An orchid is an amazing flower known to plant lovers for quite a long time. There is a legend according to which a samurai passed from generation to generation a flower resembling a butterfly.
That is, an orchid can live for tens and even hundreds of years. What determines its life span in the wild and at home - read on.
What determines the duration of existence?
Of course, modern flowers, bred by experimentally, will not be able to live such a long life. How many years the orchid lives depends on many factors:
- The sort.
- Growing conditions.
- Quality care.
- The quality of the substrate.
How many years does a flower live in the wild?
A wild orchid can die only if the climate has changed significantly or the plant on which it lived has died. Another cause of death can be a disease.
In nature, the flower lives a very long time. The average life expectancy is 60 - 80 years. Some plants live to a hundred years. This is due to the fact that the environment gives the orchid all that it needs in the right quantity.
At home
At various flower growers' forums, you can find stories that the flower died after three years with the owner. And someone writes that the pet pleases with abundant blooms for about ten years.
Home owners can not always create conditions that will be comfortable for a tropical plant. Orchids require substantial moisture, a sufficient amount of light, and a long light day. Recreating all the necessary components is quite difficult. Especially for beginners.
The dependence of the duration of existence of the variety
One more An important indicator is the orchid variety. So, Phalaenopsis with proper care and compliance with all rules of cultivation, will live from 7 to 10 years. Dendrobium a little less: 4 - 6 years.
Cattleya is as unpredictable in this regard as Phalaenopsis. Her life depends on the living conditions. The minimum lifespan of a Venus Slipper. This plant lives in a pot for 3 to 4 years.
How to determine the age?
The difficulty in determining age is that the flower could be in different conditions before it reached the owner. After all, orchids do not have rings on which to calculate the life cycle.
One of the ways can be considered the number of leaves. On average, an orchid grows up to 4 leaves per year. provided that it is not fed fertilizer for rapid growth.
You can also pay attention to the length of the flower. The shorter the stem, the younger the orchid.
Experienced flower growers believe that if an orchid bought in a store does not bloom, it is young enough. But this is not always a sure sign for determining the age: some varieties in adverse conditions need up to three years to give the first flowers.
Important! When buying plants in the store, pay attention to hemp and cut twigs. If they are present, it means that the plant is already far from being young.
Caring for a young and old plant - is there any difference?
Of course, for any flower, regardless of its age, need constant care. The same goes for orchids. As in young and in adulthood, it is necessary to maintain conditions conducive to the life of the plant.
The only thing that is not recommended to do with a young orchid is replanting. It is better to postpone all rooting operations in the new pot until the plant is finished blooming.
The orchid is extremely sensitive to the transplanting procedure. Therefore, it is necessary to implement it only in case of emergency.
The term of flowering and life - what is the difference?
Many mistakenly confuse these concepts. The period of blooming orchids can vary. Some plants bloom for 2-3 months, followed by a period of rest. In experienced flower growers orchids bloom for 6 - 7 months. In other words, the period of flowering is the period for which the plant releases an arrow, forms flowers and drops them. The life of an orchid is much longer. It can bloom a large number of times. With good care, the flower will live for several years.
Is it possible to rejuvenate and how?
If the plant is already several years old, then you can resort to its rejuvenation. This will help to prolong the life of the flower, improve its appearance or save the lower roots from rotting.
Step by step instructions: how to upgrade a plant
For, To update an adult orchid, you must do the following:
The flower must be carefully removed from the pot and free from the substrate.- Carefully inspect the roots of the plant for the presence of root branches on the trunk.
- Prepare disinfected instrument. Best of all is a knife.
- Cut off the top of the flower.
- The upper part of the plant should be placed in a new container with a substrate and provide optimal conditions for growing this type of condition.
The flower must be carefully removed from the pot and free from the substrate.On a note. On the stump, which will remain to grow in the old pot, should be a few leaves and aerial roots.
The lower part may later also grow into a new flower. When caring for two plants should be remembered that the parent part requires a much smaller amount of moisture than newly rooted. Therefore, you need to reduce watering.
It happens that after the procedure of rejuvenation of the plant, both parts die. This can happen if a poor-quality hybrid orchid is caught. In this case, it is not at all necessary to think that the dream of growing orchids will remain a dream.
Next When buying flowers, you must carefully consider how the choice of the plant, and to the reliability of the store that sells them.
The life span of an orchid depends on many factors: light, humidity, components of the substrate, ambient temperature and water for irrigation, fertilizing, day length. But the main condition for the longevity of the flower is care, attention and love. Then the plant will delight its owner with abundant and long flowering.
