Floriculture secrets: orchid care in autumn and winter at home

Recently, indoor flowers - orchids are in great demand. But you need to understand that this plant is thermophilic, so in the fall and winter it is necessary to organize a full-fledged care for it.

All that is required of the grower is to create conditions that are comfortable for the flower. All this will be discussed in detail in our article. It will also be interesting to see a useful video on this topic.

Features of the flower life cycle

How to care in the fall?

With the onset of autumn, the flower is preparing to bloom. Each variety has its own duration. But in most cases Orchid blooms begin in October and lasts through December or January.. From the already formed peduncle, buds begin to form, and only then they fully open, show the beauty of the blossoming flowers.

In winter

How to care for a flower on a windowsill in winter? With the onset of winter, the plant seems to hibernate. This is a state of rest that will last until spring. This condition is characteristic of all orchids that grow in apartments. At this time, you should not once again disturb the flower, otherwise it will not have time to fully relax, and this will negatively affect its flowering.

Step-by-step care instructions

Do I need to rearrange?

In autumn, the plant remains in its original place, but in January, when flowering is completed, it must be installed in a shaded room where there is no bright light. This will allow the flower to relax and gain strength.

Is special feeding required?

In winter, the orchid is at rest, so you do not need to fertilize. But in order to care for in the month of October, top dressing is used according to the general scheme: to add nutrients every second watering.

Temperature and lighting

In winter and autumn, the optimum air temperature is +15 degrees at night and +23 degrees during the day. Natural temperature differences of 5-7 degrees are permissible, which will create favorable conditions for the laying of flower buds.

In October, the sun's rays will no longer burn leaves and branches of orchidsso that you can safely keep them on the windows of the southern direction. But not always this light will be enough for full bloom. In this case, you will have to extend the daylight hours to 12 hours a day.

Illumination at home is also necessary in winter, during the dormancy of the plant. Its duration is also 12 hours (from 8 am to 8 pm). For this, special lamps that are sold in specialized stores, or ordinary fluorescent lamps, are suitable.

Humidity

Humidity in winter and autumn should be maintained within 45-50%. Since heating is included in these periods, the humidity indicators drop to 20%. You can increase them if you install containers near the flower in water or spray them from the spray gun.

In addition, there is another interesting and effective method of increasing humidity:

1. Purchase clear pallets with a height of ½ pot.
2. Lay pebbles at the bottom of the pallets and drill a few holes on the sides.
3. Pour water, lay a plastic grate on top of the stones and put pots with orchids.
4. Top up with water from time to time.

Watch a video on ways to increase moisture around orchids:

Watering

In winter, watering the flower needs to be reduced. Do it once every 1.5 weeks. With the onset of October, the nights are already cool, so the humidification regimen should be reviewed. Reduce it, as the soil will now dry out more slowly. In autumn, you can not bathe an orchid and spray abundantly. This can lead to sad consequences. In October, water the plant once a week.

Do I need a transplant?

In winter, do not touch the orchid, so there should not be any transplants. But in October, you can still have time to transplant the flower into new soil, if for some reason this did not work out in the fall.

How to transport in cold weather?

How to transport a flower in winter without loss? To do this, use the following recommendations:

1. At a temperature of 0 degrees, wrap the orchid in a bag of double paper. If the winter frosts are -5 degrees, then for transportation, in addition to paper, you will need a plastic bag. In frosts of 7-10 degrees, a synthetic winterizer or a substrate for a laminate is additionally used. Wrap the flower in a paper bag with these aids and secure with a stapler.
2. If the frosts do not recede, and the temperature is below -25 degrees, then pack the plant in a plastic bag, and cover with a synthetic winterizer on top. Due to the multilayer packaging, the effect of a thermos is created.
3. As soon as the orchid was delivered home, it can not be opened immediately, otherwise it will be a shock to her. Leave it wrapped for 20-30 minutes so that it can adapt to a new temperature.

Problems and difficulties

When caring and growing orchids in winter and autumn, the following problems may arise:

• Pests. This is one of the most common orchid problems. To solve it, it is necessary to carry out prophylaxis in time, which includes frequent rubbing of the leaves (5 times a day), timely transplantation.
• Lack of flowering. This problem is suitable for the autumn period. In order for the plant to bloom, it is necessary for it to provide bright and diffused light, to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, to create temperature indicators that will be different day and night, to ensure the correct conditions of detention.

Errors and solutions

During the care of orchids, flower growers make a number of mistakes. Because of this, a plant can become sick, stop flowering, or even die.

Consider the most common of them:

1. Wrong watering. Very often, flower growers do not allow water to drain from the drainage hole and return the plant to its original place with a tray, into which liquid continues to flow. If the windowsill is cold, then the water will take its temperature and the roots will be supercooled. This leads to the development of fungal and bacterial diseases. To prevent such a problem, you can lay a foam sheet on the windowsill, and place an orchid on top. Polyfoam is a heat insulator that will not allow water to cool, and rot the roots.
2. Wrong place. If the weather is warm in September-October, then you should not put an orchid on the southern windowsill, otherwise it is fraught with the development of burns. It is best to choose east and west windows.
3. Heat. Orchids may be subject to heat stroke. This is the result of overheating of the plant due to high temperatures and humidity in a poorly ventilated room. Sluggish and soft leaves are considered the first symptom. To solve the problem, do not place the orchid in the winter and autumn on the windowsill near the radiators. To lower the temperature, you can use a fan or air conditioning. Often carry out airing, only avoiding drafts.
4. Incorrect spraying.. Do not spray the flower from morning to evening. Moisture will not have time to dry out, but will begin to concentrate at the point of growth and lead to decay. Over time, the outer part of the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. To increase the humidity in the room, it is better to use a humidifier.

Watch a video about errors in the content of orchids and how to solve them:

Conclusion

It is important to care for orchids at any time of the year, both in autumn, during flowering, and in winter, when it is at rest. This will prepare it for a new period and achieve a long, bright flowering. Since the orchid is a capricious flower, there are a lot of problems when caring for it. But it is important to detect and eliminate them in a timely manner.

Watch the video: Orchids Growing Secrets, Growing Orchids, Orchid Care "154 Days" (May 2024).