Growing orchids: how to propagate an orchid at home. Propagation of orchids by cuttings at home Cuttings of orchids at home

Orchids are mysterious and unusual. Everything about these flowers is special. It seems that they cannot be bred like regular violets or ficuses. However, in experienced hands, exotic beauties successfully give birth to babies on windowsills.

Instructions for propagating orchids by cuttings at home with detailed photo and video materials will help you in this painstaking but very interesting task.

Patient gardeners can also try the generative method - sowing seeds.

Sympodial orchids are most easily propagated by division, cutting the rhizome into pieces. Each division should have three pseudobulbs. The event is held in early spring.

Sometimes plants divide on their own when the bush reaches a sufficient size.

An elderly sympodial orchid looks like several nodes consisting of young leaves. You need to know that not every node develops a pseudobulb.

In cattleyas you can clearly see which areas have a bulb under them and which areas do not. In old Miltonias, everything is arranged so tightly that it seems as if they are not several young parts, but one plant with many tuberidia (pseudobulbs).

Aboveground shoots do not always grow from tuberidia. Therefore, the plant is cut into pieces containing at least 3 nodes. At least one will have a pseudobulb under it.

Step-by-step instruction:

Dividing a bush is the main method of propagation of species with many growing shoots connected to each other. These are cymbidiums, oncidiums, miltonias, dendrobiums, cattleyas.

Reproduction of phalaenopsis orchid by division on video:

Air Scions

Dendrobiums form aerial offspring (babies). They can develop anywhere on a stem consisting of vertically arranged pseudobulbs. They just need to be cut and planted separately. With this division, the mother plant is cut with a knife into sections of 2-3 thickenings. The bushes are divided every few years.

How to propagate an orchid from cuttings at home?

Cuttings are suitable for orchids that can grow both upward and outward: cymbidiums, dendrobiums.

In them, generative buds appear in the axils of the leaves, and vegetative buds, capable of giving rise to new plants, are formed along the entire shoot. Knowing where vegetative buds begin, you can approach cuttings competently and are guaranteed to achieve success in propagating monopodial species.

Cuttings are cut from the stem. The top will not fit; it will be cut off. The best time for the event is a few months after flowering has completed.

The pieces are placed in a mini-greenhouse on moist sphagnum moss. Some cuttings will germinate within a week. The rest will rot or dry out. Usually, about 15% of the material germinates the first time for inexperienced gardeners.

The children obtained as a result of cuttings need to be planted in separate ones when their own roots are formed.

Propagation of orchids by cuttings on video:

Apical cuttings

Severing the top from an adult specimen allows you to quickly obtain flowering plants. Orchids with a large number of adventitious roots and leaves are suitable for division.

In orchids, division is carried out differently than in ordinary plants. The flower is cut into two parts, removing the top and part of the roots with a knife. The result is two plants - a stump and a tip. Both must have roots.

Both cuts are treated with crumbly coal. The crown is planted in a pot with a substrate.

Babies will soon appear on the stump, which will grow and develop into several adult plants. When the children begin to grow roots, they can be separated from the stump and planted in separate containers, placing them in a warm, damp greenhouse for the first time.

Apical cuttings are used only for fast-growing flowers. Slow growers will take years for the cutting to develop into a flowering plant.

To propagate at home most quickly and effortlessly, use faded flower stalks.

Step-by-step instruction:

Cut off the flower stalk that has no more flowers left.
Using a sharp scalpel, divide into sticks. At least one bud should remain on each, and as close to the bottom cut as possible.
Sprinkle the cuts with charcoal powder.
Don't forget to dust the cut left on the mother plant.
Use a blade to remove the protective scales from the buds.
Fill a small container with sphagnum moss and moisten it with a spray bottle with rain or distilled water.
Lay the cuttings horizontally.
Cover the container with film or glass.
Place in a place with a temperature of +25.
Ventilate the container with cuttings daily, removing the film for 10-15 minutes, and spray the peat with water.

By following these instructions, you can propagate vandas and other plants with monopodial branching and a long peduncle.

Growing a baby on a peduncle, video:

Child sockets

Monopodial orchids reproduce through daughter rosettes: phalaenopsis, vanda. They represent a single shoot with a growing point at the top and develop only vertically throughout life.

Monopodial orchids do not have bulbs, tuberidia or other storage organs. Everything necessary for life is contained in their leaves.

Daughter rosettes are formed on peduncles. To do this, you need to create high humidity and heat. Sometimes, to stimulate the appearance of rosettes, the peduncle is wrapped in sphagnum and polyethylene, moistened or the dormant bud is sprayed with a solution of heteroauxin.

If the temperature and humidity are unsuitable, the dormant buds will turn into flowers, and then another peduncle will simply grow on the peduncle. Under favorable conditions, the dormant bud will develop into a new plant. It can be separated when several roots are formed and planted in a pot filled with a substrate suitable for this species.

Propagation by seeds

Orchid seeds are very small and dust-like. It's not easy to germinate them. The matter is complicated by the fact that orchids germinate only in symbiosis with certain fungi and bacteria.

Getting orchid seeds at home is difficult. To do this, you need to carry out artificial pollination. In nature, these flowers are pollinated by certain insects or birds, which, of course, are not in our rooms.

At home, as well as in laboratories, seeds are germinated on agar-agar, to which a few minerals have been added. This is the so-called Knudsen mixture. It is difficult to compose it yourself. You will need chemical reagents and accurate scales.

Nowadays, some gardening stores sell kits that include the seeds themselves and the necessary ingredients for germinating them. The easiest way is to buy such a kit and follow the instructions included with it.

If it is not possible to purchase ready-made kits or chemicals for preparing the Knudsen mixture, you can try preparing a nutrient medium for germination according to this recipe:

distilled water 200 ml;
sugar 2 g;
honey 2 g;
starch 40 g;
banana puree 1 tsp;
activated carbon – half a tablet;
fertilizer for orchids - dosage according to instructions.

Preparation:

Mix the ingredients.
Measure pH - acidity should be 4.8-5.2.
Place in a water bath.
Stirring until it thickens.
Pour into sterile glass jars in a layer 3-4 cm thick.

Jars with the substrate must be sterilized in a water bath, holding them for 30 minutes after the water has boiled. Sterilization is carried out three times daily. Then the seeds are poured into a syringe filled with hydropyrite, a few drops are added to the substrate, closed and placed at a temperature of 21-24 degrees.

After a few days, the seeds will swell and form green lumps (protocorm), from which miniature plants will then sprout. If sterility has been compromised, the jars will simply become moldy and their contents can be thrown away.

To propagate orchids at home using vegetative methods, no special conditions are required. All you need is a mini-greenhouse and knowledge. Plants obtained independently are transplanted into their own pots. Their care is standard.

Sowing orchid seeds on video:

A signal that the orchid has taken root after division, transplantation or cuttings is the growth of new roots or leaves on the young plant.

It is very difficult to find flower growers who are indifferent to orchids. These plants are highly valued for their abundance, duration, spectacular flowering and amazingly beautiful coloring of the petals. Phalaenopsis is one of the most “non-capricious” and low-maintenance varieties, so even a novice orchid grower can grow it. However, difficulties often arise with plant propagation. To avoid them, you need to study the process and the corresponding technology in advance.

What does a Phalaenopsis orchid look like?

Phalaenopsis is one of the many genera included in the Orchidaceae family. At the moment, about 70 of its representatives are known, not counting hybrids bred through selection (there are more than five hundred of them). Most of the “natural” varieties can be found in Southeast Asia, as well as on the islands that form the border between the Indian and Pacific oceans - Indonesia, Kalimantan, the Philippines, the Sunda and Malay archipelago.

Literally translated from Greek, “phalaenopsis” means “moth-like” (phalaina – “night butterfly” and opsis – “similar”). The plant owes its name to a small incident. A researcher of tropical flora from the Netherlands, Karl Blume, having discovered the first phalaenopsis on one of the islands of the Malay Archipelago, at dusk mistook its inflorescence for a flock of moths. He had to get close to the plant to realize his mistake.

Phalaenopsis differs from other orchids in the absence of tuberidia or pseudobulbs - characteristic ovoid thickenings on the stems. An adult plant looks like a rosette of leaves arranged in two rows. The stem is very short, so it seems that she is lying on the ground.

The average height of phalaenopsis is 50–70 cm. An adult plant is a rosette of 4–6 leaves. A maximum of two new leaves can grow in a year. They are very dense, fleshy, rich dark green in color.

The flower stalks of the plant are long (70–80 cm), slightly curved, branching. Flowers with a diameter of 2–12 cm (depending on the type) are collected in racemes or panicles. The buds do not bloom immediately, so the flowering period is quite long (2–6 months). There can be more than a hundred of them in one inflorescence. Most often, the petals are painted in delicate pastel shades - pink, lilac, pale lemon, light green, snow-white. A scarlet, inky purple, olive green or chocolate lip contrasts effectively with them. Often this tone is also present on the petals in the form of strokes or specks. The flowers of most natural varieties emit an unobtrusive, pleasant aroma.

The plant does not have a clearly defined dormant period. It usually blooms at home twice a year - in spring and autumn. If you create conditions close to ideal for the orchid, you can achieve a third flowering.

Video: the amazing diversity of phalaenopsis

Plant propagation at home

Phalaenopsis belongs to the so-called monopodial orchids. This means that the only point of growth is at the top of the shoot. It is more difficult to propagate them, since sympodial orchids, which grow not upward, but to the side, have significantly more such “buds”.

Before you start propagating a flower at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic rules:

Before the procedure, any instrument must be thoroughly disinfected, knives and pruners must be sharpened, hands must be washed with soap.
All damage caused to the plant during the process is immediately processed. “Wounds” can be sprinkled with crushed chalk, activated carbon, colloidal sulfur, sifted wood ash, and cinnamon. Iodine and brilliant green, suitable for others indoor plants, it is not recommended to use it for processing orchid sections.
The roots should be handled as carefully as possible. They are thick, but fragile, and break very easily.
Young orchids that have taken root are placed in a substrate suitable for them, first well moistened with soft water, heated to a temperature slightly above room temperature. After transplantation, the phalaenopsis is provided with a constant temperature of 25–28ºС and diffused light (light partial shade is also suitable). For a month, protect it from direct sunlight and do not water it (limit spraying).

Only completely healthy plants are suitable for propagation, without the slightest signs of damage by pathogenic fungi, plants, or insects. The conditions for keeping the orchid should be as close to ideal as possible. Proper lighting is especially important. The minimum duration of daylight is 12–14 hours.

You should not take propagation material from newly purchased orchids. Store-bought plants are often treated with artificial flowering stimulants and other harmful chemicals. Allow the flower to adapt to normal conditions for at least a year.

The substrate for young plants is prepared mainly from small (0.5–1 cm) pieces of pine bark. It is better to take it from a pot with an adult orchid. The remaining additives (sphagnum moss, coconut fiber, fern rhizomes, peat chips, charcoal) together make up no more than half of the total volume of the mixture.

Step by step instructions

Most often, at home, phalaenopsis reproduces vegetatively. The plant has only one growth point, but you can slightly “tweak” the nature.

Planting the “babies” formed on the peduncle

Planting “babies” is the most common method of propagating phalaenopsis. The “offspring” is separated from the mother plant 1.5–2 months after flowering. The procedure most often occurs in the spring. Growth buds are formed in the leaf axils or on the peduncles of orchids over two years old that have at least 4 healthy leaves. Sometimes they form on faded peduncles no older than one and a half years.

The appearance of “babies” can be stimulated in several ways:

The difference between day (28–30ºС) and night (18–20ºС) temperature. In this case, high air humidity (70% or more) and daylight hours of at least 12 hours must be ensured.
"Sunbathing." The orchid is left in direct sunlight for an hour a day in early spring. When a slight purple “tan” appears on the leaves, this is not a problem, but if it changes color to inky purple and there are still no “babies”, stop the procedure.
Artificial "drought". The plant is not watered for 12–14 days, protecting the orchid from direct sunlight. Moisturizing the substrate is resumed 2-3 days after the roots acquire a silver-gray tint. In this way, the flower is made to believe that its death has come, in the face of which its instinct to procreate is activated.
Use of fertilizers with a high nitrogen content. The method is quite risky. Orchids are not very fond of this macronutrient, so there is a real risk of destroying the mother specimen. Even if it gives birth to a “baby”, you definitely won’t have to wait for it to bloom this year.

There is no consensus among flower growers regarding when exactly it is necessary to separate the “baby” from the mother plant. Most people think that you need to wait for at least one root to appear. Others are of the opinion that this greatly depletes the “parent”, so they cut off the “offspring” when the first pair of leaves appears.

Separate the “baby” from the mother plant. Process the cuts. Dry overnight in the open air.
Fill transparent cups with a mixture of finely chopped sphagnum moss with pine bark and fern rhizomes (1:3:1). The more homogeneous the soil, the better. You need to make 3-4 drainage holes in the containers.
Moisten the substrate. Plant young orchids in the ground and place the containers in a home mini-greenhouse, florarium or homemade greenhouse. Provide a constant temperature of 23–25ºС and bright, diffused light.
As it dries, moisten the substrate with a solution of a root formation stimulator - Kornevin, Heteroauxin, Zircon, Epin (3–5 ml per liter of water). Ventilate the plantings daily for 5–7 minutes.
If the bottom pair of leaves turn yellow, this is normal. You cannot cut them - the developing roots receive nutrition from them. When the time comes, they will dry out and fall off on their own.
Wait until the roots are 4-5 cm long, then transplant the phalaenopsis into mature potting soil. The procedure is not quick and usually takes about a year.

Alternative way:

Pour water into a glass, heated to a temperature slightly above room temperature. You can add a tablet of succinic acid to it.
In the morning, place the cut and dried “baby” so that the bottom is located at a distance of 1–2 mm from the water. You can, for example, take a piece of foam plastic, cut a hole of the appropriate diameter and place it on a glass.
After 6 hours, remove the “baby” from the water. The rest of the time, dry it in the open air.
Continue manipulation daily until roots appear. The water should be fresh every day. Then proceed as described above.

Video: is it worth cutting off and rooting suckers?

Video: stimulating root growth in an orchid offspring

Propagation by cuttings

The method is considered the simplest and least labor-intensive. It is used to propagate orchids that bloomed 2-3 months ago. Orchid cuttings - pieces of peduncle. If the plant has flowered more than a year ago, it will not be possible to use it as planting material.

Cut the flower stalk as close to the base as possible. Treat the “wounds” on it and on the mother plant.
Using a sharp scalpel or razor blade, cut it into pieces 5–7 cm long at a slight angle. Each of them should have at least one “dormant” bud, preferably approximately in the middle of the cutting. It is believed that the lower the growing point, the stronger the bud. Accordingly, it is more likely that it will develop into a viable plant in a short time.
Fill shallow, wide containers with finely chopped sphagnum moss. Spray it with a biostimulator solution. Place the parts of the peduncle horizontally on a moistened substrate.
Cover the plantings with glass or plastic film. Provide a constant temperature of 25–28ºС, bright diffused light, and humidity of at least 70%. Ventilate the plantings, spray the dried substrate with a root formation stimulator solution.
Wait until roots 3–5 cm long and two pairs of leaves appear. In fact, the same “babies” are formed on the cuttings. If part of the peduncle dries out, this is normal; it nourishes the young plant. Before transplantation, separate dead tissue from the “offspring”, trying to minimally injure it.
Replant the phalaenopsis in adult orchid soil.

There is another option:

Place the cut, faded peduncle in soft, warm water. Add activated carbon (one tablet per 0.2 l) or potassium permanganate crystals (to a pale pink color) and succinic acid (0.5 l tablet) or a biostimulant (3-5 drops per liter) to it.
Place the container in direct sunlight, covered with a plastic bag or glass cap. Spray daily with a solution of any biostimulant (Epin, Zircon, Kornevin, Heteroauxin) or a specialized fertilizer for orchids. Reduce the concentration by 2–2.5 times compared to that recommended by the manufacturer. Change the water every 3-4 days.
Under the influence of drugs, high humidity, heat and light, the growth buds on the peduncle “wake up”, forming “babies”. They are cut from the cuttings and rooted as described above.

Video: orchid cuttings

Plant division

This method is rarely used by amateur flower growers. There is a high probability of rot developing. Accordingly, you can lose the plant. The selected phalaenopsis should be large and completely healthy. Other requirements are age (minimum 4–5 years) and number of leaves (6–8 pieces or more).

Using a sharp, disinfected knife or pruning shears, cut off the top of the plant, dividing it roughly in half. Leaves and aerial roots must be present on both parts. Process both cuts.
Plant the separated shoot in a mixture of finely chopped sphagnum moss and pine bark (1:2). The substrate must be dry. Provide the conditions that phalaenopsis requires for normal growth and development (temperature, lighting, air humidity). As the soil dries, do not water it, but spray it with a biostimulator solution. As soon as two pairs of new leaves appear, replant the flower in soil suitable for mature orchids.
Provide the old plant with long daylight hours, warmth and regular feeding with special preparations for orchids. After 2–3 months, lateral buds will appear at the cutting site, which will develop into “offshoots” or new shoots. The orchid will acquire a normal appearance in about 1.5–2 years.

Video: propagation of phalaenopsis by dividing the rosette

Germination of seeds

Growing orchids from seeds at home is a complex procedure that requires the grower to strictly follow all instructions, attentiveness, accuracy and patience. Until recently, it was believed that this was impossible in principle.

The specificity of the procedure is determined by the structure of the seeds. Firstly, they are very small (they can only be seen through a microscope). Therefore, collecting them yourself is very problematic. Secondly, they lack endosperm - the tissue surrounding the embryo, where amino acids, vegetable oils, starch and other substances necessary for its nutrition are stored. The future orchid cannot feed on its own, absorbing them from the soil. In addition, due to the absence of the same endosperm, the seeds are very vulnerable. Any interaction with pathogenic fungi, bacteria, or negative environmental factors leads to their death.

You can germinate seeds at home if you prepare a special nutrient substrate and maintain complete and absolute sterility throughout the entire process. Green “balls” will appear in the container in 5–6 months. You will have to wait at least 4–5 years for the orchid to bloom.

Prepare a nutrient substrate based on agar-agar. It is a mixture of polysaccharides produced from certain types of ocean brown and red algae. For 10–15 g you will need 200 ml of distilled water, 10 g each of glucose and fructose (can be replaced with sugar), calcium carbonate solution and phosphoric acid.
Fill the agar-agar with water and let it swell. Pour jelly into boiling water, add glucose and fructose. Stir until all the crystals dissolve and the mass becomes homogeneous. Acid and alkali are used to provide the necessary acidity (pH - 4.8–5.2). The indicator is easy to determine using litmus tests.
Sterilize clear glass test tubes or flasks for chemical reagents. Vessels must have tight-fitting plugs. If there is no alternative, small jars with screw-on lids will also work.
Pour 30–40 ml of nutritional mixture into each container. Sterilize them in a water bath for 20 minutes.
Let the “jelly” harden and wait 4-5 days. If mold does not appear in the flasks during this time, the disinfection was successful.
Pour the seeds with a 1% bleach solution for a quarter of an hour. During this time, periodically shake the container vigorously.
Cover the pan with boiling water with a wire rack or mesh. The cells must be such that the flask with the “substrate” can be secured. The lid should lie right there so that the steam gets to it.
Using a sterile syringe, gradually extract the seeds from the disinfection solution and transfer them to the container without touching the “jelly.” Seal the containers hermetically and place them in a greenhouse or florarium. The conditions are similar to those created for cuttings.
After six months, remove the seedlings from the vessel. To do this, you need to pour about 50 ml of warm water into it and shake the contents in a circular motion. Then the mass is poured into a wide bowl, a few drops of a 1% Fundazol solution are added and left for 10–15 minutes.
After this time, use a soft thin brush to remove the plants one by one and plant them in a substrate of moss, pine bark and fern rhizomes (equal parts) with the addition of 2-3 tablets of activated carbon, crushed into powder.
After another 5–6 months, phalaenopsis can be transplanted into a substrate for adult plants.

Video: propagation of orchids by seeds at home

Cytokinin paste: what is it and how to use it

A phytohormonal preparation that helps, among other things, stimulate the formation of growth buds in orchids. It stimulates cell division at the site of application. The product can only be used if there is a peduncle on the plant. Experienced orchid lovers are advised to apply the drug to the highest or lowest “dormant” bud. Best time for the procedure - end of February or March.

Using a sterile razor blade, scalpel, or needle, remove the covering scale from it. Remove loose tissue with tweezers. There should be a small light green dot underneath them.
Very carefully and shallowly scratch it 2-3 times with a clean needle.
Place cytokinin paste on a toothpick (a ball with a diameter of about 2.5 mm is enough). If possible, distribute the drug evenly over the kidney, lubricating it entirely. It is important to comply with the norm. If there was not enough paste (a ball with a diameter of 1.5–2 mm), a peduncle will most likely form. If you overdo it, several deformed, non-viable “babies” will develop.
In a week or a week and a half, it should hatch and begin to develop. Place the phalaenopsis with the developing “offsprings” in a warm and bright place, apply fertilizer regularly. At this time, the orchid needs more nitrogen than usual.

Cytokinin paste is used very sparingly (maximum three buds are “awakened” on the orchid at the same time) and targeted (the drug should not come into contact with leaves, flowers, or roots). The plant must be mature (young ones may lose leaves).

Video: using cytokinin paste for orchid propagation

Possible problems when propagating phalaenopsis

Young plants need especially careful care. To make it easier to control the condition of the roots, phalaenopsis that have grown roots are planted in transparent pots. This method can also be practiced for adult plants, since aerial roots are involved in the process of photosynthesis.

It is important to choose the right substrate. All components are pre-sterilized by treating them with steam, heat or cold. Pine bark must be soaked for two days in warm water or a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. Fundazol or any other fungicide (0.5% solution) is also suitable.

The main danger threatening a young orchid is rot. Often the grower himself contributes to its development by regularly watering the plant. If the process has gone far, it will no longer be possible to save the phalaenopsis. This is evidenced by vague black spots on the leaves, a moldy substrate, and an unpleasant putrid odor. You need to start acting when individual brown “speckles” appear on the roots.

Remove the orchid from the pot. About half an hour beforehand, you need to water the plant generously.
Clean the roots from the substrate and cut off all infected tissue with a sharp, disinfected knife. Do the same with the leaves affected by the fungus.
Soak the roots for 25–30 minutes in a solution of any fungicide (Kuprozan, Abiga-Pik, Horus, Skor). Sprinkle the “wounds” on the leaves with crushed activated carbon, chalk, and cinnamon.
Replant the phalaenopsis by sterilizing the pot and completely changing the substrate. Add Trichodermin and Glyocladin granules to the soil.
Within 2–3 months, replace the irrigation water with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate or 0.5% - Baikal-EM, Bayleton, Previkur.

Phalaenopsis is relatively undemanding in care and this compares favorably with most orchids, not inferior to them in the beauty of flowering. In principle, there is nothing difficult about getting a new plant at home. You just need to study all the nuances of the procedure in advance and follow the recommendations exactly.

The Phalaenopsis orchid is one of the most unpretentious to keep. There are several ways to propagate Phalaenopsis at home. In this article you will learn how to get several copies from one flower!

Phalaenopsis Orchid - description

Phalaenopsis is a genus of epiphytic orchid that has about forty species. In nature, these orchids grow mainly in Southeast Asia near water.

This genus of orchids was first discovered by the Dutch botanist Blume. In the darkness he saw large butterflies sitting on some plant. Imagine the botanist’s surprise when, coming closer, he discovered that these were not butterflies, but flowers!

Blume named this flower "Phalaenopsis", which in Greek means "butterfly-like". This happened in 1825. Since then, Phalaenopsis began its march into the homes of flower growers as an exquisite and expensive flower.

The color range of Phalaenopsis is diverse. Flowers come in a variety of colors and shades, monochromatic and multi-colored.

Phalaenopsis orchid - gallery

White Phalaenopsis
Burgundy Phalaenopsis
Blue Phalaenopsis
Yellow Phalaenopsis
Peach Phalaenopsis
Variegated Phalaenopsis
Multicolored Phalaenopsis
Pink Phalaenopsis
Black Phalaenopsis

Requirements for the maintenance and care of orchids - table

Temperature	Humidity	Quiet time	Bloom	Lighting
In summer from +20 to +30 o C In winter from +16 to +28 o C Critical lower threshold +13 o C; critical upper threshold + 33 o C	A minimum of 50% humidity is required. During the heat 1-2 times a week you can arrange a warm shower and spraying. At low temperatures, do not spray or wet the leaves!	A short rest between blooms.	It blooms most often in winter and spring, but can bloom almost all year round with breaks for rest. To bloom at night you need a temperature of +18, during the day +26+28	Scattered light. It can tolerate a lack of light, but for flowering in winter it needs additional lighting. Length of daylight: 12 hours in winter and 14 hours in summer.

Caring for Phalaenopsis is quite simple and even inexperienced gardeners can do it. Therefore, this orchid is one of the most popular for growing at home.

How to propagate Phalaenopsis

Of course, I would like to have such beauty in more than one copy. If you only have one orchid, you can get several from it!

It is also necessary to propagate an orchid when the bush is already old. With proper care and high-quality substrate, Phalaenopsis can live a very long time. When aging, you just need to update them by cutting off the top and planting it in a new substrate.

Phalaenopsis can only be propagated from an adult plant.. It must have at least five healthy leaves, developed root system and age from three years.

Reproduction methods:

children;
sockets;
seeds.

The simplest of them are propagation by children and division of the rosette.

The sometimes indicated method of propagation by “peduncle” is nothing more than propagation by children.

Mandatory conditions for various methods of reproduction:

instruments must be sterilized;
all sections must be treated with an antiseptic (activated carbon, turmeric or brilliant green);
The water should be boiled and warm.

With any method of propagation, the orchid must be provided good care, and before and after flowering, feed with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer.

It is best to use ready-made fertilizers for orchids, then you will not make a mistake in the dosage.

How to feed a plant - video

Reproduction by children at home

Babies sometimes appear on the peduncle of Phalaenopsis. They can grow instead of flowers or at the same time as them.

The easiest way to distinguish the baby and the peduncle at the initial stage of development is as follows: the tip of the peduncle is rounded, and the tip of the baby is sharp. When they grow a little, you will see a difference in the leaves that develop in the children and in the shape of the growing flower bud.

To propagate Phalaenopsis with the help of children, you just need to wait for the child’s roots to grow and plant it in a separate pot.

First, let's look at how you can get babies from an orchid.

Preparation using cytokinin paste

Most often, babies appear either on old or problem bushes. The flower reacts to this by the appearance of children: “It’s time to multiply!” When an orchid does not want to raise children, you need to use phytohormones - cytokinin paste.

Necessary conditions for using the paste:

when using cytokinin paste for propagation, you need to keep the processed flower at an elevated temperature: +30+32 o C;
At night, it is advisable not to allow a temperature difference of more than 2 degrees;
before the formation of children, it is necessary to spray the orchid with nitrogen fertilizer once a week;
You can’t apply too much paste, just the tip of a cotton swab is enough;
For processing, select the upper and lower dormant buds.

It is best to feed the orchid with nitrogen in the form of ammonia (ammonia). Half a teaspoon per 1 liter of water. This solution should be sprayed on leaves and flower stalks.

There is a Uniflor-Rost fertilizer on sale, which can also be used for nitrogen fertilizing. Reduce the dose by half.

When can you use cytokinin paste:

when the plant is healthy;
during the orchid's rest period, and not during flowering;
if the orchid is three years old and has at least five leaves on its stem.

Do not use the paste on more than three buds of one plant, or on too young (less than 3 years old) or weakened orchids.

The appearance of babies usually occurs within a period of up to two weeks.

Make sure that the paste does not come into contact with your skin, because it is a hormonal drug!

Step-by-step instructions for use

Open the dormant buds on the peduncle to be processed by tearing off the scales with tweezers or a toothpick.
Apply the paste on the tip of a cotton swab and gently smear it over the kidney.
Place the orchid in diffused light in a warm place.
Spray the treatment areas, preventing the paste from drying out.

How Phalaenopsis reproduces using cytokinin paste - video

How to raise children on a cut peduncle

If for some reason you cut off the flower stalks, then you can raise children on them. It is necessary to cut off flower stalks, for example, if the plant is weakened and needs treatment.

Place the peduncle in water with added activated carbon and a little tinted with Methylene blue (you can buy it in the aquarium department).
Do not pour a lot of water, just above the cut of the peduncle.
Change the water 2 times a week.

Baby Phalaenopsis on a cut peduncle - video

Caring for baby orchids on a peduncle

After the formation of children, it is necessary to spray them with nitrogen fertilizer once a week.

When they grow up, wrap them around the peduncle with a small amount of clean moss to speed up the formation of roots. Secure the moss loosely with thread.

Don't let the moss dry out too much.

Planting in the substrate

When you have received a Phalaenopsis baby with roots, you need to separate it from the mother bush and plant it in a substrate.

To begin, prepare a pot for each child and a substrate of pine bark and coal. You don't need a lot of coal, about a third of the total volume of bark.

Large pieces of bark can be crushed using scissors or pruning shears. Don't forget to treat all tools with antiseptic! There is no need to add bark dust to the substrate.

It is better to take plastic pots or use plastic shallow cups. The main thing is that they let the light through! You need to make holes at the bottom of the pot.

For transplant you will need:

fine pine bark (7–10 mm);
small pieces of birch charcoal;
sphagnum moss;
potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate);
pots according to the number of children;
fine expanded clay or perlite for drainage;
disinfected knife;
warm boiled water in a spray bottle.

When choosing moss, make sure that it does not contain leaves or other rotting debris; it should not smell musty or mushrooms. High-quality moss does not disintegrate into small debris, but has long, non-blackened parts.

If the roots of the baby are twisted around the peduncle, then cut off the baby along with part of the peduncle so as not to break the small roots.

A piece of the peduncle can be pulled out from the roots. Just carefully twist a piece of the peduncle around its axis to separate it from the baby.

If you feel that the peduncle is difficult to separate and could damage the baby, then leave it and treat it with an antiseptic.

Step-by-step planting of baby Phalaenopsis

Boil the pine bark, cool and dry for three hours.
Soak the moss in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes, rinse in boiled warm water and dry.
Place fine expanded clay or perlite on the bottom of the pot;
Rock the baby from side to side to separate it from the peduncle.
Place the baby in the middle of the pot, cover it with bark and coal, and put moss on top.
Spray the moss with warm boiled water from a spray bottle.
Place the pot in a warm, bright place.
For the first three days, do not water the transplanted children, then monitor the condition of the substrate.

Features of care for growth and expansion of the root system

Make sure that the children are not exposed to direct sunlight and do not allow the substrate to dry out! Of course, there is no need to create a swamp either.
Twice a month you need to feed the children with nitrogen fertilizer. Use fertilizer for orchids, reducing the dosage by two to three times.
It is convenient to grow pots with babies in an aquarium with lighting. Humidity remains there longer, the temperature is more stable and sufficient light is provided. Expanded clay is poured onto the bottom of the aquarium and wetted. Pots with babies are placed on top.
When the children grow up and develop a good root system, they will need to be transplanted into a larger pot.

Do not add anything unnecessary to the substrate, especially peat!

How to stimulate root formation in Phalaenopsis babies - video

Reproduction by dividing the rosette

The division of the rosette is done when the orchid has grown upward, and it is possible to divide it into the lower and upper parts.

You need to divide it so that there is a sufficient number of roots and the main number of leaves on the upper part. From the lower part you can leave only the rosette stump and roots. New orchid bushes will begin to grow from the stump.

Prepare a new substrate for the bottom and a pot and substrate for the top of the orchid.

Substrate: pine bark, pieces of charcoal.
You can put drainage made of expanded clay or large perlite at the bottom of the pot, and clean sphagnum on top of the substrate.

Step-by-step process instructions

Remove the orchid bush from its pot.
Free the roots from the old substrate.
Determine the location of the cut.
Cut off the top, being careful not to damage the roots.
Trim off all diseased and dry roots, and if necessary, soak for half an hour in a treatment solution.
Treat all sections with an antiseptic after drying a little.
Plant both parts of the rosette in the substrate.

You need to water according to the usual pattern, when the roots are Green colour become silver-gray.

Additional tips:

the flower stalks at the top can be left if they are not dried out;
preparations for soaking roots: Fitosporin, Fitolavin, Epin (they can be used together or separately);
When planting, try to fill the voids with substrate using a stick and shaking the pot.

There are times when a baby grows next to the main bush and you get two rosettes. In this case, the course of action is the same, only you need to separate the bushes in the middle between the outlets.

How to divide a Phalaenopsis bush - video

Review of the propagation of the Phalaenopsis orchid by dividing the rosette

I just picked the crown with aerial roots, anointed the stump with green paint and planted it on a piece of polystyrene foam surrounded by bark.
I didn’t trim the leaves or shake out the stump from the pot. The top of the head did not notice the sabotage, it did not even miss the flowering. And the baby [from the stump] was a gift.

http://cvetivsamare.hobbyfm.ru/viewtopic.php?t=960

Propagation by seeds

The most difficult and time-consuming method of propagating Phalaenopsis is by seed. Orchids grown from seeds will bloom only after four years.

The first difficulty in seed propagation is to ensure maximum sterility when sowing seeds. Orchid seeds are very small and germinate within three weeks.

The second difficulty is the growing medium for orchids. You can buy it ready-made by ordering it online, or make it yourself.

Sowing of seeds is carried out in small sterilized jars, closed with a lid. A nutrient medium is poured inside the jars and sterilized in water or in the oven.

Step-by-step instructions for pollinating orchid flowers

Pollination is necessary for fruit to set on a flower. This can be done using a toothpick. Choose the top flowers for pollination.

You can cross pollinate (from one orchid to another) or directly on one orchid. Wait until all but a few flowers have fallen off and begin pollinating. Two flowers are needed for one pollination.

There is nothing complicated in this process. At the ends of the anthers there is a sticky layer - adhesive, due to which they stick well to the toothpick and to the anthers of the pollinated flower.

Remove the anther from the flower column.
We free the anther from the scales.
We stick the anther to the anther of another flower.

How to pollinate orchid flowers - video

Seed pod ripening

Seed pods ripen from 3 to 8 months. Closer to three months, put a bag of breathable fabric on the box so that when the seeds crack, they do not scatter. The bag must be boiled before use.

You can determine that the box will soon open by the first crack on it. But since it is difficult to accurately determine this moment, it is better to use a bag.

If you remove the box ahead of time, there is a risk of losing the seed material, because the seeds may not ripen.

How to determine the ripening of a Phalaenopsis seed pod - video

Recipe for growing medium for sowing orchid seeds

The medium is designed for 4–5 jars. You can use 200, 300 and 450 gram jars.

Distilled water - 400 ml.
Fertilizer for orchids - 0.5 ml or 6 g.
Sugar - 4 gr.
Honey - 4 gr.
Agar-agar - 10 gr.
Activated carbon - one tablet.
Green banana puree - 25 gr.

Distilled water, charcoal and agar can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Agar can be replaced with potato or corn starch (80 grams). Do not replace agar with gelatin! The gelatin will melt and the seeds will drown.

Preparation of nutrient medium

All ingredients must be ground and dissolved until smooth.

To sterilize jars with nutrient medium, place them on the bottom of the pan, pour water up to the hangers of the jar and hold for 30 minutes from the moment of boiling. Repeat sterilization again the next day.

Knead the activated carbon with a spoon in a spoon.
Mash the banana, or (even better) grind it with a blender.
Pour distilled water into a container (not aluminum!).
We put the water to boil and add sugar to it to dissolve.
After boiling, add honey, fertilizer, activated carbon, banana and agar.
Stir everything until thickened and remove from the stove.
We sterilize the jars and pour the nutrient medium into them.

Sterilized media can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Preparation of nutrient medium for orchids - video

Sowing seeds on the substrate

For sterile inoculation, it is convenient to use a burner. If you have a gas stove, it is better to do this on the stove. Wipe your hands with an antiseptic, or wear sterile gloves.

At all stages of sowing, everything should be as sterile as possible!

Wipe and sterilize the surface of the stove. Place the jars on it and light the burner.

We take out the seeds from the seed pod a little at a time using a sterile instrument.
Open the jar and, holding the neck over the fire, pour some seeds inside.
Again, hold the neck of the jar over the fire, close the lid and set aside. We do this with each jar.

In the homeland of orchids, they do this: they dip the seed pod (not dry!) in ethyl alcohol and set it on fire.

How orchid seeds are sown in their homeland using fire - video

If you don’t have a stationary burner or gas stove, you can make holes in the lids and seal them with tape. Don't forget about sterility!

When sowing in this way, it is necessary to soak the seeds in a solution of 3% hydrogen peroxide and, taking them into a syringe, gradually pour them into jars through the holes in the jars.

Each jar must be opened immediately before sowing and sealed with new tape.

Sowing orchid seeds on a sterile substrate without fire - video

Seed germination

Watch the seeds germinate. If you notice mold in a jar, the medium with the seeds will have to be removed from it.

Shoots appear within one to two months.

Don't worry that not all seedlings will survive, this is normal. When the seedlings grow up and you notice that the tips of the leaves have gradually begun to turn yellow, they need to be transplanted onto moss.

Instructions for transplanting seedlings onto moss

Prepare for transplantation:

clean moss disinfected with potassium permanganate;
a greenhouse treated with baking soda (for example, a plastic box with a lid);
weak solution of potassium permanganate;
fertilizer for orchids, diluted in warm boiled water (three times less than the indicated dosage);
spray.

As a fertilizer, use one where nitrogen is present to a greater extent (indicated in the composition).

Place the moss in a greenhouse.
Remove the seedlings from the jar.
Rinse the seedlings from the substrate in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Spray the moss with a spray bottle containing a fertilizer solution.
Place the seedlings on the moss so that they develop separately from each other.

Seedlings need warmth and light to develop well. At first, open the lid only to moisten the moss.

When you notice the growth of roots, gradually accustom the seedlings to ventilation. Start with one minute a day. Next, add about a minute every other day until the lid is completely removed.

In a few months, it will be possible to transplant the seedlings in the same way as ordinary children, onto a bark substrate.

Transplanting Phalaenopsis babies from seeds onto sphagnum moss - video

Reproduction problems of the Phalaenopsis orchid - table

Problem	Cause	Solution
The leaves of the children are turning yellow	Lack of nutrition	Feed the plants with fertilizer through spraying.
Babies do not appear on the peduncle for a long time.	The orchid is too comfortable and is not going to reproduce.	You can give Phalaenopsis a little stress. Reduce watering, do not feed, increase the temperature to 30–32 degrees. At the same time, make sure that the roots do not dry out! Or use the forced method using cytokinin paste.
The peduncle has turned yellow or dried out, and the baby has not yet taken root.	Lack of nutrition of the mother plant. Perhaps the orchid is weakened or young.	Remove the baby, you can cut it off with part of the peduncle. Plant the baby on the moss and cut off the flower stalk. Feed the baby through spraying, the dose of fertilizer is three times less.
The mother plant needs treatment, and babies have begun to appear on the flower stalks.	Weakened plant, improper care or poor-quality substrate.	Cut off the flower stalks and place them in water with activated carbon powder. Change the water every three days (can be tinted with Methylene blue). Spray the babies with fertilizer once a week. Treat the mother bush and replace the substrate. When the peduncle wilts, plant the babies on moss.
The top of the orchid is cut off with a small amount of roots that have dried out.	The cut was made too high or the plant has not yet matured to this method of propagation.	Plant the top on moss, spray with fertilizers with a high nitrogen content (the dosage is half as much). Fertilize once a week until roots appear. Then once a month.
Seeds do not germinate on the substrate	Perhaps there is not enough heat and light.	Place the jar with the substrate in a greenhouse with lighting.

Tips for successful propagation and growth of Phalaenopsis.

From my point of view, Phalaenopsis is the easiest orchid to care for, and if you have even the slightest skills in indoor floriculture, then this species will gratefully bloom on your windowsill all year round. But we are all prone to making mistakes. And sometimes our negligence can result in the death of our beloved plant. Watching a fading flower, most people throw it in the trash, but often the life of a plant is worth fighting for.

To find errors in care, let's look into the very tropics of the orchid paradise and first try to understand how the epiphytic world works. In nature, orchids live in warm, humid climates, where there is often thick fog and periodic heavy tropical downpours. In the tropics, even during the dry season, the roots are able to take care of the plant and obtain moisture thanks to morning dew and high environmental humidity.

Epiphytes do not need abundant watering; their roots are covered with multilayer tissue that has the ability to retain nutrients and accumulated moisture for a long time, so it is strongly recommended to allow a little drying between waterings.

The main principle when watering is to ensure the roots of orchids required quantity moisture. However, overmoistening the substrate is strictly unacceptable, since the roots, which are constantly in a wet state, may die after some time. From excessive watering, velamen, the covering tissue that protects the roots from negative factors, including mechanical damage, gradually rots. The putrefactive process inside the roots can develop over a long period of time or instantly. The consequence of the latter is that the plant is disassembled into parts, like a construction set, the root system dies off completely, and a couple of leaves may remain from the upper part at the growing point. As a result, acquaintance with the orchid ends with its resuscitation.

How to save an orchid without roots. Orchid resuscitation.

The most unusual way to resuscitate a Phalaenopsis orchid is to grow roots from the neck of the plant in a vessel above water.

So, to resuscitate the Phalaenopsis orchid we will need:

boiled chilled water,
The upper part of the reanimated plant with a growing point is carefully cut off with a sharp, clean blade.

Before you begin rescue manipulations with our ward, you need to wait until the cutting site is a little delayed; for this, it is enough to leave the plant in a warm, shady place for several hours. If you notice symptoms of rot, treat with a fungicidal preparation, then dry.

Then pour boiled cooled water into a convenient vessel and place the plant above the water. It is advisable to place the container with the top part of the orchid under diffused lighting in a well-circulated warm place, the recommended temperature is 23-25°C.

Periodically, the orchid leaves should be wiped with a sponge soaked in a solution of succinic acid, this will help the weakened plant gain strength and energy. Or dilute the drug Doctor Foley vitamin (containing succinic acid) in a reduced concentration (three times) and treat the leaves.

Over time, the moisture in the vessel with the plant will evaporate, so you need to monitor this and add boiled water at room temperature as needed.

After two months, the roots of the reanimated Phalaenopsis will grow noticeably and as soon as they reach a length of 5-7 cm, the orchid can be transplanted into the substrate (photo No. 7).

It must be taken into account that in this case the plant has adapted to an unusual way of existence, so the soil must be selected accordingly. Referring to personal experience, in the first few months I would recommend planting the plant in sphagnum moss. This type of moss has long been used as one of the main components of the substrate, and many orchid growers even grow most of their collection in it.

This substrate has many positive factors. Firstly, it is breathable, environmentally friendly and natural material, secondly, it is light in weight, which is important if there are many plants on one rack, thirdly, it is much cheaper than other substrate components, and you can assemble it yourself, with This is to enjoy a walk in the spring forest.

After the plant has adapted and the roots have grown sufficiently, the Phalaenopsis orchid can be transplanted into pine bark or another soil mixture that is convenient and familiar to you. You can see the result of a successful experiment in photo No. 8,9. Stories like these prove that it is possible to save an orchid even without roots!

Resuscitation of an orchid using the greenhouse method after insufficient watering.

We considered one of the options for the death of an orchid due to excess moisture. I probably won’t discover America if I tell you that an orchid can perish from both over-watering and lack of moisture. How to save an orchid in this case?

Once I had to be absent from work for a long time and the employees forgot about my orchid, standing alone on the windowsill; no one watered it for about a month.

Back on workplace, I was horrified to see that the Phalaenopsis leaves were hanging like “spaniel ears.” Through the transparent pot it was clear that the root system of the orchid was completely dehydrated and looked like the skin of a reptile dried out after molting. No matter how I tried to water the half-living plant, the leaves stubbornly did not restore turgor; the orchid needed resuscitation.

Then I decided to shake the flower out of the pot and arrange something like a greenhouse for it. The materials at hand were a plastic bag with a horizontal zipper and sphagnum moss (photo No. 10,11).

Before placing the ward in the greenhouse, he needs to be properly prepared. To begin with, you need to purchase any B vitamins at the pharmacy and dilute them in a ratio of 1 ml per 1 liter of water, then dip the plant along with the leaves into the vitamin solution we have prepared for half an hour or an hour; you can also use succinic acid as a stimulant (also A ready-made solution of Doctor Foley Vitamin is suitable; it contains both vitamins and succinic acid, you can simply spray the plant with it).

After the orchid has absorbed the required amount of life-giving moisture, we pull it out of the liquid and place sphagnum moss in the same solution for a couple of minutes. Moss can be used either freshly collected or pre-dried; the antiseptic property of moss will prevent putrefactive processes, but only if the greenhouse is ventilated daily. Then we let the moss drain thoroughly so that it is not wet, but slightly damp, and we cover the bottom of the greenhouse bag with it, and place the orchid prepared for resuscitation on top of the moss. If you are using Dr. Foley vitamin, the moss should be sprayed with this solution until it is slightly damp.

The bag can be hung in a place convenient for you, but you must choose partial shade or slightly diffused lighting so that the plant inside the greenhouse does not cook, a comfortable temperature of 22-25°C.

Condensation will appear on the walls of the bag and saturate the orchid with moisture in the process of restoring turgor and growing roots. Be sure to open the bag several times a day for at least half an hour for ventilation and make sure that the moisture does not completely evaporate.

In a month or two, the plant will regain its previous turgor, grow new roots, and it will be possible to transplant it to free crops. The first time after the transplant, our “patient” will need to be gradually accustomed to the dry air of the room.

As a new greenhouse, you can use any transparent bag or cut off the top of a 3-liter plastic bottle, depending on the height and size of the one being protected. The bag or lower part of the bottle will need to be placed on the plant for 5-6 hours so that there is a distance of at least 10 cm from the tips of the leaves to the bottom of the greenhouse bottle. Several weeks of this procedure is enough for the plant to adapt to new environment a habitat.

We are very grateful to the Kyiv Orchid Lovers Club for their help in preparing the material!

Representatives of the orchid family are magnificent flowers that delight with their bloom, beauty and variety for a long time. With proper care, the plant grows healthy and beautiful, but sooner or later any gardener will want more such flowers in his greenhouse, garden or room. The orchid reproduces with the help of humans.

To do this, they resort to breeding orchids at home. In this article we will talk about how orchids reproduce at home.

Before breeding orchids and replanting exotic beauties, you need to pay attention to the size and level of development of the flower, since the reproduction process is stressful for the orchid. You need to approach transplantation and breeding carefully and very carefully..

So, how to propagate an orchid at home? This will be discussed further.

Vegetative propagation

For this type of orchid propagation, the period of early spring is best suited, when the dormant time is coming to an end and the flower gains energy for active growth and division.

Important! We must not forget that each orchid species has its own life cycle and the end of dormancy does not always occur in spring. This is closely monitored and the frequency of the home beauty’s cycles is recorded.

Vegetative propagation of orchids is the most common type of division of the represented family. It is the division of an orchid into several parts, which then form sprouts, which over time turn into bulbs, and with proper care they take root.

When dividing a flower, you need to take into account the number of young pseudobulbs and try to ensure that at least 3 pieces are present on each separated part.

Tools:

Scissors.

Important! Tools must be disinfected so as not to infect the orchid with an infectious or fungal disease.

Division process:

The flower is carefully removed from the pot and cleaned of any soil that may have stuck to the roots.
The dried root system is cut off and the sections are rubbed with charcoal.
The orchid is divided in such a way that 2-3 bulbs remain on each part, and the sections are also rubbed with charcoal.
The finished parts are strengthened in a pre-prepared transition substrate. It can be a drainage layer covered with wet moss on top. A plant with old bulbs should not be replanted in regular soil, as this may harm its development.

Important! If room conditions during transplantation are far from ideal, then at first you can organize a greenhouse for the transplanted parts.

To create suitable conditions for growth, the transplanted parts are often sprayed and the moisture is carefully wiped from the inflorescences to avoid rotting.

Propagation by cuttings

Orchids are also propagated at home by cuttings. This type of propagation is suitable for multipodial orchids and is distinguished by the fact that first of all, the stem with aerial roots that are well formed is cut. It's easy to separate. To do this, use sterile scissors and rub the sections with charcoal.

You can care for them in several ways:

The cuttings are placed on a previously prepared layer of moss placed on drainage.
Planted in a lump of earth.

In both cases, the cuttings are cared for as if they were adult plants, providing them with good humidity and the correct temperature conditions.

After some time, young shoots should appear on the cuts, but you should not immediately plant them on a permanent substrate, since you need to wait until they take root and they reach a length of 3-5 centimeters.

Care after propagation by cuttings often includes, as it is an excellent stimulator of growth and metabolism in young orchid buds. If applied correctly and dosages are followed, after 5-7 days new shoots will begin to appear. Then propagation by cuttings of an indoor orchid can be considered successful.

Important! If the temperature and humidity after separation by cuttings seem insufficient, then greenhouse conditions are created for the young cuttings in which the growth parameters will be optimal.

Propagating an orchid at home using cuttings is one of the easiest ways.

Stem propagation

Also called . Some types of orchids, such as dendrobium, grow side shoots, otherwise called shoots. Essentially, these are new plants that can be grown separately and successfully produce healthy and beautiful orchids.

In order for there to be more side shoots, gardeners use sets of the main triad (potassium-phosphorus-nitrogen) in combination with amino acids and minerals.

Important! When fertilizing a flower, carefully, in order to grow a baby, you need to monitor the concentration of the solution and the frequency of watering, because with improper care, even a healthy plant can be destroyed.

Stages of stem propagation:

As soon as the side shoots have their own roots, they are cut off and strengthened on temporary soil or in a plastic bag with moss.
If the roots are not formed, then the young shoot can be cut off with part of the mother bulb, which will give it the opportunity to feed until its own roots appear.

Important! After transplanting to permanent soil, a full-fledged plant will form in a few years, so do not worry if the flower grows slowly and in no case should it be over-watered.

There are other ways to propagate orchids.

Propagation by seeds

Reproduction of the orchid family at home from seeds is a very difficult and not always successful undertaking. Orchid seeds are dusty and lack nutrients, so you need to prepare a special environment for them. To do this, you need to prepare the tools.

These could be:

Glassware or test tubes. Height – 15 centimeters, width – 1.5 centimeters.
Traffic jams. Should be as dense as possible. The success of reproduction depends on this.

Important! Before starting the reproduction procedure, it is necessary to thoroughly sterilize the instruments. This is done with a 2% soda solution.

The nutrient medium is selected in a specialized store or in a laboratory, but it can also be created at home.

Agar-agar - about 4 g;
Distilled water - 200 g;
Calcium nitrate - 200 mg;
Ammonium sulfate - 125 mg;
Potassium phosphate - 0.6 mg;
Magnesium sulfate - 0.6 mg;
Iron sulfate - 0.025 g;
Manganese sulfate - 0.0075 g;
Sucrose - 5 gr.

To successfully breed a flower, all components must be chemically pure and purchased at a chemical store. Sterility for seed germination is the most important factor.

Before sowing, the seeds are sterilized:

Do this with a chlorine solution for 10 minutes,
Ultraviolet.
Potassium permanganate. Planting material is sent to a 1% solution.
Hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes.

Sow seeds immediately after sterilization at a rapid pace. Agar-agar is added to the test tubes and placed over boiling water, after which the seeds are placed there with a disinfected pipette. Proper care implies maintaining a constant temperature from +18 °C to +24 °C and long daylight hours.

After about a week, changes will begin to occur in the seedlings. Inflorescences form in the form of small green balls, then suction hairs appear, and then young leaves.

After about a year, the formed sprouts can be strengthened on the ground without the risk of death.

Important! Before propagating an orchid by seeds, you need to think carefully about whether it is worth it, because this method is best suited for laboratories.

Reproduction by peduncles

Experienced gardeners propagate orchids from a peduncle. This is a complex procedure that requires special attention.

Before propagating an orchid with a peduncle, make sure that flowering has ended, then the peduncle is cut off right at the base and divided so that at least one young bud is planted on each separated part. Then, the moss is placed in a pre-prepared container, preferably made of plastic, and a new peduncle is placed horizontally on it. The kidney should be on top and under no circumstances should it look down.

Important! For successful growth, the temporary pot is covered with cellophane film to create greenhouse conditions. Watering is carried out approximately once every 5 days.

Temperature conditions are maintained around +25 °C. Breeding orchids in this way is a good solution when it is possible to strictly maintain the regime.

In this article we talked about how to propagate an orchid at home and whether it is possible to propagate an orchid in several ways.