Nowadays, charmingly blooming orchids are a very common gift and a wonderful decoration for any home. But they bloom wonderfully in the store and only a short period - in the apartment, and after flowering they die. In this regard, it is increasingly believed that these beautiful flowers are not able to take root in room conditions and require special care.
Comfort and attention
But to avoid an unsuccessful result when keeping an orchid in the house is probably quite easy. To do this, you need to create the right orchid care after buying in a store. If you are going to plant such a plant, you need to be prepared for the fact that it can give a rather sharp reaction to a change in the microclimate: sometimes the flowers wither sharply or the buds dry on the orchid.
Do not despair, because this is the normal behavior of a plant when changing its place of residence. Caring for a room orchid after purchase comes down to a few rules. It is necessary to create comfortable conditions for the plant so that it quickly adapts to new conditions.
Orchid adaptation
In order for the orchid to endure stress with minimal losses, perfectly adapt to the unusual environment and not harm other flowers in your house, you need to provide it with a kind of quarantine for about 2 weeks.
To do this, it must be placed away from other plants. If there is not enough space for the orchid on the windowsill, it can be placed on a pedestal or in another convenient place. But here you need to understand that a newly acquired flower must be protected from direct sunlight. In addition, in the adaptation time, you should not feed the orchid with fertilizers, which sellers often recommend when buying it.
Proper watering
Of no small importance when caring for an orchid is how to properly water it. It must be clarified that in the natural habitat most of these flowers never abide in water, therefore their roots are not able to tolerate stagnation of moisture. However, each type of orchid is characterized by its own specifics of watering. Prefers moist soil throughout the entire time, the Phalaenopsis orchid . Care after purchase also comes down to the correct watering regime. Dendrobiums like drier soil, and they need to be watered only if the soil dries.
Which is better, overfilling or underfilling
Nevertheless, all orchids are more adapted to a lack of moisture than to waterlogging. The flower needs excess water only during the period of active growth and flowering. In case of water deficiency, orchids wrinkle pseudobulbs and leaves. If excess moisture occurs, the leaves become yellowish and soak, and the roots become rotten.
In winter, when there is very little light, you should not water the orchid abundantly. In addition, she does not need much moisture after flowering, that is, during dormancy.
Caring for orchids in a pot after purchase, watering secrets
Faithful watering of a home orchid consists in moistening the substrate with soft water. For this, melt or rain water is perfect. You can water the plant with just boiled water. In the summer, it is necessary to water the orchid 2-3 times a week, when the topsoil dries up, and in the winter it is enough 1-2 times every seven days.
Watering an orchid suggests that the flower in the pot is placed in a container of warm water for about 10 minutes or continuously watered with water from the shower. In the second option, the soil will become wet all over, while water will flow from the drain openings. After the procedure is completed, it is necessary that the pot with the plant stands on a special grate so that all the liquid can drain. Later, the orchid is moved to a decorative pot.
Fertilizer and fertilizer
After buying in the store, orchid care includes the right fertilizer. Often when fertilizing a newly acquired flowering plant, a sharp withering of flowers begins. This is due to the fact that initially the orchid is trying to get used to a new place, while it is in a stressful state. At such a time, even a small amount of fertilizer may be unnecessary.
Such a flower as an orchid, care after purchase is necessary. It includes top dressing, but only during the growth period. Fertilizing the plant is recommended once every 2-3 weeks. The most important thing here is the observance of proportions, which you can find out by reading the special section on the packaging of the purchased fertilizer. Nowadays it will not be difficult to buy a complex mixture, where microelements are selected directly for feeding orchids. This fertilizer is suitable for all stages of plant formation, and it is recommended to use it throughout the year.
The opinion of experts
Most experts are opposed to the frequent feeding of orchids. They were able to prove that constant fertilizer leads to a decrease in the immunity of the plant, which is why it is more susceptible to a variety of diseases. Therefore, it is best not to fertilize the orchid at all, since it gets all the nutrients from the substrate, but this method only works when the substrate changes every 2 years. Compliance with these rules requires orchid care after purchase in the store.
Critical moments
If the orchid blossoms and looks quite healthy, that is, there is no rot, no blackening of the leaves, then transplantation is not necessary, because the plant spends all its energy on flowering. You can transplant an orchid when this period ends. There are situations in which an orchid needs to be transplanted after purchase.
A flower cannot stand on its own in a pot. This situation may occur due to the fact that the leaves formed on one side of the plant and protrude beyond the borders of the pot, the orchid overturns. It happens that the peduncle with the support is significantly deviated, and the plant is deprived of balance. In both cases, transplantation is an effective method of solving the problem.
A small amount of substrate in a pot. An orchid cannot stand in it. In this case, the support for the peduncle will also begin to bend over and turn over the flower with the pot. There are two options for correcting the situation:
- to add a substrate;
- transplant into another, larger pot.
The plant has root problems. For example, in a phalaenopsis orchid, you can look at the problematic roots through a transparent pot. If a large number of damaged roots are found: about half or more of all visible ones, then the orchid will have to be transplanted. In this case, it is necessary to cut off all the spoiled roots and plant the flower in another substrate.
It is likely that you will have to sacrifice flowers. It will be necessary to cut the peduncle, but the plant itself will be preserved. If there are few roots (less than 20%), then they will not be able to extend the flowering of orchids. The death of the lower leaves is possible, since the remaining roots are not able to saturate a large number of leaves. But panic in this situation is not necessary. If the roots remain, then orchid leaves will grow. Care, transplant after purchase are also necessary flower.
You want to see your flower in another pot. You can transplant an orchid or put a plastic pot in a beautiful flower pot, which should be transparent or half transparent. Caring for an orchid after shopping in the store also requires compliance with these rules.
Correct Orchid Transplant
First you need to carefully remove the plant along with the soil from the pot. If you are unable to do so, then you need to cut the pot so as not to touch the flower. Then the flower and soil must be put in a container of warm water so that it gets wet there.
Then, with the help of a shower, carefully wash off the remains of the substrate from the roots. Here it is necessary to inspect the flower well and cut off all the damage to the roots, and sprinkle the places of cuts with charcoal. After that, place the orchid on a paper towel so that moisture can evaporate from it.
At this time, lay out a layer of expanded clay or ceramic shards in a pot about 5 cm high from the bottom so that the water penetrates unhindered down.
After this, you can pour a substrate with a height of 5 cm, in it we place a dried orchid. Near her, a stake is driven in to tie up the drooping stems, if any. From above it is necessary to add soil and press it with a palm so that it is a little donkey.
The composition of the best substrate for orchids includes charcoal, fern root, spruce, pine, birch or oak bark, polystyrene, moss and peat. Acquire it more expediently in finished form.
Observing these simple rules, you can be sure that they will appreciate the orchid. Home care after purchase will pay off handsomely.