Home care for phalaenopsis: tips for beginners on choosing a flower pot and proper cultivation, as well as a photo of an orchid

Phalaenopsis is perfect for growing at home, in any interior it looks just like a king. What other flower can please us for so long and surprise us with long violent flowering and a variety of shapes, shades and sizes - from small and delicate to large and spectacular.

Such an orchid can be safely presented as a gift to a person of any level. Consider the features of proper care for this orchid.

What is this plant?

Under the name "Phalaenopsis" both natural and numerous hybrid varieties are combined, which means it is "moth-like", that is, the flower is surprisingly similar to the wings of a fluttering butterfly. This type of orchid is loved not only for its beauty, but also for its unpretentiousness; it is represented mainly by epiphytes - “children of the air”. Sure, only a small fraction of all Phalaenopsis species can grow at home.

How to care for a flower at home?

In the care of Phalaenopsis it is very important to ensure the optimum temperature regime, the necessary humidity and use the right soil - a special substrate for orchids. Of course, you still need to properly water and timely feed, choose the right pot, and most importantly - choose the right comfortable place to keep the plant.

Features of planting and choosing a pot

Caring for an orchid of this species, of course, differs from many other varieties of orchids - both in terms of irrigation regime, and in terms of lightness and temperature requirements. Some species, for example, Cumbria, cannot tolerate drops of water on their leaves - they begin to become covered with brown spots, i.e. it should never be sprayed with water like Phalaenopsis.

The pot for the same Cumbria needs an opaque, because its roots do not need light. Dendrobium, for example, in the dormant period - in autumn, does not need to be watered at all and it also grows in an opaque pot, preferably in a clay one.

If you just bought a new plant and brought it home, then give it the opportunity to adapt to new conditions, that is, it will definitely require an adaptation period (how to care for indoor phalaenopsis after purchase?). The duration of this period is about 10 days, you just need to leave the orchid alone for this time - you do not need to water it, you do not need to spray it with water, you can not fertilize.

It is also not necessary to transplant it from a purchased pot in the near future, the flower will grow quietly for 2 years, and then it can be relocated. But after the purchase, be sure to carefully (with passion) examine all the roots.

Reference! If you suddenly find that the roots of the orchid are at least slightly rotten, it is better to transplant the plant into fresh soil, otherwise it will die.

About how to determine that it is time to transplant the plant, and how to properly carry out this procedure, we described in detail in our article.

Tips for beginners on the proper cultivation of this type of orchid

Any plant, even the most unpretentious, can be destroyed if it is improperly looked after. After all, this is a living creature, therefore, you need to relate to it accordingly - carefully and with love. This is very important, because we want to enjoy and enjoy the contemplation of luxurious flowers, and not upset by the appearance of a drying plant. In order for our orchid to bloom as soon as possible, you do not need to move the pot endlessly from place to place and you can not allow sudden changes in temperature.

Competent choice of place - best of all, the plant will feel on the windowsill, but not under direct sunlight (so as not to get burns), but under the scattered ones. And if you live in your own house, it will be very good for your pets to live in the summer season under the crowns of trees, or at least in the gazebo.
In the fall, of course, they will need to be relocated to the house so that they do not suffer from frost. And in the houses and apartments in the winter, our window sills sometimes become simply hot from an excess of heat, here you can try this solution - lengthen the window sills (you can use foam plastic) or cover the batteries with something on top so that the hot air does not reach the plant.
Pot selection - the pot for Phalaenopsis should be chosen transparent, its root system should be in the light, because photosynthesis takes place there, and the soil condition will be easy to track (to the question of watering).
Soil purchase - It is best to purchase ready-made soil for orchids in a specialized store. You can, of course, try to prepare such a substrate yourself, but it is quite difficult. We talked about the requirements for the ideal soil for phalaenopsis, as well as how to prepare the mixture yourself, in a separate article.
Lighting - It would be just perfect to place Phalaenopsis on the east window, here he will receive exactly as much light as he needs. But, of course, not all of our windows look east, so you can also grow this flower on the south or west window, but you will have to protect it a bit from excess light. This can be done with a curtain, for example, or with a reflective film.
By the way, by the color of the leaves you can understand - is everything all right with your pet. If the color of the leaves of the orchid is olive - green, then everything is fine, but if the leaves are darker - it means that there is not enough light, but if the leaves begin to turn red - then, on the contrary, there is too much light and it is aggressive.
Attention! In winter, you should take care of additional lighting - for this, fluorescent lamps are well suited, and even better - special phytolamps.
Air humidity - For Phalaenopsis (a native of tropical forests), air humidity is required in the range from 35 to 40%. You can put some vessel with water nearby (beautiful and decorative), the water will evaporate and moisten the air.
Temperature - it is very important for healthy growth and lush flowering of the plant to maintain a favorable temperature in the range of 21 to 25 degrees during the day, and the night should be 5 degrees lower. Thanks to such differences of 5 degrees, Phalaenopsis will be able to correctly lay new flower buds.
Watering - “bathing” is an ideal way of watering. We put the pot with our plant in a basin (immersed approximately to the middle of the pot) with water at room temperature and leave for half an hour. During this time, the soil manages to soak well, now we get the pot out of the water and set it so that excess water leaves it. This should be done approximately once a week. About how often and how to water the phalaenopsis and what will happen if you do not follow the regime, read here.
Top dressing - In the summer you need to feed Phalaenopsis about 2 to 3 times a month, and in winter, once a month is enough. It is best to buy a special complex fertilizer for orchids. It is important to remember that fertilizing can only be done on moist soil.
Periodic inspection of the plant for problems - it must be done, because no one is safe, for example, from the appearance of any harmful insects:
- In Phalaenopsis, due to too high air temperature may appear scale shield - this pest is masked in thickenings on the leaves in the form of tubercles or growths.
- Due to the low humidity, the plant can populate aphidleaves become sticky and deformed.
- Also in dry air there is a great danger to see spider mitewho loves to suck the juice of young leaves and weave his web. The cobweb is especially noticeable at the time of spraying the flower with water.

Photo

Below you can see a photo of Phalaenopsis and its care.

Possible problems and solutions

Unfortunately, sometimes due to improper care the plant can simply be lost. Most often this happens among lovers of excessive watering. And excessive watering, respectively, and excessive humidity, lead to the fact that the roots begin to rot and the leaves turn yellow. You never need to rush with watering, especially in winter, wait until the substrate dries - after all, Phalaenopsis lives in a transparent pot, where everything is perfectly visible.

The other extreme is dry air, a person from the tropics suffers greatly from a lack of sufficient moisture in the air, because of this even buds that have already been formed may not bloom, but will not dry out and fall off. Therefore, in no case should such a situation be allowed.

Important! Well, at least a couple of times a day, spray your plant (on leaves only) if it is difficult to create a normal microclimate.

Another mistake - insufficient lighting - because of this, the plant feels severe discomfort, stops blooming and begins to stretch, the leaves become thinner and smaller. Yet again, orchids suffer most from a lack of light in winterwhen daylight is very short. As already mentioned, it is necessary to provide colors with additional lighting and problems can be avoided.

How to fix your own mistakes?

Let's try to figure out how to fix your own mistakes and save the plant.

If Phalaenopsis suffered from waterlogging and the roots began to rot and the leaves turn yellow, you need to carefully pull it out of the pot, shake off the substrate, carefully examine the roots. If at least part of the roots is green, then we’ll start resuscitation:

First, remove the yellow leaves with a clean knife or scissors.
Next, remove the blackened, that is, already rotted parts of the roots.
We treat the places of cuts with powdered coal, leave the plant for some time alone - let it dry out well.
Then carefully plant it in a new substrate, put in a comfortable place for him and wait for the result.

If, for some reason, you forgot about the need to moisten the air and the plant quickly withers, you can try to help like this:

take the pallet;
fill it with wet sand or expanded clay;
put a pot of orchids on top.

A favorable microclimate is formed around the plant, which is able to provide the necessary assistance.

Useful video

The following is an informative video on how to care for the Phalaenopsis orchid:

Conclusion

In conclusion, I want to say that, of course, just one desire to have a beautiful orchid at home is not enough. You also need to want to look after her and do it with pleasure! First you need to study the theory of caring for Phalaenopsis: for leaves, roots, flowers, and the stimulus is wonderful - flowering up to six months. Then there will be no problems and mistakes in leaving. And this plant will definitely thank you.