In recent years, more and more exotic plants have appeared in our homes, crowding out traditional ficuses, pelargoniums and violets from window sills. Increasingly, trivial bouquets in cellophane are replaced with more original gifts - blooming orchids. These are bizarre inhabitants of the tropics, living and obscure, to which you need to find an approach to preserve their health and beauty.
Most often, the first guests of city apartments are phalaenopsis. In connection with the appearance of this miracle, as a rule, a lot of questions arise: how to water, where to put, what to do if the orchid has faded, what to do if it drops flowers, and so on.
In order to provide the plant with optimal conditions, it is necessary to have an idea of its life in the natural environment. Phalaenopsis is a genus of orchids that naturally grows in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, Australia and New Guinea. Like many other orchids, this is an epiphyte that other plants use as a support. Its fleshy roots are designed to absorb atmospheric moisture, so one of the most important growing conditions is high air humidity. At home, this is heavy rainfall, which in captivity is replaced by frequent spraying. In this case, the temperature should be stable and preferably high (25-300).
When purchasing an orchid in winter, you may encounter freezing of the plant. Brought from the cold, it discards drooping flowers, and sometimes leaves, as a result of completely dying. What to do if phalaenopsis flowers are frozen? Damaged yellowing flower stalks need to be cut, but you should not touch the leaves - they must fall themselves. In this case, the main thing is to maintain the growth point (the central part of the outlet), then the orchid will recover. The remaining leaves can be treated with Epin-extra, and when watering, add Zircon to the water. These drugs are adaptogens that help the plant cheer up.
One of the main components of orchid care is, of course, watering. Use only soft water, and only the immersion method. The frequency of watering depends on the conditions in which the plant develops, but in any case, the indicator is the condensation on the walls of the pot - as soon as it disappears, you need to water. What to do if a flower is flooded? It must be removed from the pot and urgently resuscitated. If there are rotten roots, cut to living and sprinkle wounds with crushed charcoal or fungicide. Then the orchid is again planted in an airy substrate, placed in a warm, moist and bright place, and watered very carefully.
Many lovers unknowingly completely remove the flower stalk after the orchid has bloomed, which is not necessary at all. It is better to cut it to the extreme sleeping kidney, since there is a possibility that new buds or even children will appear on it. If phalaenopsis feels good, it blooms for 3-4 months. Before asking a question like “the orchid has faded - what to do next?” you should make sure that this moment has really come. To do this, carefully consider the tip of the peduncle. Only if it is blackened, yellowed or completely dry, new buds can no longer be expected. Now you can cut the peduncle to the nearest sleeping bud, while the care remains the same, and there is a chance that re-flowering will occur.
You can try to get the kids after the orchid has bloomed. What to do in order to one day see a small copy of it on a plant? As a rule, children on phalaenopsis appear in the summer, with good lighting, high temperature and humidity. And, despite the widespread opinion about the complexity of propagation of orchids, this is not such a rare occurrence. The main thing is to love your pets and understand their nature.