Some wonder why the queen of flowers is called a rose, and not an orchid dendrobium. This plant is not just beautiful, it is magnificent, unpredictable, delightful. The fatal beauty of an orchid falls in love immediately and for life. There are more than a thousand species of this wonderful plant, and about two hundred thousand varieties and hybrids (according to some sources, up to three hundred).
With such an incredible variety and with all its dazzling charm, orchids dendrobiums are not particularly capricious. Everyone who is ready to make some efforts to create suitable conditions for them will be able to grow them in pots at home.
The trouble with orchids and those who are in love with them lies in the relatively short life of beauties. In order for them to please the eye and soul for many years, you need to be able to propagate them. Then the renewal of aging copies will be constantly carried out.
A rare houseplant does not attract all kinds of small pests - insects and germs. Orchid is also not able to avoid this fate. You need to know the parasites “in person” in order to rid them of your favorite plant in time.
In our article, we will share secrets of how to care for the dendrobium orchid, how to propagate it correctly, how to destroy pests, how to fight diseases, how to make the orchid live on the windowsill for a long time.
General information
The beautiful and romantic name “orchid” is translated from Greek as “male (or other large mammals) testicles”. For some reason, the ancient Greeks saw a similarity in the shape of the rhizome with this part of the human body. "Dendrobium" is closely related to the word "dendro", which the Greeks mean "tree". Everything is clear here, because orchids dendrobiums, one might say, live on trees. At the same time, they only cling to strong trunks, making their way along them to the sun. Floral beauties do not receive any nutrients from their living support. On this basis, they belong to the group of epiphytes.
On Earth, orchids exist for about 145 million years and are considered one of the oldest representatives of the floral flora. Each copy lives in the apartment for about 4 years, although there are cases when, with good care, their life expectancy is extended to 5-6 years. Blooming orchids are usually sold in stores. Buying them, be prepared for the fact that your beauty, having pleased you for several weeks, will fade forever. This happens if the plant is stuffed with stimulants or fertilizers with a prolonged action. Your task is to cure your flower, for which you need to follow the rules for caring for it.
Habitat
It is always important to know in what natural conditions the ancestors of indoor flowers lived. Scientists have found that each plant has a genetic memory that plays an important role in the life of the descendants of the population. By creating conditions for home green pets that are close to those in which their relatives once lived, you provide about 80% success in caring for the plant. In nature, dendrobium orchids are found in the tropical forests of very many southern countries - in China, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Nepal, the Himalayas and Vietnam. They are accustomed to warm and humid weather conditions during the growing season and to cool, with rare rains, weather during rest. The same regime they need to provide in the apartment.
Botanical Description
Extraordinarily attractive flowers are dendrobium orchids. Thanks to their unusual and infinitely diverse form, this plant is so beloved and popular among flower growers. Despite the huge variety of shapes and colors, all orchid flowers have three petals and as many sepals. Sometimes they are fused, forming something like a little helmet. When the buds open, it is clearly visible that the sepals frame it on the outside and always open first, and after them the petals.
They can be round, oval, pointed, spiral-shaped, but almost always the two extreme petals are the same in size, and the one in the middle is different from them. It is called a lip. In different varieties, it can be round, saucer-shaped, tubular, mobile (swing on a thin thread) and motionless. The flowers of many types of dendrobiums have a delicate aroma with notes of vanilla. The inflorescences of this plant are racemose. They can be from 5 to 25 individual flowers. Moreover, the diameter of each (depending on the variety) is from 30 to 90 mm.
Leaves of dendrobium orchids are deep green in color. They are ovoid, oblong or oval. There are deciduous and evergreen species.
The roots of the plant are well developed. Outside they are surrounded by velamen. This is a dead tissue covering the aerial roots of all epiphytes.
Of interest is the pseudobulb of this species of orchids. At first it grows up to almost a meter, and in some varieties - up to one and a half meters, and after being exposed, it gives daughter sockets and dies. Initially, the pseudobulbs are erect, but with growth they wilt. Their thickness is up to 2 cm. Some call them a thick stem.
Orchids need these formations to accumulate water and nutrients, which they gradually begin to spend with the onset of adverse climatic conditions, such as drought.
Where to find a flower place in the house
The dendrobium orchid feels good at home if it was provided with an existence close to what its ancestors had at home. Since this beauty comes from the tropics, she needs to be placed at home in a warm sunny place. A window sill on the south side is well suited. However, direct sunlight should not fall on the orchid. She will also be comfortable on the windowsills from the southwestern and southeast sides. If in your house all the windows look north, but you really want to have a dendrobium orchid in your house, you will have to arrange artificial lighting for it.
When placing a flower in a bright place, one should not forget that the considered type of orchid in its homeland is a seasonal plant. This means that he has pronounced periods of rest and vegetation. During enhanced growth and flowering, the orchid needs not only light but also warmth. The temperature on its windowsill should reach +28 ° C during the day and up to +20 ° C at night. In summer, it can even be taken out into the garden or onto the balcony in a slight shadow, making sure that the sun does not shine on it for a long time. You also need to protect the plant from drafts.
With the cessation of the flowering of the orchid dendrobium (it lasts up to 3 months) and "retirement" to rest, it needs to ensure the temperature during the day to +18 ° C, and at night to +10 ° C. Short-term deviations from the indicated temperature are allowed, but long-term deviations can cause the death of the flower.
It is not necessary to change the level of illumination during the rest period.
Pot requirements
Having bought an orchid in a store, do not rush to immediately transplant it into "your" land. Most likely, she and in a shopping substrate is not bad, since it blooms lushly. A dendrobium orchid will need a transplant when its roots begin to crawl out of the pot, pushing out the substrate, or in case of illness.
What kind of pot should she pick up? There are no special requirements for the material from which it is made. It can be ceramic, transparent or opaque plastic. The main thing is that it has drainage holes. The size of the pot also does not matter much, if only the root system fits in it. If you take a pot too small, the orchid will soon have to be transplanted. If you take a pot too large, the plant will need to provide good ventilation of the soil, which will have to take a slightly larger volume. These nuances must be taken into account.
Many flower growers prefer clay pots because they “breathe”. But orchid roots tend to adhere to ceramics, which complicates plant transplantation. There is no such problem with plastic pots.
Openwork pots specially designed for orchids have now appeared on sale. They have a lot of side holes that form different patterns for a better aesthetic appearance. Perhaps such pots for an exotic beauty are the most suitable.
Soil requirements
If the orchid is indifferent to the appearance and volume of its “home”, then it makes some wishes to the soil. Since it grows on trees at home, it does not require fertile soil. Orchid need to be planted in a special mixture. Options for its preparation may vary slightly:
- 1st method. Take pine bark (or any coniferous growing in your area), add sphagnum moss, humus and charcoal. The bark must be taken from a dry tree, chopped, boiled and again thoroughly dried. Such bark can be stored in a glass container for several years, spending as needed. All ingredients must be mixed and moistened. Only after that they fill the pot, on the bottom of which a drainage layer is placed.
- 2nd method. Mix coniferous bark, crushed expanded clay, coconut, moss sphagnum, charcoal.
- 3rd method. Prepare a special block for orchids (sold in flower shops) without soil and fill it with sphagnum moss.
With any composition, the pot first needs to be approximately half filled with drainage material, and only then pour soil there.
Watering requirements
During the growing season, the orchid needs to be watered as the soil dries in the pot or moss in the block. They usually do this every other day. In addition to watering, you can just put the flower pot for a short time in a container of water, which should be warm and settled. After that, it is placed on the fabric so that excess moisture from the pot is removed. In summer, the orchid must be regularly sprayed from the spray with warm water.
During the dormant period, watering the orchid dendrobium is reduced to a minimum, and spraying is stopped. If it is filled with water, as in summer, moisture will accumulate in its cells, which will cause them to rot.
At the end of the dormant period (early spring), the awakening of the orchid can be stimulated by starting to water it more often. But before that, the plant must necessarily have 3-4 months of rest. Otherwise, early awakening will ensure the emergence of not buds, but rosettes of leaves.
Top dressing
If you follow all the above recommendations, your orchid dendrobium care will be easy. In addition to watering and spraying, it will need to be fertilized.
With top dressing, you must be careful and adhere to the principle of "better not to overdo it." From an excess of fertilizers, orchids are sick, they can even die.
Top dressing for them is done by foliar (by spraying) and root (ordinary, into the ground). They need to be alternated. It is best not to engage in amateur activity, making up a nutritious mixture, but to purchase special fertilizers for orchids in flower shops. Their composition must necessarily include nitrogen and phosphorus.
Growers recommend once a month to spray plants with a growth stimulator.
If the dendrobium orchid has faded and live buds are visible on the pseudobulb, then pruning cannot be done. In other species, you need to look if the peduncle has begun to dry. If so, then it must be removed.
Breeding
At home, the reproduction of the dendrobium orchid is carried out in two ways - cuttings (pseudobulbs) and children. The first method is not time-consuming, but the result needs to wait a long time. So orchids propagate those who do not like the almost leafless stem - bulb. The secateurs separate it from the plant, leaving a small stump, which must be sprinkled with charcoal powder. All leaves are removed on the handle, the remaining material is cut into fragments up to 20 cm long (each fragment should have internodes with kidneys). These pieces are also sprinkled on two sides with powdered charcoal and placed in a container with sphagnum moss. Before this, the substrate is moistened. Having placed fragments of cuttings on the moss, the container is closed and placed on the north window.
Reproduction of orchid dendrobium by children is carried out both faster and easier. Recall that children develop from those buds that did not give flowers. They are an adult flower in miniature. It is not necessary to separate the baby of the dendrobium orchid from the mother plant immediately, but when the "baby" has already grown good strong roots. To optimize this process, the plant is fed with complex fertilizers, taking them half the specified rate. A baby is planted in compliance with the same rules that exist for an adult orchid.
During transplantation, another method of reproduction can be applied - to divide the rhizome of the orchid into fragments, in each of which roots and buds should remain. Wounds must be disinfected with coal. This method is good because young orchids bloom the very next year. The disadvantage of this method is that pathogenic microbes can penetrate into the wounds and destroy the plant.
Diseases and Pests
If the orchid is properly maintained, observing the irrigation and lighting modes, it is usually not sick. The following can join with her:
- Puckering pseudobulb. This is a signal that insufficient watering and top dressing is carried out.
- Dry dark spots on the leaves indicate burns. It is necessary to rearrange the flower pot in a place where direct sunlight will not fall on the plant.
- Rotting spots on the leaves are an indication that the orchid is sprayed at low temperatures. This contributes to the development of gray rot.
- Dendrobium orchid leaves turn yellow. What to do? It’s okay if these leaf plates are lower and the whole plant looks normal. Yellowing indicates that the leaf plate is simply aged. If young leaves began to turn yellow, you need to reconsider the regime of lighting and feeding.
- The orchid is healthy, but does not want to bloom. This is an indicator that she was not allowed to rest, too early starting to stimulate the growing season.
Dendrobium orchid diseases are often provoked by pests that feed on the juice of its leaves and roots.
Florists advise, bringing the plant home from the store, put it in a container of water, which should be on the edge of the pot. After a few minutes, the insects hiding in the ground should get out. They are collected and destroyed.
In the process of life on your windowsill, an orchid may be attacked by such parasites:
- Ticks (arachnoid and flat-bodied). They suck juice from the leaves, as a result of which the leaf plates discolor and dry, and the buds fall off before blooming. Ticks parasitize on the underside of leaves. Traces of their vital activity are clearly visible to the naked eye. In the case of a spider mite, this is a white spider web, and in the case of a plano, it is silver-brown spots. They control pests by spraying orchids with Fitoverm according to the instructions.
- Onion tick. This parasite settles in the roots and gnaws them from the inside. The plant weakens, refuses to bloom. If you find empty roots in your orchid (this can be understood by feeling them), the damaged parts must be removed and the soil should be watered with “Fitoverm”.
- Scale and false shields. They differ from each other in appearance, but both parasitize on the underside of the leaf plate, sticking to it and drinking juices. If light brown or darker crust dots are found on orchids, they need to be picked up, washed thoroughly, grease the wounds with green or sprinkle with charcoal, and spray the entire orchid with “Fitoverm”.
- Worms. These parasites look like tiny pieces of fleece. They live in the axils of the leaves and roots. If they settled in an orchid, its leaves begin to turn yellow, the plant is sick, does not bloom. If at least one worm is detected, dry scales and leaves must be removed on the flower, then sprayed with Fitoverm. But even after processing, it is required to inspect the orchid every day for the discovery of new worms. They can be deleted manually. After a week, the treatment with Fitoverm must be repeated.
- Thrips. These insects settle on many plants. They are dangerous in that they lay eggs inside the leaf, as a result of which spots appear on them. Leaves die off. To destroy thrips, the orchid should be sprayed with Actelikom.
Types of Orchids Dendrobium
We repeat that in the genus of dendrobiums, there are over 1000 species. Some of them are:
- Dendrobium paris. It has powerful thickened stems that can be erect or drooping. In length, they grow up to 40 cm. Each such stem has a thickening in the nodes and is shrouded in a white base of leaves. They are oblong at the orchid dendrobium of Parish, with a slightly incised tip. The flowers of this species are large, up to 100 mm in diameter. Petals are pink or purple. To the edge, the color is always more saturated than in the middle. The lip of this orchid can be round or rhomboid, lighter than the petals. At the base has two contrasting spots.
- Lindley's Dendrobium. This orchid has short (up to 8 cm), bulb-like stems. Each has only one large, leathery sheet. Peduncles of the plant are long, hanging, flowers are yellow, very fragrant, with a pubic lip.
- Dendrobium King. This orchid is distinguished by hard stems, thinning to the apex. In length, it grows up to 30 cm. The brush is low-flowered, consists of small fragrant flowers of various shades - from white to purple. The lip of this orchid is interesting. She has three blades. In this case, the sepals are spliced.
- Dendrobium Nobile. This orchid is given the epithets "magnificent", "noble", "noble". This variety of dendrobium orchid has many varieties and hybrids. Their beauty can be admired tirelessly. Her flowers can be of various shapes and colors, white, pink, purple, speckled and striped. At the same time, the lips of the flowers are always very bright, contrasting, they are smooth and fringed, with spots and without. The leaves of the representatives of the species are mostly sessile, arranged in pairs or alternately. The stems are powerful, erect. Orchid dendrobium nobile will be a charming decoration of any home.