The orchid craze came to my town 10 years ago. Then they began to give this flower instead of a bouquet, as a gift for a special date. Women dreamed of propagating the orchid to decorate the entire balcony with these plants. Of course, only a few made it.
Not only is it sold everywhere, but housewives have learned to propagate the flower without any difficulty. Favorite methods include cuttings, sowing seeds, dividing a bush, and propagating by peduncle.
In fact, the orchid leaf itself is not adapted for propagation. There are no growth points on the leaf plate, where the roots must form. But these growth points on the orchid are on the trunk. Therefore, to propagate an orchid in this way, you will need a leaf with a small part of the stem.
Before you start growing an orchid from a leaf, prepare the necessary tools. You will need a lawn mower. The sharper the better. Also stock up on a plastic container, filtered water, and the following fertilizers: root former, activated charcoal, cytokinin paste, and succinic acid.
By the way, the process of growing an orchid from a leaf is one of the most difficult and time consuming. Rooting can take between 1.5 and 2 years.
How to plant an orchid leaf
The spreading leaf can only be removed from a healthy adult plant. First, use a sharp pruner to separate the leaf along with a piece of the stem. Now you will need to activate the sleeping stump. To do this, dry the leaf after cutting it for 8 hours.
Next, lubricate the site of future roots with root former. Dissolve 1 tablet of activated charcoal in a glass of water. Place the stem in the solution. The neck of the shoot must be completely submerged in water.
It is also possible to stimulate the appearance of roots with the help of succinic acid. To do this, dissolve 1 tablet of succinic acid in a glass of warm water. Place the cut leaf in the solution with the neck of the sprout facing down. Before planting the sprout in the ground, check for signs of rot and mold.
