HOW TO CARE FOR ORCHIDS

Undoubtedly, orchids among the most preferred plants indoors. Adding beauty to spaces with the texture, color and leaves of its flowers, the care of this plant is more difficult than other indoor plants and requires special care in its care. This plant, which continues its life by hugging tree trunks in tropical areas, demands living conditions in nature. There are about 880 genera and more than 22.000 species in the world. Indoors, we mostly see Phaleonepsis or Dendrobium orchids. Such orchids; It lives in penumbra, light and humid environments and has a short body in form. It has fleshy, oval leaves and its flowers are usually white, purple, pink or a combination of these. Dendrobium orchids; It has smaller flowers and is white or purple in color. The leaves are narrow and the leaves emerge from the edges of the branches.

Orchids bloom at least 2 times a year and these flowers can stay for 2-3 months. As long as the maintenance processes of the orchids are not interrupted, your orchid will flower for a long time.

ORCHID BASIC INFORMATION

Botanical/Scientific name: Orchid spp.

Commonly used names: Orchids, Cane orchids, Moth orchids.

Origin: Tropical forests

Height/diameter: 12-16 inç tall

ORCHIDS GROW AND CARE

Orchid Sunlight Needs: It usually grows well in partial shade and low light. Do not keep your orchids in direct sunlight. Direct light causes burning in the leaves of orchids and spoiling their flowers. If it does not get enough sunlight, flowering will not be observed. For this reason, you will need to position your orchids in places where sunlight is ideal. The sun filtering behind the tulle curtain is the ideal light source for your plant. If you have to keep your orchid in a dark environment, you can use artificial light sources. Broad spectrum LED lighting will give orchids a little light support.

Orchid Humidity and Watering: The plant has a high need for water and moisture. Humidity should be at least 50% during the day and at least 70% at night. In areas where there is not enough moisture, the flower protects itself and does not bloom. You can spray the leaves of the plant with a spray. When spraying with water, make sure that the water does not contain limescale and chlorine. You can do this application in summer and in the morning. In the night spraying, the puddles on the leaves of the plant do not dry, stains may form and they may invite diseases. Keep your Orchids away from the air flow, which is one of the situations that will reduce the humidity of the environment. It grows well in well-ventilated environments that do not receive direct wind. In cases where the humidity is insufficient, you can keep your flower pot on the gravel for a while by filling a tray with gravel and water to meet this need.

Although the need for water is high, the roots of the plant are damaged first when the watering scheme is interrupted or when too much water is given. The need for watering of orchids varies according to the conditions of the environment. You can determine whether the plant needs water by observing its roots. Under normal conditions, you can watering once or twice a week on average. Water, should not contain lime and chlorine, it should be at room temperature and rested. The watering methods of orchids also vary. There are 3 types of watering methods. These methods are;

1- Watering by immersion method; Pour the previously rested irrigation water into a container larger than the pot size. Keep your orchid pot in this container. When the air bubbles in the container are gone, take your orchid from the container and wait for the remaining water in the pot to drain. Another method that indicates how many containers the orchid should be in is; observes the darkening of the color of the soil covering the surface of the pot, namely the tree bark, by absorbing moisture. When the pine bark on the pot is also damp, you can move your pot away from the pot. This time is approximately 10-15 minutes. We recommend that you do not do this method all the time. Because the constant repetition of this method causes the nutrients in the orchid soil to be filtered out and purified from the soil. You can irrigate in this way once a month.

2- Watering directly on the soil; It is the most classic irrigation method. In this method, the irrigation water should be rested and at room temperature. Pour off any excess water left on the bottom of the pot. Excess water remaining at the bottom of the pot will damage the roots and later the plant.

3- Watering plants with ice cubes; This method can be preferred because the orchid soil consists of pine bark and is permeable. Place the ice cubes on the potting soil so that they do not touch the leaves. In this way, the ice will melt slowly and the plant soil will get the moisture it needs without much water loss. If you place the ice dispersed on the soil surface, you will ensure that all the soil in the pot is moistened. If there is excess water left in the potting soil as a result of melting, remove this water.

Orchid Temperatures: Although it is a tropical climate plant, too much heat spoils the structure of the plant. For this reason, the ideal living environment temperature of orchids should be in the range of 17-22 ° C. Temperatures above 29°C damage the plant.

Orchid Soil: Orchids are not found underground in nature, they live by hugging tree bark. For this reason, the soil structure is different from other plants. It has aerial roots, meaning its roots are in the air. In order to keep this plant alive indoors, mixtures with very high air permeability serve as soil. They never grow in normal potting soil, in such soil the roots of the plant suffocate and cannot survive. Therefore, orchid potting soil usually consists of bark of Pistachio pine, Aleppo pine, Redwood and Fir trees. In addition to pine bark, highly permeable inorganic materials such as sphagnum peat moss, peat, perlite can be added.

Orchid Pot Selection and Repotting; The roots of orchids are in the air in their natural habitat, so they need sunlight. It likes semi-shade areas that do not receive direct sun, such as the leaves and flowers of the plant. For this reason, it grows well in transparent, light-permeable white colored pots where its roots can receive light. It is important that the roots can breathe. The roots may come out of the pot, so do not prune and do not try to bury the roots in the soil. Thanks to the transparent plastic pots, you have the chance to observe the roots of the orchid. You can observe the moisture level, color and texture of the roots thanks to the transparent pots. An orchid with healthy roots is healthy. Another pot is white clay pots with light transmittance. If you want to present your orchids in a more stylish pot, you can also choose this type of pots. In addition, there are also colored, perforated clay pots, which are specially produced for orchids, with a little light transmittance. If you want to repot, do it when the plant is not in bloom. If you repotting the flower pot, orchids get stressed and stop blooming.

Orchid Fertilization; You can use special fertilizer mixes to keep your orchids blooming continuously. According to a study conducted by Michigan State University (MSU), an orchid-specific fertilizer mixture was researched. You can access this orchid fertilizer from this link. Orchid does not need a lot of fertilizer and you can use this granular fertilizer when flowering cannot be achieved. You can also use powdered or liquid fertilizer to keep indoor plants blooming.

Orchid Pruning and Cuttings: You can cut the branches that dry and fall out and then emptied from the base of the root. If you prune dry branches; It is aimed to give the energy that the plant needs to spend to the newly formed flowers. In this way, the opportunity for new future flowers is provided. Make sure the pruning shears are sterile and sharp. If your other plants have diseases or pests, do not let them infect your orchid.

Orchid Propagation: Producing seeds for orchid plants is a very difficult and time-consuming process. The most appropriate mode of production is to reproduce by dividing. If there is more than one stem in your orchid pot, you can separate these stems by dividing them. It will be more difficult to separate the roots of your orchids that you separate from the trunk. Because the roots and the soil are intertwined. To facilitate this, first identify dead, blackened, rotten, shriveled roots and remove them by hand or with pruning shears. Then separate the roots so as not to damage the remaining roots. Complete the pot change by adding soil to the 2 separate plants you have separated and provide regular maintenance.

Orchid Diseases and Pests: Flowers also attract people who are attracted to them. Mealybugs, scale insects, aphids, mushroom mosquitoes, mites, thrips, whiteflies are the ones that harm orchids.

Rooting from root will result from excess water. In addition, anthracnose, phytophthora, botrytis, leaf moss and petal blight, which are leaf diseases, are also the troubles of the orchid.