Conditions for keeping a home orchid: briefly about what humidity, temperature and lighting different types of this plant need

Some people think that keeping an orchid at home is unrealistic and admiring it in pictures or in flower shops. Yes, this exotic flower is really capricious in leaving, and if you still take a chance and plant the plant in your house, then you just need to know how to properly keep it.

In this article, we will consider the types of this plant, the conditions for keeping it in the house, and talk about the proper care of it. You can also watch a useful video.

Basic Rules

Briefly about the basic principles of orchid maintenance:

Lighting. Bright room, but without direct sunlight to the flower.
Temperature mode. Room temperature in the region of 15-30 degrees, depending on the time of year.
Competent watering method. To determine whether you need to water the orchid - just look at the state of the roots and substrate of the plant. If the roots and substrate are dry, you can water it. You need to know that it is better to water the flower less than required, but in no case do not overwhelm it.
Substrate. The pot filler should have good aeration, dry quickly, but also retain the moisture necessary for the orchid. The most optimal substrate options are spruce, pine, oak and birch bark. Sphagnum or fern roots are also ideal.
Pot. For orchids, special pots are sold that have openings on the bottom, thanks to which the substrate dries evenly. It is desirable that the pot is transparent, for better observation of the condition of the roots and substrate.
Top dressing. For good growth and development of the flower you need to fertilize it. In flower shops you can find specialized fertilizers for orchids. The most important thing is to strictly follow the instructions so as not to harm the plant. It is better to feed the orchid a little bit, but more often than just kill it at once with a high concentration of fertilizer.
Rest period. At this time, the orchid is either preparing for flowering, or laying flower buds, or it will grow growth. It is necessary to give the plant a rest, not fertilize, reduce the room temperature to at least 16 degrees and reduce the frequency of watering.

Climate

Temperature

ATTENTION: Each orchid species needs special care and a special air temperature.

You can conditionally divide plants into three types according to preferences in temperature:

Cold-loving. The temperature should be from 10 degrees at night and up to 20 degrees during the day.
Medium temperature. It requires a temperature of at least 13 degrees at night, and during the day - up to 22 degrees.
Heat loving. It prefers to grow in temperature from 18 degrees at night and up to 30 in the afternoon.

To find out the temperature in the room and choose the appropriate orchid for it, you should place the thermometer in the place where the plant will stand, and observe the temperature during the day.

With hypothermia in the flower, the metabolism will slow down, the orchid will become weaker and more susceptible to disease. And when the temperature in the room is higher than necessary, the plant will not only begin to evaporate moisture, but will no longer have time to absorb it, after which it will either rot or wither.

To learn more about the air temperature for orchids, click here.

Air humidity

Orchids love moistureso that the humidity in the room where the flower lives should be from 60% to 80%. You can increase the humidity in different ways, for example:

Spraying. Orchids can be sprayed with ordinary water from a spray bottle. You need to do this every day before lunch.
In the heating season, place water containers near the battery. The liquid will evaporate, and the air, accordingly, will be humidified.
Arrange cups / vases / bowls with water near orchids.
Use humidifiers. But, there is a drawback - they humidify the air only in certain areas, so if orchids are placed throughout the apartment - more funds will be needed to purchase humidifiers.

An unreasonable attitude to humidity can greatly affect the health of the plant, because high dryness of the air contributes to the spread of pests that are dangerous to the flower, and due to excessive moisture on the leaves spots appear and the flower can rot.

Watch the video about creating the necessary humidity for orchids:

Lighting

With both temperature and preferences in lighting, orchids can be divided into 3 groups:

Photophilous. Place on the windowsill of the south window.
Orchids with moderate lighting. Place on the windowsill of the western window.
Shady. Place on the windowsill of the east window.

IMPORTANT: The most important thing when lighting an orchid is to avoid direct sunlight on the flower.

You can determine the need for light by the state of the leaves of the plant. If there is enough light, the leaves will be green and strong. If there is little light, the leaves will turn dark green. When red spots and dry tips appear, be aware that this is from excess light.

Read more about the features of lighting for orchids here, and here we talked about the organization of lighting for plants.

Season

Orchid is not a cactus, it can not be left on the windowsill and forgotten for a whole year. This plant is gentle, and in order to maintain optimal conditions all year round you need to work hard:

In autumn and winter, when the cloudy sky replaced the bright sun, it is necessary to take care of additional lighting. It should also be remembered that the temperature should not be lower than 14 degrees at night, and during the day to 23. During the heating season, the humidity in the rooms is lowered, so you need to increase its level. And do not forget to properly ventilate the room in which the orchid stands, but in no case do not leave the flower in the draft.
In spring, you can start to shade plants, because the sun begins to shine more actively and you do not want to burn the flower. Orchid wakes up from "hibernation" and begins to grow actively, so the need for watering and fertilizers is growing.
In summer, it is best to place an orchid near the window, protecting it from direct sunlight. Windows must be shaded with curtains or at least paper.

You should also often ventilate the room and maximize its cooling. Orchid can survive a temperature of 35 degrees, but not more than a couple of days.

Plant species

In the world there are several tens of thousands of species of orchids. They are scattered across all continents and on each adapted to life. So it is not surprising that each species needs individual care. Not all of them will be able to live in apartment conditions. The most common unpretentious orchids are sold in shopping centers and flower shops and it will not be difficult to purchase them.

Dendrobium

The most numerous of the orchid species and diverse in the conditions of detention. Dendrobium is convenient for growing in rooms in that it is not picky about lowering temperatures in the winter. They love partial shade, so it is imperative to shade windows in summer. They bloom more actively if they grow in small pots. If transplanted into a large pot, it may cease to bloom at all, because it is not adapted to large sizes.

Wanda

It is grown in a closed system. Heat-loving, so in winter you can lower the temperature to a maximum of 16 degrees. Very often it is grown without a substrate and because of this, increased air humidity is required, so that it is more suitable for in winter gardens and well-glazed rooms.

Watch a video about the features of Wanda orchid and its care:

Cattleya

He loves heat, but not demanding on humidity. In cooling, do not allow temperatures below 16 degrees. They prefer light, but artificial lighting should not be more than 15 hours, otherwise it will not bloom. In summer you need to water abundantly, and in winter, vice versa.

Watch a video about the features of Cattleya orchid and its care:

Paphiopedilum

This type of orchid has several subspecies. One-flowered Paphiopedilum loves coolness, and multi-flowered loves warmth.

Such an orchid is not demanding of light. She feels great in a darkened room, and in winter, if standing on a windowsill, she does not need lighting. Paphiopedilum needs additional calcination of the substrate.

Watch a video about the features of Paphiopedilum orchid and its care:

The consequences of improper care

The flower takes on an incredible beauty when all the necessary conditions are met and the plant feels as comfortable as possible. Solid roots and bright green shiny leaves are the primary indicator of orchid health. If the plant begins to fade, the leaves turn yellow or some spots appear on them, the roots rot - these are signs of improper care or conditions that are inappropriate for the plant. A diseased plant can be cured only if symptoms are noticed in time.

Fungi, viruses and bacterial infections begin to develop from various factors., eg:

increased or decreased humidity;
too high temperature or too low;
lack of light or its excess.

Conclusion

To avoid the disastrous consequences of improper care, you must strictly follow all the rules and instructions, and before buying an orchid, carefully consider the choice of a plant, having previously studied or asked an experienced seller all the features in caring for it.