Orchids are exquisite and moody flowers. In the old days, for a rare unusual instance, connoisseurs laid out a tidy sum. Simple inhabitants had no idea how to grow an orchid at home. Breeding these tropical sissies was a difficult task, requiring a solid investment, and was considered the fun of millionaires.
Nowadays, the situation has changed: there are many new varieties and hybrids that are unpretentious in maintenance, people have learned to propagate orchids in a vegetative way, and flower departments offer many beautiful plants at an affordable price.
What orchids can live indoors
Orchidaceae grow on all continents except Antarctica, in different climatic zones and natural conditions. They include 100 thousand varieties and species, and only a small part of the plants is suitable for indoor keeping.
To know how to grow an orchid at home and what conditions to create for it, one must take into account that they are all divided into three groups:
- epiphytes - grow using other plants as a support;
- lithophytes - grow on stones covered with moss;
- terrestrial - those that grow in the earth.
In one genus, there can be both epiphytic and lithophytic orchids.
The most common of all are epiphytes, it is on their basis that the most spectacular hybrids with large flowers of bright elegant colors are created. Any pensioner can learn how to grow orchids at home if she chooses one of the species that does not need to create special conditions.
The easiest orchids to care for, which even a beginner can grow, are:
- Cattleya;
- phalaenopsis and its hybrids;
- dendrobiums;
- cymbidiums, including miniature ones;
- oskindium and families close to him;
- odontoglossum.
They easily put up with dry air, lack of light and some flaws in the content.
They are placed on the windowsill in special pots or suspended in blocks and baskets, imitating the natural conditions of growth. Orchids need careful moderate watering, a special substrate and special liquid fertilizers. In captivity, flowers grow well, and 2-3 times a year are pleased with long flowering.
Reproduction: division, sowing
The easiest way to replenish the collection is to go to the nearest store. There you can choose a well-developed plant with buds and flowers, evaluate the state of its roots and the brightness of the colors.
How to grow an orchid at home from an existing plant? This can be done by division, cuttings, children and seeds.
If there is a desire to reproduce a living specimen in the house in the first two ways, several points must be taken into account:
- For these purposes, only an adult healthy and strong plant is suitable.
- A month before dividing or planting, you need to stop watering and feeding, put in a bright, but not sunny place, periodically spray.
- Tools must be sanitized.
- All slices and wounds are treated with charcoal (brilliant green, cinnamon).
The best time for breeding is considered the beginning of spring.
How to grow a baby orchid
In dendrobiums, children are formed due to a violation of the cyclicity in care, phalaenopsis give them when they lose their growth point. Some hybrids constantly give children flower stalks: this is their genetic feature.
From the onset of the appearance of children on the plant until their separation takes about 3 months, during this time they release 3-4 leaves, and the roots should grow 3-4 cm. If they are not separated, leaf growth will stop, and the roots will develop intensively. Young plants can bloom, during this period they do not produce separation.
Seed orchid
One way to grow an orchid at home is by sowing seeds. The method is the most difficult of all, and also costly. It is necessary to acquire a special substance, observe sterility and be patient. The smallest seeds are placed in a nutrient medium and germinate after a few months. The sprouts are very tender, and you need to wait another 2 years before transplanting. However, they will bloom only after 3-5 years, and the orchid Venus slipper can release buds for the first time in 10 years.