Orchids are elegant and sophisticated flowers that have gained special popularity among lovers of indoor plants. They are adapted for growth in a normal city apartment and bloom beautifully. Despite the prevailing opinion that the cultivation of orchids is an incredibly difficult matter, caring for them is not so burdensome. For a competent plant grower, the cultivation of this flower will not be difficult. If you were presented with such a miracle of nature, and you want it to feel good, you first need to find out what kind of variety it is. And then it is advisable to learn how to grow orchids at home.
This article will highlight the basic principles of breeding these chic colors.
How to grow orchids at home? Temperature and lighting features
There are two methods for breeding these colors:
- Traditional. It consists in alternating periods of growth and dormancy, while the latter is quite long and varies by a grower so as to prepare the plant for development at the most favorable time.
- Intensive (used in industrial cultivation). It implies the resumption of active irrigation immediately after the passage of the dormant period, in order to obtain an active growth of the plant several times a year.
Both of these methods have their advantages. It is up to you to decide how to grow your orchid. The first method allows you to get a strong, healthy plant, but for a fairly long period of time. The second reduces the time, but the risk of death of the flower is quite large. How to grow orchids at home? What does this beautiful plant need for a long flowering? Of course, this is the right lighting. Orchid loves the light, but does not tolerate the scorching direct rays of the midday sun. Therefore, it is desirable to place the beauty on a western, eastern or northern window. If you notice that its leaves have darkened, then this indicates a lack of light. Conversely, if they turn yellow and stained, it is too much. In addition to lighting, an orchid is very demanding and refers to the temperature in the room. For each variety, a special range of indicators is intended, within which the flower feels good. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase a thermometer with a hygrometer. In general, most varieties require an air temperature in the range of 20 to 25 ° C. For flowering phalaenopsis, a difference of day and night temperatures of 5 ° C is required. This plant is the most heat-loving, in winter it needs a regimen of at least 15 ° C. For Cattleya variety, the night temperature should vary between 12-15 ° C, daytime - 18-22 ° C. There are orchid species that require coolness (from 10 ° C to 12 ° C), as well as a serious decrease in night temperature, up to 12 ° C. Without such differences, such varieties as Tselogina, Lelia, Miltoniopsis, Masdevallia, Rossoglossum, Cymbidium, and Likasta will not grow and bloom.
How to grow orchids at home? Soil and watering mode
This plant is quite demanding on the soil. For home maintenance, it is advisable to purchase a special
substrate for orchids or make it yourself from materials that hold moisture well (tree bark, sphagnum moss, polypodium, coconut fiber, etc.). Watering the plant must be competent. Humidify the flower in the summer every two to three days, and in the winter - one (two) times a week. The substrate should dry well. How to grow an orchid? It is important to water it rationally and balancedly, immersing the pot with the plant in a basin with water for 10 minutes. During this time, the substrate will collect liquid through the holes in the container. After that, the water is drained, and the pot is still in an empty basin for some time. Do not wet the orchid from above, like all other indoor flowers. For irrigation it is important to use the settled warm water. In addition, it is periodically necessary to spray the plant (in the morning or in the afternoon), especially this is necessary for an orchid standing close to the heating battery. It’s nice to periodically arrange a flower with a warm shower. The pot is placed in the bath and the plant is poured with a weak stream from the shower, while the water temperature should be about 40 ° C. Then the orchid is allowed to dry and the center is blotted to prevent its decay. "Bathing" the beauty is possible only when she does not bloom!
How to grow orchids at home? Proper feeding and reproduction
In addition to timely watering and spraying, this plant also needs to be fed. To do this, use specialized fertilizers, which can be purchased at any flower shop. Do not use additives intended for other indoor plants. Top dressing is done once every 14 days during the period of growth and flowering of orchids. As for reproduction, there are three possible methods of breeding: division, cuttings and aerial roots. One of the most convenient methods is division. How to grow an orchid from the root? To do this, get the plant out of the pot. Separate the roots from the substrate and lightly wash. Then the rhizome with a sharp knife is divided into several parts, and the places of the slices are sprinkled with activated carbon (crushed). The resulting plant elements are placed in a substrate and carefully looked after them, just like an adult flower. A powerful and well-developed orchid is selected for dividing.