once every two years.

Top dressing and fertilization
Top dressing and fertilization

Orchid propagation

It is not difficult to breed orchids, but certain rules must be followed. Flower reproduction is possible in several ways.

Reproduction of orchids by stem offspring

Stem offspring or “babies” of an orchid are small new plants. Such shoots are formed in those flowers that have an increased level of nitrogen. If such lateral processes appeared on the orchid, then you should start spraying it more often and wait until the shoots take root. When this happens, you can separate the stem from the main flower, after which it must be treated with powdered charcoal and planted in a separate pot.

Propagation of orchids by layering

Layers are present in those orchids that grow horizontally (sympodial plants). They often appear on those flowers whose shoots are elongated or thickened in the form of cylinders.

In order for the layers to wake up, it will be necessary to form a small greenhouse over that part of the flower where the buds formed. You can use a plastic cup for this. To increase the humidity, you need to spray the moss in the greenhouse, as well as the shoot itself.

After about a month of being in warmth and moisture, the buds will awaken and new plants will appear from them, having their own leaves and roots. It remains only to carefully separate them from the main trunk, process and transplant into a separate pot. To strengthen young shoots, they can be kept in a greenhouse for some time.

Propagation of orchids by layering
Propagation of orchids by layering

Vegetative propagation method

With the help of vegetation, any species and variety of plants can reproduce. To do this, you need to divide the root of the orchid into several parts. It is important that at least 2 pseudobulbs remain on each part. The rhizome of a young plant should not be divided, it should be mature and strong.

The flower will need to be carefully removed from the pot, shake off the earth from the roots and cut the root into several parts. For this, it is convenient to use garden shears. Slices need to be treated with charcoal and planted each part of the plant in different pots. New orchids need to be watered and sprayed. When new leaves or shoots appear, spraying and intensive watering can be stopped, as these formations indicate that the plant has taken root.

Vegetative propagation method
Vegetative propagation method

How to care for an orchid in the flowering phase and after it?

How to care for an orchid
How to care for an orchid

If the plant has formed flowers, then the following care instructions must be followed:

  • You need to water the orchid intensively. The best way to do this is with a shower. The water must be warm. The optimum temperature is 35°C. It is important that water does not remain at the point of growth of the orchid, as this threatens the death of the plant.
  • The temperature at night should not be too low. It should be increased by 5 °C from the recommended.
  • It is forbidden to transplant the plant during the flowering period.
  • Feeding can be done during the flowering phase, but the measure should be observed.

Do not often rearrange the orchid from one place to another, this will increase the flowering period.

Orchid care during dormancy

After the flower has become dry and blackened, it is necessary to cut it off. The incision must be made at the very base. Feeding during the dormant period should be abandoned, or reduced to a minimum. In winter, the orchid is watered once a month, but you can spray the plant more often.

If the orchid does not bloom at the right time, then this indicates that it needs to be transplanted. You can try moving the pot to another place - this should help. It is also necessary to transfer a flower in the case when its leaves wrinkle and turn yellow, and the peduncle does not appear.

Proper care of a finicky plant like an orchid will allow it to bloom regularly and for a long time.

What to do if the orchid does not bloom?

orchid not blooming
orchid not blooming

Even the most careful care is not a guarantee that the plant will give color. In order for it to form buds, you need to find out and eliminate the reasons for their absence.

Reason. Most often, the orchid does not bloom due to excessive care. Such conditions are not typical for the natural habitat of the plant, so it grows leaves, but does not give buds.

Other confounding factors:

  • Plentiful watering.
  • Nutritional deficiency.
  • Rotting or damage to the root system.
  • The pot is too small.
  • Stress due to change of habitat.
  • Tobacco smoke.
  • Finding the plant in a draft.
  • The constant movement of the pot from place to place.

Young plants do not bloom. Buds appear only on specimens older than 1.5 years, while they must have at least 5 leaves

You can't put an orchid next to a fruit bowl. Ethylene, which is released by fruits, prevents flowering.

What to do if it does not bloom? The orchid should be in such conditions that the temperature difference between day and night is 4-6 degrees. If the root system has grown strongly, a new pot is needed. When transplanting, all damaged roots are removed.

Helpful Tips:

  • Stop watering for 2 weeks. Before this, the plant is abundantly moistened for 3 days.
  • Add succinic acid or Epin. Feed the plant for a week every day 3 times.
  • Saturate with moisture from the outside. To do this, the pot is brought into the steamed shower and left for 15-20 minutes.
  • Abandon the use of nitrogen fertilizers, or reduce their application.

The chance of flowers appearing on an orchid increases when the following conditions are met:

  • The plant gets at least 16 hours of light a day.
  • The air is humid all the time.
  • The orchid is not threatened by parasites and diseases.

Regular care and creating conditions close to those in which the orchid exists in its natural environment will help it adapt and produce abundant color.

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