White phalaenopsis - a symbol of chastity, a charming and aristocratic flower. In the old days, it was rumored regularly that the plant had magical properties: amulets were made from the petals to protect against the evil eye, and from the roots they were used to make a love drink. White orchid phalaenopsis is popular with gardeners due to the fact that the plants freely adapt to the apartment conditions and decorate the interior.
What kind of flower?
White phalaenopsis is translated from Greek as Phalania ("moth") and Opsis ("likeness"). A stemless orchid, an epiphyte, uses a neighboring plant as a support, but feeds autonomously. In nature chooses wet plains and tropical forests. For the first time a plant was found in the northern part of the island of New Guinea.
Appearance and photo
The roots of the plant, soaked with moisture, become bright green. Phalaenopsis blooms year-round as the ovary opens one after another. One bud can live up to three months. The life of an orchid is not more than ten years.
Potted culture consists of a stem with lingual, sweeping leaves, covered with wax and spines. The number of buds varies depending on the state of the plant, as well as its size. Room phalaenopsis grows up to a meter in height, forming flowers with a diameter of up to twelve centimeters, there are also miniature individuals reaching a height of no more than 40 cm. It is noteworthy that the flowers of white phalaenopsis are devoid of flavor.
What grades of phalaenopsis are white:
- Alaska.
- Gold Lip.
- Samoa.
- Ragen.
- White Cloud.
- Island.
- Malibu Chablis.
Breeding history
Nowadays, orchid cultivation is a profitable business. And 500 years ago in Europe they did not know how popular the white orchid would become. The first brought copies did not please with firmness as the European gardeners lacked knowledge and experience.
The history of phalaenopsis breeding is immersed in the roots of the late 19th century.. John Ceden, an English botanist and gardener crossed the Phalaenopsis of Aphrodite and the Phalaenopsis rider, and the first hybrid was obtained.
Step-by-step instruction
Care
It is best to plant the plant in a transparent pot with holes that will create ventilation. Due to the light transmission properties of the plastic, it is easy to track the condition of the roots and determine the irrigation time.
Avoid overmoistening. Watering the plant is necessary only when the substrate is dry. When transplanting, use a special substrate.
To get the plant a possible amount of moisture, place the phalaenopsis pot for twenty minutes in water, the temperature above room a couple of degrees. Ground part watered with warm water from the shower. Watering the plant up to three times a week. In the cold season, watering is reduced to once a week.. To create the maximum level of comfort for the plant - place a humidifier next to it.
White phalaenopsis needs diffused daylight and does not like direct sunlight, under their action the plant will burn and die. In the case when natural lighting is not enough, create artificial lighting. Fluorescent lamps work best in this case.
Phalaenopsis is a heat-loving plant, the optimum temperature level varies from + 20 to + 24 degrees. At temperatures below + 20 degrees the plant stops multiplying.
We offer to watch a video about the care of white phalaenopsis:
Top dressing
For the plant to grow and develop watering and adherence to the correct temperature is not enough. For feeding plants it is better to use specialized liquid fertilizer marked "for orchids." Acidic environment harms phalaenopsistherefore, the acidity of the fertilizer is not lower than 5 ph-7ph.
During periods of active growth, budding it is recommended to use different fertilizers. At the growth stage of Orihdei, it is better to choose nitrogenous fertilizers, which accelerate the growth of the vegetative mass. And at the flowering stage - potash-phosphate fertilizers, stimulating cellular respiration and photosynthesis, as well as the formation of healthy buds.
Experienced growers distinguish the following methods of fertilizing:
- Root dressingThe method is recommended only for healthy plants. Implies saturation of the substrate with nutrients.
- Restrictions. Phalaenopsis is not recommended to be fertilized during transplantation. Do not fertilize the root system of a weakened plant.
You can not fertilize plants during budding, because it shortens the life of the plant, which leads to a reduction in flowering time.
- Foliar top dressing. During the formation of roots or damage to the root system, it is better to use foliar application. Fertilizers penetrate faster through radical leaves, and the visible result does not keep you waiting.
Transfer
If a large amount of moss has accumulated on the walls of the pot, and the roots have completely filled the container, the leaves are sluggish even after watering, then it is time to transplant.
The best time to transfer - the end of the heating season. Replant the plant better every two years. The correct pot for transplantation has a drainage system, transparent walls. A drainage layer 5 cm thick is placed on the bottom.
For transplantation, a soil with a high content of charcoal and pine bark is better suited.
We offer to watch a video about orchid transplantation:
Breeding
It is best to reproduce phalaenopsis in late spring and early summer. Adult plant is propagated by dividing the bush. An important condition is the presence of 6-7 healthy leaves. With the help of garden shears cut off the upper part of the plant. Sections are processed with activated carbon, and the cut part of the plant is planted in the substrate.
We offer to watch a video about orchid reproduction:
Pests and diseases
Unfortunately, not everyone can properly care for orchids, which leads to infection with viruses, fungi, beetles, mites and arachnids. Falling flowers, yellowed leaves, covered with spots - this is the result of the work of pests. Most Popular:
- Thrips - insects that look like winged rods, after penetrating a pot, gradually sink into the ground.If there is a silver grid on the leaves and points, most likely, it is thrips. The leaves are rubbed, the damaged parts are removed, the plants are treated with aktar.
- Mokritsy - do not pose a danger, and are not parasites of orchids, but they gnaw young roots and shoots. To bring them simply, it is enough to water the plant plentifully. Insects crawl out and are easy to assemble.
- Mealybug - pest, eats the juice from the leaves. Dwells in the base of the flower and under the roots. Forms colonies in the form of cobwebs, covering part of the leaf plate. Remove fallen and damaged leaves, treat the plant with fitoverm, if there are no parasite eggs for four weeks, consider the plant healthy.
Rust - mold fungus that infects the leaves of the plant. Rusty spots appear on the surface of the sheet. Treatment: throw out the affected leaves, treat the plant with 25% alcohol.- Rot - plants that are already infected with pests are susceptible to this disease. Fluffy spots appear on the dorsal surface of the leaf - methods of struggle are the same as in the previous paragraph.
- Aphid - the parasite itself is not dangerous, but the excreta disrupt the process of cellular respiration in phalaenopsis, which contributes to the reproduction of fungi and bacteria.
- Nematodes - primordial parasites weaken the plant, penetrating into the roots and stems, feed on sap. Orchids stagnate in growth, then rot and die.
Rust - mold fungus that infects the leaves of the plant. Rusty spots appear on the surface of the sheet. Treatment: throw out the affected leaves, treat the plant with 25% alcohol.We offer to watch a video about orchid diseases and pests:
Conclusion
In order to avoid accidental infection of your beloved ward, follow these guidelines:
- Air the room.
- Place the orchids between 30-40 cm.
- Water a subtropical plant in the morning.
- If there are many plants in the room - a ceiling or radial fan, it will relieve from problems and illnesses.
