Tropical beauty – Wanda orchid mesmerizing beauty. Inexperienced florists in vain retreat before this plant, fearing not to cope with care at home.
Wanda resembles some mythical creature, incomprehensibly growing without soil as such. It is often called the “bearded beauty” because of its long vine-like roots. A healthy specimen, pleasing with charming flowers, grows a powerful “beard” of freely hanging roots.
Peculiarities of growing tropical exotics
It is an undeniable fact that the cultivation of orchids is radically different from what we are used to. A hundred years ago, botanical gardens managed to preserve only five or six specimens. Nowadays, the exotic epiphyte can be purchased even in the supermarket. Understanding the biology of the plant has made it possible to successfully grow known varieties and produce new hybrids.
Wanda orchid will conquer only to a florist who is able to reject stereotypes and the usual standards of indoor floriculture. The tropical guest dictates its own rules.
The main peculiarities of cultivation consist in overcoming the usual frameworks:
- No vases or pots. Only baskets or glass flasks.
- No substrate or soil at all. Only decorations, clean water and fresh air.
- The plant absorbs moisture and nutrients with its whole nature.
Home cultivation has certain variations. Not all of them contribute to the healthy development and longevity of the tropical guest. The rapid death of the perennial epiphyte is a direct consequence of improper maintenance. It is important to understand the nature of the exot in order to enjoy the aesthetic beauty of blooming.
Rules for growing an exotic epiphyte
Successful cultivation of the culture depends on the artificial creation of growing conditions, as close to natural as possible. The common opinion about the capriciousness of the plant does not correspond to reality. The Wanda orchid has an excellent stamina and does not give much trouble.
It is enough to follow certain rules:
- temperature and humidity regime;
- Features watering and lighting;
- dormancy period of the tropical exot;
- additional nutrition of the plant.
Fabulous orchid flowers are able to enjoy the beauty of a month and a half to three months with proper agrotechnics.
There are two most common cultivation methods:
- aerial in hanging baskets;
- decorative in glass flasks.
Remarkably, the agronomy of the exotic epiphyte does not require much cost or time. A certain amount of discipline and no amateurism is enough.
Temperature and humidity regime
It is important to comply with these points in order to enjoy the blooming of the plant.
Air humidity
Unlike commonly known epiphytic plants, the vanda has no special formations of the root system for the accumulation of moisture. The plant literally breathes and absorbs moisture with its whole nature. At the same time, the exot is able to tolerate dry air and absence of watering for some time.
The comfortable air humidity level for an orchid is 60-90% when the air temperature is above +20°C.
It’s noteworthy that in decorative cultivation in glass flasks the necessary humidity level is created automatically, and the need for additional spraying arises in extreme cases. The hanging method of cultivation requires more frequent irrigation of the plant.
Only filtered and boiled water is used to spray the orchids. It is categorically not recommended to irrigate orchid flowers.
Moisture on bright flowers drastically reduces their decorativeness and can provoke white spots or premature fading.
The frequency of wetting depends on the microclimate conditions and the time of year. In summer, the orchid is irrigated three times a week. In winter, a single irrigation every six to seven days is sufficient. The need for spraying is indicated by the appearance of small wrinkles at the base of the leaf rosette.
Air temperature
Exotic epiphyte refers to heat-loving plants and a short-term decrease in temperature can lead to delayed stress, which will lead to the death of the specimen. If you buy an orchid in the winter season, be sure to pack it carefully so that it is not exposed to cold air.
A comfortable air temperature ranges from +23+27°C. The upper value requires more frequent spraying. Some varieties of orchids have a distinct dormant period. At this time, the plant builds up green mass, forms “offspring” and prepares for the next flowering.
The temperature difference of five degrees between the daytime and nighttime temperature contributes to the flowering phase.
During the resting phase, the lower temperature threshold is lowered to +20+22°C. Some growers go further and move the orchid overnight to a cooler room with an air temperature of +17+18°C.
Watering and lighting
Watering
The frequency of watering an exotic epiphyte also depends on the time of year, the vegetative phase and the condition of the root system. The best way to determine the need for watering is to understand the plant’s natural indicators.
Dull, visually shrunken orchid roots indicate the need for watering. Roots soaked in moisture have a dense texture and a greenish tint.
The method of watering depends on the growing method:
- Watering plants grown in hanging baskets is carried out by spraying the root system from a sprayer. It is also allowed a ten-minute bath in pure water or nutrient solution.
- Water is added to the container with the plant in decorative cultivation in glass flasks. Carefully tilt the flask and pour a small amount of water along the wall of the vessel so that the moisture does not affect the green leaves and flowers of Wanda. Excess water is drained off in the same way.
Large plants with strong roots require more water and more time. You can extend the procedure to 20 minutes. Longer wetting can damage the exotics and cause the root system to rot.
Only soft water without chlorine should be used. The best option is water purified with a household filter. If there is none, the water is boiled and left to stand. Freezing the water in the freezer is an effective way to soften it.
Lighting
Exotic epiphyte requires a lot of light. Sunlight should not be too intense. The plant should be installed at some distance from the window to avoid direct sunlight. The optimum length of the day is at least 12 hours at any time of year. In winter the plant can be transferred to a southern window or can be additionally illuminated by an agro lamp.
True indicators of light quality:
- A bright green foliage is a visual sign of proper lighting.
- Dark green color of the leaves is observed with a lack of sunlight.
- Too much light causes the leaves to turn yellow and wilt.
Additional nutrition of the Wanda orchid
Lack of substrate often causes panic in inexperienced flower growers. Some of them do not give up trying to put the flower in a pot, despite the success of popular cultivation methods. The Wanda orchid does very well not only without substrate, but also without intensive feeding.
There are a number of indicators that report on the quality of the exotic’s nutrition:
- The size of the rosette of a young leaf is one centimeter with a balanced diet.
- A narrower band indicates a lack of supplementation.
- The width of the new leaf rosette is more than one centimeter when the plant is overfed. An excess of nutrients leads to an exuberant growth of green mass, lack of flowering.
It is not recommended to fertilize the orchid more than once a week.
Use a special fertilizer complex designed specifically for orchids. Fertilization is always combined with watering. More potassium should be added on the eve of the budding phase and during flowering.
Possible problems of growing epiphyte
Often florists are lost in guessing about the reasons for the ill-being of an exotic plant. Not having much experience in growing an outlandish culture, it is easy to make a mistake or not to notice an alarming symptom.
A white plaque on the roots and in the rosette of leaves arises from an overabundance of mineral salts. A large bath of the root system with the addition of a teaspoon (five milliliters) of lemon juice for each liter of water is required on a quarterly basis.
Long roots lose their elasticity and become soft when affected by rot. To prevent the problem, it is necessary not to delay watering, longer than the recommended time. It is extremely important that the roots have a chance to dry out after irrigation. Lack of ventilation is often the cause of root rot. The affected areas of the root system should be removed. The cuts should be disinfected.
Orchid leaves turn yellow if there is too much sunlight. Remove the plant from the window sill, provide light shade.
Young leaves grow narrow and short with a lack of nutrition. Replace the fertilizer with a specialized complex or feed the epiphyte more often.
Too wide and long leaves in the absence of flowering indicate an excess of nitrogen and a lack of potassium.
In conclusion
In general, growing an orchid is not very difficult. Be prepared for an outlandish appearance of the plant with a beard of roots hanging from the basket. The unique beauty of the flowers of this plant more than compensates for the unconventional methods of cultivation.
In addition, there is something mythical about the exposed root system. Orchid can be a creative element of interior design. In addition, the plant carries a lot of specific symbolism about social status, beauty and strong traditions.
