Orchids are surprisingly interesting and beautiful flowers. Learning to grow them at home is a dream of many lovers of indoor plants. They require the owner to have certain knowledge of care, accuracy and patience.
In stores, these flowers are quite expensive, so most gardeners prefer, having bought one plant, to independently reproduce orchids at home. They use various methods, choosing the most convenient for themselves. To understand how orchid propagation is carried out, you should learn about all the possible methods.
When is the plant propagated?
It is advisable to do this in the spring, when the plant has accumulated enough strength for flowering and active growth. Young flowers are transplanted annually in more spacious containers. During this procedure, the plant is divided, or children are separated from it.
But there are situations when you notice that a flower is closely in its pot and it needs an urgent separation of the bush. In this case, such a procedure is carried out regardless of the season and age of the plant. As a rule, a flower caught in such a situation does not bloom, so any manipulations are allowed.
How do orchids breed?
We have already said that there are several such methods, and you have the right to choose the most convenient for you. Each of them has its own characteristics, but all without exception require strict adherence to all the rules, the sequence of work. The most common methods for propagating orchids (photo posted in this article) include:
- division of the bush;
- reproduction by children;
- layering;
- cuttings.
To choose the method most suitable for you, you need to familiarize yourself with each of them in detail.
Bush division
Photos of orchid propagation at home by dividing the bush can often be seen in indoor floriculture magazines. This is because, according to lovers of home plants, this is the easiest way to reproduce.
In this case, you just need to split the root system. Although it just seems only at first glance. Getting started, you will understand that without following the rules and taking into account the characteristics of the plant, you will not be able to divide the root system.
Experienced gardeners argue that the care and propagation of orchids is easier if the plant is grown in transparent plastic or glass containers - in this case, the root system of the flower is clearly visible, which allows you to remove rotten roots if necessary.
Carefully inspect the roots of the plant. In the event that they rot, the procedure will have to be temporarily postponed - first you need to reanimate the orchid. Now inspect the false bulbs. Ideally, there should be at least four of them. This is very important, since three bulbs are suitable for transplanting into a separate container.
Before you get the flower out of the ground, it should be wetted. After that, tilt the pot and tap on its walls so that the root system is completely separated from its surface. Carefully remove the orchid tubers and clean them of soil.
The tubers are cut with a knife (or scissors). Recall that the tool must be sanitized. Having separated the three onions, they are placed in prepared in advance clean containers with a special soil mixture, which can be purchased at a flower shop.
Sprinkle the slices with charcoal and add soil so that the tubers are stable.
Reproduction by children
Many flower growers believe that it is much easier to care for and reproduce orchids at home precisely by children. This is really a very popular way. When your flower is comfortable, it gives shoots that grow from the buds of faded peduncles. To stimulate their formation, you should rearrange the pot with the plant in a warm and humid room. After the appearance of children, regularly spray the flower - this will help the shoots grow faster and release the roots.
The child is separated from the peduncle only when she releases three or four leaves, and her roots are 5-7 cm long. Special formulations can stimulate the appearance and growth of children. To do this, in a specialized store they buy preparations for growth stimulation intended for orchids (Zircon and Ribav Extra). Following the instructions, you can achieve not only fast flowering, but also the emergence of the release of processes.
These drugs must be used with caution, because if used improperly, you can only aggravate the situation. To avoid this, experts advise using fertilizers with a high nitrogen content. The separation of children from an adult plant is as follows:
- Do not wait until the roots grow by more than 7 cm. In this case, when planting, you can easily damage the root system, and the baby may not take root.
- Cut the children from the peduncle with a knife or scissors. Sprinkle slices with charcoal.
- The planted process is planted in pre-prepared soil.
- Now the shoot will need a warm and humid climate. To do this, install a phytolamp or a regular tabletop over the pot and spray the plant daily.
- You can make a greenhouse over the pot. In this case, spraying is done every two days.
Typically, such processes of children begin to bloom the very next year after transplantation.
Cytokinin paste
It is the safest and most effective stimulant for orchids. Pasta can be purchased at any fertilizer store. It is used in small quantities, so the tube lasts for a long time.
How to use paste?
Cytokinin paste should be used on peduncles. Carefully examine them and find the kidneys. The composition is treated with an upper or lower kidney. Before this, carefully remove the scale from the knife with a knife. Quite a bit of paste (a ball with a diameter of not more than 2 mm) is applied to the kidney with a toothpick. Gently spread the composition evenly over the entire surface. The main condition for the application of this paste is compliance with the amount of applied composition.
Excessive amounts will cause several peduncles to hatch on one bud, which will most likely lead to their death, since not one of them will develop fully.
Watch the treated kidney. With strict observance of all the rules, children will appear in 10 days. More rarely, new peduncles appear. It is necessary to let them grow, and then separate and root.
Propagation by layering
This method of propagation of orchids is rarely used. Usually it is used only in cases where it is not possible to grow the process directly on the plant. After flowering, cut the peduncle almost under the base. It is important that maturing kidneys are on it. Place it in a glass or jar of water so that the kidneys remain above the water. Now you have to wait until the buds sprout. Three to four months later, children will appear on them. After at least three leaflets appear and the roots become longer than five centimeters, transplant them in the usual way into the ground.
This method of propagation of orchids is justified in those cases when it is necessary to obtain several processes at once. Being in the water promotes the simultaneous germination of several buds at the same time, which is almost impossible to see during the growth of orchids in natural conditions.
Cuttings
By cutting, only species having pseudobulbs can be propagated. They are formed by the expansion of the internodes on the stem. Using this method, it is possible to grow several young plants at once in a rather short period of time.
Cuttings orchids propagate as follows. You will need pseudobulbs at the age of 2-3 years. They are separated with scissors or a knife in such a way that a large kidney remains on each piece. Thoroughly sprinkle the sections with charcoal and leave to dry for two days. After this time, pieces of cuttings can be planted in moist sphagnum.
Pseudobulbs need a special microclimate. Air temperature should not be lower than +20 ° C, and humidity - not less than 70%. In a month and a half, you will have young orchids. This method can be applied whenever you find that the pseudobulb has grown too much.
Can a plant be propagated by leaf?
By planting an orchid leaf in a substrate or water, you will not achieve the desired result. It is possible to root a plant only if there is a small piece of the stem on which the "sleeping" bud is located. Usually it is "inside" the plant, and therefore does not receive normal sunlight. A sterile environment can contribute to the awakening of the kidney.
We have presented you some photos of orchids. Care, reproduction of these plants is not easy. But we are sure that choosing one of the listed methods and assimilating its rules, you will be able to propagate your favorite plant, which will become a real decoration of your home.