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How to Plant or Replant your orchid?
The most important tip of all, regardless of the type of vase or substrate you are using, so that you have success in cultivation is: fix your plant well!
Exactly. For this, do not skimp on tutors, wires, everything necessary for the plant to be firm. If you are going to grow it on pieces of wood or bark, tie it tightly, tighten it well and do not use strings of material that will loosen over time, such as plastic.
All this because success for orchids is rooted. If we remember that the tips of the roots are sensitive, and that the slightest touch on them can make it abort the growth, every time the plant swings in the vase it will rub the points with the substrate causing them to stop growing. Without roots, the plant cannot absorb water and nutrients and any simple disease is capable of causing the plant to wither completely.
Be sure to read the topics regarding the choice of pots and substrates.
"To cultivate orchids is to cultivate roots!"
When to replant an orchid?
Removing a plant from the pot to transfer it to another pot is not always an easy decision, but it's time to put emotion aside and use reason to do what's best for the orchid. Even if she looks very beautiful, delaying the right time to replant can be a decision that will make the plant suffer much more. Many plants are lost in collections because the right time for replanting is not observed.
An orchid needs to be repotted when:
- The plant has grown and is coming out of the vase;
- The substrate is old;
- Sick plants;
- Plant that is not growing well;
Here we will consider two categories of replanting: Elective and Emergency
ELECTIVE - when it is possible to choose the right time to replant. In this case, the ideal is to observe when the plant is emitting buds and new roots. This means that the plant is not in dormancy and will soon recover the rooting that is so important for it to maintain its growth and health. Some species are especially sensitive to replanting at the wrong time. Cattleya leopoldii, Cattleya guttata, Cattleya bicolor for example, are species that go into a dormant period after flowering. If replanted during the dormancy period, they normally die.
EMERGENCIAL - neste caso o replantio está sendo feito como um ultimo recurso para evitar the death of the orchid. Plants like rottenness, for example, have a very high chance of dying and removing the substrate, washing it and letting it dry à sombra for a few days is essential to try to save it there. Obviously, in this case, there was no time to see if the plant was in the ideal time to replant, so all that remains is to hope that everything goes well.
Como retirar a orquídea do vaso para replantar?
Removing an orchid from the vase can be a great challenge, especially if it is planted in a cachepot. Many times our effort to preserve the roots is frustrated.
A precious hint is to loosen the roots of the vessel soak the plant in water for about 5 minutes. The wetter the roots are, the easier they come off and the less they are hurt.
After loosening the plant gently. If you feel like you have to exert a lot of force, this means that the roots will be injured and therefore will not survive in the new pot.
If the root is cut very badly very sharp tool so as not to macerate the cut site. Never wrap the roots inside the pot, they will surely die and form rotten matter in the pot that could affect the growth of all new roots. Roots that are too long should be cut to a length of around 5cm.
After cutting the roots dry, the shade would be ideal_ A couple of days for the cut to heal. As this is not always possible, avoid wetting the substrate in the days following replanting and just spray water on the leaves to minimize dehydration.
Preparing the seedling
After removing the plant from the pot, it is important to carefully remove all the old substrate from the roots and wash the whole plant under running water.. This will remove all the toxins and even excess fertilizers that have accumulated. You will observe that many orchids, after a simple wash, respond with the emission of new roots in a few days.
Corte todas as raízes e outras dead parts. Always use a sterilized tool between handling one plant and another (just heat the tool on the gas stove until it turns red, but there are mini-torches that can help a lot)
If you are growing in gravel, there is no deterioration of the substrate and, in this case, if the roots are healthy forming a lump, it is possible to remove it without breaking it, put it in a larger pot and just top it off with more gravel.
Note which way your orchid will grow
In the topic about growing in apartments we already pointed out tips on the direction of growth of the plant. The plant will always grow towards the side of greater light, often looking for the morning sun. Note the direction of the front bud, as growth will start from there forward. Identifying this part of your orchid, you should leave it as far as possible from the edge of the pot or the end of a piece of wood or bark on which it will be planted. This way, you won't run the risk of having to change the pot early, as every replant traumatizes the plant and in some way hinders its development. See in the photo on the side how the bud indicates the direction of growth.
As for plants that have the so-called momopoidal growth (see topic "What is an orchid) like Vandas and Phalaenopsis, you can place the plant in the center of the vase.
Reusing vases
The vessels that remain after replanting can be reused, but we must take some precautions to prevent disease agents from being transmitted through reuse. Regardless of the type of vase, the first step is to wash it, removing all residues (remains of substrates and roots). Afterwards, soak the pots in a mixture of 100ml of bleach for each liter of water for 30 minutes. In the case of clay pots, they can be placed on fire (make a fire with intense fire and let it burn until the end; let it cool naturally).
Wipes and pieces of wood (such as field samson) normally cannot be reused because of surface decay. To reuse bark (peroba, sucupira), go through the same cleaning and sterilization process as the vases.
Draining the vessel
Even if the pot you are using has holes, it is important to place some material to increase drainage and avoid the risk of the orchid getting soaked, especially if your cultivation is unprotected from rain. Use some kind of inert material (gravel, styrofoam, broken vases...) up to a height of at least one third of the vase. Shallower vessels require less drainage layer.
Accommodating the orchid in pot
The Orchid should occupy something around 2 thirds of the mouth of the vase, so it will have room to grow until the substrate is old and a new repot is necessary. The orchid should never be "buried" in the pot. Note that a plant fixed to the tree au naturel never has the rhizome covered. This rule must be obeyed when growing in pots. Accommodate the plant so that the rhizome is above the substrate. In case the Orchid is not fixed, use wires and tutors for this. We recommend that the orchid buds do not rest against the substrate, this way they are more aerated and we reduce the chance of attack by fungi and bacteria.
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