Healthy, flowering orchids are the dream of all lovers of indoor plants.
In order for your collection to replenish with young beautiful plants, you need to know how to plant an orchid. At home, propagating orchids is not an easy task, requiring attention and patience from the breeder. Nevertheless, nothing is impossible: after learning the basic rules of planting and the features of caring for children, you can increase the collection of magnificent orchids.
How to plant an orchid
Many species of orchids are propagated vegetatively, that is, using parts of the mother plant: lateral shoots, layering, pseudobulbs and cuttings. The simplest way is to divide the bush into parts. For this type of reproduction, only adult and overgrown plants are used.
The division is carried out in the spring, from March to May.
How to plant an orchid by dividing
The bush is carefully removed from the pot, its roots are freed from the substrate. With a sharp knife (secateurs), the rhizome is divided into several parts so that at least 3 sprouts remain on each part. Slices must be sprinkled with charcoal to prevent disease and decay. Then each fragment is planted in a separate container, watered and sprayed, maintaining the necessary humidity and temperature. Cattleya, zygopetalum, cymbidiums are usually bred by division.
How to plant an orchid with cuttings
Some species of orchids reproduce well by cuttings, such as dendrobiums and epidendrums. As a rule, this method is used for planting from March to April. In the mother plant, the upper part of the shoot is cut. Then the shoot itself is cut into several parts in such a way that the length of each fragment is about 7 cm. There must be at least two buds on each resulting stem. After that, all parts of the shoot are placed in sphagnum moss (sand can be added to it) so that the kidneys are above the substrate. Capacities are necessarily covered. After a few months, new young plants will grow from the buds, which can be separated from the cuttings and transplanted into other pots.
How to plant an orchid using side shoots
Some orchids with a sufficiently high humidity and temperature can produce lateral shoots, the so-called "air babies." After the children grow sufficiently long roots, they are cut off from the mother plant and placed in a separate container.
Usually, dendrobium, calendula and tunia are planted using this method.
How to plant an orchid phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis is propagated using a baby that appears either on the peduncle or at the base of the rhizome. The baby can be separated from the mother plant when at least two leaves and two roots grow in it. This condition should be observed in order to increase the chance of successful survival of a new plant. If your phalaenopsis does not give children, you can damage the growth point of the plant. It is not difficult to do this - you need to wait for the moment when a young leaf appears from the center of the orchid, and carefully pull it out. The damaged area should be treated with cinnamon. As a result of this manipulation, the lateral kidneys should be activated and give life to the children.