Currently, beautifully blooming orchids are a very common gift and a wonderful decoration for any home. But they bloom wonderfully in the store and only for a short period in the apartment, and after flowering they die. In this regard, the opinion is increasingly spreading that these beautiful flowers are not able to take root in room conditions and require special care.
Comfort and attention
But avoiding bad results when keeping an orchid in the house is quite easy. To do this, you need to create the right care for the orchid after buying it in the store. If you are going to start such a plant, you need to be prepared for the fact that it can give a rather sharp reaction to a change in the microclimate: sometimes the flowers of an orchid fade sharply or the buds dry up.
Don't despair, because this is the normal behavior of a plant when changing its place of residence. Caring for a room orchid after purchase comes down to a few rules. It is necessary to create comfortable conditions for the plant so that it quickly adapts to new conditions.
Orchid adaptation
For the orchid to endure stress fromminimal losses, perfectly adapted to an unusual environment and did not harm other flowers in your house, it is necessary to provide her with a kind of quarantine for about 2 weeks.
To do this, it must be placed away from other plants. If there is not enough space for the orchid on the windowsill, it can be placed on a pedestal or in another convenient place. But here you need to understand that a newly acquired flower must be protected from direct sunlight. In addition, it is not necessary to feed the orchid with fertilizers during the adaptation time, which are often recommended by sellers when buying it.
Correct watering
Equally important when caring for an orchid is how to properly water it. It should be clarified that in their natural habitat, most of these flowers never stay in water, so their roots are not able to tolerate stagnant moisture. However, each type of orchid has its own specific watering. Phalaenopsis orchid prefers moist soil throughout the entire time. Post-purchase care also comes down to proper watering. Dendrobiums love drier soil and should only be watered when the soil dries out.
Which is better, overfilling or underfilling
However, all orchids are more adapted to the lack of moisture than to waterlogging. The flower needs an excess amount of water only during the period of active growth and flowering. In the case of water deficiency, the orchid shrinks pseudobulbs and leaves. If there is excess moisture,the leaves turn yellowish and soak, and the roots become rotten.
In winter, when there is very little light, you should not water the orchid abundantly. In addition, she does not need much moisture after flowering, that is, during the dormant period.
Care for orchids in a pot after purchase, watering secrets
Correct watering of a home orchid consists in moistening the substrate with soft water. Melt or rain water is perfect for this. You can water the plant with just boiled water. In summer, it is necessary to water the orchid 2-3 times a week, when the topsoil dries up, and in winter, 1-2 times every seven days is enough.
Watering an orchid involves putting the flower in a pot in a container of warm water for about 10 minutes or continuously watering it with water from the shower. In the second option, the soil will get wet all over, while water will flow from the drain openings. After completing the procedure, it is necessary that the pot with the plant stand on a special grate so that all the liquid can drain. Later, the orchid is moved to a decorative pot.
Feeding and fertilizer
Orchid care after a store purchase includes the right fertilizer. Often, when fertilizing a newly acquired flowering plant, a sharp wilting of flowers begins. This is due to the fact that initially the orchid is trying to get used to a new place, while it is in a stressful state. At such a time, even a small amount of fertilizer may be superfluous.
A flower like an orchid needs care after purchase. It also includes top dressing, but only during the growth period. It is recommended to fertilize the plant once every 2-3 weeks. The most important thing here is the observance of proportions, which can be found out by reading a special section on the packaging of the purchased fertilizer. In our time, it will not be difficult to buy a complex mixture, where microelements are selected directly for feeding orchids. This fertilizer is suitable for all stages of plant development, and it is recommended to apply it throughout the year.
Expert Opinion
Most experts are opposed to frequent feeding of orchids. They were able to prove that constant fertilization leads to a decrease in the immunity of the plant, which is why it is more susceptible to a variety of diseases. Therefore, it is best not to fertilize the orchid at all, since it receives all the nutrients from the substrate, but this method only works when the substrate is changed every 2 years. Compliance with these rules also requires caring for an orchid after buying it in a store.
Critical Moments
If the orchid blooms and looks quite he althy, that is, there is no rot, there is no blackening of the leaves, then there is no need to transplant, because the plant spends all its energy on flowering. You can transplant an orchid when this period ends. There are situations in which the orchid needs to be transplanted after purchase.
The flower cannot stand on its own inpot. This situation may arise due to the fact that the leaves have formed on one side of the plant and protrude beyond the borders of the pot, the orchid overturns. It happens that the peduncle with support deviated significantly, and the plant loses its balance. In both cases, a transplant is an effective method of solving the problem.
A small amount of substrate in a pot. The orchid cannot stand in it. In this case, the support for the peduncle will also begin to bend and turn the flower with the pot. There are two options for correcting the current situation:
- fill up the substrate;
- transplant to another, larger pot.
The plant has root problems. For example, in a Phalaenopsis orchid, you can look at problematic roots through a transparent pot. If a large number of damaged roots are found: about half or more of all visible ones, then the orchid will have to be transplanted. In this case, it is necessary to cut off all damaged roots and plant the flower in another substrate.
It is likely that flowers will have to be sacrificed. It will be necessary to cut the peduncle, but the plant itself will be preserved. If there are few roots left (less than 20%), then they will not be able to stretch the flowering of the orchid. The lower leaves may die off, as the remaining roots are not able to saturate a large number of leaves. But there is no need to panic in this situation. If the roots are preserved, then the leaves of the orchid will grow. Care, transplantation after purchase are also necessary for a flower.
You wish to see your flower in another pot. You can transplant the orchid or placeplastic pot in a beautiful planter, which should be transparent or half transparent. Caring for an orchid after a store purchase also requires following these rules.
Proper orchid transplant
First you need to carefully remove the plant along with the soil from the pot. If you are unable to do this, then you need to cut the pot in such a way as not to hurt the flower. Then the flower and the soil must be put in a container with warm water so that it gets wet there.
Then, using the shower, carefully wash off the remnants of the substrate from the roots. Here it is necessary to examine the flower well and cut off all damage to the roots, and sprinkle the cuts with charcoal. After that, place the orchid on a paper towel so that moisture can evaporate from it.
At this time, lay out a layer of expanded clay or ceramic shards in a pot about 5 cm high from the bottom so that water can freely penetrate down.
After that, you can pour a substrate 5 cm high, we place a dried orchid in it. A stake is driven near it to tie up hanging stems, if any. From above it is necessary to add soil and press it with the palm of your hand so that it settles a little.
The composition of the best substrate for orchids includes charcoal, fern root, spruce, pine, birch or oak bark, foam plastic, moss and peat. It is more expedient to purchase it ready-made.
By following these simple rules,you can be sure that the orchid will appreciate them. Care at home after purchase will pay off handsomely.
