Today, there are a huge number of flowers that act as an excellent decoration of the living room. Sooner or later, most gardeners decide to grow an orchid on their own. This is actually quite difficult to do. There are many types of orchids. Among them there are not so many varieties that can be grown at home. The most popular home orchids include Dendrobium. This family includes representatives such as Phalaenopsis.
Cultivation technique
This issue should be given special attention. Many gardeners today are interested in the Dendrobium orchid. Home care of this plant is determined by the peculiarities of climatic conditions, which are natural for it. Orchid belongs to the family of epiphytes. Dry air, lack of light and excess moisture can adversely affect the development of the plant. With proper care, the orchid blooms amazingly beautifully. In the process of growth, pseudobulbs are formed. Outwardly, they are more like a thickening of the stem, in which nutrients and moisture accumulate.
During the growing season, the plant may enter dormancy for some time. It stops growing and prepares strength for the next flowering. With the onset of winter, it is necessary to create special conditions for a beautiful culture. The temperature should be reduced to 10 degrees, and watering should be eliminated altogether. Subject to these rules, in early spring, pseudobulbs will give new peduncles.
What types of orchids are suitable for home growing?
The most widespread among flower growers are hybrids Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium nobile. They begin to bloom without any additional preparation. Care for these plants is determined by the characteristics of the origin of their parents. Before acquiring a particular type of orchid, you must first carefully study their history. If you want to achieve beautiful flowering, you need to maintain a temperature of 16 to 20 degrees in the room.
How to care for an orchid after flowering?
So what do you need to know about this? What to do when Dendrobium stops flowering? Caring for a plant during this period of time must necessarily include a regime with increased humidity and temperature. In addition, it is necessary to feed the plant. Special liquid mixtures for orchids are best suited for this purpose. The flower will gain green mass until the very end of summer. It is not necessary to disturb pseudobulbs at this time. They provide nutrition to new shoots.
How to transplant an orchid?
Let us dwell on this in more detail. Many flower growers today are interested in such a flower as the Dendrobium orchid. Home care for this plant must include a transplant. However, this operation can seriously injure the plant, so it is better to carry out it every 2-3 years. In general, it is better to deal with transplantation only if it really is necessary. For example, if the pot in which the dendrobium grows is not enough space. In this case, the plant ceases to gain mass, and the forming pseudobulbs begin to hang from the edges of the pot.
Orchid propagation
One of the most popular indoor flowers is the dendrobium orchid, which requires careful care. Reproduction in the home requires special skills. The best time to breed orchids is spring. It is then that the plant is in the stage of active growth immediately after flowering. Be sure to clean the roots of the transplanted flower from old soil. To make this operation easier, moisten the flower pot well. Subsequently, this will avoid many problems. After you remove the substrate from the roots, be sure to inspect them. If you find areas that are damaged or rotten, simply remove them. Slices must be treated with charcoal. Zelenka and other products containing alcohol will not work for this purpose. After treatment, the roots must be allowed to dry for some time.
How to choose a container for orchids?
Many beginner gardeners today are interested in how to properly grow Dendrobium. Home care can be made much easier if you choose the right pot. It is best to use containers in which the soil layer between the roots and walls will be at least 2 cm. As the surface grows, the aerial part of the flower may gradually increase. Planting is recommended only in resistant pots. Clay models are considered the best option. After you select a suitable container, it is necessary to lay the drainage in it. This layer should occupy a quarter of the total volume. The remainder is filled with soil with a slide. At this preparatory stage is completed. Now it’s worth starting the next process.
Orchid should also be prepared for planting. The roots are straightened, and the plant itself is moved directly to the center. Try to make sure that the pseudobulbs are on the surface. To ensure better plant resistance, supports can be used. After planting, you need to hold the orchid for a while in the shade. The air temperature in the room should be at least 20 degrees. After a couple of days, the plant can begin to be watered.
The subtleties of caring for a homely beauty
The main thing that interests everyone who wants to breed Dendrobium is care. Photos of flowering plants look incredibly beautiful, but actually growing it is not so simple. A flower needs a lot of attention. The epiphytic orchid will feel best in loose soil without a large amount of nutrients. As the soil, it is best to use a mixture made from pine bark, peat and sphagnum moss. You can also add charcoal to it. The soil mixture used for planting orchids should not have calcium. The fact is that a flower can react poorly to the presence of this element in the soil.
You can also use crushed coniferous bark as a substrate. The capacity for landing must be filled as follows. Large elements are laid at the bottom. In the upper part you can arrange smaller ones. The presence of a small amount of peat will positively affect the quality of the soil. It can significantly improve the mechanical properties. In addition, the soil will then have an optimal acidity index. The substrate prepared for use must be disinfected. For this, the mixture is poured with boiling water and allowed to stand for 10-15 minutes. After this, you must wait until the soil dries.
At home, you can plant an orchid in ordinary or hanging pots. In any case, drainage should occupy about a quarter of the total volume. This layer may consist of crushed granite or broken brick. It is not recommended to use limestone and expanded clay, since they are rich in calcium, and this mineral negatively affects the Dendrobium orchid. Care and reproduction at home of this plant is not too complicated and is quite possible for beginner flower growers.
Recommendations of specialists
How to grow a flower like a dendrobium nobile orchid? Caring for this plant requires compliance with many recommendations. So, for example, if you plan to plant orchids in baskets, then before planting you need to add sphagnum to the soil. Best of all, such flowers will grow, wrapping around a support. As for lighting, Dendrobium nobile needs bright diffused light. To create such conditions in room conditions is sometimes very difficult, especially in the cold season. For this reason, experts recommend holding a pot of dendrobium orchid from May to September on the east or west side, and in the winter on the south side. Subject to this rule, various diseases can be avoided.
What else is needed to grow a beautiful dendrobium orchid? Plant care should include regular changes in pot position. This is necessary so that all parts of the flower receive a sufficient amount of sunlight. When approaching cold weather, it is necessary to remove the flower as far as possible from the drafts.
Many housewives dream of growing the Dendrobium orchid on their windowsill . Care and reproduction at home of this flower is fraught with a number of difficulties. For example, a flower needs a sufficient amount of light throughout the day. The optimal duration is from 10 to 15 hours. The lack of natural light in the cold season can be filled by using special lamps. Best of all, the lack of natural light will be borne by orchid varieties with pale pink flowers. They will feel great on the windowsills on the northeast side.
Vibrant Dendrobium orchids requiring careful care are very popular today. Reproduction of these plants with bright pink, red and yellow flowers requires the mandatory installation of additional lighting. It is best to keep plants on the southwest or southeast side. It is also worth remembering the need for additional lighting in the cold season. If you give the plants too much light, they will actively gain mass. Pseudobulbs will grow too large, which will negatively affect the condition of the flower as a whole. On the other hand, with a lack of lighting, they will be too long and thin. Flowering may not occur at all. In order for the plant to absorb all the moisture that comes in during irrigation, it is necessary to provide it with good lighting. Pay attention to this when calculating the norms of the necessary fluid.
How to water properly?
Many beginner gardeners do not know how much water is required for the Dendrobium orchid. Home care includes, in addition to calculating the required amount of moisture, also the choice of watering time. Humidify the soil only if you notice that the substrate is dry. In the summer, it is enough to water the orchid a couple of times a week. In winter, the amount of fluid should be reduced to a minimum. If you grow Dendrobium in a pot, then you need to pour water from above. If the plants are placed in blocks or baskets, then it will be enough just to put them in water for 3-5 minutes.
For watering, it is best to use a soft boiled liquid. Its temperature should be slightly higher than room temperature. In the period from April to September, in addition to watering, the plant also needs top dressing. For this purpose, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are bred in the water prepared for irrigation. With such a mixture, the plant must be watered every two times.
Temperature
So what do you need to know about this? If you are interested in growing the Dendrobium orchid, care for this flower must necessarily include temperature control. However, this factor affects the plant only if it is provided with the necessary lighting. Lack of light can lead to the fact that the flower will remain at rest, despite the favorable temperature regime. In the summertime, 20 degrees Celsius is considered optimal. In winter, this value can drop to around 17 ° C. In the dark, it can be lower by a couple of degrees. If the air temperature rises too high, water may begin to evaporate through the leaves. Only a small part of the moisture reaches the roots. Therefore, if the room temperature is quite high, the humidity level should be adjusted accordingly. Experts recommend installing orchid pots in a pan with pebbles and water. Spraying procedures also help maintain moisture.
In the case of creating optimal conditions for growth, the Dendrobium orchid will begin to gain green mass in early spring. At this time, the plant needs top dressing. Mineral fertilizers are best suited for this purpose. If the flowers are provided with everything necessary, already in October they will have many leaves and pseudobulbs of the corresponding sizes.
Diseases
What ailments is the Dendrobium orchid susceptible to? Home care must necessarily include airing, since the flower is susceptible to fungal infections. Also make sure that there are no drafts in the room where the orchid is grown. In sunny weather, plants are generally recommended to be kept outdoors.
Conclusion
Many believe that the cultivation of the Dendrobium orchid, the care of which involves a lot of difficulties, is still an interesting lesson. However, if you want to get a gorgeous flowering plant as a result, then this should not stop you. In addition, if you know some of the subtleties, you can effortlessly grow an orchid.
In order for the plant to enter the active phase with the onset of spring, it needs to create favorable conditions in the winter. For this, it is necessary to completely exclude watering and maintain the temperature no more than 10 degrees. In the spring, the plant will begin to actively gain green mass. At this time, he needs even more attention. Try to ensure that the orchid has an optimal temperature, maintain the necessary humidity level. In addition, the flower requires additional top dressing. Mineral fertilizers are best suited for this purpose.
Make sure that in the room where the orchid grows, there are no drafts and temperature differences. Only under these conditions you can get beautiful flowering plants.