How to Plant and Care for Moon Orchids

 

The moon orchid is one of Indonesia's national flowers . The charm of this archipelago is no doubt beautiful. Radiating from the shape of the petals as well as color variants that other flowers don't have, it really spoils the eyes of anyone who sees it. With the beauty of the flowers, making flower lovers feel obliged to have this orchid in their home. Popularly known as Butterfly Orchid , this month's orchid petals are like the wings of a butterfly spreading with a very beautiful blend of color patterns. This makes it the most sought after orchid species.

Assorted colors of dazzling moon orchids.

Planting moon orchids is actually easy and difficult, it takes some special techniques so that orchid plants can grow successfully. To get orchids from your own plants, you can do it in 2 ways. Namely planting it with potted media or attaching it to a tree. these two ways can be an option for you to get your own moon orchid plant. The explanation is as follows:

1. Planting in a pot

• First of all, choose a pot that fits the orchid plant. Usually planted in small transparent pots, earthen pots, wooden pots or plastic pots . As a suggestion, you should use a transparent pot in order to control the growth of the roots.
• For the soil media, you can use coconut husk, tile fragments, coal, charcoal, wood or pieces of fern .

Usually orchids will thrive on a planting medium consisting of a belt of coconut, ferns and charcoal.

• Prepare wire or bamboo.
• Prepare orchid seeds that you can get at farm shops . Usually there are bottled orchid seeds whose leaves are 1 cm in size and 2 to 3 strands of roots have appeared.
• In addition to bottled seeds, you can also buy young orchid seeds. These seeds are planted in trays  (containers for orchid seeds, many in farm shops). Planting young seedlings on trays aims to be able to move orchid seeds easily to places that are exposed to sunlight in the morning. This planting is carried out for 3 months.
• After all the planting media is available, planting can be done. For planting bottled orchid seeds, it can be done by transferring them directly to the pot and trying not to damage the root strands. To remove the seeds from the bottle, use a wire that has been bent first. And for planting seedlings from a tray that is 3 months old, it can also be moved into a 15 cm diameter pot with 3 to 5 plants.

The way to get the orchid seeds out of the bottle is to use a wire.

• Then, in the next 3 months, the repotting stage is carried out . Namely moving the orchid plants to a larger pot size. One pot contains one orchid plant.

2. Planting by pasting

Because orchids are vines and include epiphytic plants that live by attaching themselves to other plants, so the planting medium also uses trees. The trick, tie the orchid to the tree using a plastic rope or fiber rope or rapia rope.
Then by itself, the orchid will adapt by spreading the strands of its roots to the surface of the tree it is attached to. This method is somewhat easier than how to plant it in a pot.

Moon orchids can be attached to trees or wood.

After planting them, the long-awaited orchid flowers are sometimes not as beautiful as the neighbor's orchids. That is, after growing, the results are not so optimal. This happens because 'maybe' you pay less attention to the stage of treatment. Whereas for maintenance it is not too difficult, just like plant care in general, namely by paying attention to the intensity of the light, and doing the watering and fertilizing stages. Here's the description:

• Fertilization

The provision of nutrients in the form of fertilizers should be directed at the leaves. Due to the fact, the cuticle or leaf vessels can receive 90% of the nutrient intake while the roots are only able to receive 10%. For orchid lovers, the usual fertilizer to rely on is dekastar. Dekastar is able to accelerate the growth of shoots, stimulate the growth of branches, and fertilize plants. In addition, you can also use NPK fertilizer or special fertilizer for orchids ( Namira ).

Orchid fertilization is done using a sprayer by spraying liquid fertilizer in the direction of the leaves.

The trick is to directly spray the liquid fertilizer on the leaves. Do it 2 times a day in the morning and evening.
It should be noted, when the orchid buds are seen filling the pot, the ants begin to surround the plant and are covered by moss, then that means the planting medium must be replaced with a new one.

• Sprinkling

Orchid flowers basically do not really like excessive water intake. Because this will damage root growth and make the media wet and muddy. If so, the plant shoots will fall off and rot.

So, for watering you should use a sprayer . The technique of spraying water on orchid plants will keep the plants moist without damaging the planting medium. The water used is water with a neutral pH. Watering is done twice a day in the morning and evening. In the dry season, it can be increased to 3 times a day, including watering at night.

• Light intensity

Orchid plants are types of plants that do not require too much exposure to direct sunlight. Only about 20% – 30% of the average light capacity is needed, and even then from the morning sun. So you should provide shade in the form of paranet or shade nets . It could also be a strategy of attaching it to a large tree that is quite shady, so the orchid plant remains shady. Try to stick it to the east where the sun directly emits the morning light.

Orchids that get sufficient intake of morning sunlight, watering, and regular fertilization will thrive with beautiful and charming flowers.

Likewise for orchids that are planted in pots, they should be stored in the shade, but still provide intake of morning sunlight. Because it is planted in a pot, so the position of the placement is easy to move. If planted indoors, then make sure to use special plant lights so that the orchids don't die and stay healthy and fertile.

That was the procedure for planting and caring for this beautiful orchid. It takes perseverance and shrewdness in caring for it. So, please try it and hopefully get the maximum display of the moon orchid.

Get bottled orchid seeds here and other orchid plants here . In addition to the plants, you can also find a variety of gardening equipment products that you need here , such as pots, sprayers, planting media, fertilizers and others.