people think of the word orchid as a rare tropical plant whose price is staggering and which only a wealthy person can have in a vase. This perception originated at a time when world-famous travellers brought back botanical specimens from their journeys, including previously unknown orchid species. This plant belongs to the instar family, and there are eight hundred and fifty genera worldwide, which are subdivided into seventeen thousand species.
The most famous orchids growing in the Czech Republic:
– Beardwort (Listera)
– Tuber (Liparis)
– Coralwort (Corallorhiza)
– Crucifer (Epipactis)
– Softweed (Hammarbya)
– Ringwort (Dactylorhiza)
– Periwinkle (Cephalanthera)
– Slipperwort (Cypripedium)
– Turnip (Ophrys)
– Vemenwort (Platanthera)
– Orchis (Orchis)
Everyone has encountered Orchis, There are over eighty species in this country. It is a tall plant covered with small flowers which, when plucked, give out yellow milk. Similarly, we often see the slipperwort growing by the roadside. This is often incorrectly referred to as \’slipperwort\’.
In recent years, home cultivation of Phalaenopsis has become very widespread, with a huge variety of species and colour mutations.
It is not difficult to grow if you follow these basic rules:
– Keep the plant in a clear plastic container. The common mistake of putting it in an ornamental ceramic pot will cause it to die. The roots need light. You can pierce the side of the pot with a needle so that the roots have sufficient air access and do not become inflamed.
– Every year, remove the plant, carefully remove the dead roots and plant in a special substrate or coarse tree bark.
– Despite the popular belief that these are drought-loving plants, the opposite is true. Phalaenopsis needs moisture. However, it does not tolerate waterlogging. Therefore, once a week, place the pot in a basin of water so that the water level reaches ¾ of the height of the pot and leave it like this for an hour. Once a month, add orchid fertiliser to the water.
– The plant should be in direct light, ideally on the sill of a south-east facing window.
– Over winter, cut watering by half and give them a rest in a cooler room.
