Orchid is an exotic beauty that has gained immense popularity among indoor plant lovers in recent years. One day, 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 faded, what to do next with the plant and how to help the pet gain strength before a 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 monocots, the Orchid or Orchids family. The family includes about 30 thousand species. Orchids are very diverse. They are considered the most numerous of the flowering plant families.
Orchids are ubiquitous, including in the Arctic latitudes. But the majority is stillare tropical natives. The largest accumulation 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 areas, humid alpine forests. In the lowland forests, orchids are much less common. Some species can even be seen in the dry savannas.
Orchids can be very different in appearance, size, color of 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, feeding the orchid with moisture taken directly from the air or from 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 fusiform, 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 species of orchids store in their rhizomes and tubers. The leaves of domestic species are mostly dense and leathery, they can also store moisture and nutrition.
Orchid flowers vary in color and size, but their structure is based on the same principle: three petal-like sepals alternate with three petals. There are 1-2 stamens, and they are fused with the style of the pistil, forming a column, at the top of which there is an anther with several nests, and in each of them there is a sticky pollen (pollinium). Fruit -it is a box with many small seeds.
Features of flowering
Orchid bloom is an unforgettable and impressive sight. There is one old legend that tells about the origin of a charming flower. It tells that the orchid arose when the goddess Venus, during her love games, dropped her shoe, which sprouted and blossomed into a beautiful flower. Since then, the orchid has been considered a symbol of sexuality, and the ability to influence people, arousing desire in them, is attributed to it.
Many inexperienced flower growers who are lucky enough to own 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 can be, for example:
- lack of lighting;
- plants kept in stuffy plastic pots;
- insufficient or excessive watering;
- poorly selected soil;
- incorrect feeding;
- non-compliance with the temperature regime.
To understand a plant, you need to have an understanding of the natural way it grows. The home orchid is basically an epiphyte that is used to existing and surviving by attaching itself to other plants, clinging to rocks and rotten stumps. For this flower, it is vital that its roots can breathe, so that the air circulates freely around them, and then the beauty will bloom profusely and for a long time.
Being in natural conditions, the orchid does not liketoo much moisture. Its aerial roots provide the plant with sufficient water and nutrition, which are kept in the air by warm rains.
At home, the orchid blooms once every 3-4 months, throwing out flower stalks, which are straight and lateral 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 only bloom twice a year.
And when the orchid has faded, what to do next (photo in the text)? What is the right care for your favorite plant?
Departure during dormancy
Flowering is a process that takes a lot of energy from a plant, and rest time is needed to restore it. During this important period, it is important to create all conditions so that the orchid can 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. In about a month, it will be possible to restore the normal mode for the plant. Care after flowering will depend on the type of orchid.
When the Dendrobium orchid has faded, what to 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 the new pseudobulbs reach 10 cm in height
So, the orchid Dendrobium Nobile has faded, what to do next is known. FadedThe pseudobulb, which blooms only once, must be cut off at the base, but only when all the leaves have fallen from it, and it has dried itself. The cut must be treated with cinnamon or crushed activated carbon.
If the Phalaenopsis orchid has faded, what to 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 in the place of detention for several days
When the Cumbria orchid has faded, what to do next? Orchid Cumbria 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 as a last resort, when the pseudobulbs have grown too much, and the roots have occupied the entire space of the pot. She really doesn't like transplants
What to do with the peduncle
Currently, experts have disputes about what to do when the orchid has faded, and what to do next with the peduncle. After shedding flowers, the peduncle also undergoes changes. Sometimes it continues to bud, other times it dries up.
Due to the drying of the peduncle, the orchid receives the nutrients of this dead stem, which, while it dries, gives nutrition to other parts of the plant, so it is not recommended to immediately remove it. We must wait until the drying process is completely completed, and then cut off the peduncle under the root, leaving a stump of about 1.5see But this is only worth doing if there are no he althy buds on the peduncle.
If drying does not occur and the stem continues to develop, this means that the orchid needs additional feeding, alternating with simple watering, 1 time in 2-3 weeks
Irrigation
When the orchid has faded, what to do next with watering? As already mentioned, it is greatly reduced. It is worth moistening the root system only when the soil and the root are completely dry, 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 should not be poured onto the growth center in any case, as it will immediately rot and the plant will die. The pot with the plant is placed in a bowl of prepared water for 10-20 minutes so that the soil is saturated. Then they take it out and wait for the excess moisture to drain.
Transfer
If the orchid has faded, what to do next? Is it worth repotting 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 the orchid. When transplanting, brittle roots should be handled with extreme caution. To make the bark and pieces of the substrate move away more easily, the plant must be moistened before manipulation.
How to properly trim unwanted roots
When the orchid has faded, what to do next is already clear. When transplanting, the roots should be inspected and carefully removed.damaged areas that will be black or rotten. Sprinkle the cut with charcoal. And leave the light green roots with a bright green tip.
The new pot should only be slightly bigger than the old one. Expanded clay must be placed at the bottom for drainage, since excess moisture is the worst enemy of orchids. The new moistened substrate must be very carefully placed between the fragile roots, and the plant will further itself settle down in it as it suits it.
It is not necessary to feed the orchid after transplantation, the 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 mixture for orchids in a speci alty store. The soil consists of humus, sphagnum moss, pieces of bark and charcoal. It has the required moisture and breathability and nutritional value for orchids.
Armed with the knowledge necessary to grow a plant as demanding as the orchid, it is easy to achieve the abundant and long-lasting flowering from a plant, for which it is appreciated by lovers of home flowers.
