Care for phalaenopsis at home - easy and simple

At the moment, there are more than 25 000 natural species and more than 100 000 hybrids of orchids in the world. It is believed that these beautiful plants are very difficult to care for. But there is a kind that does not require a lot of attention. At the moment, the content of phalaenopsis in the home is available even for beginners.

The native land of Phalaenopsis is the Philippine Islands. He received his name from the Dutch botanist Blum, who discovered this plant on one of the islands of the Malay Archipelago in 1825. The scientist took inflorescence for the beautiful butterflies circling above some plant.

The main advantage of phalaenopsis is its long flowering short period of rest. Striking and abundance of magnificent colors. But the most popular hybrid phalaenopsis. At the moment, you can find plants of almost all colorings. Sky-blue and black are the exception.

In order to have an accurate idea of how to take care of phalaenopsis at home, we must remember that this is not an ordinary plant, but an epiphyte. Such plants do not require soil as a support and nutrient medium. They grow on trees, moisture is obtained from the air, and nutrients from rotten plant remains left in the bark.

Purchase.

Oddly enough, phalenopsis care at home starts with the purchase. A healthy strong plant has dense leaves and gray-green roots. It must be clean, free from stains and damage. Mechanical damages of leaves are permissible. Also, yellow lower leaves are allowed, as in phalaenopsis they turn yellow and wither with time.

The plant should sit tightly in the pot. It should not hang out if you try to shake it. This is a sign of healthy roots.

Lighting.

The best phalaenopsis feel on the windows of the east and south-east direction. Western and south-western directions with soft diffused light in the morning and evening hours will also suit. You should avoid the southern and northern windows, because the first is too hot, and on the second - dark. But it is possible to grow orchids there. The southern windows need to be shaded, and the northern ones should be highlighted. In any case, wherever your flowers are, the light day should be 12 to 16 hours.

Danger is the hot dry air coming from the battery. This should be considered when placing orchids.

Temperature regime.

Temperature - this is another reason why phalenopsis care at home is considered a fairly easy thing. In principle, it corresponds to the temperature regime of our apartments. The summer daytime temperature should be 20-24C, and the winter temperature should be 16-18C.

Due to the fact that phalaenopsis does not have an expressed period of rest, the difference between night and daytime temperatures should be at least 4 degrees. At this time, the plant is planted with buds for future flowering.

If the plant is on the windowsill, you should be afraid of a long drop in temperature. In this case, the leaves lose elasticity, wrinkles appear on them. Do not try to fix this by increasing watering. This will have the opposite effect. Therefore, it is recommended to have a thermometer next to the pot.

Orchids, like people, love the influx of fresh air, but not a draft. In summer, a light breeze near the leaves will help lower the temperature of the leaves, provides an oxygen supply, which eliminates the possibility of stagnation of moist air.

Watering and fertilizer.

Here are a few simple rules for watering, observing which phalenopsis care at home will not be burdensome. The main rule - it is better not to add more than pour, it is better to dry the orchid, than to moisten it excessively. The higher the illumination and the temperature, the smaller the intervals between watering. After watering, you need to make sure that there is no excess water left in the pot.

The simplest method of watering is the immersion method. Pot with a plant put in a basin or a bucket of water, stand for two to three minutes, so that the substrate is completely soaked, then pulled out and put on a pallet to cover excess water. Once a month the plants are useful to wash under the shower.

Water for irrigation should be clean, without harmful chemicals. Distilled water is not the best option for watering. There are no useful micronutrients in it. Since phalaenopsis feeds, due to the absorption of nutrients by roots from water, fertilizers must be water-soluble. They should be added only to a wet substrate. When watering a dry substrate, fertilizers can scorch the roots.

Soil and pot.

Transplant phalaenopsis should not be more than once every two to three years. Various wooden, wicker or bamboo baskets are suitable as a container. Plastic pots, too, will do. Only need to make additional soldering holes on the sides and at the bottom.

As a substratum for phalaenopsis, the bark with the addition of sphagnum moss is ideal. Although these orchids grow well on pure bark, sphagnum should be added, especially to young plants. The ready-made substrate, which is sold in stores, can be too water-intensive for phalaenopsis. In this case, you should add bark to it.

Thus, as follows from the article, caring for phalaenopsis at home is not so troublesome and burdensome as it seems at first.