Oncidium: care and photos
Oncidium attracts with long flowering and exotic appearance. To successfully grow it indoors, you need to know the specifics of this plant and the rules for caring for it.
Description and photo of oncidium
In nature, these orchids are common in the forests of Central and South America, mostly in mountainous regions. There are several hundred varieties, natural and artificial hybrids of this species. Terrestrial plants are rare among them. They mainly grow on trees or stones, to the surface of which they are attached due to short roots. At the base of the plant is a bright green pseudobulb, oval in young orchids and fusiform in older ones, from which several fleshy and dense basal leaves of a darker color emerge.
With proper care, oncidium flowering lasts more than a month.
Orchids adapt to the climate and even outwardly differ in different regions. In warm and humid foothills, the leaves have a denser structure and tough skin, while in higher elevations at low temperatures they are thin and tender.
Flowers collected in a brush are arranged in several pieces on a high peduncle, in some varieties reaching two meters in length. They have a complex, zygomorphic shape with a spatulate lip, the size of which is much larger than the rest of the petals. At its base there is a clearly visible growth, because of which the genus got its name, which means “tubercle” in translation from Greek. The diameter of the flower is from 1 to 10 cm. The most common colors are yellow, red and brown, but the shades can be varied.
This orchid is demanding on growing conditions. To keep the plant healthy and strong, and flowering long, pay attention to the following factors:
- Lighting. It should be sufficient, but not too bright. An orchid needs a lot of sunlight, but it needs to be protected from direct rays, and additional lighting should be provided in winter.
- Humidity. Dry air causes the bulb to dry out, the leaves turn yellow, the flower does not develop. At temperatures above + 18 ° C, it is necessary to increase the humidity using trays with water, performing spraying, installing a humidifier.
- Growing soil. In a wide, opaque pot, pour a layer of expanded clay or polystyrene on the bottom, and fill the rest of the volume with pine bark. When planting, the pseudobulb should be located on the ground surface.
- Watering. Water regularly until the pseudobulb forms, lowering the pot in warm water, and then stop watering. Renew it after the appearance of the peduncle, gradually strengthen it, and after the end of flowering, restrict it again.
It is difficult for a beginner to properly organize care. It is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the plant, by the color of the leaves, the rate of bud formation and a number of other signs, determining what is not enough at the moment.
When you learn to understand the needs of this orchid, it will bloom 1 to 3 times a year, delighting with unusual, vibrant flowers.