How to plant an orchid: examples in a pot and at home
Content:
Orchid is a flower of incredible beauty. Legends are made about her and poetry is dedicated, she is presented as a sign of eternal love and devotion. Like any beauty, the orchid is very capricious and demanding to care for and does not forgive inattention.
Breeding this beautiful flower is not a simple matter. Of the 20 thousand varieties of this exotic plant at home, it is possible to keep and breed a little more than 10. How to plant an orchid for a beginner? Perhaps the most optimal would be to try to grow a phalaenopsis - a butterfly orchid.
Phalaenopsis - butterfly orchid
Orchid planting requirements
If the purchase of a flower is carried out 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 provide detailed advice on all issues.
Transportation should be carried out in a closed bag, avoiding drafts. After the flower has left the greenhouse or the shelf of the flower shop and ended up in its permanent habitat, it is necessary to provide it with conditions for adaptation. You should not immediately put the orchid to other flowers, and if there is no room for it on the windowsill, you can place the plant on a table or bedside table.
Soil preparation
Since the butterfly orchid takes nutrients from the moisture that washes its roots during rains, the soil does not serve as a source of nutrition for the plant, but to keep it upright. It should be air and moisture permeable, have the ability to retain nutrients and dry completely in 3-4 days. In addition, orchid soil should be composed of large fractions that allow light to pass through. This is due to the fact that the process of photosynthesis in phalaenopsis, like 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 a plant can be bought in a specialized store, you can make it yourself. This will require pine or oak bark 1.5-2 cm in size, forest fern roots, chopped sphagnum moss.
For drainage, you can use pieces of balsa wood or charcoal, as well as coconut fiber. It is also allowed to use inorganic components - expanded clay and pebbles.
All components intended for planting an orchid require careful preparation, especially for bark and moss. Bark removed from a dried tree must be boiled for 30 minutes. Moss should be poured with boiling water and left for 2-3 hours. Fern roots should be thoroughly rinsed. All orchid soil components must be treated with an antifungal agent.
When laying soil in a pot, do not tamp or crush the mixture. Correctly selected ratio of all soil ingredients is another necessity for the comfortable existence of an orchid at home.
Soil for orchids
Choice of capacity
And there are some nuances here.
Plastic pots
How to plant an orchid in a pot? Choosing a pot for growing orchids is another important condition for the flower to feel comfortable in the house.For phalaenopsis, a pot that meets the following requirements will be optimal:
- provides soil drainage;
- provides air circulation;
- provides temperature stability;
- provides the ability to extract the plant without the risk of damaging the roots.
The material from which the orchid pot is made is also important. The most correct decision 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 retains temperature well and tolerates sunlight. In favor of the plastic pot is the fact that it can be easily cut in case of overgrowth of orchid roots.
Plastic pot
Ceramic pots
It is advisable to choose ceramic pots for those who have experience in how to grow orchid plants and are able to determine the state of the flower by eye. Despite the fact that ceramic pots have drainage leads and are able to provide aeration and temperature control, they have a number of significant disadvantages.
First, it is possible that the roots of the plant grow to the porous walls of the pot. Secondly, there is no way to track the state of the root system. Thirdly, a pot covered with glaze is not able to let air through.
If a ceramic pot is still chosen for planting an orchid, then you should more closely monitor the watering regime of the plant, avoiding waterlogging of the soil.
Ceramic pots
Glass vessels
Orchids look very impressive in glass vessels. However, the formation of condensation 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 you will need to replace the soil about 2-3 times a year.
Regardless of which pot is chosen for planting an orchid, it is important not to be mistaken 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 vessel
Other types of orchids for home conditions
In addition to the butterfly, flower growers choose the following varieties:
Wanda
The Phalaenopsis orchid is not the only orchid species that can exist outside the wild. For example, the Vanda orchid, which is native to India, can feel quite comfortable in an apartment.
How to plant a vanda orchid correctly? The requirements for its content are somewhat different from those required for phalaenopsis. Wanda, unlike Phalaenopsis, who prefer diffused light, feels great in a well-lit place.
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 a wanda depends on the temperature: the higher the temperature, the higher the humidity. And in order to prevent root decay, a constant supply of fresh air should be provided. Like phalaenopsis, wanda is an epiphyte, which means that the requirements for the soil are the same. Watering a wanda can be done in several ways:
- immersion. For a few seconds, place the pot with the plant in a container of water and drain off excess liquid;
- irrigation with warm water. This is the preferred method for the Wanda.It happens like this: the wanda is placed in a bathtub and poured with warm water from the shower until the roots turn green. After an hour, it is necessary to dry the leaves from moisture;
- spraying. Some wanda breeders prefer this method of watering, as in this case the water from the roots quickly evaporates. So that the plant does not suffer from a lack of moisture with this method of irrigation, it is necessary to increase the frequency of spraying.
With proper care, vanda can bloom for up to 12 weeks. By reducing the intensity of flowering or a sluggish appearance, the plant will make it clear that something is wrong.
Orchid wanda
Lady's slipper
Another representative of orchids that is able to feel normal at home is papiopedilum or, as it is called for its peculiar appearance, the lady's slipper. How to plant a goddess-like orchid?
This orchid is a lithophyte, preferring humus-filled rock crevices. For placement of this orchid, a windowsill oriented to the northeast or northwest is preferable. In addition, the lady's slipper is able to withstand slight darkening. The keeping temperature of this unusual orchid is 18-25 ° C. You can choose a ceramic or an opaque plastic pot for keeping papiopedilum.
This orchid prefers frequent and abundant watering. However, it is important to dry the roots regularly to avoid rotting. The humidity, which the lady's slipper prefers, ranges from 60-80%. It is ensured by placing the pot on a pallet with water and expanded clay.
As a rule, the lady's slipper blooms in late autumn. Each rosette forms a single peduncle with one shoe. The presence of an opening flower indicates that the plant is quite satisfied with the conditions of detention.
Orchid lady's slipper
Breeding an orchid at home
Breeding an orchid is possible in several ways - by stem offspring (children), cuttings and seeds. At home, the first option is preferable.
Babies are young shoots that appear on root buds. Planting material that already has the beginnings of its own root system is preferable. A baby is a ready-to-transplant process that has a formed root system and 3-4 leaves.
After the baby is carefully 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 root rot. The cut deck, after drying for 3 hours, must be planted in damp ground.
For the first few days, you should refrain from watering, limiting yourself to spraying from a finely dispersed spray bottle. When the young orchid is completely rooted, you can take care of the plant as usual.
Orchid babies
Care and maintenance
The conditions for keeping an orchid in an apartment are significantly different from natural ones. Sometimes a cared-for plant refuses to give color. The reason may be a lack of certain nutrients. Top dressing of orchids should completely compensate for the lack of such elements as potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, boron, etc. In fertilizers specially designed for epiphytes, all the necessary substances are contained in a balanced ratio. It is also important to adhere to the feeding schedule.
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, like a miracle, the result of which will be a flower of amazing beauty.
