There are several ways to grow an orchid at home. Depending on the nature and speed of growth, one or another method of breeding a flower is selected. Although, in principle, you can try all the ways for any kind of orchids.
- How to grow orchids at home
- How to propagate the flower by dividing the bush
- Reproduction "kids"
- Cuttings
- How to propagate the orchid seeds
How to grow orchids at home
Reproduction at home is carried out by seeds, cuttings, "kids", dividing the bush. For monopodial orchids - not having a pseudobulb, fast-growing and with one stem, breeding by grafts and children will be more suitable.
And epiphytic orchids — with aerial roots and sympodial roots — with pseudobulb roots, many horizontal stems, and less rapidly growing ones, are best propagated by dividing the shrub.
Therefore, the view that the orchid is capricious, it requires complex care, and its reproduction is difficult, is not quite true.
How to propagate the flower by dividing the bush
An adult flower is removed from the pot and lightly shake the primer from the roots. Then, before dividing the orchid, its roots are soaked in warm (+ 30-35 ° C) water for 20-30 minutes and further separated (cut) the stems with roots apart so that each new bush has at least three pseudobulb.
Cut the roots on the roots sprinkled with woody or crushed activated pharmaceutical coal and allow the roots to dry for some time (2-3 hours). Then plant seedlings in cooked containers or pots. The first time - 2-3 days separated plants do not water, then watering - in the usual mode for the plant.
Reproduction by roots gives a viable, strong new plants, retaining all the signs of the mother bush.
Reproduction "kids"
Children are sprouts that appear from the “sleeping” buds of the roots, peduncle or stem. For reproduction take root kids or kids peduncle. Such sprouts form their own roots during germination, but, having noticed the appearance of children or babies, they are not immediately cut off.
Before planting a flower by children, such sprouts are given time to build up the root system. This usually takes 5-6 months, sometimes 7-8. For transplanting, a baby with 3-4 leaves and 4-5 roots, which will be 5 cm longer, is suitable. When the roots become the right length - cut the baby. Places slices on the mother plant and on the baby sprinkled with coal - activated or woody. After 2-3 hours, the baby is planted in a container or pot. You can plant a sprout in a slightly moistened soil or slightly soak the soil on the rim of the pot.
How to root a young orchid? From above the plant is covered with glass or plastic (a light disposable is perfect) with a glass. This creates the greenhouse effect necessary for rooting.
They observe the sprout, periodically moistening the soil - once in 2-3 days, as well as airing and lifting the "roof"; if the plant remains green, does not dry and begins to grow in the soil, then the greenhouse cap is removed. And then take care of the flower as usual. Children reproduce well and orchids dendrobium and phalaenopsis grow quickly.
Cuttings
Speaking about how to breed an orchid at home with cuttings, it should be noted that this method exists. It is more laborious and durable than the previous ones, but many orchid species reproduce quite well by cutting.
Answering the question of whether it is possible to grow an orchid from a leaf in order to make a strong, strong plant, it is definitely possible. Only "from the leaf" is not entirely accurate - the top of the side shoots and the peduncle of the plant are grafted.
The side shoot should be with 2-3 internodes - it is cut, and the cut points are treated with wood or activated carbon, the process is kept for 1.5-2 hours and spread horizontally on a well-moistened soil.
Before you grow a flower from the stalk of a peduncle, you need to wait until it fully blooms. Then cuttings are cut in 10-14 cm each with 2-3 dormant buds, the sections are treated with coal, and the cuttings are allowed to dry for about two hours. Then the cuttings are laid in the same way as the cut shoots - horizontally.
Next, the cuttings create greenhouse conditions - covered with glass or transparent plastic, film and carefully monitor the temperature in the greenhouse - not below 29-30 ° C and humidity.
Also, water is often watered every 1-2 days, while airing and preventing condensate from settling inside. It would not be out of place to feed the plants with organic or mineral fertilizers once every 10-12 days.
So take care of the cuttings to the formation of their roots from the kidneys. As soon as the roots are 3-5 cm long enough, you can divide the stalk and root the sprouts, planting them in the soil.
How to propagate the orchid seeds
Unlike all the listed orchid breeding species, seed propagation is not vegetative. This is a generative breeding method. It is the longest - it will take up to 4-5 years to get an adult flowering orchid from the seeds.
In addition, at home it will most likely be difficult to do this, but on the other hand it is interesting to try. To do this, the seeds are poured in a thin layer on wet soil, the soil is not sprinkled on top.
A greenhouse effect with constant humidity and temperature is created for seed germination - they are not watered, but carefully sprayed with warm water.
If sprouts appear, they are diving in the phase of the first sheet, the second pick is in the phase of the second sheet, and the third is in the phase of the fourth sheet.
After that, the seedlings are transplanted into pots and grown as usual. As mentioned, the orchid in this case will grow, but bloom only after a few years.
In addition, there is no guarantee that the resulting flowers will be completely similar to the mother flower - the one from which there were seeds. So this method of breeding a flower is interesting, but not practical.
Breeding orchids at home is a good way to expand the home collection of these beautiful flowers. And if you wish - this is also a good business, because orchids are always popular and have a steady demand in the market. We wish you a successful breeding!