Orchids have recently become the favorites of our compatriots. This spectacular flower has a lot of varieties with different colors, which attracts fans of exotic plants, so many of the flower growers tend to propagate the orchid by separating the shoots from the main peduncle. Further in the article, we will consider how to transplant orchid processes on their own at home.

Features of the reproduction of orchids by children

From the whole variety of orchids, sprouts or children (they are also called cakes) successfully propagate the Phalaenopsis variety. The appearance of offspring on exotic flowers occurs by dividing peduncles. To do this, plants are artificially stimulated to provoke the appearance of children in them, changing the ambient temperature and reducing watering and feeding.

Preliminary preparation

Transplanting orchid children requires knowledge of certain nuances associated with the preliminary preparation of tools and materials.

The work will require:

• a container made of transparent or matte plastic with holes for drainage for rooting the sprout (8-10 cm in diameter);
• suitable soil (fine-grained bark and ground charcoal);
• moss sphagnum;
• the drug "Kornevin" to accelerate the growth of roots;
• garden shears or a sharpened knife;
• rubber gloves;
• powdered activated carbon or cinnamon powder to disinfect slices;
• alcohol (for disinfecting instruments).

Escape Readiness Determination

At the end of the next flowering period of phalaenopsis, over the next six months, the peduncle of the orchid is covered with new stems with buds. Sometimes children appear who should not be in a hurry to separate from the main peduncle. Since the young shoots have very small roots (less than 4-5 cm), it is better to transplant later, when the young flower gets stronger. When the child has leaflets (at least five) and roots grow up (there must be at least three), the young shoot will be completely ready for transplantation.

Important! A phalaenopsis sprout capable of survival must have at least five leaves, otherwise it has very few chances of survival, because it is due to the leaves that the young plant breathes and feeds on solar energy.

Before the roots of the baby grow, it is very important to strengthen the main shoot so that it does not break under the weight of the cake, and also prepare it for subsequent rooting in the soil. To do this, you can build a wire structure on which a small container with soil is suspended (pine sawdust or moss), and as the roots grow, they will strengthen in the soil. When the roots grow 5 cm and fall into the container, the baby is disconnected from the mother trunk.It happens that the baby formed and grew near the root of the mother's flower. In this case, the florist also needs to be patient while the roots of the new process are strong.

Process branch

With the regrowth of the baby’s roots to an acceptable size, it’s time to separate the process from the mother’s trunk. Here are the main recommendations for its termination:

1. The child needs to be cut with a sterile knife or secateurs together with a piece of peduncle. At the cake itself, a peduncle of 1 cm is left.
2. Dry a section of an adult plant (30 minutes) and then sprinkle with cinnamon or charcoal powder.
3. The baby with roots is also dried (during the day), and then they are already planted in the prepared soil.

Preparing containers and soil for transplantation

To plant a child in work, you will need a small container made of transparent plastic, as well as a mixture suitable for the shoot.

The tank and soil mixture are prepared as follows:

• in the bottom of the future flowerpot, you need to make several drainage holes using a hot rod, and then put claydite, vermiculite or ceramic shards in the form of a drainage layer;
• prepare the substrate yourself from pre-boiled (5 minutes), dried and finely chopped pine bark (to remove tar, parasites and fungal spores), sphagnum moss and charcoal, or buy a quality ready-made soil mixture;
• fill the container with the prepared substrate, leaving 3 cm to the edge.

How to transplant an orchid baby at home

In order to avoid injury to the cake, you need to know the rules for its transplantation and in what ways it is possible to do this.

With roots

After the baby is separated from the mother trunk, it can be planted in the soil with preliminary preparation for this procedure.

Step-by-step instructions for replacing a baby with roots:

1. Soak the shoot in water with the Kornevin growth stimulator for 15 minutes for faster growth of the root system (wet roots will be less injured when planting and easier to fit into the container).
2. The baby is placed in a container so that the plant is in the middle, and its lowest leaves are located above the surface of the substrate.
3. The roots are carefully and evenly placed in the substrate (by no means tamping the soil, otherwise the delicate roots of the plant will be damaged), holding the baby by the root neck and gently pouring the substrate. So that the soil in the container settles well, you can lightly tap on the walls of the container.
4. Watering is carried out only after 2 days after planting (within the specified time, the cut will be delayed, and the risk of infection by a young plant will decrease).
5. A young orchid is placed in partial shade, and subsequently placed in diffuse lighting.
6. Further care is the usual watering for an orchid (after the soil has completely dried) and illumination (bright and diffused light).

Video: Planting a baby orchid

On the peduncle

One way to propagate an orchid is to cut off its baby from the flower-bearing arrow, leaving a part of it on the baby. The seedling is prepared using the following technology:

1. With a sterile secateurs, cut the baby from the outlet of the mother's orchid, capturing part of the peduncle about 2 cm on each side of the process.
2. At the base of the outlet, remove the scales that cover it and expose the rudiments of the root system.
3. Splices should be sprinkled with activated carbon powder and left to dry for 30 minutes.
4. Prepare a plastic cup with drainage holes.
5. Lay a layer of expanded clay on the bottom of the glass (for drainage and stability).
6. Place a fine mixture of bark and wet moss on expanded clay.
7. Place the seedling on a substrate and cover with wet moss.

Did you know? The Latin word phalaenopsis in Greek means “similar to a moth” (phalania opsis). In India, these flowers are called "lunar", in the countries of Europe - "butterfly orchids", in our country they are simply orchids.

Basal

A basal baby (grown on a stalk) usually appears at the point of death of an adult orchid and does not have its root. Such a baby eats due to the nutrients of the mother plant.

Because of this feature, the described baby is not recommended to be separated from the mother stem, but it is better to wait until the phalaenopsis dies and the young plant has grown and takes its place of honor in the pot. Sometimes experienced flower growers still decide to plant a basal baby as follows:

• the baby is cut, and the place of the cut is sprinkled with charcoal powder;
• the young plant is dried for a day, and then planted in a fine-grained mixture for rooting.

Without roots

It happens that the phalaenopsis layer has not yet formed roots.

In this case, you can act in two ways:

1. Wait for the roots to grow back and transplant the baby.
2. Separate the baby and place it in a prepared and comfortable environment for the formation of the root system (in a greenhouse or foam device).

In the greenhouse

To accelerate the formation of the root system at the phalaenopsis layer, it is placed in greenhouse conditions. To do this, use step-by-step technology:

1. The four-month process is separated and planted in the soil, consisting of small-fraction pine bark or in living moss.
2. A young plant is placed in a greenhouse: a cap is made of a plastic bottle, after first unscrewing the lid for ventilation from it, and then a cover with a process is covered with it.
3. A young orchid is sprayed daily with water (only during the daytime), making sure that the water does not get into the middle of the outlet. You can alternate with spraying fertilizing.

Important! Overmoistening of the soil in which the baby is rooted in a greenhouse should not be allowed. After the next watering, let the substrate dry for a day.

In polystyrene foam

The following technology is used to root the cake using polystyrene:

1. Cut a small piece of polystyrene foam and make a hole in it to accommodate the base of the cake.
2. Fix the process in the foam and place it in a vessel with water so that the base of the sprout is above the water (to create optimal humidity as a condition for root formation).
3. To create a better greenhouse effect, cover the plant from above with a transparent cap made of plastic or plexiglass.
4. After the appearance of the roots, the sprout is planted in nutrient soil from the pine bark.

Features of post-transplant care

So that young phalaenopsis grows and develops well, from the very first days in caring for it, it is important to avoid errors, since after a transplantation, the baby begins an adaptive period.

Did you know? After wetting, the roots of young phalaenopsis become bright green, and after evaporation of moisture - silvery. Thus, the need for orchids in the next watering is determined.

Caring for a baby after a transplant is as follows:

• a container with a process is placed in a bright place, without direct sunlight;
• Placement - West or East Window
• the preferred temperature of the content is +21 ° C;
• for the first time, the baby is watered on the sixth day after transplantation;
• water for irrigation is used only warm and settled (it is permissible to use boiled or filtered water);
• first feeding time - 1 month after separation of the cake;
• for fertilizer use dressing for orchids (50% concentration of the recommended for an adult plant);
• further feeding is carried out 1 time in 14 days.

What difficulties may arise

Sometimes when the orchid reproduces by children, difficulties may arise associated with its survival.

Here are some of them:

1. Infection by infection. For this reason, a plant (including a baby) can not only get sick, but also die. Consequently, disinfecting tools while working with a transplant of the appendix, as well as the very place of the cut and substrate, are mandatory measures.
2. Decay of places of cut. To avoid this, it is necessary to sprinkle the place of separation of the baby on the mother's orchid and a cut on the baby herself with powdered activated carbon or cinnamon powder.
3. Poor rooting of the cake or its death. The reasons are: cutting off the process prematurely; violation of the rules of transplantation; errors in the care of the content of a young orchid.
4. Disease of an adult phalaenopsis plant or its death. These problems occur due to the separation of several cakes from the mother stem at the same time, as well as when an adult orchid is injured during cutting of the shoot.

Small orchids, grown personally, can bring much joy to the grower only if enough time, effort and care are spent on caring for them. In gratitude to their master, fragile and elegant plants will bloom wildly with unusually beautiful flowers.