Royal orchids are a wonderful decoration for your home. These flowers with a delicate delicate smell look unusual and expensive, add a festive touch to any interior and simply delight the eye.
There is an opinion that the cultivation of home orchids is a rather troublesome business. However, this task is quite feasible, the main thing is to know the rules of care. It will not be difficult for an experienced florist to maintain the necessary regime, but if you are only going to comprehend the science of breeding a home greenhouse, our article will help to understand all the subtleties.
Royal Orchid Species
Most often, this term refers to flowers belonging to the genus Phalaenopsis. Its name, having a Latin origin, this flower owes to a certain resemblance to a butterfly. The plant is not too capricious, even a beginner can cope with its contents. Of course, if he fulfills all the recommendations.
Rod Wanda (in the next photo) is also a royal orchid. Home care of this plant is somewhat more difficult, but the reward for the work will be beautiful large flowers with a delicate aroma.
Kids and Giants
In nature, there are a huge number of species of orchids, some of them completely unlike their counterparts. For example, the royal giantella orchid can reach a height of 3 meters or more. This plant has powerful roots, thick stems, fleshy leaves. During flowering, the plant is covered with many small yellow flowers in red speck. The birthplace of the giant royal orchid is New Guinea. This plant is successfully grown in greenhouses around the world. For home content, it is too large.
Many orchids thank the caring owner with medium-sized flowers. Wanda grows up to 80 cm in height and is covered with flowers 10-15 cm in diameter. Phalaenopsis is higher (up to a meter), and its flowers are more compact. But on one stalk there are quite a lot of them. Mini orchids of the Phalaenopsis genus are popular among gardeners. They require the same care as other varieties.
What you need to know about blue orchid
Often, flower sellers do not skimp on beautiful advertising. Blue Orchid! This is just a dream! But if you want to plant such an unusual flower at home, it is worth considering some facts.
There is a royal blue Wanda orchid, but its cost is usually quite high. In addition, this plant is not so easy to get. And the shade is closer to purple, and not to blue.
But there are a lot of Phalaenopsis of blue color in flower shops. But at present, there is not a single breeding sample of this plant with this color. And such a miracle is the work of a not entirely honest seller.
And get it like that. An orchid with white flowers is added with a coloring pigment in the ground, or injected into the peduncle, as a result of which the flower petals acquire a blue tint. You should not buy such plants, they are weak due to the effects of chemistry and can die quickly. They look very unusual, but for a long time this effect will not last.
If such an orchid somehow got into your home greenhouse (for example, it was presented to you), you should take care of the plant. He has a chance to survive. Take care of it, irrigate and feed on time. Owner reviews indicate that such a plant can be reanimated. For a while, its flowers will have a blue tint, which will begin to lighten over time.
Another thing is the royal Wanda orchids. However, it is also worth mentioning here that the plant blooms not blue, but lilac or purple. This variety is quite rare, but it does not require special conditions. Home care for her is no different from caring for a pink or white flower.
How to choose a plant for home?
Going to the store for an unusual pet, remember a few rules.
- Look at the roots. They should not be mold and any other plaque. The natural color is gray.
- The leaves of orchids are fleshy, juicy, saturated in color.
- A healthy plant designed for home use is sold in a transparent plastic container. If the orchid has already lived in someone’s house and for some reason got on sale, the pot will definitely have perforation. Very rarely on sale are plants living on a piece of bark or chopped coconut. This is also acceptable.
- The substrate is also important. It should not contain peat fragments.
Suitable growing tank and proper soil
The orchid in the wild settles on the branches and trunks of trees, and some subspecies even prefer stones. The roots of this unusual plant feed aerotrophically. Simply put, an orchid does not need soil, it is able to accumulate moisture from the air.
The royal orchid, the photo of which you see in the following illustration, lives in the right bowl.
This plant must be placed in a transparent plastic container or in a pot with holes. In an ordinary capacity for indoor plants, the orchid will quickly die.
Some experienced gardeners grow this exotic plant on a large piece of bark or chopped coconut. The composition looks pretty colorful, and it’s easy to care for the flower. If you like this option, try putting it into practice. But do not forget that in this case, at the first stages, the orchid must be tied to a support.
In flower shops, packaged soil for orchids is sold . It contains nitrogen and the necessary top dressing, and also contains large fractions that prevent the compaction of the soil and promote aeration.
Where to put the orchid?
Not only the dishes are important. This plant also requires compliance with the light regime. The best choice would be the west or south window. In summer, royal orchids feel comfortable on the eastern windowsills. But the north side is the most unfortunate choice.
If your windows face south, you need to move the orchid in the summer. Direct sunlight is fatal to her. Burns may remain on the leaves.
Experienced growers are advised to organize diffused light for this plant.
Maintaining the temperature
You should take care of the temperature. This plant feels best at 18-22 degrees. If your room is hotter, rot may appear on the roots and lower leaves of the orchid. In a cold room, the plant will languish and will not give you beautiful flowers.
Humidity is also important. The optimal value is 30%. In a dry room next to an orchid, it is advisable to install an aquarium or a decorative fountain nearby.
Watering and feeding
The royal orchid Phalaenopsis, like Wanda, does not like frequent watering. Excess moisture can lead to the death of the plant.
There are three options for watering a flower:
- dipping in a basin with water for half an hour, followed by settling in a pan, so that the glass is excess liquid;
- bathing in the shower;
- watering the roots directly from a watering can;
- moisturizing the leaves with a spray bottle.
In winter, any of these procedures should be carried out no more than once every 7 days. In summer, you can halve the intervals between watering. If the soil in the pot does not have time to dry out, compacts, rolls, the roots are covered with bloom or there is an unpleasant smell of dampness, most likely, you overdone it with watering. Take a break, and then reduce the amount of water, otherwise the flower will die.
Royal orchids can only be watered with high-quality filtered water with little harshness.
Top dressing is carried out during the growing season. Use special nitrogen-containing fertilizer for these exotic plants.
Royal orchid blooms
Prolonged flowering is one of the main signs of this plant. Most species of royal orchids bloom from late summer to mid autumn. Some varieties of phalaenopsis delight flower owners almost all year round. Wanda blooms in late September - early October.
The color palette is very wide. Orchids can be white, pink, burgundy, yellow, lilac, purple. Remember, unusual shades like the aforementioned blue, as well as black and green - these are not varieties, but artificial coloring. Royal orchid - a flower is quite beautiful and in its natural color, there is no need to experiment with paint.
A flower stalk appears on the trunk of the plant, which will soon give beautiful orchids. If after flowering, which, incidentally, will happen very soon (after 2 months), it is better not to touch the peduncle. It may dry out and fall off by itself, or it may bloom again in time.
You can use this vegetative part for plant propagation.
Royal Orchid Kids
At home, it is not so easy, but it is still possible to propagate this plant. But it should be remembered that since the royal orchid, care for it should be appropriate.
In their natural habitat, these plants reproduce by seed. But at home, this is impossible, so gardeners use the vegetative method.
Throughout life, an orchid throws young shoots. It is necessary to plant them in separate pots, but this must be done carefully. You can not plant children during the flowering of orchids, which can last quite a long time. After falling off the color, you need to wait another 3-4 weeks before proceeding to the growing season.
If the orchid is in no hurry to please you with children, you can help it a little. To do this, find the kidney on the faded stem and make a circular incision on it. Lubricate this area with a growth activator (bought at a flower shop) or fresh birch sap. This method works flawlessly, children do not keep themselves waiting long.
If you learn to plant orchids on your own, you will soon be able to arrange a real greenhouse at home without additional costs.