Dendrobium Starclass (dendrobium orchid) is one of the most attractive and bright indoor plants, once a year delighting its owners with unusually beautiful flowers with a delicate aroma of jasmine, citrus or anise. How to care? Dendrobium Starclass is a rather capricious beauty, requiring special attention and care.
Location and Light
The leading role in the process of full development of orchids is given to light. The growth of roots and leaves, the appearance of peduncles directly depends on the level of illumination. In the winter months, when there is a lack of light, the plant practically stops its growth. As a rule, new sprouts do not appear in winter, but new bulbs develop.
In spring, it is best to keep Dendrobium Starclass in a warm and sunny place. A plant in such conditions will quickly grow green mass and, accordingly, will bloom earlier. The flower should be placed on the eastern or western windows, it is these places that are most favorable for it. In summer, it is useful to leave orchids in the open air, choosing for this a place protected from direct sunlight, rains and strong winds.
Temperature and humidity
Dendrobium Starclass, which is rather painstaking care at home, loves temperatures no higher than 30 degrees in the summer and about 20 degrees in the winter. It is important to know that at higher temperatures the plant evaporates a lot of moisture, while its roots lose its ability to absorb, which ultimately leads to the drying of the orchid.
Of great importance to Dendrobium Starclass is the creation of the difference between day and night temperatures. So, it is necessary that the temperature at night be lower than during the day. It is recommended that at night the temperature should be no higher than 15 degrees.
Dendrobium Starclass, the care and maintenance of which requires certain knowledge, is recommended to be kept in a room with an air humidity of more than 60%. With insufficient moisture in the warm season, it is useful to spray. And it is best to place the plant on a pallet with wet pebbles or plain water.
Watering
Anyone who is the proud owner of Dendrobium Starclass needs to know how to water this plant. The abundance and frequency of watering depends on the intensity of sunlight and air temperature. The lighter and warmer, the correspondingly, and more moisture the plant needs. It is important to ensure that the soil is constantly moist. In the cold season, especially in winter, limited watering. This is due to the fact that the frequent flow of moisture during the period when the plant does not grow can rot the root system. For irrigation, experienced growers are advised to use exceptionally warm (30-35 ° C) and soft water.
Fertilizers
In the spring and summer, when Dendrobium Starclass actively grows, sets buds and blooms, the plant should be fed every third watering using a special fertilizer designed for orchids for this purpose. It is also useful to carry out foliar top dressing.
Transfer
In the question of how to care (Dendrobium Starclass, as already mentioned, the plant is rather capricious), transplantation is of great importance. It should be carried out only when it is clearly visible that the roots of the flower have grown so much that they no longer fit in the pot, as a result of which it loses stability, its growth slows down. On average, this can be observed every 2 years. More frequent transplants are not necessary.
The orchid pot should be selected taking into account the size of its root system, while it is necessary that there is still a bit of free space from the roots to the walls of the pot. For drainage and stability of the overgrown flower, it is recommended to put several large pebbles at the bottom of the container.
Soil selection
Increased attention must be paid to the choice of soil. It should be borne in mind that this plant does not take root in ordinary, dense and heavy soil. To ensure maximum comfort for the orchid, it is worth using a special substrate, which includes crushed bark of coniferous trees, charcoal and humus. In this case, the substrate does not need to be densely packed, in any case, it must be porous, airy and easily absorbing moisture. Often, the base of the flower is laid with moss, thereby reproducing the natural habitat of Dendrobium Starclass.
Breeding
Orchids are propagated mainly by seeds, since their vegetative breeding is rather difficult. When conducting this process by dividing the bush, one must remember that each delenka must have its own roots and at least 2-3 pseudobulbs.
Pests
Studying how to care (Dendrobium Starclass subsequently will certainly thank for the care of beautiful flowers), it is worth mentioning the pests that infect this plant, as well as measures to combat them.
- Thrips . Their reproduction is promoted by low humidity and high temperature. Trips lays numerous colonies on the underside of the leaf, while light dots appear on the top, giving the leaf a grayish brown with a silver sheen. In the event of a massive lesion, the leaves become completely whitish and discolored, and soon turn brown and fall off. Most of all, thrips harm flowers, as a result of which the latter become stained and severely deformed. To destroy this parasite, the orchid must be sprayed with such insecticides as Inta-Vir, Actellik, Decis, Fitoverm.
- Scaffolds . Brown plaques appear on the surface of the stems and leaves, sucking out the cell juice. As a result of such a lesion, the leaves lose their natural color, dry, and after a short period of time fall off. To control pests, the leaves must be wiped with a soapy sponge, and then sprayed on the plant with a 0.15% solution of Actellik (1 liter of water per 1 liter of water).
- Aphids . Orchids can also affect aphids, which damage leaves, buds and tops of shoots. Leaves curl, discolor, and fall off. To combat aphids, it is necessary to spray the plants with the above insecticides.
The above recommendations on how to care for (this Dendrobium Starclass subsequently will certainly delight you with its unusually beautiful appearance) for this wonderful plant will help maintain the flower in excellent condition.