How to grow a purple orchid: care rules and possible problems

Today, most of the orchids sold in the store are hybrids. That is, breeders worked on these types of plants, and made them less picky about environmental conditions.

This allows orchids to grow even for beginners. Hybrid species of orchids are in no way inferior to natural varieties. On the contrary, they succeed in many respects. How this amazing beauty of violet color appeared, you will learn in our article.

Name and description of the plant

This flower has a solid peduncle with irregular shapes, which bends in different directions, while bringing a small number of flowers. This type of orchid has a delicate, pleasant aroma. Felenopsis grows to 6 cm, the petals are elliptical. The flowering period can last year-round, but the greatest activity is observed in the spring-autumn period.

Popular varieties and their photos

Wanda

One of the most beautiful representatives of orchids. It has its own characteristics in content. In nature, this flower exists with a fully open root system, so at home these conditions should be supported. This type of orchid does not need soil or substrate, so wicker baskets or glass vases are used for its maintenance.

Dendrobium

It has about 1,500 species. Most often in flower shops there are dendrobium phalaenopsis and dendrobium nobile (or noble). They look very similar in appearance, and both have a purple color.

Cattleya

This orchid with large fragrant flowers has a very spectacular appearance. Despite the large number of hybrid varieties, Cattleya is quite picky about leaving, so it is better for beginners to give preference to other varieties of orchids. The color of this species varies from bright red to dark purple and is almost never uniform (we talked about orchids with red flowers in detail here).

Breeding History

The first important step forward in the selection of large-flowered Felenopsis was taken in 1920 by Dr. Jean Gratiot from France, when he registered Phal. Gilles Gratiot. This hybrid had an extremely dense texture of the flower. The next important step is the creation in 1927 of Phal. Elisabethae, combining a dense texture, larger sizes and aesthetics of the shape of the flower.

Care

Temperature

The most suitable temperature for Felenopsis in the afternoon is 20-24 degrees, and 15-18 degrees at night. If it is not possible to provide such a temperature regime at home, it is still desirable to observe the difference between day and night temperatures of at least several degrees. The room should be well ventilated, while avoiding drafts, and cold window sills.

Humidity

Felenopsis comfortable with a humidity of 50-70%. This is achievable even in winter with central heating running.

Lighting

They can grow both in bright light and in the floor shade. It is best to place the flower on the eastern windows. Avoid direct sunlight.

Watering

This plant does not need frequent plentiful watering. Moreover, stagnation of water can lead to the death of the plant. Before watering, make sure that the substrate has dried out well after the previous watering. It is best to grow an orchid in a transparent pot, if droplets are visible on their walls, it is worth the time to water. You can also judge the moisture of the substrate by the weight of the pot, if the pot is much better, you can water it.

For irrigation, use settled or boiled water, with a temperature of 30-35 degrees. In winter, the amount of watering should be reduced.

Watch the video about proper watering of a purple orchid:

Top dressing

Most often, the orchid does not need fertilizer, since the plant receives all the nutrients from moisture and air. Moreover, top dressing can harm the flower, flowering may stop, and the leaves will become dull. It is worth considering that orchids that are sold in the store have already received the required dose of fertilizer. Therefore, during the first two years, feeding should not be done.

Transfer

An orchid needs a transplant if it has outgrown its pot. If it became apparent that the pot is completely filled with roots that displace the substrate, then the flower should be transplanted into a larger pot.

Also, a transplant will be required in case of damage to the root system, which is caused by improper care of orchids. If the watering is insufficient, then the roots begin to dry out and die. And because of too much watering and stagnation of water in the pot, the decay of the root system begins:

1. It is necessary to extract the plant from the pot, brush off the old soil, rinse the roots with warm water.
2. Trim dry and rotten roots with scissors.
3. After trimming, you can treat the roots with crushed coal or an antiseptic.

The following is the procedure for moving the flower:

1. Partially fill with a fresh substrate a container for plant transplantation.
2. Gently lay the roots and pour the substrate inside and out, gently squeeze the roots of Felenopsis, and pour fresh soil.
3. Aerial roots (those that grew above the surface of the pot) should be left open.
4. Leaves and growth point, however, should not be covered.

Watch the video about orchid transplantation:

Breeding

To propagate purple orchids, you must have certain skills, patience and time. Most often, the following methods are used:

Kidney

1. It is necessary to find sleeping buds on the peduncle, which are usually located at the base or in the middle of the peduncle.
2. Next, to achieve the awakening of the kidney, for this it is necessary to provide a temperature of 22-29 degrees in the room.
3. Use a razor to make an incision in the shape of a semicircle on the basis of the scales. After that, carefully remove the incised scale with tweezers. Under it will be a sleeping kidney, which must be treated with a growth regulator; it is sold in specialized stores.
4. In a month, on the plant it will be possible to find small children with two or three leaves. And three months later, the roots will appear.
5. After the roots of the young flower grow stronger, and grow to 2 cm, it should be cut with a part of the old orchid.
6. After that, plant the prepared plant in a transparent pot.TIP: For faster leaf growth, and strengthening the root system, buds should be removed on young orchids.

Using a flower

This method of reproduction is carried out using cut flower stalk. The cut part of the flower should be placed in a container with purified water or a very weak solution of mineral fertilizers.

In this case, the peduncle should be immersed in the liquid no more than 6 cm. After this, the procedure for awakening the sleeping kidney, described in the previous method, is carried out.

Watch the video about the propagation of orchid flower stalk:

Flower diseases

• Illumination Illness. Among the purple varieties of orchids there are photophilous species, and those that can grow in the shade. Due to the lack of light, the leaves of photophilous flowers will slowly grow, become flabby, and the sprouts will have low viability.
• Diseases due to improper watering. In order to avoid rotting the root system, do not fill the orchid. Orchid species that require high humidity prefer moist air rather than excessive watering.

Also, the flower can suffer about a number of fungal diseases. This is usually caused by improper care and inappropriate conditions of detention.

Most commonly found in orchids:

• Bacterial leaf spot. It is characterized by the appearance of pronounced spots on the leaves, after the appearance of which, the foliage begins to darken and become covered with ulcers, from which liquid can ooze.
• Powdery mildew. Signs of this disease are the appearance of white plaque on leaves and buds. Damaged areas begin to dry, which can lead to the death of the flower. Often, the cause of this ailment is high humidity and too high room temperature.
• Rot. Appears as a result of infection of the orchid with fungi and bacteria. The decay of the roots and leaves begins. The cause of rot, also, is excessive watering and high air temperature.

Pests and parasites

Like all home flowers, orchids are prone to attack by parasites. If you do not start to fight them in time, the plant may die.

Consider them:

• Shield - an insect whose hoist size is only a few mm. You can find this pest on a pseudobulb or on foliage. Parasites settle in whole colonies and suck out the juice from the plant. If the leaves of the orchid are covered with a dark spotty coating, then, most likely, it is attacked by scale insects.
• Worm - the appearance of this parasite is signaled by white fluffy lumps on the stems. The worm can lead to yellowing and falling of leaves, and sometimes to complete death of the plant.
• Whitefly - This is a butterfly that feeds on orchid juice. This leads to a change in the usual color of the leaves, the flower weakens. You can detect a whitefly by carefully inspecting the flower.

Conclusion

Indoor plants are almost completely dependent on their owners. Which decide when to water the flowers, when to transplant, and where to place them. But all these actions must be carried out deliberately, depending on the needs of the plant in a specific period of time. Indeed, for a person, a temperature change of 1 degree is almost not noticeable, but for a plant it is very stressful.

Watch the video: Top 10 DON'Ts when Growing Orchids - tips for orchid beginners (December 2024).