Orchid. Types.Colors.Cultivation.

• Admin
• June 10, 2024

The beauty of this flower is remarkable and cannot be compared with any other. Growing an orchid is not a difficult task. However, there are special cares you need to take for this "capricious princess" to develop its full potential and become a accent of your home.

Let us now proceed to the first important point of orchid cultivation.
  1. Watering. This is a key point in growing this plant. The orchid is an aerial flower, and as such does not need soil to survive. It derives its nutrients from air, water and the bark of the trees in which its root is located. However, as they say, the limit between medicine and poison is in the dose, and this applies in full force to watering. Excessive moisture is harmful to the orchid and can kill the flower in hours. We cannot definitively say how often it should be watered, but as a rule, it should be done once a week. Stagnant water will cause a lack of oxygen for the flower and make it sick. However, watering here is not quite what you imagine. What do I mean? Ideally, the orchid should be immersed in water for about 10 minutes and then allowed to dry well. It is recommended to use non-chlorinated water, but this can only be found in the rain. Monitor your plant. If you notice that the leaves are soft and the roots are gray, this is a sure sign that you need to soak your flower in water. Conversely, if the leaves start to fall and the orchid's roots turn brown, you are overusing the moisture. The humidity of the air in the room is also of great importance. Unfortunately, there is no way to provide the orchid with the ideal air humidity, which is about 70 percent as this can seriously harm our health. But you can spray the leaves of the flower with water in the morning.
  2. Do not focus all attention on watering, because light and temperature are also of great importance for the proper cultivation of orchids. Do not worry about temperature fluctuations during the day and night, because it is these fluctuations that will help the development of flowering buds. The ideal degrees are about 25 during the day and about 13 at night, allowing for a deviation of 2-3 degrees. You can hardly overdo it with the light of the orchid, since it loves the whole bright part of the day. You just need to keep it out of direct sunlight so as not to burn its "porcelain skin". If you somehow overdo it with the light, its leaves will turn yellowish. On the other hand, if you notice that the buds of the plant fall, it means that the light is not enough to satisfy the needs of the flower. However, during the cold months, the daylight is less and therefore you will need additional lighting. Fortunately, orchids love artificial light, or more precisely phytolamps. These lamps will provide the bright light that is so important for the flowers, and this will not adversely affect them in any way. You just have to make sure that the lamp does not heat up its surface so as not to disturb the climate of the plant.
  3. Feeding an orchid. Agronomic pharmacies have a wide variety of special fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus in their composition, which stimulate the appearance of buds. Fertilization should occur once a month in the period from March to the end of September. You can also feed your flower with natural products rich in useful substances. For example, once a month I add a head of grated garlic or lemon peel to the water in which I soak the orchid.
  4. Grafting. The best way to propagate your orchid is by dividing the root system. Before that, however, you must have prepared a special pot with a suitable medium in advance. Use transparent pots that have good ventilation. This way you will be sure that the roots will not be left without light. To fill the pot, use pine or fir bark. You can add some gravel or small stones, which will help better drainage the water, as well as for the sufficient saturation of oxygen in the root.
  I may disappoint you, but there is one more thing that you should know before you have the courage to grow orchids. As a rule, the plant blooms at the age of 1-3 years, depending on the variety, and at most twice a year. After the flowering is over, it is time to cut our orchid. This is done by cutting the stem above the second bud. (if there is none, it can be below). Another important point is the position of the orchid. It does not like to be moved, because it "adjusts" very slowly to the position of the light and every single movement is a real stress for her. Wherever you place her, it is highly recommended that she be there for the rest of her life.

  If you have conscientiously followed all the steps up to this point, you should not have a problem with your beautiful flower. Sometimes, however, even though you have carefully taken care of the orchid, it is possible that it will not bloom. Why? Here the reason may be in excessive concern for her. In other words, she's become so comfortable that she doesn't want to try to bloom, so you can remind her who's boss and "punish" her by leaving her in a darker, more humid place for a while :) Stress test sometimes helps! And yes, I'm not kidding!
  Now that we've mastered the art of growing an orchid, it's time to move on to colors. Whatever color you choose, you should know that an orchid will bring incredible beauty and romance to your home. The most popular colors are white, pink, orange, blue, purple, spotted leopard or my favorite black orchid. A matter of taste and preferences...