Besides buying in a store, there is another way to decorate your flower garden with such a rather expensive plant as an orchid - reproduction. Photos of some options for getting another orchid from an existing one will help you put the theory into practice.
There are several ways to propagate orchids. In general, they are divided into two large groups - generative (by seeds) and vegetative (by part of a plant) methods. Generative - the most difficult to implement at home. The vegetative method can be represented by the reproduction of the meristem (division of the rhizome, jigging of the bulb) or the separation of the emerging stepchildren (children). To find out how the orchid that you have propagates, you first need to decide what kind of orchid you have. Sympodial orchids - cattleyas (different hybrid forms), dendrobiums (including hybrids with phalaenopsis - dendrobium-phalaenopsis) can be obtained by dividing the rhizome or jigging the bulb. Lycasts and orchids of the odontocidium group (oncidiums, miltonias, cumbria, odontoglossums, degamoars, beallars), as well as precious orchids, also reproduce. Orchids of the monopodial group (phalaenopsis, vandas, ascocends,shenorhis and asconopsis) cannot be propagated by dividing the rhizome, since they simply do not have it. They are obtained either by seeds or stepchildren. First, consider the simplest methods of vegetative propagation.
Meristem reproduction
With the help of rhizome division, how an orchid reproduces, the photo shows clearly. After cutting the Cattleya rhizome with a sharp knife, it is necessary to allow the cuts to dry. Then, having treated the open “wounds” with charcoal, you can plant the divided Cattleya bush in different pots. It is necessary to plant orchids (any) so that that part of the stem (for Cattleyas it is a rhizome, for phalaenopsis it is a neck, for odotoncidiums it is the bottom of the bulb), from which the roots come, is not buried in the ground. Otherwise, you can easily miss the start of decay of this important part of the plant. In order to divide a cattleya or lycasta bush, it is necessary that each half has at least 3-4 bulbs. Otherwise, flowering will take a long time.
With the help of jigging stepchildren, how an orchid propagates is shown in this picture. Basically, in this way - by stepsoning - phalaenopsis are propagated. Babies can appear not only on peduncles, but also form on the neck - both near the roots and between the leaves. Of course, in the second case, only the stepson who appeared at the very roots and has already taken root himself can be planted. Otherwise, you will ruin the mother plant. The most difficult thing in applying this method of reproduction is to make the phalaenopsisstepchildren (to give children). Usually, phalaenopsis begin to give babies from the stem (neck) if their growth point, located in the middle of the plant, dies. You can force phalaenopsis to give a baby on a peduncle as follows:
- remove phosphorus-potassium components from dressings and feed only with nitrogen fertilizers;
- spread live buds on the peduncle with cytokinin paste. The appeared baby can be lubricated with root or heteroauxin for the fastest formation of roots. When the roots of a newborn plant reach 5-6 cm, the stepson, together with a piece of the peduncle, must be cut off and carefully planted in a small transparent pot. 200ml or 500ml plastic cups are great for this.
Some phalaenopsis grow well on their own - without the above measures. Others cannot be forced to "give birth" to children, making every possible effort to this. If you come across such a "difficult specimen", try the generative seed propagation method.
Seed propagation
How does an orchid propagate by seeds? The answer is simple: at home it is very difficult. The most important thing in this process is sterility. If you are a scrupulous person or a doctor who is used to observing sterility, then you can try. With this method, orchid seeds (which are the smallest powder) are placed on a sterile nutrient medium, the main components of which are water, agar-agar and trace elements. Seeds of plants before planting on a nutrient medium must alsosterilize. And the planting process itself must take place under sterile conditions - this can be done over steam, so that the smallest microorganisms hovering in the air do not get into the flasks along with the seeds, where newborn orchids will hatch and grow. It is necessary to keep vessels with seedlings under illumination for 12-14 hours a day - accordingly, there should be additional lighting with lamps. A year after sowing, small plants are transferred to a non-sterile environment, still providing them with greenhouse conditions. Orchids grown from seeds bloom in about 4-5 years.
