Step-by-step guide to caring for Phalaenopsis orchids at home
A beautiful plant like the Phalaenopsis orchid needs proper home care. This indoor flower, unusual in our region, does not like gardens or peat. All he has to do is put tree bark and moss in the pot. The orchid feeds on water and fertilizer. It blooms for several months, two, sometimes three, once a year. During the break between blooms, the plant is dormant.
Description and characteristics of the plant
Phalaenopsis orchid is a flowering herb in the orchid family. Native to Southeast Asia, Indonesia and Northeast Australia. In the wild, it grows on trees, in tropical rainforests, and in the highlands - on rocks.Hybrid forms and many species (there are about 70 of them) Phalaenopsis orchids are grown as indoor and greenhouse plants.This epiphytic culture gets its name from its resemblance to the white butterfly. Phalaenopsis, although growing on a tree, is not a pest. The plant only uses it as a support.
The Phalaenopsis orchid is a monopodial culture with a shortened stem, growing only upwards. The roots are airy, sometimes greenish (due to the chlorophyll they contain), with a thick layer of velomen. In nature, the roots draw moisture from the atmosphere and nutrients from the bark of the tree to which the orchids have attached themselves. The roots are constantly branching, slowly "crawling" in search of water. The orchid is nourished by photosynthesis.
The leaves are evergreen, fleshy, oblong, up to 30 centimeters long. In some species, the leaf plate is painted in a mottled pattern. For a year the plant grows only 2 leaves. Orchids usually have 4-6 leaves.
Long curved peduncles (up to 50 centimeters) grow in the leaf axils. Racemose inflorescences consist of several (from 3 to 35) flowers on pedicels. The orchid blooms all the time. Flowering time is 2-6 months. New flowers appear on the old peduncles. The flowering period is followed by a dormant period (1-2 months).
The orchid blooms 2-3 times a year. New flower stalks grow throughout the year. Flowers - large, from 2 to 15 centimeters, butterfly-shaped, fragrant. Color: purple, snow-white, pinkish, lilac, yellowish, blue, black, motley.
The choice of planting material
For indoor cultivation, you can buy Phalaenopsis Luddemana, Maya, Malmo, Pink, Pleasant. Hybrid crops that bloom year-round are popular. These plants do not have a dormant period.
All Phalaenopsis orchids have a particular root system.The roots should be exposed to the air, they need a lot of light. For this orchid it is better to use a transparent plastic or glass pot. The substrate in it is only needed for support. Transparent containers make cleaning easy and keep humidity and roots under control. For an orchid, ambient conditions and a comfortable air temperature for people (20-25 degrees Celsius) are suitable. Phalaenopsis needs plenty of light (diffused) sun and moderate watering.
Priming
This flower needs multi-component soil. Traditionally, the main filler is oak or conifer bark. To add lightness to the substrate, add moss or coconut fiber. Drainage should be laid at the bottom of the box.
The Phalaenopsis orchid receives its main food with water, to which fertilizers are added once a week.
Soil requirements
What should be the ideal soil for Phalaenopsis:
- let the air pass;
- prevent water stagnation;
- retain moisture for a short time.
It is recommended to use moisture-absorbing materials and stones to fill the box. The soil mix should not contain garden or vegetable patch soil.
What can be used
There are a number of materials that can be taken to prepare the substrate. The most common: tree bark, dry leaves, moss.
Crushed bark
To fill the pot, you can take the bark of larch, oak, birch or conifers (pine, spruce). It is cut into medium (3-5 centimeters) and small (1 centimeter) fractions. The bark collected with your own hands is cleaned of resin and dirt immediately before use, boiled twice for 18 minutes, then dried. The box should contain at least 50 percent bark.
Dried Forest Fern Roots
Fern roots can be used as a filler. They must be dried and crushed. The roots contain all the trace elements useful to the orchid. In addition, they absorb moisture well.
Chopped sphagnum moss
It is used as a fertilizer, can absorb moisture, has a bactericidal effect. It is not so easy to find moss in the forest, it is better to buy ready-made (live or dried) from a florist.
coconut chips
Soil nutrient component for Phalaenopsis. It absorbs moisture well. A small amount is allowed as a filler (about 10 percent).
Possible popular earth compositions
Phalaenopsis substrate is easier to buy ready-made. The label says: "Soil for orchids." There should be no peat or garden soil in the soil mix. The main components are whole pieces of bark, at least 3 centimeters in size. The composition of the soil can include charcoal, perlite, coconut fiber, moss, fern roots.
You can prepare the substrate yourself from the following components:
- oak bark - 3 parts;
- charcoal (wood) - 1 part;
- pumice particles - 1 part;
- fern roots - 1 part;
- expanded clay - 1 part.
Another suitable soil composition for Phalaenopsis:
- pine bark - 3 parts;
- charcoal (wood) - 1 part;
- foam - 1 part;
- pebbles - 1 part;
- expanded clay - 1 part.
Pebbles and rocks
For Phalaenopsis, drainage from stones or expanded clay is necessary. The pebbles prevent the stagnation of water and the agglomeration of the substrate. Drainage is placed in a thin layer in a pot, at the bottom of which there should be a hole. You can add pebbles to the substrate.
However, it must be remembered that the rocks cool quickly. Cold stones can cause the roots of the orchid to overcool.
pebbles
Small pebbles, deposited at the bottom of the box, are perfectly permeable to water. This natural material has a high thermal conductivity. It is undesirable to use pebbles in the composition of the substrate, it is better - as drainage.
Gravel
Natural material formed as a result of the destruction of rocks. Can be used as drainage. Remember that gravel is a heavy material and will add weight to the pot.
Expanded clay
These are particles of baked clay of 1 to 2 centimeters. This material can accumulate moisture and, if necessary, release it. In flower shops, expanded clay, enriched with trace elements, is sold. Used as filling and for drainage.
pumice
It is solidified foam lava, a porous material. Pumice stone is very light, quickly absorbs moisture, dries for a long time. It can be used as an integral part of the soil for Phalaenopsis.
How to properly prepare the substrate for use
It is recommended to thoroughly rinse and disinfect all floor components before use. The bark is harvested from fallen branches, peeled and boiled. The foam is poured with boiling water and then dried. Fern roots are dug in the forest, cleaned, washed, poured with boiling water and cut into small pieces.
You can buy a ready-made substrate at a flower shop. True, there should be no peat or soil in it. If these components are available in the purchased soil, they should be sifted, and the rest of the components should be doused with boiling water. Before placing in a pan, all components are soaked in distilled or boiled water.
Care
Phalaenopsis grows naturally in warm tropical climates. The flower will bloom for a long time if properly cared for.
Lighting
Phalaenopsis can be placed on a windowsill. Daylight hours should be 12 noon. In winter, in the evening, you need to organize artificial lighting. In summer, the flower should be protected from the scorching sun with a curtain.
Temperature regime
The Phalaenopsis orchid is a thermophilic culture that needs regular maintenance. The plant grows well at an air temperature of 18-25 degrees Celsius. At night, you can open the window to lower the temperature by 5-10 degrees. Small fluctuations in day and night temperatures promote better flowering.
Humidity
The flower feels great in normal indoor conditions. The optimum humidity is 40 to 50 percent. It is not recommended to spray the plant. Moisture can penetrate the leaf axils and cause rot. Water the flower as needed.
Fertilizer
It is recommended to fertilize the orchid after abundant watering. The flower is first watered, and then fed. As top dressing, purchased complex fertilizer for orchids (Kemira-Lux, Mister-Color Universal or Orchid).
Plants are fed once a week. You can add a little sugar (one teaspoon per liter of liquid) or succinic acid to the water.
In winter, during the dormant period, fertilizing is applied once a month. It is not recommended to feed the plant at the time of flowering - the flowers will fall off quickly. Too weakened, diseased and just transplanted culture is fertilized with Epin or Kornevin. All fertilizers are diluted with water according to the instructions.
Watering rules
The flower is watered only when the substrate becomes dry.Moisten the soil evenly until the roots are completely wet. The water should be soft, warm and stabilized. From an excess of moisture, the roots begin to rot. You can immerse the pot in a bowl of water for a few hours so that the roots are saturated with moisture through the drainage hole and take in as much liquid as they need.
Depending on the season
Each season has a different watering frequency. This procedure must be carried out correctly - the life and flowering of the culture depends on it.
In summer
At the time of active development, the culture is watered once a week. When the plant blooms, it is watered every 2-3 days, that is, twice a week.
In autumn
After the plant wilts, it is left to rest. Water once every 10-12 days. If the flower begins to bloom again, the amount of watering is increased. The plant is watered every 7, then every 3 days.
In winter
In winter, a flowering orchid is watered as usual - every 3-5 days. At rest, the substrate is irrigated every 10-12 days.
Which shower to choose
In order to cause the orchid to grow the peduncle, it must be provided with a warm shower. This procedure simulates natural living conditions. During flowering, a warm shower will prolong flowering.
Water requirements
Water for irrigation should be non-chlorinated, settled, soft. Oxalic acid powder is used to soften the liquid.
How to determine what to water
Before watering an orchid, you need to closely examine the condition of the roots and leaves, inspect the walls of the pot. Excess moisture will lead to rotting of the roots, and lack of moisture will lead to missing peduncles and drying of the leaves.
Roots
If the roots are wet and have a bright green color, the orchid does not need to be watered for another 4-5 days.With a lack of moisture, the roots turn pale.
Condensate
The presence of condensation on the walls of the pot always means that the plant does not need to be watered. If the moisture evaporates and the walls of the pot become dry, the flower can be watered.
Pot weight
In a container or pot with opaque walls, it is impossible to discern the state of the roots and the presence of condensation. But you can take the container in your hands when watering and memorize its weight. If the pot is still heavy after a few days, you don't need to water the flower.
Slightly wrinkled leaves
Before watering a crop, you need to look at its leaves. A slight rustling of the leaf plate is a signal for watering.
Characteristics and nuances
There are some peculiarities in watering an orchid after transplanting. The flower is not watered for 1 week. The fact is that before transplanting a plant into a new substrate, all its components are washed with water. In addition, the transplanted plant itself is previously cleaned of the old substrate by thoroughly rinsing the roots.
Transplantation step by step
The orchid is transplanted every 2-3 years. The substrate is replaced by the plant, as the old hardens and turns sour. Also, overgrown roots constantly need a bigger pot. The orchid is transplanted after flowering.
Step by step instructions:
- Before transplanting, you need to prepare a new substrate and a spacious pot. All floor components must be rinsed, disinfected and soaked in water.
- The orchid must be removed from the old pot. Rinse the roots of the substrate with lukewarm water. Dried and rotten roots should be cut in a healthy place.
- In a new pot you need to pour drainage, fresh substrate to half the capacity and carefully lay the orchid roots there.Then sprinkle with the rest of the soil. Aerial roots should be left open.
- The leaves and growing point should remain at the top.
- To prevent the flower from falling, it can be wedged with polystyrene foam.
- After transplanting, the plant is placed in partial shade.
- Watered after 5-7 days.
- They are fed a month after transplantation.
Size
After flowering, the peduncles are very often cut off. True, before cutting them, you need to observe the plant. Some species form perennial peduncles that come to life after each flowering and several months of rest. Over the years, more and more buds form on the same floral arrow.
During the dormant period, only the dried and discolored peduncles should be cut. The healthy green arrow is not cut. 1-3 months after the flowers fall, new flowers appear on them. In the spring, you can perform stimulating pruning - prune the living arrowhead by 2 centimeters.
Bloom
The Phalaenopsis orchid usually blooms two, sometimes three times a year. The duration of flowering is influenced by the correct care of the plant. To get more flowers, the plant is taken out to the balcony at night. The difference between night and daytime temperatures stimulates the orchid to bloom more lushly. In a room that is too hot and stuffy, the plant may not bloom.
Lack of flowering
Re-blooming should occur 1-3 months after the flowers drop. If the plant does not bloom for a long time, it means that it is not properly cared for. To stimulate flowering, the plant should be placed on the balcony for 2 weeks, that is, the temperature of the contents should be reduced from 25 to 15-18 degrees Celsius.During the period of such cold treatment, the flower is not watered.
low lighting
Lack of sunlight and artificial light is a common reason for not flowering. An orchid that does not bloom for a long time should be placed on the windowsill, closer to the sun's rays. In summer, in intense heat, the flower can be shaded with a curtain for a couple of hours. In winter, the orchid is provided with additional lighting in the evening.
Nitrogen supercharged
An excess of nitrogenous substances as a top dressing leads to an increase in green mass and a lack of flowering. In this case, the plant is no longer fertilized for some time. Pour water over it and wait until it has processed all the nitrogen.
Fatigue
Flowering can often drain the plant. In this case, the flower should be left alone, with the opportunity to rest. After a while, stimulate and fertilize.
After flowering
After the end of flowering, if the arrow begins to dry out, it is cut off. The green peduncle is not affected. You can cut the green arrow and put it in a glass of water. After a while, a baby will appear on it.
the reproduction
The Phalaenopsis orchid multiplies by children or by division of the rhizome. The breeding procedure is carried out in the spring.
Children
Sometimes babies appear on the peduncles on their own - leaves with roots. When they grow a little, they are separated from the arrow and planted in the substrate, as independent plants. You can stimulate the appearance of children, that is, remove the scales of sleeping buds from the peduncle.
Division of the rhizome
An adult orchid can be propagated by dividing the rhizome. To do this, the upper part of the plant with the leaves and aerial roots is cut off and planted in a separate pot with a substrate.The lower part is left in the same place and watered. Sections are treated with activated carbon. After 2-3 years, a full-fledged plant will grow from the cut cuttings.
Diseases
Phalaenopsis orchid, with improper care, excess moisture, lack of nutrients, can get sick. Diseases can be caused by fungi and bacteria. As a preventive measure, the plants are treated with fungicides and watered if necessary (when the substrate is completely dry).
Fusarium
This fungal disease causes root rot, yellowing of leaves, wilting and peduncle rot. Red spots appear on the roots, dark depressed isthmuses. Fungal spores grow on the affected areas. The diseased plant is removed from the pot, the diseased roots are cut off, the rest are treated with Fundazol.
Urticaria
Disease characterized by the appearance of yellow-brown spots on the leaves. The disease develops with excess moisture, hypothermia of the roots, poor ventilation in the pot. It is advisable to transplant the plant into a large container, water it with warm water only while the substrate dries.
Botrytis
Fungus that causes the development of gray rot and spots on the leaf plates. The infection affects the flowers, they mold and wither. The fungus is activated in a humid and warm environment. For prevention, the plant is treated with a solution of copper sulfate or colloidal sulfur.
pests
This exotic plant is often attacked by local insects. If pests are found, they must be destroyed immediately.
cochineal
A small, white, hairy insect that feeds on the sap of plants. Intestinal insecticide sprays (Aktara, Aktellik) are saved for him.
Spider
A small insect with a yellowish or red body that weaves spider webs and feeds on the sap of plants. Cold water sprays and miticides (Moth Repellent, Apollo) are spared by ticks.
Thrips
Small brownish worms that live in soil or moss. They feed on leaf juice, attack flowers, leaving brown spots on them. For protection, the plant is treated with insecticides (Fitoverm, Vertimek).
Shield
Brownish insect with a dense shell. It settles on the leaves and feeds on their juice. Spraying with insecticides (Aktellik, Aktara) is saved from the scabbard.
slugs
Gastropod insect that feeds on leaves, shoots, roots and flowers. Slugs are collected by hand or eliminated with insecticides (metaldehyde).
Tips & Tricks
Phalaenopsis Orchid Care Tips:
- it is undesirable to put the flower in the sun - the leaves can get sunburn;
- on a plant standing in drafts or under an air conditioner, leaf plates may turn yellow;
- the substrate should not be abundantly flooded with water, otherwise the plant will get sick;
- the orchid is watered with warm water when the soil dries out;
- transplant the flower after flowering.