The popularity of orchids is growing year by year, and almost every grower has Cattleya, Phalaenopsis or Dendrobium in his collection. There are many materials on how to care for them, but during reproduction there are some subtleties, without which you cannot get strong offspring. It has been established that, using the vegetative method of propagation, up to three new ones are obtained from one plant, about 10 by cuttings, and several thousand at once by seeds. Which method is better to choose and how to propagate an orchid through a peduncle, we will consider further.
Classification by type of growth
All types of orchids are divided into two large groups according to their characteristic features of growth:
- Sympodial - plants consist of numerous shoots, which are interconnected by a rhizome. This is a modified stem that crawls along the surface of the substrate, from the nodes of which leaves and pseudobulbs are formed with bunches of young roots. They have several growth points, and each new sprout turns into a pseudobulb (a thickened orchid stem with a supply of nutrients). To suchtype includes "lelia", "cattleya", "dendrobium".
- Monopodial - they do not have rhizomes and pseudobulbs, but contain one vertical stem and only one apical growth point. Growth is carried out by elongation of the stem and the laying of leaves at the top. In the axils, between the leaves, buds are laid. They form lateral peduncles or axillary aerial roots. Over time, the leaves grow old and die from below, and the young ones develop higher along the shoot. Representatives of this type are Phalaenopsis and Vanda.
The type of orchid to some extent depends on its method of reproduction.
How to propagate?
For beginners who are interested in growing orchids, the question of how to propagate an orchid at home is very important. There are only two ways that exist for breeding these beautiful plants by flower growers:
- Vegetative - is called asexual. For reproduction in this case, various parts of the mother plant are used - pseudobulbs, cuttings, layering, children, side shoots, dividing the bush. New individuals with this method of reproduction retain all the genetic properties of the mother plant.
- Generative - otherwise it is called sexual. The plant reproduces with the help of seeds. It is complex, long and painstaking. The seeds are very small and require strict rules for growing them. Moreover, the resulting orchid from seeds may be completely different from the mother plant.
Bat home, the method of propagation by seeds is practically not used, cuttings and dividing the bush are more often used.
Using a peduncle to propagate "phalaenopsis"
Phalaenopsis orchids are often used to propagate with a peduncle. This uses:
- Baby with roots. They appear as lateral processes on the peduncle. Grows fast with proper care and transplanting is very easy.
- Shanks. The peduncle removed from the plant is cut into pieces, which are rooted.
The highest quality flower stalks of "phalaenopsis" appear in late autumn. And after flowering, no later than three months, they can be used for reproduction. At a later date after the end of flowering, the material is not used as planting.
Propagation by cuttings
Propagation of orchids by cuttings of the peduncle is considered one of the easiest and least expensive ways. To do this, follow these steps:
- Cut the peduncle from the plant close to the base. Treat the cuts with charcoal powder.
- Cut at an angle cuttings 5–7 centimeters long so that each of them has a kidney as close as possible to the bottom cut.
- In shallow, but wide enough containers with cut sphagnum moss and moistened with water with a biostimulant, spread the peduncle cuttings horizontally.
- Planting when propagating an orchid with a peduncle, cover with film or glass, put in a warm and well-litplace. Ventilate daily and, when dry, spray the cuttings with a solution that accelerates root formation.
- When two pairs of leaves and roots up to 5 centimeters long appear, the cuttings are ready for planting in the ground.
- When transplanting, the dead parts must be carefully separated and the shoot placed in the soil for orchids.
Raising babies
The baby orchid is a natural clone of the mother plant. She, in fact, is a small formed orchid that has a stem, roots and leaves, and in some cases also produces a small peduncle. But it happens that after the end of flowering it is necessary to stimulate the forcing of shoots. How to successfully grow an orchid baby from a peduncle? To do this, use the following methods:
- Difference between day and night temperatures. Night set 18-20, and day 28-30 degrees. Moreover, they provide high air humidity due to spraying and placing trays with pebbles filled with water. Daylight hours due to artificial lighting are extended to 12 hours.
- Sunbathing. For one hour a day in early spring, the orchid is exposed to direct sunlight. It is necessary to ensure that the leaves do not turn a dark purple hue. In this case, the procedure is canceled.
- Artificial drought. Within two weeks, the plant is not watered, but protected from direct sunlight. The roots become gray-silver in color, after waiting another two days, they moisten the soil. Due to the resulting stress, the plant is activated and shoots out.
- Feeding with fertilizer containing increaseddose of nitrogen. The method presents some risk, and the orchid sometimes dies from an excess of nitrogenous fertilizer. Therefore, use it with caution.
Reproduction by babies
One of the most common ways to propagate orchids is to plant babies. The offspring are separated from the peduncles two months after flowering, usually this happens in the spring. Growth buds on peduncles are formed on plants older than two years of age, with at least four he althy leaves. There is no consensus on the time of separation of the children from the mother plant. Some believe that it is necessary to cut off the offspring when roots appear, while others - when a couple of leaves grow. Step-by-step instructions for propagating orchids with peduncles:
- Separate the baby from the peduncle. Decontaminate sections and leave outdoors to dry for a day.
- Make drainage holes in transparent cups. Fill them with a chopped mixture of fern root, pine bark and sphagnum moss in a ratio of 1:3:1.
- Moisten the substrate, plant offspring and place the container in a makeshift greenhouse or greenhouse. Put it in a warm place with a temperature of up to 25 degrees and bright diffused light.
- Planting during propagation of an orchid with a peduncle should be ventilated and moistened daily using a solution of a root growth stimulator.
- A pair of lower leaves may turn yellow, but do not cut them. They are necessary to nourish the newly formed roots. Over time, they will dry out and fall off on their own.
- When the roots reach 4–5 cm, the orchidtransplant into the ground.
The procedure for growing children to an adult orchid takes a long time and takes about a year.
Peduncle for orchid propagation
How to use it to breed flowers? There are several ways to propagate Phalaenopsis orchids at home. One is as follows:
- Cut off the children from the peduncle, process the slices with crushed charcoal and give them time to dry during the day.
- Heat water slightly above room temperature, dissolve succinic acid in it to activate biological processes and take half a glass of the finished solution.
- In the morning, place the baby in the liquid prepared the day before so that about 2 mm remains from its bottom to the water. For convenience, use foam, in which you need to cut a hole and place the baby above the surface of the water.
- After six hours, take it out and leave it to dry until the next morning.
- All actions are repeated until roots grow up to 5 cm. Water is changed daily.
- Sprouted baby planted in ready soil for orchids.
This method is also suitable for resuscitation of plants that have lost their roots for some reason.
Use of stimulants
To propagate an orchid with a peduncle at home, the following method is also used:
- Cut a faded peduncle from an orchid.
- Put it in warm, well-settled or rain water, in which you first add a tabletactivated carbon in 200 ml of water or potassium permanganate crystals, making the solution pale pink. To activate development, you can use succinic acid or a biostimulant for root growth.
- Cover the container with a glass cap or plastic bag and place in a sunny place.
- Every day, do airing and spray with a solution of "Epin" or "Kornevin".
Instead of biostimulants for propagating an orchid with a peduncle, special fertilizers intended for plants are sometimes used, making the concentration approximately half that indicated in the instructions:
- Change the water every four days.
- Due to high humidity, heat and light exposure and the presence of stimulating drugs at growth points, babies are formed.
The offspring are cut and rooted according to the above recommendations.
Reproduction of "phalinopsis"
The following methods of propagating Phalaenopsis orchids are known:
- By dividing - the upper part of the plant is cut off and rooted, while the lower part continues to grow.
- Cuttings - for cutting cuttings, use the arrows of the peduncle containing dormant buds. New orchids grow from rooted cuttings.
- Children - one of the most popular ways. Small orchids grow on the flower stalks of the plant, which are separated and rooted.
- Seeds - rarely used because of the difficulty of growing, but they get an orchid that is completely different from the one from which they were takenseeds.
Propagation cuttings
Propagation of orchids by cuttings at home is more often carried out in monopodial plants and is not used very often. Although this method has an advantage - in one season you can get the desired number of new orchids. The best period for cuttings is active growth after flowering has ended. About 15 cm are cut from a he althy stem with an air root with a sharp sterile knife. The sections are treated with activated charcoal, and the stalk is deepened into a new pot. After some time, new shoots will appear on the cut stem. Only the top is left, the rest are cut off so that they do not take food from the orchid. The resulting new shoots are also rooted. For propagation of "phalaenopsis" cuttings are performed somewhat differently. To do this:
- Choose three or four pseudobulbs at the age of two years.
- Cut into several parts so that each contains a node with a kidney.
- Disinfect sections and let dry.
- The cuttings are buried in wet moss.
Plastic bags are put on the containers and constant humidity and temperature are maintained, airing daily. This regime is maintained for two months.
Proper reproduction of "phalaenopsis" with a peduncle
To get a he althy trunk, you must follow simple rules for reproduction and follow these tips:
- Take planting material only from he althy plants.
- Sterilize all used instruments.
- Conduct disinfection of sections.
- Forplanting use disinfected soil.
- In greenhouses, withstand the required humidity and temperature conditions.
If these conditions are met, a he althy sprout will soon appear. For reproduction of "phalaenopsis" use several methods:
- Cuttings - planting material is selected from a plant with an age of at least two years.
- Peduncles - orchid propagation is carried out when it has at least four full leaves, after flowering. On the taken part of the arrow, the presence of a dormant dot is mandatory. The peduncle is used as follows. Place it in a glass container with water and germinate the kidneys at a certain temperature. Children are cut from the peduncle and planted in containers for growing. Cuttings are cut and germinated in greenhouses with moss, after which they are planted in separate pots.
All methods give he althy offspring, subject to the rules for taking material and rearing.
Tips & Tricks
Experienced flower growers who have been growing orchids for a long time give the following recommendations:
- Moist soil is needed for good establishment of cuttings until 2-3 leaf nodes appear.
- After the roots grow 5 cm long, the sprouts are planted in new pots.
- Tip cuttings are often used for propagation.
- For the bookmark and the appearance of flower buds, the plant needs to arrange stress in the form of artificial drought or a sharp change in temperature.
- Bushy orchids of the sympodial type are the easiestpropagate by branch outlets with roots.
It is very important during reproduction to observe the sterility of the necessary equipment and planting material
Conclusion
Now it is clear how to propagate an orchid at home through a peduncle. The article discusses different ways to propagate these amazing indoor flowers. Now the choice is yours. You can try growing cuttings from faded flower stalks, or it will be easier to use children who are already small orchids and require only rooting. Better yet, try several breeding methods and choose the one you like best.
