Today, flower shops delight us with a large assortment of different flowers, including orchids. Among all the variety, the phalaenopsis is especially unpretentious - a variety of orchids, which are also called the Malay flower. These blooming bright specimens bloom in our apartments for a while. But at home, rarely do orchids take root, and give new flowering shoots.
Therefore, in this article we will consider in more detail how to grow an orchid bought in a store. If you can save your flower, then you can grow an orchid from bulbs, or even from seeds.
How to grow an orchid: care features
Orchid is a saprophytic organism. For its nutrition, it uses organic substances that are formed during the decomposition of other organisms. Therefore, the remains of dead organic matter are necessarily added to the substrate - pieces of pine bark, moss, or wood shavings.
An example of a substrate for terrestrial orchids is a mixture of two parts of pine bark, one part of high (semi-decomposed) peat, one part of mature compost and a small amount of clay. Such a substrate will contain few nutrients, have good breathability, and excess water will not linger in it. To prevent decay, a little charcoal should be added to the soil mixture.
Orchids prefer to grow in bright places with high humidity. But at the same time they do not tolerate direct sunlight. When watering, you need to take into account that, normally, the substrate should be slightly dry to the touch. Before watering orchids, boiled water must be softened. Orchids need proper watering. To do this, put the flower pot in the water for about ten minutes, then remove the flower pot from the water and wait until it leaves the drainage holes, and only then place the flower pot in a decorative pot.
Fertilizing orchids is best in the warm season, with special complex fertilizers for orchids, 1-2 times a month. In this case, the flowering of the plant will be more magnificent. But with an excess of fertilizers, your plant may grow, and flowering will be absent.
How to grow an orchid from a bulb
Orchid bulbs, or pseudobulbs (bulbs) can be bought at the flower shop. If your orchid has grown greatly, then in this case you can divide the rhizome, which has grown with pseudobulbs into several parts. On one layer, leave 2-3 pseudobulbs, and transplant them into a new, or disinfected pot.
In order not to introduce an additional infection, the knife must be pre-disinfected, and the cut points are sprinkled with crushed coal. For disinfection, you can use a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
How to grow an orchid from seeds
Few people decide to grow this wonderful flower from seeds on their own. Many argue that this is only possible in sterile laboratory conditions. Nevertheless, amateur gardeners are looking for a lot of information on the topic: how to grow an orchid from seeds.
Orchid seeds are very small, they can even be compared with dust. When comparing orchid seeds with wheat seeds, they lose 15,000 times. Orchid seeds are devoid of endosperm, so at the time of germination they can easily be destroyed by pathogenic organisms.
Therefore, for experiments with orchids, we need special, pre-sterilized equipment. In particular, we need a flask. Replace it with a jar of baby food. Sterilize jars in the oven.
The nutrient medium for the orchid must contain all the necessary substances and must also be sterile. The composition for the nutrient medium is very complex, its basis is agar-agar, organic and inorganic substances. Therefore, it is best to buy the finished mixture, dilute it according to the instructions, and sterilize in a pressure cooker for about twenty minutes. During this time, a jelly-like mass is formed, in which sowing will be carried out.
Each jar should have 20-30 ml. mixtures. After sowing, the jar must be tightly closed. Orchid seed sprouts for a very long time, almost 9-10 months. You can transplant a plant into a flower pot only after 2-3 years. And you will have to wait the same time when your orchid will please you with its flowers for the first time.
Orchid is a very moody flower, but for those who have mastered all the secrets of caring for it, the orchid will delight you with long and magnificent flowering, creating a special microclimate not only in the house, but also in the family.
We hope that the information in this article helped you, and you learned about how to grow an orchid at home.