Orchid is an exotic lady who has gained immense popularity among indoor plant lovers in recent years. Once upon a time, this beauty also has a period of rest, when the last flower flies from her arrow. And the owner begins to wonder: "The orchid has bloomed, what to do next with the plant and how to help the pet gather strength before the new flowering, using the rest period with the greatest benefit for the flower?"
Description
Orchid is a perennial flowering plant that belongs to the flowering department, the class of monocotyledons, the Orchidaceae or Orchis family. The family has about 30 thousand species. Orchidaceae are very diverse. They are considered the most numerous of the flowering families of plants.
Orchids are ubiquitous, including in the Arctic latitudes. But most are still tropical aborigines. The largest concentration of species is observed in Asia, on the islands of the Malay archipelago, in New Guinea, Central America and in the north of South America. Their habitat is most often mountainous regions, humid alpine forests. Orchids are much less common in lowland forests . Some species can be seen even in the savannahs with their dry climate.
Orchids can be very different in appearance, size, color of the petals and leaves. Most domestic species are epiphytic or epilithic plants. They have aerial roots covered with spongy tissue from dead cells filled with air, nourishing the orchid with moisture taken directly from the air or from the rain. The aerial roots of some species are green, they contain chlorophyll and can participate in photosynthesis.
The stems of epiphytic orchids are thick, swollen or spindle-shaped, which are called bulbs, pseudobulbs and tuberidia. Their function is to store moisture and nutrients during the rainy season, which helps to survive subsequent droughts. Terrestrial orchid species make reserves in their rhizomes and tubers. The leaves of domestic species are mostly dense and leathery, they can also store moisture and nutrition.
Orchid flowers are diverse in color and size, but their structure is based on one principle: three petal sepals alternate with three petals. Stamens 1-2, and they fused with a column of pestle, forming a column, at the top of which there is anther with several nests, and in each of them there is glued pollen (pollinia). The fruit is a box with many small seeds.
Flowering features
Orchid bloom is an unforgettable and spectacular sight. There is one old legend telling about the origin of a charming flower. It tells us that the orchid arose when the goddess Venus dropped a shoe during her love games, which sprouted and blossomed with a beautiful flower. Since then, the orchid has been considered a symbol of sexuality, and it has been credited with the ability to influence people, awakening desire in them.
Many inexperienced flower growers who are fortunate enough to possess such beauty complain that their flower rarely pleases with flowering. And, indeed, quite often with improper care, the orchid refuses to bloom. The reasons for this behavior may be, for example:
- lack of lighting;
- plant content in stuffy plastic pots;
- insufficient or excessive watering;
- poorly selected soil;
- improper feeding;
- non-compliance with the temperature regime.
To understand the plant, you must have an idea of the natural way of its growth. A home orchid is basically an epiphyte, which is used to exist and survive, attaching itself to other plants, clinging to stones and rotting stumps. For this flower, it is vital that its roots can breathe, that air circulates freely around them, and then the beauty will bloom profusely and continuously.
Being in natural conditions, the orchid does not like too much moisture. Its aerial roots provide the plant with sufficient water and nutrition, which are maintained in the air by warm rains.
At home, the orchid blooms 1 time in 3-4 months, throwing peduncles, which are straight and side stems, resembling green tubular long arrows with buds. If the conditions are sufficient, then branches with future flowers grow from the buds. Some varieties of orchids can bloom only twice a year.
And when the orchid faded, what to do next (photo in the text)? What is the right care for your favorite plant?
Dormant care
Flowering is a process that takes away a lot of energy from a plant, which requires rest time to restore. In this important period, it is important to create all the conditions for the orchid to rest. Experts advise to keep the plant dry for a while. Watering is halved, moistened only after the soil has completely dried, top dressing is temporarily prohibited. After about a month, it will be possible to restore the usual regime for the plant. Leaving after flowering will depend on the type of orchid.
- When the Dendrobium orchid bloomed, what should I do next? If the substrate has not crumbled, and the plant feels good, then do not touch anything. But if the bark has crumbled and the substrate does not dry out for a long time after watering, then a transplant is needed, but only when new pseudobulbs reach 10 cm of growth.
So, the orchid Dendrobium nobile has bloomed what to do next, it is known. A faded pseudobulb that blooms only once needs to be cut off at the base, but only when all leaves have fallen from it and it has dried. The slice must be treated with cinnamon or crushed activated carbon.
- If the Phalaenopsis orchid has faded, what should I do next? If the plant is actively looked after, then it can only increase the green mass. Therefore, he needs to arrange a little stress by reducing watering and lowering the temperature at the place of detention for several days.
- When the Cumbria orchid faded, what should I do next? Cumbria orchid does not exist in nature. This is a specially bred plant for home floriculture, and it is the most undemanding among orchids. After flowering, you can transplant it, but only in an extreme case, when the pseudobulbs are too large, and the roots occupy the entire space of the pot. She terribly does not like transplants.
What to do with a flower stalk
Currently, experts have disputes about what to do when the orchid has blossomed, and what to do next with the peduncle. After shedding flowers, the peduncle also undergoes changes. Sometimes it continues to release buds, and in other cases it dries up.
Due to the drying of the flower stalk, the orchid receives the useful substances of this late stem, which, while dry, gives food to other parts of the plant, therefore it is not recommended to remove it immediately. It is necessary to wait until the drying process is completely completed, and then cut the peduncle under the root, leaving a stump of about 1.5 cm. But this should only be done if there are no healthy kidneys on the peduncle.
If drying does not occur and the stem continues its development, this means that the orchid needs additional nutrition, alternating with simple watering, once every 2-3 weeks
Watering
When the orchid bloomed, what to do next with watering? As already mentioned, it is greatly reduced. To moisturize the root system is only with the complete drying of the soil and root, which should turn white. To see the color of the root, the pot must be transparent.
Water for irrigation must be warm (not lower than 35 ° C), it must not be poured onto the growth center in any case, since it will immediately rot and the plant will die. A pot with a plant is placed in a bowl with prepared water for 10-20 minutes so that the soil is saturated. Then they take it out and wait until the excess moisture drains.
Transfer
If the orchid has faded, what to do next? Is it worth replanting a plant if it does not resume flowering for a long time? Perhaps the plant simply did not fit its location. You can try to place it on the south window, protecting it from direct rays.
If this does not help, then it is worth changing the substrate and increasing the size of the pot by transplanting an orchid. When transplanting, special care must be taken with brittle roots. To make the bark and pieces of substrate easier to move away, the plant must be moistened before manipulation.
How to prune unnecessary roots
When the orchid bloomed, what to do next is already clear. When transplanting the roots, it is necessary to inspect and carefully remove the damaged areas, which will be black or rotten. Sprinkle the slice with charcoal. And leave the light green roots with a bright green tip.
The new pot should only be slightly larger than the old. Expanded clay should be placed at the bottom for drainage, since excess moisture is the worst enemy of orchids. A new moistened substrate must be very carefully placed between fragile roots, and the plant itself will be located further in it in a way that is convenient for it.
After the transplant, you do not need to feed the orchid; a fresh substrate is quite nutritious. For better adaptation, the plant should be placed in a bright and warm place without sudden changes in temperature. For two weeks, the orchid will remain at rest, then you can return it to its old permanent place and no longer move it.
Soil preparation
It is best to buy ready-made soil mix for orchids in a specialized store. The soil consists of humus, sphagnum moss, pieces of bark and charcoal. It has the moisture and air permeability and nutrition required for orchids.
Armed with the knowledge necessary to grow such a demanding plant as an orchid, you can easily achieve abundant and prolonged flowering from a plant, for which it is valued by lovers of home flowers.