The history of cultivation of orchids has more than one millennium, but they became known to Europeans about two hundred years ago. Recently, these beauties have ceased to be a rarity and on our windowsills. To exotic pet feel comfortable, you need a thorough and caring care, including periodic transplantation of orchids.
Orchid - transplant and care at home
In order for an orchid not to wither in the conditions of a conventional apartment, it needs to create an environment that is as close as possible to its natural habitat:
- Lighting. Bright sun rays lead to burns on the leaves, and the lack of light provokes their stretching and lack of flowering. Optimal option - diffuse lighting for 10-12 hours a day.
- Moisture and drinking regime. Orchids need a lot of moisture, do not tolerate its excess. Water should be applied as the substrate dries out, so that the water does not stagnate in the pot (1 time every 2 days in summer and once in 7 days in winter). For irrigation use soft water (standing or boiled) several degrees warmer than the ambient temperature.
- Temperature. According to the temperature regime, orchids are of three types: cold-loving, medium-temperature, thermophilic. All of them develop well at temperatures from +18 to +27 ° C in the daytime and from +13 to +24 ° C. For flowering, the difference between night and daytime temperatures is 5-7 ° C.
- Breathable air. Provide the necessary ventilation helps the substrate on the basis of the bark of coniferous trees or coconut coir. Over time, the components swell from the water and its air permeability decreases. Therefore, a flower orchid transplant is needed every 2-2.5 years.
Orchid transplantation is performed as follows:
- The plant is pre-watered well, and then carefully extracted from the pot together with a substrate lump.
- Roots are cleaned of the substrate, remove all rotten processes with a sharp knife.
- Carefully rinse the root system under a stream of warm water, dry, sprinkle slices with crushed coal.
- Establish an orchid in a prepared (disinfected and with a layer of drainage on the bottom) pot and carefully pour the substrate, making sure that the root neck is not buried.
What should be the pots for orchids?
In many species of orchids, the process of photosynthesis occurs not only in the aerial part, but also in the root part. Transparent pots for orchids are not a designer whim, they are an essential attribute of the health and full development of these plants. In addition to providing unhindered access to sunlight, a container for growing an orchid should have drainage holes for draining excess moisture, be stable and ensure free placement of the root system.
Choosing the right pot for an orchid transplant, it makes sense to give preference to plastic products. They attract not only very democratic value, but also that, if necessary, it is easy to make additional holes for drainage in the plastic or to cut the pot with scissors so that the roots grow without damage when transplanting orchids. But glass pots, although they pass light well, contribute to stagnation of water and decay of roots.
Drainage for orchids
A gentle root system of any kind of orchids categorically does not tolerate water stagnation. To ensure unimpeded outflow of water and air access to the bottom of the container into which the orchid transplant is made, drainage is laid: shards from clay pots, a thick layer of expanded clay. The drainage base is covered with a layer of bark and only then the roots of the plant are placed in the pot.
Orchid - ground for transplantation
A successful orchid transplant is not possible without a special filler for the pot. Choosing which soil to use when transplanting an orchid, it is worth giving preference to ready-made specialized substrates or preparing the filler yourself from the tree bark, preferably from coniferous trees. To prevent pests from entering the house, it must be burned in the oven before use. After that, the bark is soaked in liquid fertilizer for orchids for 5-6 hours, and then mixed with peat and moss.
Orchid transplantation during flowering
Flowering requires a significant expenditure of nutrients from any plant. Therefore, the transplantation of a blooming orchid can lead to its death - a weakened flower simply does not have the strength to recover. Resettlement to a new place of residence during this period is not recommended and is possible only in case of emergency (illness, decay of roots, damage to the pot). Transplanting an orchid during flowering requires additional measures: careful sterilization (calcining) of the pot and substrate, pruning of the peduncle, delicate handling of the root system.
Orchid transplant in winter
In the winter, all processes of vital activity in the representatives of the flora are significantly slowed down. Recovery after the winter transplantation is more severe and prolonged than in the spring or autumn period. If there are no life-threatening plant factors (decay, disease), then it is better to postpone the transplant until spring. Transplanting orchids in winter at home is done according to the same rules as during flowering.
Orchid care after transplant
Requiring daily delicate treatment, orchid after transplantation becomes a real "touchy". Immediately after moving to a new pot, until the microdamage on the roots has healed, she risks becoming a victim of fungal diseases or rot. Destructive for her also may be excessive dryness of the air, bright sunlight, drafts and sudden temperature changes. Therefore, the first days after the transplantation took place, the orchid should be held in a shaded cool room with moderate humidity.
Irrigation of orchids after transplantation
Ten days orchid is fully capable of living on moisture, which was stored in the substrate. This time is necessary, that the root system damaged during the migration has time to recover and no pathogens have come into it. A full first watering after orchid transplantation is recommended to be performed on the 10-14 day. Before this, the plant will compensate for the lack of liquid by means of daily spraying with warm, steady-state water.
Why does the orchid fade after the transplant?
The reasons why a beautiful orchid becomes sluggish and wrinkled may be several:
- overheating or root damage;
- violation of drinking regimen;
- improperly selected soil;
- excess fertilizer.
To understand why the orchid is ill after transplant is not so simple, because during this period the plant is in a vulnerable and weakened state. The following reanimation actions will help to save the favorite:
- We send the pot for several hours in a cool (+ 13-15 ° C) room. This will help to cope with the heat stroke and regulate the heat transfer of the plant.
- After a cool place the pot in a container with water heated to + 35 ° C and leave for several hours until the substrate is completely moistened.
- Let's drain off excess water, and while it flows down, we arrange a warm shower from the atomizer. After it, carefully wipe the leaves with a soft natural cloth until dry.
- We put a pot of orchid in a room with a temperature of + 18-22 ° C, well-lit, but without the risk of direct sunlight on the leaves.
If a few days after performing the above therapy, the leaves do not acquire healthy smoothness and elasticity, a repeated urgent transplantation of the orchid is necessary. Most likely the root system became a victim of rot or too dense soil does not allow it to breathe fully. During the transplantation, all inventory and soil should be thoroughly disinfected, and then put the plant in "quarantine" - a room with a stable temperature and humidity.
Why the orchid does not flower after the transplant?
The transplantation to the new pot was successful and the pet is pleased with the active growth and greenery of the leaves, but not with buds. When will the orchid bloom after transplantation? Complete restoration of the roots will occur no earlier than 6-7 months. Up to this time, the plant will direct all the forces to the growth of the root and green mass, and only then it will proceed to the formation of the peduncle. The following conditions must be met:
- the difference between night and daytime temperatures is not less than 5 ° C;
- reduction of irrigation with increasing spraying;
- diffused lighting 12 hours a day.