Tips from experienced gardeners: when and how best to transplant a Phalaenopsis orchid at home?

Orchid cultivation is a serious and responsible business, even for experienced gardeners. After all, any mistake can lead to fatal consequences. This is especially true for transplanting phalaenopsis at room conditions. Transplantation is no less significant for the plant. This procedure is comparable to surgery. In this article, we will tell you important details: at what time of the year it is better to transplant a plant, whether it is necessary to transplant a flower immediately after purchase, what to do with a home flower, as well as recommendations for updating the soil and other nuances.

Features of a transplant at home

In nature, phalaenopsis grows on trees, clinging to the trunk with aerial roots. In the pot, the root system is immersed in the ground. However, the soil serves mainly to support the plant. In this case, the substrate should be breathable, light, and well drain excess moisture from the pot.

Over time, over 2-3 years, the soil coalesces, forming dense clods. Thus, it prevents the penetration of air to the roots, which provokes oxygen starvation of the plant. No less terrible for orchids is moisture stagnation, due to poor outflow of water.

However, the matter is not only in the ground. A healthy plant develops, and its root system grows. She envelops all the space provided, crawling out. The roots fall into the drainage holes, thereby clogging them. Water cannot seep through the drainage holes, and as a result we get waterlogging of the soil.

All these negative factors affect the orchid, lead to rotting of the roots, the development of fungal diseases. Here you can not do without a transplant, otherwise the plant is waiting for death.

What season is the best time to do this?

The optimal period, to move the orchid to a new place, begins immediately after the resting phase, before the onset of active vegetation. Usually this is March-April. From the end of April, the phase of growth of phalaenopsis begins, you need to have time to transplant before this point.

However, some plants do not have a distinct dormant period, in this case it is worth orienting yourself according to the state of the flower itself. It will be ideal if you have time to form new root processes, because they are brittle, they can suffer during transplantation. In this case, the orchid is easier to tolerate stress and is easy to take root in a new pot.

Reference! You can also navigate with the timing of transplantation on the lunar calendar. It describes the time frame for planting, transplanting, rooting plants in accordance with the phases of the moon. The most favorable are the first 3-5 days of the new moon.

Should I do this after buying a flower?

It is strictly forbidden to transplant an orchid only purchased at a flower shop immediately. This can only harm the plant: damage to the root system and the onset of the flowering phase.

In stores, orchids are treated with special chemicals for lush flowering. In this regard, phalaenopsis is weakening, it needs time to grow stronger and adapt in the new environment, about 3-4 months after purchase. Further, the use of mineral fertilizers to strengthen immunity, activate the growth of green mass and the development of roots will not hurt. Only top dressing is used in a gentle manner, that is, 1/3 of the usual dosage.

Even if the flower pot is small, transplant the acquired plant is recommended after at least a year. But there are exceptions to all the rules.

Phalaenopsis should be transplanted after purchase if:

1. The flower alone cannot hold upright. For example, the foliage is large, sprawling, which outweighs the pot. He, in turn, regularly falls. Or an uncomfortable form of capacity, the orchid loses its balance.
2. Not enough substrate in the flowerpot. Phalaenopsis dangles in it, the support for the peduncle outweighs. For this reason, the pot is also unstable.
3. There are various problems with the root system. Orchids are often sold in transparent containers, so it is not difficult to notice the unhealthy state of the roots. In this case, it is important to remove the plant from the pot, cut off the diseased areas. Treat the cut points with powdered activated carbon. Plant in a new container with fresh, mineral-rich soil.

However, for no apparent reason, it is best not to transplant.

What to do with a domestic plant?

With transplant recently bought phalaenopsis figured out. But when it is necessary to transplant a pet at home, the question remains.

So, experienced flower lovers claim that to renew the soil and the pot should be no more than 1 time in 2-3 years. This is due to the fact that the substrate of the orchid is greatly depleted, the flower does not have enough nutrients, it begins to wither and hurt. And also because of the delicacy of the root system, which with frequent transplants is easy to damage. Therefore, it is believed that for phalaenopsis this procedure is a certain stress, which many plants, unfortunately, can not recover from.

Reasons for soil renewal

There are a number of reasons for soil renewal at home:

• The purchased orchid lived in an old pot for 1-1.5 years. The soil has changed its original color and texture. The process of decay of the substrate is possible.
• Soil after wetting for a long time (7-10 days) remains moist. This indicates that the soil began to decompose, and the constituents lost the desired properties.
• The roots do not fit into the pot, pushing out the substrate.
• Diseases of the root system. The first signs of a negative phenomenon - the leaves turn yellow, the roots turn dark, covered with black spots, and sometimes dry.

Recommendations

Important! It is not recommended to plant and transplant orchids during flowering.

Then the flower gives all its strength to the formation of buds. BUT if stress is applied at the time of flowering, flowering may stop, buds are reset. Violation of the integrity of the root system can lead to the death of a flowering phalaenopsis, which will not have enough strength for further development.

The flower is in the phase of active growth of green mass - not the best time to change the pot. This process, obviously, will slow down further development, growth, the onset of flowering. Violation of the life cycle will lead to the death of the plant.

So, judging from the above transplant - the thing is important and necessary. But it should be produced only if necessary, focusing on the condition of the flower, and not on the season.

If the plant is healthy, grows, blooms, there is no apparent reason for excitement, then there is no need to transplant. Especially during flowering and active growth. But if the phalaenopsis is flooded, black dots on the leaves appear, the roots darken - urgently resuscitate, cut the roots, change the soil and pot, without waiting for the flowering to end. Thus, the orchid will begin to recover sooner.

A well-chosen moment for a Phalaenopsis transplant is the key to the success of the process, and healthy plant development.

Watch the video: Top 10 DON'Ts when Growing Orchids - tips for orchid beginners (November 2024).