Planting orchid babies at home, watering and feeding

Many flower growers are concerned about the question: how to plant an orchid baby at home, separating it from the mother plant? This method is considered the simplest breeding option for phalaenopsis and dendrobiums. In the phalaenopsis orchid, a baby is formed on a dormant bud or at the root collar when the plant fades. Usually, after the appearance of the baby, these plants do not bloom for a long time, since they spend a lot of energy on growing offspring.

In order for a baby to appear, several conditions must be met: sufficient illumination, warm content and the preservation of the peduncle after the end of the flowering period. Nighttime temperature drops and high humidity can also contribute to their appearance. It is important not to shorten the stem of the mother plant more than 2-3 cm above the last bud. Some flower growers also associate the appearance of children with mistakes in the care of orchids and with violation of the conditions for their maintenance.

Orchid propagation by separating children

An orchid baby cannot be separated immediately after it appears, otherwise it will die. On the mother plant, the shoot can remain up to six months, managing to grow about 5 leaves and long roots during this time. Some growers are trying to accelerate the growth of the root system by spraying it with stimulants, winding sphagnum moss on the root collar and attaching foam from below.

Advice

The worst idea is to put your orchid baby in a glass of water. This is a sure way to make it rot and die.

Such options do not guarantee the success of the orchid vegetative propagation operation. On the contrary, the more of this kind of "help" the flower receives, the worse the result is. But you also should not wait for the moment when the roots become too long - they will begin to break when planting, and it will be difficult for such a baby to get out.

If at home plants begin to develop naturally, surviving and fighting for existence, as in a natural environment, they adapt better and grow at home. The roots may not grow much longer than after 6 months, so you should be patient and wait, without trying to somehow speed up their growth, in order to quickly put the baby in another pot. When they grow up to 5 cm, the young plant can be separated and transplanted into the ground. Until this moment, the mother liquor is looked after as usual - watered and fertilized. You can bathe orchids under a hot shower, sprinkling water on the leaves and the baby from all sides.

Before planting an orchid shoot at home, you need to prepare the necessary tools and ingredients:

• sharp secateurs;
• correct substrate;
• pot;
• activated carbon or cinnamon;
• gloves;
• disinfectant to wipe down instruments.

Planting baby orchids

All tools and soil must be disinfected: wipe the knife and pot, for example, with alcohol, and spill the substrate in advance with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. The baby needs to be cut off with a clean sharp pruner, leaving part of the peduncle, and then let her lie down for half an hour. Slices on the mother plant and on the shoot are sprinkled with crushed charcoal or ground cinnamon. The planting substrate is made up of small pieces of pine bark, sphagnum moss and high-quality charcoal.

To plant an orchid baby at home, you need a small container. It's good if it turns out to be transparent - for this purpose, you can use a plastic cup, choosing its size for the root system of the plant. Several holes should be made in the bottom.After that, it is filled with a substrate, and the young plant is placed in the center so that the neck is flush with the edge of the glass. The roots are evenly distributed over it, and another layer of substrate is poured on top.

You do not need to apply the soil with your hands - you can break the root system. It is enough just to knock on the edges of the pot - then it will settle on its own. You cannot water the orchid baby immediately after planting. The first watering is done only after 2-3 days. During this time, the wounds on the trunk and roots will dry out and tighten, and the risk of decay and infection will decrease.

Advice

No need to try to cover the roots completely. If some of them remain on the surface, that's okay.

Planting the baby in an air greenhouse and further care

There is a second way to plant an orchid baby, but it is much more complicated than the previous one. The first stage is practically the same: you need to cut off the baby with a sharp knife and treat it with activated carbon. Then a small orchid is placed in an air greenhouse, which is created using a pencil and a plastic cup. Holes are made in advance in the bottom and sides, at the bottom - for drainage, and from the sides - to insert a pencil or other oblong object into them. A moistened mixture of peat, moss and bark is poured into the container, but not until the end of the glass, but leaving a place in it.

The baby is placed on a pencil so that the roots remain in the air and practically do not touch the substrate - only the tips can reach it. A greenhouse made from a cut plastic bottle, or any other, is placed on top. It should have openings for air in. Then the plant in the greenhouse is placed on a light and warm windowsill. When the root system grows to 7 cm, you can transplant the orchid baby into a regular pot. If you do everything right, the young plant quickly takes root and starts growing.

Advice

When a baby is located on the stem of a plant and does not have its own roots, it should not be separated - it is unlikely that it will survive, and the mother plant may suffer from a wound on the trunk.

You should not take care of a young plant like an adult - a small root system cannot withstand watering once a week. You need to water a little and only after the soil in the pot is completely dry. Healthy, robust orchid babies usually start growing quickly. They can then be fed using half the standard adult orchid fertilizer. When they grow up, they begin to care for young orchids in the same way as for an adult.

So, in order for a baby to form on an orchid, a combination of several factors will be required, such as warmth, sufficient light and a preserved peduncle. It is necessary to separate young plants when their roots reach a length of 5 cm. The baby is cut off along with a part of the peduncle, the wounds are powdered with charcoal or cinnamon.

Planting is carried out in a small glass or transparent pot filled with orchid substrate. You cannot accept the soil - this can break the roots. It is forbidden to water the plant for the first 2-3 days after planting, then the substrate is moistened after complete drying. They begin to feed after the separated baby starts to grow. Now you can take care of her like an adult flower.