Orchid Phalaenopsis - how to choose and properly look after your home

Orchids are amazing flowering houseplants. Previously, they were considered a sign of wealth and luxury, but now they can afford to have anyone, because in recent years, many inexpensive hybrids have been created. One of the varieties of orchids - Phalaenopsis - was bred specifically to grow an orchid at home. The leaves of phalaenopsis are oval, large, strong, the flowers of the plant have many unusually beautiful shades of flowers. Buy plants best in good flower shops or nurseries, where they are grown by all rules.

Containers for orchids

When buying a plant, check the container in which it is located. It should be filled with a special medium for growing orchids, and not ordinary soil. Regular watering makes the soil too dense for the roots, which is bad for the growth of the plant. In nature, orchids often grow right on trees where roots are rooted in rotted old leaves stuck between branches.

As a plant environment for orchids can be used pine bark, moss and small pieces of volcanic origin. A very good mixture is obtained when all these three ingredients are combined together. Sometimes phalaenopsis roots may protrude above the surface of the pot. They have a silvery green color and a bright green tip.

Do not buy too light in weight plants. This suggests that they suffer from a lack of moisture. Do not buy orchids if their leaves are wrinkled and have stains of yellow or brown. Make sure that there is a drainage hole on the bottom of the container.

If the pot is made of plastic, it retains moisture longer, and the clay soil dries faster. Since phalaenopsis is often sold in small pots that are very unstable, after purchasing the plant, it can be placed in large-sized, beautiful pots.

Light mode for a home orchid

It is very important to place phalaenopsis in the right place. Put it where there is enough light, but where direct sunlight does not reach. It is best to place the plant on the windowsill of the eastern or north-eastern side of the house, although on the eastern side there may often be too much light for plants. Never expose an orchid to direct sunlight, especially on the south side of the house. Some growers are advised to put phalaenopsis on the west side, but at noon the sun can be too hot there.

Healthy phalaenopsis leaves have a juicy green color. When the leaves are dark green, this indicates that the plant does not have enough light, and if the light green - the light is too much.

Normal air temperature for Phalaenopsis

One of the advantages of phalaenopsis is that this orchid can grow at the usual air temperature, which is in our homes and is + 15-26 ° C. If the air conditioner is installed in the house, air, of course, turns out to be more dry. To increase its humidity, put a pot of orchid on a pallet filled with moist pebbles. Do not pour water into the pan, do not put the pot with the plant in a container of water and do not wet the roots in any way.

Do not place the orchid in a draft or at a temperature below + 12C.

Some orchid lovers decide to exhibit pots with plants in summer in the open air. If you go to follow their example, place the pots in the shade. If the air temperature is less than + 15C, orchids should be brought into the house.

Watering the orchids Phalaenopsis

The killer of all indoor plants is excessive watering. Although phalaenopsis is a tropical plant, it still does not grow on a swamp.

Moss, which is in a flower pot, retains moisture for a long time, so if there is a lot of moss in the pot, frequent watering of the plant is not required.

Do not water the orchids with cold water. The water taken from the tap should be set at night to stand and at the same time warm up to room temperature. After watering, put the pot or container in the sink so that excess water is poured through the hole at the bottom of the pot. Pour the plant again. Water should be watered so that the water does not fall on the leaves and does not accumulate between them. After watering, wipe the leaves.

The frequency of phalaenopsis irrigation depends on the following factors:

• How dry the air is in the room;
• Plastic or clay pots;
• How quickly the earth mixture dries up.

In winter, most tropical plants tend to rest. Phalaenopsis is no exception, so it should be watered once every 10-14 days. In summer, the orchid should be watered once a week.

Orchid fertilizers

Phalaenopsis is required to be fed with liquid fertilizers once a month in spring, summer and early autumn. Before fertilizing plants, they must be watered.

Bloom

Orchids appear on a long peduncle, which begins to grow from the leaves. So that it does not break during flowering, it must be pinched when it reaches a sufficiently high altitude. Insert a bamboo or some other stick into the ground, and when the flower bud grows, attach it to the stick with a plastic hair clip with denticles. When the flower buds begin to grow, do not turn the pot any more, let the flower bud grow in one particular direction. Usually it grows towards the light. If you constantly rotate the pot during its growth, the flower spike will not turn out straight, but it's ugly twisted.

When the plant blooms, it can be rearranged from the window to where it best looks. During flowering, the orchid requires watering and fertilizing.

When the flowers begin to fade, we need to do the following:

1. Cut the flower stem at the base of the plant. To do this, you will need a sterile knife or scissors. To prevent the appearance of the fungus on the cut, sprinkle it with a small amount of ground cinnamon.
2. Cut the flower spike at the lowest flower level. This stimulates the appearance of new colors.

In any case, the stems must be removed after it stiffens.

Flowering usually takes a lot of energy from the plant. Therefore, do not give the orchid bloom too often. Experts allow phalaenopsis to bloom only once a year. After all, the plant blooms very long, and one flowering will be enough.

Orchid transplantation

To transplant a plant it is necessary then, when the plant blooms! Transplant the pore in the case when the vegetable mixture in the flower pot begins to decompose. Carefully turning the plant, remove it from the pot. Shake off the old earth mixture. Cut off rotten or dried roots. It is not necessary to transplant phalaenopsis into a large pot, but if it is slightly larger than the previous one, the roots will develop better.

Phalaenopsis orchids are easy to grow for beginners. The orchid flowers are very beautiful and can be of different colors, depending on the variety.

With careful care for the plant, the orchid blossoms very long: from 6 weeks to 3 months. Proper care for an orchid at home will not be difficult, even for a beginner. The phalaenopsis orchid is the most unpretentious among all the existing species of orchids.