Orchid at home

Delicate and exquisite butterfly flowers do not lose popularity for many decades. This is not surprising, because a luxurious royal flower will decorate any interior, perfectly fit into almost any style. But, like any royal person, an orchid requires careful treatment and proper conditions of detention.

In this article, we will talk about growing orchids at home

The most popular variety of home-made orchids is phalaenopsis, mini phalaenopsis . We will consider the process of transplanting orchids precisely by its example. The proposed algorithm of action is suitable for most epiphytes.

If you have an orchid in your house, the first thing you should do for it is to carefully inspect the root system. If you notice that the roots are covered with dark spots or rotted - the plant should be immediately transplanted. If the plant looks healthy, but still blooms in this - from the transplant it is better to refrain. At least until the end of flowering. It is advisable to place new plant specimens after transplantation in quarantine for 2-3 weeks.

Resuscitation of orchids at home includes the removal of damaged parts, disinfection of the plant and substitution of the substrate. In the future, the orchid should be provided with soft, comfortable conditions. Most orchids like bright scattered light, high humidity (not substrate) and air temperature in the range of 18-27 ° C.

Consider the process of treating orchids at home in detail. Well, pour the pot with the plant with warm water to soak the roots. Cut the pot (most often orchids are sold in clear plastic containers, which are easily cut with ordinary scissors) and gently remove the plant, holding the roots. Gently squeezing a lump of roots, completely free the orchid from the substrate. Adhering pieces of bark should be soaked and carefully removed.

After this, the roots should be dried for two to three hours and well considered. Damaged, rotten, dry roots are neatly removed with a sharp sterile knife or scissors. Trimming orchids at home is most often performed during transplantation, but if you notice yellowing or wilting of adults, old orchid leaves, they can be cut in the same way and without transplantation. Slices must be treated with a disinfectant (you can buy special compounds or use chlorhexidine) and sprinkle with crushed activated charcoal.

While the orchid dries out after disinfection, prepare the substrate. It is best to use a ready mix for certain orchids variety. The substrate is spread in a wide bowl and poured with warm, clean (filtered or constant) water. Leaves for 30-40 minutes to be absorbed by moisture.

Then drain the water from the bowl with the substrate and proceed to planting. We fill the new pot with a substrate by one third, after which we put the plant in the center, gently folding the roots inside. They do not have to stick over the pot. Gradually and gently fill the empty cavities between the roots in the pot. The substrate is most conveniently pushed with a non-stick (you can use a pencil). From time to time, the pot must be shaken to allow the mixture to sink better. Do not drown the orchid - the base of the leaves should not be covered.

Note that all roots must eventually be covered with a substrate. The flower should be stable, do not fall under its own weight. After transplanting, the orchid should not be watered. Moisture in the substrate is enough for at least two weeks.

In two or three weeks, the first watering of the orchid should be carried out at home. To do this, dial into a wide bowl of warm clean water and dip the pot with the orchid into a bowl for 20-40 seconds. After that, take out the pot and put on a drip tray to drain excess liquid.

Ready-made industrial substrates for epiphytes are enriched with fertilizers, but they will not last long. Therefore, from time to time, plants need to be fertilized.

It can be done during watering (just add a nutrient complex for orchids in a bowl with water for irrigation) or by spraying. Note that any fertilizer should be diluted in accordance with the instructions given on the package. Exceeding the concentration of fertilizers can cause disease and even plant death. From time to time, inspect the plants for parasites.

Pests of orchids at home are: larvae of click beetles (wireworm), earthworms, root mites, woodworms, centipedes, snails, armored mites, nails, earwigs.

Fans of orchid beauty grow homes:

• phalaenopsis;
• dendrobiums;
• vandu;
• cattleya;
• ludisia;
• makodes;
• miltonia;
• oncidium;
• cymbidium;
• epidendrum.

The most unpretentious are phalaenopsis and epidendrum. Wanda and dendrobium grow in hanging pots, makodes is struck by the beauty of leaves, not flowers. As you can see, the choice of domestic orchids is quite wide.

When growing orchids it is very important to create the right conditions for the plant. The air should be warm and moderately moist, and the substrate should not be kept wet at all times - it should dry out between waterings. Skvoznyaki, too bright or vice versa, insufficient lighting - all these are also stress factors for orchids.

Propagating an orchid at home can only be a vegetative method (babies).

This procedure is not difficult, but it does not make sense to do this for the sake of reproduction. Seeds of an orchid are unusually small, like dust, moreover, they can not grow on their own - only in a symbiotic union with mycorrhizas. Under laboratory conditions, the seeds are sown in a sterile nutrient medium, and the plants are grown in flasks for about a year or two. It is almost impossible to repeat such a process without special equipment outside the laboratory conditions.