Acquaintance with the Philadelphia Orchid: a description of the appearance and recommendations for caring for the plant

Unfortunately, information on such a variety of orchids as Philadelphia on the Internet is very, very small.

Although this species is now very common among gardeners, information about it is added infrequently. Today we will tell you everything we know about Philadelphia.

The orchid has no cardinal differences from the rest of the phalaenopsis, has a short stem, aerial roots. They grow it both in greenhouses and at home.

Brief definition

This species is hybrid. He was bred by crossing the phalaenopsis Schiller and the phalaenopsis Stuart. Philadelphia took the best from its parents: a magnificent appearance and relative unpretentiousness in leaving. Having learned that this species is hybrid, you might think that this orchid can grow only at home or in greenhouse conditions. However, this is not the case. She perfectly takes root in her native tropics.

Botanical description and appearance

In the botanical plan, it has all the same signs as other phalaenopsis: a very short stalk, fatty sinewy leaves, growth in only one direction, the presence of aerial roots that grow from the leaf sinuses. In rhizomes, photosynthesis also occurs due to the presence of chlorophyll in them.

On medium-long peduncles, small flowers bloom, which can be of a variety of colors. but most often pink-violet predominates. Leaf plates are also not very large - ten to twenty centimeters in length. But their color is quite extraordinary: on the saturated green leaves, marble stains seemed to have spread.

Photo

Check out the Philadelphia Orchid photo below:

History of occurrence

She is pretty commonplace. It just became necessary to expand the range of orchids presented. Schiller's phalaenopsis and Stuart's phalaenopsis were baptized in their homeland, the Philippines, where they got accustomed to their natural habitat.

Bloom

This species can please with its flowering twice if each of them was short. However often the buds stay on the peduncle for a very long time. This feature is explained by alternate flowering: that is, when one bud is already at the withering stage, the second only begins to open. Such a process can last up to six months, so the possibility, and in principle, the need for repeated flowering disappears by itself. This orchid usually begins to unfold its buds in late summer and early autumn.

Before your beauty will delight you with its flowering, caring for her is not any special. You simply follow the prescribed recommendations (we will describe all this in the article below). But after the last bud has fallen and no signs of a new bloom are observed, you will have to follow the following algorithm:

1. reduce watering to once a week (in winter it is generally possible up to once every ten days);
2. feeding the resting plant is not needed (maximum once a month);
3. cut the peduncle after it dries completely (do not rush to do this, since it is this part of the plant that is the source of nutrition for the depleted flower);
4. can cut the peduncle and partially in the event that you notice on it the formation of new kidneys (then leave literally a centimeter above the kidney, and delete the rest).

Watch a video on how the Philadelphia orchid blooms:

Why doesn’t bloom?

This is usually due to improper care of the orchid. Try to correct the following aspects of pholenopsis content:

• Incorrect lighting. Despite the fact that any orchid loves a large amount of light, it should be diffused, not scorching.
• Excessive watering. Philadelphia will not produce buds on the peduncle only after a short (couple of weeks) period of drought, which you must organize. Do not allow stagnation of water in the pot, the drainage layer will help you with this.
• The temperature of the content. Ideally, it should be 18-22 degrees heat during the day and 16-20 degrees above zero at night. Take care of the temperature difference, the maintenance of which is a requirement of orchids.
• Check the composition of your fertilizer. It must be fully balanced. Because an excessive amount of potassium in the dressing will lead to the fact that the growth of the orchid will only appear in its green part. It is better to buy potash-phosphorus-nitrogen fertilizers.
• And the last piece of advice. “Torment” Philadelphia. Arrange a stressful situation for her. To do this, put the flowerpot in a dark and slightly cool place. This manipulation activates phalaenopsis and wakes her from sleep.

Care instructions

1. Let's start by choosing a place. It should be very bright, but not very sunny. Since the sun will just burn the tender leaves of orchids. To ensure this condition, hang the bottom of the window span with foil or plain paper.
2. The choice of pot and soil. Orchids are very fragile plants, and therefore they cost a lot. If you are seriously engaged in breeding phalaenopsis, then it is better to acquire special land for planting it. Ordinary universal soil for this case is not suitable.

   You can prepare the substrate yourself, taking in equal proportions moss, coarse sand, peat, bark (preferably coniferous) and perlite. Do not forget about the drainage layer, the importance of which cannot be overestimated. The pot must be transparent to allow the light free access to the roots, which, as you recall, are involved in the process of photosynthesis. The flowerpot for such orchids should not have a rough surface, since roots can grow into it.

3. Temperature. We have already said that during the day you must maintain the temperature within 18-22 degrees Celsius, and at night you can reduce it to 16-20 degrees. This difference in daily temperature should be required.
4. Lighting. It should be significant, but dispersed. The duration of lighting may not be less than ten hours. Therefore, most likely you will have to resort to the help of artificial lighting.
5. Humidity. The tropics always have very humid air. Therefore, you should keep such a bar at home. To do this, spray the whole orchid every other day, and once a week wipe the leaf plates with a damp cloth. So you save Philadelphia from dust and let it breathe freely. It will not be superfluous to put a platter of water near a flower pot.
6. Watering. In this case, you need to be extremely careful. Each time, give the plant a break from the water for two to three days. Philadelphia is not recommended to be dipped. Better moisten the soil from above. Or water the flower in the shower. This will be the most ideal option, because in this way you will water the plant and carry out hygiene procedures for it. The frequency of watering during flowering and summer should be once a week. When the orchid retires, it needs to be watered once every two weeks.
7. Top dressing. She, of course, is important for any living creature. But you need to fertilize wisely. Get in the store special complexes in which everything will be balanced taking into account the needs of certain colors. We do not advise you to buy each item individually. Thus, you run the risk of overdoing it with some substance, and undersaving some.
8. Transfer. Philadelphia does not need a very frequent transplant. Enough once every two years to update the soil.Attention! We recommend keeping the soil in a freezer or microwave before planting. So you kill all the pests that exist there.

   It is better to transplant after flowering is over.

Diseases and Pests

No new ailments appear. Everything is as old as the world. All of them are associated with a lack of nutrients, lighting. Also, the cause may be the dry air around the flower, too much or frequent moisture in the soil. Sometimes gardeners forget about the importance of roots and plant an orchid in a color pot, which does not transmit light. Because of this, the whole of Philadelphia begins to die, although there are no terrestrial signs of improper care.

Therefore, so that your beauty does not undergo various diseases, make sure that all the criteria for growing are strictly observed.

There can be many pests. There are whiteflies, aphids, scale insects, and mealybugs, and various species of ticks on orchids. Folk remedies (soap solution, decoctions of nettle or chamomile, or dandelions) can be used to combat them if you find an “attack” in the early stages when the parasites did not multiply very much and did not gain a huge number.

Therefore, it is better to immediately contact a chemical preparation. These can be intexixicides that fight insects, and ascaricides, whose action is aimed at combating ticks. Processing by any means should be repeated to destroy all larvae and eggs. But be sure to take breaks between procedures.

Breeding methods

Philadelphia can be propagated in two ways: rhizome division and children. In the first case, only you choose the breeding time. That is, at any time you can divide the rhizomes and get two from one plant. To do this, carefully divide the roots of the orchid so that at least two pseudobulbs remain on each part. And plant each process in a separate pot.

By children, you can propagate an orchid only when it itself wants it. Because it lets phalaenopsis these children, regardless of your desire. When small roots appear on the baby, carefully cut it off from the mother and put it in a separate small container.

We told everything that we knew about the Philadelphia orchid. We hope our information will help you grow a beautiful and healthy plant.

Watch the video: Phalaenopsis Orchids with purple leaves (May 2024).