Orchid blue - overseas beauty

Once orchid presented in a sealed box was considered an exquisite and expensive gift. But today everything has changed. These mysterious foreigners of all colors and sizes are now sold in almost every flower shop. They can be purchased by choosing the most attractive color. But there are such varieties of them that are rare in nature, and on sale they are a real deficit. It's about such a variety as the orchid blue. Not everyone manages to meet him. The distribution area of this plant is wide enough, it does not grow only in the climatic conditions of severe Antarctica. It is worth noting that many of the plants sold today are obtained as a result of staining, so they can not be considered natural. Real blue or blue orchids have an amazing shade reminiscent of the sea or sky. Scientifically they are called phalaenopsis, sometimes Cattleya. They have leathery leaves of dark color and a cylindrical stem. Flowers develop on long shoots, which grow directly from the sinuses. After removal of the peduncle, new inflorescences develop at the base, young stem leaves.

Care

A blue orchid, caring for which requires certain knowledge and skills, used to instill fear of plant growers and simple housewives who believed that it was almost impossible to grow her house. However, this is not the case, because today breeders have brought out much more environmentally resistant varieties. And the orchid blue is no exception. The main requirements for caring for these plants are proper lighting and watering. If these two basic conditions are met, then phalaenopsis will normally grow and delight its owners with numerous stunningly beautiful flowers. No plant, especially an orchid blue, can not live without lighting. She needs scattered light without excessive sun exposure, otherwise she will just "burn out". Water the plant infrequently, so that the water in the pot does not stagnate. It is necessary to watch, that the substrate in which this beauty lives, completely dried up. No less important and good drainage, freely transmissive to moisture. Water the plant with warm and soft water. Orchid, blue and any, does not like spraying.

Reproduction

The orchid breeds by blue division, and the children can be selected only from the lush, strong, who have lived for several years and are absolutely healthy individuals. Once the air roots of the young plants develop, they can be separated by grabbing a piece of the stem from above and below. Since the substrate of the orchids is very loose, the young seedling must first be tied to a support, which can only be removed after the formation of several new roots. After the transplant, young animals are not watered, but only sprayed the soil once a day. A pot with a caged baby for three weeks is placed in a warm and unsheltered place.

A bit of history

The birthplace of these flowers is China. Mention of them appeared before the birth of Christ. In Europe, the orchid blue came in the middle of the eighteenth century, imported from the Bahamas by missionaries. In England at the beginning of the last century it was used as an additional material for packing other, more common tropical plants. But one day a certain gardener named Ketli, interested, decided to plant an orchid in a pot. To his great joy the flower has taken root. Since then, the variety that was obtained by an English gardener is called the Cattleya.