Orchid care

 Flowers are precious guests who share every moment of our lives. Sometimes we buy and grow flowers to beautify our home and sometimes to grow them with love. On some days; They are sent by our loved ones and share our happiness.

The more we care for them, the more they show their beauty. From this page, you can learn the basics of caring for the flowers that are common to your home. Orchid Care Phaleonepsis Orchid Care How to care for an orchid, which can preserve its beauty for many years when well cared for and becomes more beautiful with each new flower? What are the orchid care tips, how to care for orchids at home, how to make orchids bloom and you can get answers to many other questions from this page. We have prepared all the necessary information about orchid care for you. Features of Orchid Orchids, which have about 880 genera and more than 22.000 species in the world, are spread over a wide area, mostly in the tropics. Phalaenopsis orchid, which is one of the most popular flowers of every period with its white, blue, lilac and toned flowers, durable structure and beauty, is the most known and preferred orchid genus in our country. This species has a short body. Its broad and wide leaves close its roots. They bloom at least 2 times a year and display their flowers for up to 12 weeks. If orchid care is done well, flowering can be seen 3 or even 4 times. How Should Orchid Care Be? Sun light: Orchid does not like too much sun, its flowers deteriorate immediately, but it is not good to be in a dark and dark place. Orchids that do not get enough sun will not bloom. The sun falling on the orchid should be half-filtered, meaning it should not warm the leaves at all or very little when you touch them. Heat: Although orchids are tropical plants, they are not suitable for our regions where it is extremely hot in summer. In order for the orchid to continue growing healthily, it must be at a minimum of 18º C and a maximum of 29º C. Although less or more does not prevent growth unless it is long-term, it will harm your plant in the long run. Moisture: Orchid is a flower whose demands on humidity change according to its type. However, when examined in general, they are flowers that require at least 50% humidity during the day and at least 70% at night. It will grow healthier and faster in denser humid air than these dimensions. Irrigation Watering is vital for orchids. Over watering causes hard-to-repair damage to the roots of the plant. Irrigation of orchids varies according to plant needs and climate. However, it should be watered once a week or by dividing the same amount of water into two separate days and with rested room temperature water. There are 3 frequently preferred methods of orchid irrigation. These: Irrigation of orchids with the immersion method: To irrigate orchids with the immersion method, place your pot in a container filled with pre-rested water and leave it in water for 10-15 minutes until all the roots are wet. Then take the pot out of the container, wait for the remaining water to drain and dry enough, and put it back in its original place. You can apply this method once a week. Orchid irrigation with ice cubes: Another method is ice cube irrigation, which is very popular for plants with hard soils. Place a few ice cubes under the leaves of the plant so that they do not wet the leaves. Thus, the ice will gradually melt and the plant will have a chance to absorb the water from the soil. If there is any water left in the pot plate after the melting is complete, you should not forget to empty it. With this method, you can water your plant twice a week. Direct pouring: Of course, you can also choose the classic way to water your flower. You can pour water directly into the pot of your orchid with your previously rested room temperature water, and empty the remaining water in the pot plate. With this method, you can water your plant once a week.

Tip: You should not water your plant with spray. When watered with this method, the leaves may get wet and if the leaves do not dry, a fungal problem may be observed. Soil: The soil of the orchid is unique to itself, it does not grow in every soil. It requires a mixture prepared with various fibers and peat. You can do the soil change when you change the pot. Fertilizer: You can fertilize your orchid at regular intervals to encourage flowering. Since orchid soil is different from conventional ornamental plants, you should always use liquid fertilizer or nutrients. You can give liquid fertilizer to your plants once a month, if you wish, you can divide the amount you need to give and apply it weekly. Tip: You can freeze liquid fertilizer in ice containers and leave it in the plant soil so that it melts slowly and is absorbed by the roots. Pot Selection: Orchid roots need light. For this reason, the orchid pot should be transparent and translucent. When changing the pot, the pot should be cut and removed if necessary in order not to damage the roots, and the air roots that come out should not be compressed into the pot. Pruning: Orchids usually keep their flowers for 3-4 months after flowering. After the flowers fall, the flower stalks remain alive for a while. As long as your orchid stem is green, it is still alive. However, when the stem starts to dry and turns brown, it will no longer be useful to keep it in flower. You can cut the brown stem crosswise with a sterile scissors and separate it from the plant. If you cut the stem while it is green, you can use this part as cuttings to produce a new orchid. How to Propagate Phalaenopsis Orchids? Several methods can be tried for orchid propagation. The 3 most commonly used methods are reproduction with cuttings, keiki and separation method. Orchid Reproduction with Steel The cutting technique is the technique of creating a new plant with a stem, root or leaf piece, called a cutting, taken from the plant to be produced. In order to use this method, your orchids must be sufficiently developed and give shoots from different points. The steps to propagate orchids with cuttings are as follows: After the flowerless have fallen, cut a stem with green leaves from the bottom up, 1-2 cm above the 3 nodes with a sharp and sterile knife. You're doing some sort of pruning here. For this reason, you can try to reproduce your orchid if the cuttings you will get when you prune your plant are useful. Then you can prevent the cut from rotting by applying garden sulfur powder or cinnamon to the cut. If the leaf under the stem has lost its health, it cannot recover itself. That's why you should clean it, if any. Then you should keep the orchid in a full shade area. Even if it gets a little sun, no offspring will form on the flower stalk. Your plant will sprout to bloom. When a seedling is formed on the flower stalk of your orchid, take it back to its original place. When the seedling formed on the stem grows, you can cut the stem a few inches from the top and bottom and plant the young seedling in a separate pot. Orchid Reproduction by Separation Method Another orchid reproduction method is the separation method. Phalaenopsis orchid very rarely gives offspring from the root. If the fry is sufficiently rooted and has at least two leaves, then you can separate it. The steps to be followed when propagating orchids with the separation method are as follows: First, you should remove your orchid from its pot without damaging its roots, and after clearing a little of its soil, you should carefully separate the offspring. You can plant your new orchids in pots and keep them upright with the help of a stick until the plant recovers. It is very rare for an orchid to produce offspring from the root, but if the middle part, from which it produces new leaves, is damaged, then it produces more than one offspring from the root. Some destroy the central foliage of the plant to produce offspring. However, we do not recommend this, because you can completely kill the orchid. You have to wait for the right time to use this method. Orchids give root shoots after the period of active growth and after flowering. New green leaves will form on these shoots. If your orchid has grown quite large, has given many root shoots from different points, and many different leaf groups have appeared, you can propagate by separating. Orchid Reproduction from Keiki Baby orchids that form at the ends of the orchid are called keiki. It is possible to reproduce your flower by separating these orchids that give roots even though they are attached to the main stem. The steps of orchid propagation by separating the keikis are as follows: You should wait for the keikis to mature enough. When it reaches the desired stage, the keiki has at least 2 leaves and roots, and the roots will be at least 3 cm long. You should water your plant and feed the roots 24 hours before the day you will separate the keikis. Separate the keikis with a sterile knife and plant them in a pot full of orchid soil. Fix your new orchids with a stick and give them first water.