This delicate and refined flower today enjoys incredible popularity. There are many reasons for this, and the main among them, besides beauty is its unpretentiousness. How to care for an orchid at home? There are a number of rules, observance of which is important for the flower.
How to properly care for an orchid?
Orchids feel great at home, room temperature and average air humidity - an excellent environment for orchids. But there are some important points about how to take care of an orchid in a pot to provide a healthy growth, regular and abundant flowering and even breeding at home.
Orchid - how to care after purchase?
The first question we face as florists is how to care for the orchid at home right after purchase? As a rule, in shops these delicate flowers are given due attention, so it's normal, bringing the plant home, nothing special to do with it is not necessary. Do you need a transplant after buying it depends on the state of the orchid. To transplant a flower is required if:
- Pot with orchid is unstable. It may be too small, or insufficient drainage was placed in the ground. This can lead to the fall of the flower, which is extremely dangerous for orchids.
- The pot is too little substrate, and the flower with it is not badly fixed. First, it is just as dangerous as the first point. Secondly, the orchid in this case may not have enough nutrients.
- If there are problems with the roots. More often orchids are sold in transparent pots, and many root problems, rotting and damage, can be seen. Having discovered this, the orchid should be urgently transplanted.
- The pot is small. If the roots of the orchid with the substrate are difficult to fit into the pot, this slows the growth of the flower.
Orchid transplantation at home
There are some rules for transplanting orchids, following which you will provide a favorite flower with a comfortable life in a new pot:
- To transplant an orchid it is necessary 1 time in 2-3 years.
- Carry out a transplant better in the spring months.
- Do not transplant a flowering orchid.
There are cases when an unscheduled transplant is needed:
- decay of the roots of the orchid;
- the appearance of parasites;
- the pot became too small;
- the orchid in the pot is not stable.
Transplant the flower in this order:
- Carefully remove the orchid from the pot.
- We clear the roots of the remains of the substrate. If the rootlet has grown into the ground, do not touch it, leave it as it is.
- We are reviewing for the presence of dry or decaying roots.
- We put a few stones in the pot as drainage and weighting agent.
- Gently place the flower in the pot, a little crank. We fall asleep with the substrate.
- After transplanting, the orchid can not be watered for about a week. If the room is hot and dry, you can spray the leaves and flowers.
Pots for orchids
What a pot is needed for an orchid is another important issue that can not be neglected. These flowers do not tolerate waterlogging roots, on this basis, you should choose a container. A good pot should ensure the outflow of moisture, aeration of the root system, an acceptable temperature regime, that is, should not overheat the soil.
In many species of orchids, the roots not only receive nutrients from the soil, but also participate in the process of photosynthesis, so it is important to ensure the access of sunlight to the roots. Ideal in this case will be a plastic transparent pot, easy to take care of. In plastic pots, there must be a hole for draining excess moisture. The main drawback of plastic flower pots is their appearance. Often they look very simple and cheap, and many want the pot to be a beautiful element of interesting interior design.
Glass pots, although they are transparent, experienced florists use is not recommended. Not only that, if accidentally dropped from a height, such a pot can seriously injure the roots of the flower (and also the hands of the person who looks after the flower), and he can not provide sufficient access to oxygen to the roots of the plant.
Another common option - clay pots for orchids. They are good for those plants whose roots do not need sunlight. Their advantages include:
- excellent permeability for moisture and air;
- effective uniform distribution of irrigation water;
- original design for every taste.
Before planting an orchid in a clay pot, it is important to disinfect the pot well. This is done by heating in the stove, and soaking after in clean irrigation water for several hours. The beautiful clay pots also have disadvantages:
- Roots are firmly attached to the walls of the pot, when transplanting the plant is difficult to remove without injury.
- The porosity of the pot decreases with time, and its pluses are reduced to zero.
Soil for orchids
What kind of soil is needed for an orchid, so that the plant feels comfortable and can get all the necessary nutrients? To thoroughly understand this issue, let us recall how the flower grows in natural conditions. It forms air roots, which are attached to the bark of trees or rock. At home, the substrate for an orchid should contain the following components:
- charcoal;
- bark of coniferous trees;
- moss-sphagnum ;
- coconut fiber;
- polystyrene;
- expanded clay;
- peat;
- rock;
- cones (pine).
Such a good and nutritious soil can be prepared on your own, and you can buy a ready-made mixture by carefully studying the composition. And remember, not every substrate with the inscription "For orchids" is really good for these indoor flowers. And the quality ground mixture should completely dry up in 3-4 days.
How to water an orchid at home?
How to properly water an orchid is, in fact, the first thing to study on how to care for a flower, and it's better to do it before buying it. It is important to remember one rule - for an orchid drought is less destructive than excess moisture, so if you have doubts, whether you need to water the orchid, it is better to wait a few days.
A sure sign that a flower needs watering is absolutely dry soil. In this case, carefully inspect the pot, and if you do not see condensation on its walls or on the roots of a flower, it may indeed need water. The regularity of watering depends on several factors:
- air temperature;
- air humidity;
- season.
On average, watering the orchid at home should be done no more than once every 2-3 weeks. Naturally, in the summer, the substrate dries out faster, and in winter it lasts longer. If an air humidifier works in your house, the flower will need less watering. The watering of the orchid itself looks like this - put the pot from the flowers in a container of water for about 10 minutes, then let the water drain completely. From time to time it is also possible to spray leaves and peduncles with water, but this procedure should not be taken seriously.
Pruning the roots of an orchid
This is a mandatory procedure for plant transplantation. The roots are completely separated from the ground, they are inspected, and dead or decayed roots are carefully removed with the aid of sharp scissors. Here, many beginning flower growers make a serious mistake - they also cut off living but damaged roots. Do it in any case not worth it.
There is another problem. Many, not knowing how to properly care for an orchid at home, bring the root system to dryness. Those rootlets that have completely dried out must be carefully cut off. At this stage, it is worth taking care of what to process the roots of the orchid after pruning. To prevent rotting slices, they must be sprinkled with charcoal or a weak solution of green.
How to care for an orchid after flowering?
Care for orchids at home includes special rules, what to do with the orchid after flowering. The plant has a period of sleep or rest, and it is important to ensure complete tranquility. In no case can not fertilize the flower, it is important to ensure a temperature regime of no more than 24 ° C in the daytime and about 16 ° C at night. The plant needs diffuse lighting, without direct sunlight exposure to the best.
Irrigation of orchids after flowering
The answer to the question of how to water an orchid after flowering is simple - just like in the flowering period, if necessary. Only during this period for the plant is particularly important peace and comfort, and even more important is to prevent excess moisture - roots in the state of rest will soon start to rot, and the flower can die.
Pruning of the peduncle in orchids
Toward the end of the flowering period, the flower stalk can acquire a waxy shade. When the last flower has faded, do not rush to cut the flower spike - it is possible that it still had kidneys, it is wiser to wait until the twig begins to dry. There are cases when it began to dry out from above, and just below it there was a kidney. What to do? In this case, it is necessary to trim the top of the peduncle just above the kidney. The probability that an orchid will bloom repeatedly is small, but it can happen. Although, according to many florists, this is extremely unhelpful for the plant, since it needs rest.
Pruning of the orchid stalk after flowering at home should be carried out according to the rules:
- Cropping at the base, we leave a stump 2 - 2.5 cm high.
- Cropping above the kidney, leave 1.5 cm above the green part of the peduncle.
- Pruning is important to do with a disinfected garden pruner.
- Places of slices it is important to treat with activated charcoal or weak solution of green.
Through how many the orchid blooms after flowering?
How long does the orchid rest after flowering at home depends on the variety of the flower. Most species bloom once a year, that is, if flowering lasts 2-4 months, the plant needs 8 months to rest. But the rest period may be short, but it may not be at all - some flowers very soon begin to bloom repeatedly. Even with a great desire to see the blooming of your favorite orchid, do not stimulate it. The more time she will spend at rest, the more power she will have for flowering. A resting orchid will bloom abundantly and long.