Orchid Features
Phaleonepsis orchids are the most common species known in the world. It takes its name from a butterfly species, Phalaena. Tropical forests are natural areas as habitat. Phaleonepsis experience high humidity, sometimes drought and temperature changes in their natural environment. These living conditions are the main reasons why orchids adapt easily to home, office and indoor environments.
In their natural environment, they live by wrapping their roots in the bark on tree trunks. It is one of the most preferred plant species as a gift, which distinguishes itself from other flowering plants in terms of appearance and stance, which is easy to care for with a little care. Many hobby breeders can only choose to feed orchids, due to the differences in color and structure of their flowers.
Since they like humid environments, a well-lit bathroom or kitchen will be the best environment for them. The ideal temperature environment is between 12 and 29 degrees Celsius. Temperature below zero degrees will cause the death of your plant.
How to Care for Orchids? What are the Tips in Care
1- Choosing an Orchid Pot (Must Be Transparent, Plenty Permeable Pot)
Since they live by clinging to tree trunks with their roots in their natural environment and their roots receive light along with their leaves, the suitable pots should be transparent and light-receiving pots. The pot size should not be too large. It is very important that its roots fill every place in its pot. When the roots of your plant no longer fit in its pot, it overflows, then you can change it with a large pot.
Some people who keep Phaleonepsis look at their plants directly in the water. Orchids, which are looked at in water, are fed by adding a certain amount of water in a suitable glass glass or vase and putting them directly in water, with their roots cleared of soil.
2- Orchid Soil Selection (It should be very airy, bark and fibrous)
Soil structure is one of the most important factors in its maintenance. Soil structure should also be suitable for these living conditions, as they live in a very airy way and their roots get light by holding onto tree trunks with their roots in their natural environment. As soil, you can use ready-made orchid soils, which are produced from the bark of trees and contain suitable fiber.
Some people who keep Phaleonepsis can grow their orchids in clay stone. If you want to feed in this way, it is possible to feed by adding half and half clay stone to your soil or by choosing only clay stone. Our plant lovers who want to use clay stone can buy ready-made clay stones such as orchid soil. The important detail as soil selection is that the soil you will feed should be very airy and never hold water within. It is possible to feed your orchid with all kinds of new ideas suitable for this.
3- Orchid Light Selection (They like to live in the shade of trees in their natural environment)
They like bright areas without direct sunlight. There is no harm in getting the non-scorching sunlight at sunrise or sunset, but direct sunlight and extreme heat will cause softening of the leaves and sunburn and sudden wilting of the flowers. Its roots need light.
4- Orchid Watering (It should be watered by looking at the color of the root)
The first thing you should do before watering your plant is to check its roots. If the roots are gray, it means it's time to water. While giving the water, it will be sufficient for the irrigation process to fill a suitable container with sufficient amount of water, and then put your flower in a container filled with water with its flowerpot, and wait for 15 minutes by immersion method. After removing your flower, you should ensure that the water is well drained from its pot. After watering, you will see that the grayed roots have turned green.
You need to give your plant nutrients and vitamins. You can use ready-made liquid orchid fertilizers as a vitamin. You can add the fertilizer to the water during irrigation with the dipping method.
5- How to produce Orchids (The most common is the Keiki method)
After the flowering period, they give tiny leaves from the remaining branches instead of new blooms. These leaves continue to grow and develop over time. When they reach the appropriate size, they are separated and continued to be grown with the greenhouse method for a certain time. After the conditions mature and the leaves and roots of the new offspring are fully developed, new orchids are formed by taking them into pots of the appropriate size.
6- Orchid Re-flowering
They can bloom twice a year, no more than three times. The life span of its flowers can vary between 3 months and 6 months, depending on the conditions of the environment. When the life of their flowers ends, they begin to wither and fall. Afterwards, flower branches will remain in your orchid. If your remaining flower branches have not turned yellow, you can encourage them to bloom again by cutting them two inches above the top branch node. You can prevent the flower branch from getting air and turning yellow by pouring a small amount of cinnamon on the cut part of the pruned branch or by dripping a candle. If your flower branch has completely turned yellow, you should continue to wait for it to form a new flower branch by cutting it from the bottom. The vaseline that you will apply to the nodes will make your orchid bloom faster.
7- Orchid Diseases (lice and leaf, root decay)
One of the most common mistakes made in Phaleonepsis is to cause the leaves to rot because the plant is placed in direct sunlight. When this situation is encountered, if the rotten leaf is completely rotten, it should be cut off and separated from the plant and the plant should be placed in a bright place that does not receive direct sunlight.
The other disease is the preparation of the ground for the formation of mealy lice due to the leaves and stems of which are left wet during irrigation. If your plant has mealy lice, in order to save your plant from this disease, it will be necessary to clean it from mealy lice by pouring some vinegar on a cotton ball and wiping its leaves from bottom to top.
Another common disease is root rot, and the main reason for this is that the roots are not in the airless and suitable soil. In these cases, after providing the appropriate conditions, the rotting roots are cut and some cinnamon is poured on the cut places and your plant is taken care of.
