Orchids are the most fashionable flowers of this year forinterior decoration. If you are enchanted by their beauty, but are afraid that you will not be able to cope with the care of these flowers, we will help you. The editors have studied the issue of caring for orchids and compiled a short guide, which, we hope, will be useful to you too. The queen of flowers - that's what someone said about the orchid. The editors of Roomble have seen this from personal experience, and now we want to share it with you. In this article, we tell you how to care for this capricious, but very beautiful plant, even if you are a real "teapot" in floriculture, and also share wonderful photos of the editor-in-chief Oksana Kashenko from "Tropical Winter".
The adaptation period of any is stress.For people, for animals, and especially for plants. That is why, after getting from the store to your home, your orchid must first go through an adaptation period. How to organize it: place it separately from other flowers, do not fertilize the soil, try not to water it, and avoid exposing the orchid to direct sunlight. The adaptation period should last about two weeks. Why is it necessary? First of all, so that the plant gets used to the new environment, and also so that you can determine the presence of potential flower pests. After the quarantine is over, gradually accustom the orchid to the sun and watering.
Temperature A comfortable temperature regime for an orchid should be chosen based on what type it belongs to. So, orchids are:
- heat-loving - native to the tropics, they require year-round warm conditions (summer daytime temperatures should be 15-32 ºС, and winter night temperatures from 15 to 18 ºС);
- medium-temperature - mountain tropical species, kept in cooler conditions (summer daytime temperatures range from 18 to 22 ºС, winter night temperatures range from 12 to 15 ºС);
- cold-loving - high-mountain or subtropical flowers, suitable for maintenance at the lowest temperature (summer daytime - 22 ºС, winter nighttime - from 12 to 15 ºС).
Our opinion:— As we have found out, most species sold in our stores will feel comfortable at a temperature of 18-27 ºС during the day and 13-24 ºС at night. Lighting Properly selected lighting is the main guarantee of a long life for your beautiful orchid. With sufficient light, it will bloom regularly, otherwise you will see lifeless yellowed leaves. When organizing lighting for an orchid, follow three basic rules.
- Avoid exposing the flower to direct sunlight. Orchids love a lot of light, but it must be scattered.
- In summer, the flower should be shaded - this is necessary to protect it from too active sunlight and to prevent leaf burns. Plastic or matte film will help you with this.
- Remember about the length of daylight. The norm for an orchid is 12 hours. If the natural daylight is less than 10 hours, use additional artificial lighting.
Watering In the natural habitat of orchidsare almost never in water, and their roots really don't like stagnant moisture. That's why in the case of this flower it's better to under-water than over-water. The orchid only needs active moistening during the flowering and intensive growth period. You can water the flower in two ways: from above or by lowering the pot or basket into a container with settled warm water.
Fertilizer Like many houseplants,needs additional feeding with nutrients. But it should be fertilized only during the growth period once every 2-3 weeks and in no case should it be touched during cold weather and during the dormant phase. Fertilizers for orchids can be bought at any flower shop, and the proportions can be read on the packaging. Bona Forte, Pocon and Greenworld are suitable for it. Remember that too frequent feeding weakens the orchid's natural immunity, so you should not get carried away with adding fertilizers.
Repotting Most orchids don't do very well.tolerate transplants, so they should be done as rarely as possible. Please note that after purchase, this flower can live in the original substrate for two to three years, so you should not rush to "move", unless the orchid was planted in sphagnum moss in the store. You can understand that the plant needs to be replanted by the following signs:
- substrate donkey, a lot of free space appeared in the pot;
- the roots have changed color from green to brown or gray;
- decay of leaves began;
- orchid looks weak and faded.
Our opinion:— It is very important to be careful when replanting. The flower is removed from the pot along with the soil, and if this cannot be done delicately, it is better to sacrifice the pot and cut it than to damage the plant. First aid Finally, we would like to give a few frequently asked questions “What to do if”, the answers to which we, of course, found. — What to do if the leaf has cracked in the center? — A crack along the central vein usually means overfeeding with nitrogen fertilizers. To prevent this on other leaves, do not fertilize the orchid for at least two months and water it with clean water. — What to do if sticky drops appear on the orchid? — Most likely, this is a normal physiological process - transpiration. But sometimes such drops can signal the presence of mites or other parasites. To protect the plant, carefully examine it just in case. — What to do if the orchid has not bloomed for the third year? — If the roots and leaves look healthy, try feeding the flower with fertilizers, but only in the warm season, when the growth phase and tops are growing. Also remember that the orchid blooms in the dry period, during which it is necessary to provide maximum lighting and water only when necessary - sometimes only once every 3-4 weeks. — What to do if the windowsill is too stuffy from the radiator, and there is too little light further from the window? — Try looking for any flower stand in a flower shop. In particular, you can find special stands for the windowsill there, which will provide the orchid with a safe distance from the hot air.
Photos by Oksana Kashenko.
