Orchid phalaenopsis mini can not be found in a flower shop as often as other varieties of this plant. This is explained in many ways by its rather high price, when compared with simple phalaenopsis. However, this flower is so attractive that few can manage to resist and not buy it.
Content
Description and characteristics of the phalaenopsis mini flower
Home dwarf orchid Phalaenopsis native to Southeast Asia, the Philippines and northern Australia. In the natural environment, this species grows in tropical forests.
The size of this attractive small plant does not exceed 20 cm in height, pots for it should be selected, taking into account the miniature dimensions.
The flower is broadleaf, has a short stem. Leaves grow only in the vertical direction top. Aerial roots can be formed growing from the sinuses of the leaves. Like the other varieties of Phalaenopsis, the flowers in this plant are similar in appearance to a butterfly.
Advantages and disadvantages of phalaenopsis mini
The advantages of this variety of orchids include the fact that flowering lasts for two to three months, because the formation of young flowers occurs on old peduncles. In addition, the flower gives new arrows all year round. Another advantage of mini phalaenopsis is that it tolerates the temperature conditions created in urban apartments.
Among the shortcomings of this houseplant, it should be noted that home care of the flower is complicated by the lack of sunlight, which is essential for such an exotic flower that comes from the tropics. In the natural environment of plant growth, the light intensity remains unchanged regardless of the season. For this reason, when growing in an apartment, you must try to create the same conditions. Orchid needs twelve hours of daylight. Since there is no such natural light in the middle lane, especially in winter, phalaenopsis needs to provide additional lighting.
Growing Features
The main nuance of growing mini phalaenopsis is soil. If an ordinary orchid can grow on the bark, then the dwarf flower grows on an unusual moss pillow created from sphagnum. This point causes potential difficulties associated with home care for a small orchid.
Phalaenopsis mini - home care
After buying a miniature orchid in a flower shop, you should provide her with optimal conditions so that she can tolerate stress with the least loss, take root well in an unusual environment and harm other plants that are in the house. To do this, quarantine it for approximately two weeks. You should put the pot with the new plant away from other home flowers. In addition, it is necessary to provide him protection from direct sunlight. It is not recommended during the period of adaptation to fertilize the phalaenopsis.
If we talk about the reproduction of dwarf orchids, then it can be done only using the vegetative method. To do this, you need to shorten the stem, cut off as close as possible directly to the kidney, the section of the cut must be waxed so that the arrow does not dry out.A special agent is applied to the kidney - cytokinin paste. After the roots of the "baby", you should put it in your pot.
Transfer
It is not necessary to transplant a small phalaenopsis infrequently: for the first time, a transplant should be carried out no earlier than three years later. This is because such a procedure is considered traumatic for the roots, for this reason it is extremely undesirable to transplant a plant if there is no urgent need.
Before transplanting an orchid, you should carefully inspect the roots, eliminate all injured or dried and decayed processes, pour wood ash on the section of the cut. The capacity in which it is planned to plant dwarf phalaenopsis should be placed in the bark, and in those areas in which it will remain between the bark and the root system, moss should be placed.
Watering
For the normal development and health of mini phalaenopsis, it is necessary to provide him with proper watering. In the winter months, when the flower is in a calm state, you can water it no more than once every two weeks. But in the summer months, when there is an active growth of all orchids, watering should be carried out at least twice a week.
Do not wet the substrate until it dries completely. It is well-dried soil that provides access to the required amount of oxygen to the root system of a small orchid, without which the process of photosynthesis is impossible.
Dwarf phalaenopsis loves diving watering. To do this, put the flower pot in a container in which the settled water of room temperature is poured, and leave it for 20 minutes. For a longer time, it is not recommended to immerse the plant, because of this, the roots can rot.
Fertilizer
For the normal growth of dwarf phalaenopsis, it must be regularly fed. Mini varieties usually fertilize only during the active growing season. It is better to choose special ready-made mixtures that are created specifically for this variety of indoor flower. Fertilizer intended for other plants can cause burns of sensitive roots and lead to the death of a miniature orchid.
Lighting
Such a plant tolerates shade well. In the summer months it is necessary to protect them from direct exposure to the sun. A window sill or a section near a window that is not lit by the sun will be an ideal place for phalaenopsis. Whether the flower of light is enough or not, can be determined by the leaves. If they brighten or turn yellow, this indicates an overabundance of lighting, if they darken - on the contrary, the phalaenopsis does not have enough light.
Varieties phalaenopsis mini
Micro Phalaenopsis orchid has many subspecies, each of which is distinguished by external data and flowering features.
Phalaenopsis Luddemann
This variety of phalaenopsis is characterized by fragrant yellow flowers, on which stripes or dots of red are visible. Flowering of adult plants occur throughout the year, the peak is reached in the spring months. Peduncles are long, leaves are pale green, elongated.
Phalaenopsis pink
In this variety of dwarf orchids, the leaves have an elongated shape, the length of the peduncles is small. It can grow up to 15 small flowers of a light pink shade about three centimeters in size.
Phalaenopsis Mark
It is a hybrid, the height of which reaches 15 cm. The flowers have white petals, spots of yellow or orange are visible on them. In diameter, the flowers reach 5 cm. Peduncles are long, the color of the leaves is malachite.
Phalaenopsis White
This orchid variety is the most suitable for creating hybrids.Phalaenopsis gives large white flowers, whose diameter is 10 cm. The smell is pleasant, not pronounced. The variety is more suitable for breeding at home, as it is considered less whimsical than the rest.
Reviews
Florists, who were lucky enough to become owners of tiny beauties - mini phalaenopsis, say that there are no special difficulties in their content, if certain rules are observed. And growing an orchid and observing how it blooms is a true pleasure.
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