A magnificent houseplant orchid is the dream of many gardeners. But many, even experienced flower growers, fear that this exquisite flower requires very complex care. Admittedly, this is partly true, but the more interesting it is to grow it with your own hands.
Many budding indoor flower lovers who already have this plant are interested in how it multiplies. In this article, we will present you detailed instructions on how to plant orchid babies (with photos and tips).
A sprout appeared on an orchid. What to do?
So, your beautiful orchid has blossomed, and you suddenly noticed that something is happening with the peduncle. Often, after flowering, new stems with buds form at the peduncle, and sometimes babies may appear. If you have never seen them and can not imagine how they look, do not worry - their appearance will not go unnoticed by you.
On the peduncle, new small plants with their own leaves begin to develop. At first, their roots are not visible, but very little time passes, and the roots grow. It happens that the orchid releases a sprout at the base of the neck of the root. But this does not happen very often.
On the mother plant, the processes develop within six months. During this time, a young plant will already have about five leaves, and roots. When they grow to five centimeters, the question will arise before the flower growers how to plant the orchid children from the peduncle. We will try to answer this question.
How to plant a process?
Before proceeding with this procedure, it is necessary to prepare the necessary tool and workplace. And one more tip. If the roots of the shoots are still very tiny (less than 5 cm), it is better to postpone this procedure until another time when the young flower is a little stronger and gain strength.
You will need:
- sharp scissors or secateurs;
- suitable substrate;
- container for transplantation;
- cinnamon or activated carbon;
- latex gloves;
- alcohol to wipe the tool.
Separate the appendix
Cut the baby from the plant. But it can not be cut completely, you must leave at least one centimeter of peduncle. Leave the shoot for thirty minutes to dry its base. Sprinkle the slice with cinnamon or crushed charcoal.
What should be the soil?
You can use the finished composition for the orchid, which you can buy in the store or make it yourself. If you are using shop soil, then check to see if there are pieces of bark in it about a centimeter in diameter. It should not be in the form of dust, consisting of peat and decayed bark.
Advantages and disadvantages of sphagnum
Sometimes flower growers are interested in how to put orchid children in sphagnum. However, experts believe that the soil, which consists of pieces of bark (fine fraction), is more suitable for growing children, because it is quite water-resistant and breathable. Soil from the bark retains moisture longer than sphagnum moss. When planting in clean moss, it is necessary to irrigate it daily and make sure that it is not too damp.
If you add chopped sphagnum moss to the soil, which consists of bark, you must remember that such a composition becomes more water-resistant. Therefore, under conditions of a dry room, it is favorable for orchids, and in a wet room, it can cause waterlogging of the substrate, and, as a result - decay of the roots of the plant.
How to plant kids orchids at home? Landing
Many sources suggest rooting the sprouts of orchids is quite difficult. For example, wrap them with moss, believing that this will accelerate the formation of roots. We want to disappoint you, such actions do not guarantee 100% root formation. Moreover, it is noted that if you do not interfere with the natural process, the roots of the processes appear much faster, and the children themselves become stronger and stronger. Under natural conditions, orchids struggle for existence, so they are able to adapt to many difficult conditions.
A small capacity is required for landing. You can use a disposable plastic cup. Several holes must be made in its bottom. You can use another container, but it must be made of transparent material.
Place the appendix in the center of the cup so that the root neck is at the edge of the container. The roots should be evenly distributed throughout the volume. Holding the process with your hand, fill the glass with substrate. If the roots are not completely placed in it, do not be discouraged - nothing bad will happen if they partially remain on the surface.
It is necessary that the soil is well settled, but it should not be tightly packed so as not to damage the delicate roots of a young plant. Just lightly tap the walls of the cup, this will be enough.
Watering
A young orchid cannot stand five to seven days without watering, like an adult plant, because it has very small, poorly developed roots, and the leaves have not yet accumulated a sufficient supply of water and the necessary nutrients. However, the planted plant is watered only after the substrate has completely dried. In no case, do not water the plant immediately after planting. The first time the irrigated shoot can be watered 2-3 days after planting. During this time, the wounds on the slices will be healed, and the risk of infection penetration is minimized.
How to plant kids orchids without roots?
It often happens that a shoot that appears on a plant develops normally, grows, sometimes even begins to bloom on the mother plant, and is not going to give roots. What to do in this situation? How to plant kids orchids? Have to root them in the greenhouse.
Cut secateurs from the parent plant with part of the peduncle. If the plant blooms, the peduncle should be removed. Remove the covering scales from the base of the outlet, under them you can see the beginnings of the roots. Such a process cannot yet be planted in the cortex - it simply will not be able to receive moisture due to the absence of roots. In this case, the roots will have to be grown not in the bark, not in moss, but in the air. Only it should be moist and warm, almost tropical.
Making a greenhouse
Take a small plastic cup, make several holes in its bottom to remove excess moisture. At the bottom, put pebbles or expanded clay, which will make your structure more stable, put a little moistened moss on top. At the top of the cup (about 1.5 cm from the top edge), make two holes into which you need to insert a support that will support the rooting process on weight.
We lay the shoot on this support - it hangs in the air, without touching the surface of the moss. Sometimes, when the leaves are large enough, you can do without support - the process will stay on a cup with its leaves. From above, on this entire structure we install a transparent light plastic bottle (1.5-2 L) with which the bottom must first be cut. Thus, you will get a wonderful greenhouse, in which the sprout of the orchid will take root. If the plastic bottle was not at hand, it can be replaced by a plastic bag in which several holes must be made (for ventilation).
Place a greenhouse on a light windowsill and wait for the roots to appear. When their length reaches seven centimeters, you can transplant the plant into a substrate. Knowing how to plant orchid children, you can also root orchid rosettes (without roots).
As you can see, the reproduction of this beautiful plant is not a very simple process, but extremely exciting. We hope that the information received will be useful to you, and if necessary, you can explain to less experienced indoor plant lovers how to plant orchid children.