The birthplace of one of the most beautiful plants - the Pafiopedilum orchid (photo below), or Lady's Slipper, is considered to be New Guinea, China, India, Asia, the Himalayas and the Solomon Islands.
Back in 1869, the first and veryA successful artificial hybrid of Pafiopedilum, which laid the foundation for the creation of new plant varieties. Nowadays there are about 100 species of plants and more than 1 thousand hybrids.
Orchid Paphiopedilum, description
Paphiopedilum translates as "slipper ofPaphos "- the city in which the goddess Venus was born. The peculiarity and main decoration of the plant is an unusual flower, similar to a woman's shoe. In America, this flower is called "moccasin flowers", and in England - "slipper".
Pafiopedilum is a ground orchid familyOrchid, sympodial. The presence of a displaced apical bud is its feature. A pseudobulb with a sleeping kidney comes out of it and the plant is developed. In Pafiopedilum, instead of a pseudobulb, a rosette is formed on the roots. Leaves oblong, belt-like. May be leathery, soft and juicy, depending on the conditions and type of plant.
Flowers of different colors, but mostly white, green, brown and yellow shades prevail. Petals dense with wax bloom or covered with a fluff.
Pafiopedilum, which bloom depends on the type and variety, pleases flowers for several months.
The flower has six petals, one of themdifferent from others in size and shape, it is the "slipper of Venus." From the rosette of the leaves of the plant, an erect peduncle rises, on which are many-flowered and one-flowered inflorescences.
The orchid Pafiopedilum is demandingthe humidity of the earth and the air in the apartment, a slight shading and heat transfer very calmly. It copes easily with short-term drought due to succulent and leathery leaves that are able to accumulate moisture.
Root system
The roots of Pafiopedilum have such that from otherplants differ in an unusual structure. Orchids can exist on other plants and trees, feeding on them through their roots. They serve as the main indicator of flower health. Pafiopedilum is always sold in transparent pots so that it is easy to determine the condition of the root system and the need for watering the plant.
If the roots have acquired a light gray color, then the plant must be watered. A container with a flower is immersed in a container with water at room temperature. Healthy roots are green.
The plant in the process of growth appear airthe roots. And their excess amount (more than two) is due to increased humidity as a result of errors in irrigation. The roots rot, and the plant can die when there is too much water.
Location in the apartment
The window sill is considered an ideal placefacing east. On the south side, the plant should be shaded from direct sunlight, especially on summer days between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Bright light does harm to the orchid: spots form on the leaves from burns, the edges of the petals become pale, the orchid stops blooming. It is undesirable to put Paphiopedilum near heating appliances. Windows on cold autumn and winter days, on which there are pots with orchids, are not covered with curtains.
Light mode
Paphiopedilum (Orchidaceae family), possessingleathery leaves, needs more light than a plant with soft leaves. Before buds are formed, the flower pot is rotated from time to time so that the stem and leaves do not bend.
For lush flowering orchids need lightday for 16 hours. With its lack of photosynthesis is reduced. In such cases, artificial lighting comes to the rescue. Fluorescent lamps are located 15 cm from the plant. You can increase the flow of light in the following way:
- wash the windows;
- wipe dust from leaves;
- place the plant in a room with light walls and a ceiling.
Temperature
Paphiopedilum is not as whimsical to heat as some orchids. For its growth, you need a temperature in winter + 13-160C, maximum summer can go up to +240C. The plant will die if the thermometer drops below +80C or rise above +320FROM.
Paphiopedilum (photo below), having spottyleaves, grows well with moderate warmth and dim sun, and with green foliage loves cool contents. In inclement weather and in winter, both plants prefer low air temperatures. To control the temperature regime near the plants, a thermometer should be installed.
One of the conditions for the abundant flowering of PaphiopedilumIt is mandatory to observe a difference of night and day temperatures by 5 degrees. You can lower the temperature by airing, watering or spraying (without getting on the flowers) plants. When performing water procedures, it is necessary to ensure that the water is boiled, filtered or rain at room temperature. The moisture that remains in the leaf sockets is removed with a napkin to protect them from decay.
The optimum humidity for this variety of orchids - from 40% to 60% - can be maintained if you put the pot with the plant on a tray with moistened pebbles.
For the successful cultivation of Paphiopedilum is necessaryfresh air, so the room should be periodically ventilated without drafts. Near the orchid, it is recommended to put a fan, including it on slow mode.
Watering
One of the causes of death of orchids iswaterlogged soil. Watering Paphiopedilum and spraying is carried out in the summer in the morning, once or twice a week, and in winter - no more than twice a month. Before watering Paphiopedilum, you need to check the soil moisture with your hand and decide whether it is time to water or you can still wait.
How to water?
For watering orchids use a watering can.The substrate is moistened with water until it appears in the pan. You can use another way. A pot with a plant is immersed in a container of water to the level of the soil and kept there until the surface of the soil becomes wet. After the procedure, Paphiopedilum is taken out, allowed to drain water and put it in a permanent place.
Paphiopedilum: home care. Top dressing
You can only feed completely healthy plants. In a flower shop, they buy fertilizers for orchids and water them with plants in accordance with the attached instructions.
In spring, plant growth is requirednitrogen fertilizers, potassium is necessary for flowering in autumn, and indoor flowers are at rest in winter and are not fed. The composition of complex fertilizers, in addition to those listed, includes other components:
- phosphorus strengthens the root system;
- potassium promotes flower formation;
- trace elements improve the color of leaves.
Transplant and landing, reproduction
For the successful development of young Paphiopedilumsrequire an annual transplant. When replacing the substrate, a little old is left on the roots. For adult plants of the Paphiopedilum orchid, home care requires a transplant once every three years:
- the pot became small;
- rotted substrate;
- the plant is flooded with water;
- discovered pests or disease.
The best time to change the ground is spring. Plants that are healthy and well developed are transplanted during flowering.
There are two ways to propagate orchids.Paphiopedilum. Home care allows you to cultivate them by dividing the bush and planting seeds. In the first method, the plant should be divided into parts so that in each of them there is an escape with roots. The more shoots there are, the more abundant Paphiopedilum will bloom. For breeding shoes, it is preferable to use the first method.
The day before the transplant, the plant should be plentifulto water. The next day, gently remove it from the pot, putting it on its side and passing the knife near the walls. The substrate, which has decomposed, is shaken off, low-quality and long roots are cut off, the sections are dusted with charcoal.
The new pot should be bigger than the old inabout 5 cm across. In order to plant Paphiopedilum (Venus slipper), a flowerpot with a diameter of 9 cm is suitable. A quarter capacity is filled with drainage (crushed stone, pebbles, expanded clay), the substrate is poured slowly, compacting it. The roots of the plant are straightened, above the shoot base, the soil layer should not exceed one and a half centimeters, the top of the earth is mulched with a moss layer of 2 cm.
Горшок с растением ставят в светлое место, protecting from direct rays of the sun, they monitor the moisture of the soil, periodically sprayed. Three weeks later, when the plant grows stronger and new roots appear, Paphiopedilum is placed in a stationary place and care is carried out in the usual way.
Flower pot
For the cultivation of Paphiopedilum orchids (care inat home for which it is not particularly difficult) use clay or plastic pots. The walls of the pottery have pores and pass air to the roots of the plant, but the substrate quickly dries up in it. In a transparent plastic, it is good to control the root system, but the walls of the pot can become covered with greenery, so it should be placed in a pot. Plastic containers are convenient for transplanting; it is easy to remove a plant from it.
For the convenience of transplanting, the neck of the pot is always wider than the base. In the bottom of any flowerpot there should be a hole for the drain of excess water, and if it is high, then holes are made from below in the walls.
In flower shops you can buy varioushybrids of venus shoes. Their appearance is very unusual, they really look like real little shoes. The long flowering of this plant decorates the home and pleases the eye almost all year round.
