Orchids are exquisite and whimsical flowers. In the old days, for a rare unusual specimen, connoisseurs laid out a tidy sum. About how to grow an orchid at home, ordinary inhabitants had no idea. Breeding these tropical sissies was a difficult task, requiring a substantial investment, and was considered the fun of millionaires.
Today the situation has changed: many new varieties and hybrids have appeared that are unpretentious in maintenance, people have learned to propagate orchids vegetatively, and the flower departments offer many beautiful plants at an affordable price.
Which orchids can live indoors
Orchids grow on all continents except Antarctica, in different climatic zones and natural conditions. They include 100 thousand varieties and species, and only a small part of the plants is suitable for indoor maintenance.
To know how to grow an orchid at home and what conditions to create for it, you need to consider that they are all divided into three groups:
- epiphytes - grow using other plants as support;
- lithophytes - grow on stones covered with moss;
- terrestrial - those that grow in the ground.
One genus can include both epiphytic and lithophytic orchids.
The most common of all are epiphytes, it is on their basis that the most spectacular hybrids are created with large flowers of bright elegant colors. How to grow orchids at home can be mastered by any pensioner if she chooses one of the species that do not need special conditions.
The easiest orchids to grow that even a beginner can grow are:
- cattleya;
- phalaenopsis and its hybrids;
- dendrobiums;
- cymbidiums, including miniature ones;
- Ocindium and related genera;
- odontoglossum.
They easily put up with dry air, lack of light and some flaws in the content.
They are placed on the windowsill in special pots or hung in blocks and baskets, simulating natural growth conditions. Orchids need careful moderate watering, a special substrate and special liquid fertilizers. In captivity, the flowers grow well, and 2-3 times a year delight with long flowering.
Reproduction: division, sowing
The easiest way to replenish the collection is to go to the nearest store. There you can choose a well-developed plant with buds and flowers, evaluate the condition of its roots and the brightness of the color.
How to grow an orchid at home from alreadyexisting plant? This can be done by division, cuttings, babies and seeds.
If you want to propagate a copy living in the house in the first two ways, you need to consider a few points:
- Only an adult he althy and strong plant is suitable for these purposes.
- One month before dividing or planting, stop watering and fertilizing, put in a bright but not sunny place, spray periodically.
- Tools need to be disinfected.
- All cuts and wounds are treated with charcoal (brilliant green, cinnamon).
The best time for breeding is the beginning of spring.
How to raise a baby orchid
In dendrobiums, babies are formed due to a violation of the cycle in care, phalaenopsis give them when they lose their growth point. Some hybrids constantly produce babies on peduncles: this is their genetic feature.
It takes about 3 months from the beginning of the appearance of children on the plant to their separation, during which time they release 3-4 leaves, and the roots should grow by 3-4 cm. If they are not separated, the growth of the leaves will stop, and the roots will develop rapidly. Young plants can bloom, during this period they do not produce separation.
Seed Orchid
One way to grow an orchid at home is to sow seeds. The method is the most complex of all, and also costly. It is necessary to acquire a special substance, observe sterility and exercise patience. The smallest seeds are placed in a nutrient medium and germinate afterseveral months. The sprouts are very tender, and you have to wait another 2 years before transplanting. They will bloom only after 3-5 years, and the orchie Venus slipper may release buds for the first time in 10 years.
