Mysterious flowers - black orchids

Familiar to many a flower called an orchid often happens pink, white, green, purple or yellow. The family of these plants is one of the most numerous in the world, numbering more than 25 thousand species. In the wild they live mainly on trees, which use them mainly as a support. This is what distinguishes these unique flowers. Black orchids, bred by skilled breeders, are quite unpretentious in their care. Important is the fact that they do not cause allergies when blooming.

How did the unusual flowers - black orchids?

Under this name, as a rule, plants of very dark saturated shade (burgundy or purple) are meant. So it is inherent in nature that the pigment responsible for black color is completely absent from flowers. However, scientists from different countries did not stop working on breeding orchids of the right kind. As a result, Californian breeders managed to create the desired flowers. Black orchids as a species have been patented and presented to the public.

Types of black orchids

In the shops you can find several varieties of this unique plant. And its shades will vary from dark blue to saturated burgundy. The most popular is Maxillaria schunkeana - a black orchid. A flower, the price of which is quite affordable, can now be purchased in many specialized stores. To dark also it is possible to carry such grades as Paphiopedilum de Nachtwacht, Black Butterfly, Dracula roezlii. Night butterflies - that's what associated with the flowers called "black orchid" (photo).

Flowers in the home: growing

Since this plant lives mainly on trees or rocks covered with moss, a loose substrate, poor in nutrients, should be used to grow it. Transplanting an orchid is best done after flowering. As a substratum, it is best to take sphagnum moss and pine bark. However, before you do the transplant, you need to properly treat the substrate. The bark needs to be crushed into small pieces and pour boiling water for fifteen minutes. After that, you need to drain the water, and cool the wood. Moss should also be scalded with boiling water, and then squeezed and cooled. In order to less injure the roots of the plant during the transplantation, it must first be watered. In a new transparent pot you should place a mixture consisting of 1 part of moss and 6 parts of bark.

When transplanting, the plant is removed from the old container and the old substrate is carefully removed. If there are dark roots, they should be cut off by sprinkling the cutoff with chopped charcoal. The plant is placed in the center of a new pot and gently pricked with a substrate. If the flower is unstable, the thread can be attached to a wooden stick. From above it is recommended to put a layer of moss. After three days, you can water the transplanted flowers. Black orchids do not like to change their "home" often. Therefore, the transplant should be performed every three years.

Care

The plant feels comfortable in a dark place or shadow. A lot of light is harmful to him. To water the orchid follows water of room temperature not more often than once a week. To feed the flower is recommended once a month with a special fertilizer in a concentration of ¼.