The orchid is a very beautiful and exquisite plant. Its exotic appearance enchants. It is a species in danger of extinction. He finds it in varieties of families. Many people find it difficult to cultivate, so you should be patient if you want to have one.
The easiest orchids to grow are Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium and Oncidium. In their natural habitat almost all orchids are epiphytes, that is, they live on trees, on rocks. Their roots do not like to be buried because they are the means by which they breathe. If you make the mistake of sowing it on the ground, what will happen is that the roots decompose and your orchid dies.
Growing orchids in a pot
There are special pots for orchids you can find on Getpotted.com. These special pots have holes on all sides and known as orchid pot. If you are going to use a pot for your orchid, do the following …
- Disinfects the pot so that the plant can live in excellent conditions
- The substrate used is peat (dry leaves, coconut tow, charcoal, moss, tree bark). Never, never use land. I already explain why.
- Prune all the leaves that look wrinkled and the roots that you see deteriorated.
- Locate it in ventilated and cool places.
- Avoid receiving direct sun.
If you do not want to plant it in a pot, use a piece of wood to which you fix the plant with nylon while she herself is grabbing roots with it.
Orchids have two kinds of roots, aerial and subterranean. Some orchids have a bulge in the lower part of the leaves, where water accumulates.
Care to consider
- Pulverize them and apply foliar fertilizers to help them in their development and flowering.
- Never transplant an orchid that is flowered. Wait for the foliage cycle to pass and proceed to transplant it.
- Place it where it has well light and away from the direct sun. Lavender and cymbidion tolerate the sun. Light is very important for its development and flowering. If they lack light, they do not bloom, the leaves dry up and the stems become brittle.
- Water them because water is part of the nutrition of the orchid. Use rainwater or water not treated with chlorine. Tap water is harmful to them. If you’re going to use tap water, pick it up, apply a few drops of vinegar and let it sit for 24 hours, so it’s ready to use. If it is the summer season, water it very often. If it’s winter a little less.
- Avoid puddling in the substrate. If the roots have a whitish color, it indicates a lack of irrigation, when they are very green, the irrigation is adequate, if they are very brown, it is excess of irrigation. The ideal is to water them by immersion for 5 minutes to give them time to hydrate. Those that do not have bulbs are more prone to dehydration, these require more irrigation.
