Orchid is a flower of incredible beauty. Legends are written about her and poems dedicated, she is presented as a sign of eternal love and devotion. Like any beauty, an orchid is very capricious and demanding to care for and does not forgive inattention.
Breeding this beautiful flower is not an easy task. From 20 thousand varieties of this exotic plant at home, a little more than 10 is possible for keeping and breeding. How to plant an orchid for a beginner? Perhaps the most optimal is to try to grow phalaenopsis - a butterfly orchid.
Phalaenopsis - Butterfly Orchid
Orchid Planting Requirements
If you buy a flower in a specialized store, then it makes sense to ask consultants how to plant an orchid. As a rule, trained personnel work in such stores and will be able to give extensive advice on all issues.
Transportation should be carried out in a closed bag, avoiding draft. After the flower left the greenhouse or shelf of the flower shop and ended up in its habitat, it is necessary to provide him with the conditions for adaptation. You should not immediately put the orchid in other colors, and if there was no place for it on the windowsill, you can put the plant on a table or bedside table.
For your information! It takes about 14 days for the flower to fully settle in the new place.
Soil preparation
Since the butterfly orchid takes nutrients from the moisture washing its roots during rains, the soil does not serve as a source of plant nutrition, but to keep it upright. It must be air- and moisture-permeable, have the ability to retain nutrients and completely dry in 3-4 days. In addition, the soil for orchids should consist of large fractions that transmit light. This is due to the fact that the process of photosynthesis in phalaenopsis, as in other representatives of orchids, occurs not only in the leaves, but also in the roots.
In addition to the fact that today a special soil that fully meets all the needs of the plant can be bought in a specialized store, you can do it yourself. To do this, you need bark of pine or oak 1.5–2 cm in size, roots of forest fern, chopped sphagnum moss.
For drainage, you can use pieces of cork or charcoal, as well as coconut fiber. The use of inorganic components - expanded clay and pebbles is also allowed.
Important! In no case should you use land and peat.
All components intended for planting an orchid require careful preparation, especially for bark and moss. The bark removed from the dried tree must be boiled for 30 minutes. Moss should be poured with boiling water and left for 2-3 hours. The roots of the fern should be thoroughly washed. All components of the soil for orchids must be treated with an antifungal composition.
When laying the soil in the pot, do not tamp or crush the mixture. Correctly selected ratio of all soil ingredients is another need for a comfortable existence of orchids at home.
Soil for orchids
Capacity selection
And there are some nuances.
Plastic pots
How to plant an orchid in a pot? The choice of a pot for growing orchids is another important condition for the flower to feel comfortable in the house. For phalaenopsis, an optimal pot will be that meets the following requirements:
- provides drainage of soil;
- provides air circulation;
- provides temperature stability;
- provides the ability to extract plants without the risk of damage to the roots.
Also important is the material from which the pot for orchids is made. The most correct solution for a beginner would be to opt for a transparent plastic pot. This is dictated by the fact that it will be possible to make additional drainage holes - holes in the bottom of the pot.
In addition, plastic maintains temperature well and tolerates sunlight. In favor of the pot made of plastic is the fact that it can be easily cut if the roots of the orchid grow.
For your information! An ideal choice would be a special pot for orchids in the form of a crown.
Plastic pot
Ceramic pots
Ceramic pots are advisable to choose for those who have behind them the experience of how to grow orchids, and are able to determine the state of the flower by eye. Despite the fact that ceramic pots have drainage leads, are able to provide aeration and temperature conditions, they have a number of significant drawbacks.
Firstly, the roots of the plant may grow to the porous walls of the pot. Secondly, there is no way to monitor the state of the root system. Thirdly, a glazed pot is not able to pass air.
If a ceramic pot is still selected for planting an orchid, then you should carefully monitor the regime of watering the plant, avoiding overmoistening of the soil.
Note! Before planting an orchid in a ceramic pot, you need to calcine it in the oven and treat it with disinfectants.
Ceramic pots
Glass vessels
Orchids look very impressive in glass vessels. However, the formation of condensate on the walls of the vessel and the danger of the appearance of green algae on the roots will require additional measures to create conditions for the existence of the plant. If the choice is made in favor of glass vessels, then it will be necessary to carry out soil replacement about 2-3 times a year.
Regardless of which particular pot will be selected for planting an orchid, it is important not to make a mistake with its size. To achieve optimal comfort conditions for the existence of phalaenopsis, the height of the pot should be proportional to the diameter of the neck. The root system should fit freely in the pot, not reaching the walls by 3-4 cm.
Glass jar
Other types of orchids for home
In addition to butterflies, flower growers choose the following varieties:
Wanda
Phalaenopsis orchid is not the only representative of orchids that can exist outside of the wild. For example, a vanda orchid, whose homeland is India, can feel quite comfortable in an apartment.
How to plant an orchid vanda? The requirements for its content are somewhat different from those required by the phalaenopsis. Wanda, unlike phalaenopsis, who prefer diffused light, feels great in a well-lit place.
For your information! However, to avoid burns, direct sunlight on leaves and flowers should still be avoided.
In addition, Wanda is extremely thermophilic. The most acceptable temperature for these orchids will be 16 ° C at night and up to 30 ° C during the day. The optimum humidity for the vanda depends on the temperature: the higher the temperature, the higher the humidity. And in order to prevent root decay, a constant flow of fresh air should be ensured. Like phalaenopsis, vanda is an epiphyte, which means that the soil requirements are the same. Watering a vanda can be done in several ways:
- immersion. For a few seconds, place the pot with the plant in a container of water and allow excess liquid to drain;
- irrigation with warm water. This method is most preferred for vanda. It happens like this: a wanda is placed in a bath and poured out of the shower with warm water until the roots turn green. After an hour, it is necessary to dry the leaves from moisture;
- spraying. Some vandal breeders prefer this particular method of watering, as in this case, water from the roots evaporates quickly. So that the plant does not suffer from a lack of moisture with this method of irrigation, you need to increase the frequency of spraying.
With proper care, a vanda can bloom up to 12 weeks. By a decrease in flowering intensity or a sluggish appearance, the plant will make it clear that something is going wrong.
Orchid Wanda
Venus slipper
Another representative of orchids, which is able to feel normal at home - is Paphiopedilum or, as it is called for its peculiar appearance, a venus slipper. How to plant an orchid that looks like a shoe of a goddess?
This orchid is a lithophyte, preferring crevices of rocks filled with humus. For placement of this orchid, a window sill oriented to the northeast or northwest is preferable. In addition, the venus slipper is able to withstand slight dimming. The temperature of this unusual orchid is 18-25 ° С. For the content of Paphiopedilum, you can choose a ceramic or opaque plastic pot.
For your information! Ground requirements, in general, are the same as for other orchids. However, the venus shoe will be grateful if charcoal and previously disinfected coarse-grained river sand are added to the soil.
This orchid prefers frequent and plentiful watering. However, to prevent rotting, it is important to dry the roots regularly. Humidity, which prefers a venus shoe, ranges from 60-80%. It is ensured by the fact that the pot is placed on a tray with water and expanded clay.
As a rule, a venus slipper blooms in late autumn. Each outlet forms a single peduncle with one shoe. The presence of an opened flower suggests that the plant is quite content.
Orchid Venus slipper
Orchid breeding at home
Orchid cultivation is possible in several ways - stem offspring (children), cuttings and seeds. At home, the first option is preferred.
Children are young shoots that appear on the root buds. Planting material that already has the rudiments of its own root system is preferred. Ready for transplantation, a baby is considered a process that has a formed root system and 3-4 leaves.
After the baby is neatly separated from the mother plant, it is necessary to sprinkle the cut with charcoal. This is done in order to avoid the development of diseases and decay of the roots. Cut deck, after drying for 3 hours, must be planted in moist soil.
The first few days, you should refrain from watering, limiting yourself to spraying from a finely divided spray gun. When the young orchid is finally rooted, you can take care of the plant as usual.
Orchid kids
Care and maintenance
The conditions for keeping orchids in the apartment are significantly different from natural. Sometimes a plant surrounded by care refuses to give color. The reason may be a lack of certain nutrients. Feeding orchids should fully compensate for the lack of elements such as potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, boron, etc. In fertilizers specially designed for epiphytes, all the necessary substances are contained in a balanced ratio. In addition, it is important to maintain a feeding schedule.
Important! Strict adherence to fertilizer instructions is another factor that ensures the orchid's continued existence.
Planting an orchid at home, observing its life cycle is a fascinating process, on the one hand, similar to a complex scientific experiment, on the other - a miracle, the result of which will be a flower of amazing beauty.
