Ball orchid is a succulent plant of the Apocynaceae family. It is native to eastern Asia and Australia. It is very suitable for growing indoor plants. It has attractive waxy leaves and shiny leaves. , and also produce fresh, large spherical flowers.
Hoya carnosa compacta
1. The key to promoting flowering:
. Compact flower pots
Let the root system of the orchid fill the pot soil and put pressure on its growth, so that it can more easily breed flower buds. If it is used too much Planting in large pots, or if the seedlings are too weak and have poor root growth, will result in no flowering. Flower lovers, don't use large pots when growing potted orchids. Don't change the pots until the roots have filled up with the potting soil. You can choose to change them after they bloom.
Hoya macrophylla
. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizer
In addition to letting the roots grow full of pot soil, you should also pay attention to regular supplementation of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer during the peak growth season. In spring and autumn, you can sprinkle a little slow-release fertilizer with more phosphorus and potassium elements on the pot soil , such as Aolu A2. In other seasons, if the temperature is between 18 and 28 degrees, potassium dihydrogen phosphate or other flower-stimulating fertilizers can be supplemented every two or three weeks.
Hoya carnosa Compacta Variegata
. Control watering
The variegata does not like water very much. Before each watering, you can touch the soil with your hands. The soil below 3 cm is very dry. Water it thoroughly once, or wait until the leaves are slightly softer before watering again. It is watered thoroughly when the summer heat is high, and occasionally a little water is given on a sunny evening.
2. Growing environment
If it is in southern my country, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian, southern Taiwan and other regions, you can plant ball orchids directly outdoors. Of course, it will be easier to manage as an indoor potted plant. It prefers bright scattered light and must be maintained in an environment that avoids freezing. As long as the roots are filled with potting soil, it will bloom easily.
Hoya archboldiana
The leaves of the Hoya archboldiana are fleshy and the surface of the leaves is shiny. The leaves are usually oval or oval leaves with different shapes, and there are even varieties with curled leaves.
If you want to grow ball orchids well, in addition to having a compact flowerpot with more scattered light, you must also set up a small flower stand in the flowerpot in advance so that it can wrap around and grow. Or let its branches and leaves grow low and grow into a hanging pot plant.
3. Flowers of globe orchid
The large spherical flowers of globe orchid are composed of many star-shaped small flowers. The flower colors include common pink, white, red, etc., and the flowers have a strong smell (the smell is stronger at night) , you can even sometimes see nectar dripping from the flowers.
The flower stem of the ball orchid grows from between the leaves and branches, that is, from the leaf axil . After the flowers bloom, its flower stem must not be cut off, because the flower stem can also breed new flowers.
The main flowering season of ball orchids is from spring to the end of summer. 10 to 50 star-shaped flowers can bloom on the same flower stem.
4. Tips for maintaining orchids
. Appropriate sunlight
The key to maintaining potted orchids is to choose a good location. It is especially suitable on an east-facing balcony or windowsill. It is best to have more than 2 to 4 hours of light every day to avoid Leaves will be sunburned by or if exposed to strong direct light or too much light. If
is kept on a balcony with more sunshine, you need to put a sunshade net on it, especially in hot summer; if it is in winter and spring when the temperature is lower, the light is softer, so it can get more sun.
. Flower pots and soil
Don’t use too big a flower pot when planting ball orchid. One characteristic of ball orchid is that the root system must be filled with potting soil before it can bloom. If the root system is not filled with soil, it will continue to bloom. When the roots grow, they will not bloom.
The soil for maintaining orchids must be as loose and breathable as possible, and the drainage must be good. It does not need to have a strong water retention capacity. You can use common peat soil, fine coconut bran , coarse coconut shell , perlite. , bark and other granular stones for planting.
Hoya rotundiflora (leaves are square) Hoya rotundiflora
Maintaining potted orchids does not require frequent fertilization. Its best growth season is in spring and autumn. The best temperature is maintained at 16~29 degrees, which is good for its growth. most. The maintenance temperature in winter must be kept above 4 degrees to avoid frost.
. Propagation skills
It is also very simple to propagate ball orchids. You can propagate them by branch cuttings, or you can press longer branches into the soil for layering propagation.
Both propagation methods are very simple. You can put the cut branches in sphagnum moss . The success rate of cutting is very high. Just keep the sphagnum moss moist, and new roots and buds will soon grow on the branches. As long as the temperature is between 20 and 25 degrees, this method is basically 100% successful. Interested flower friends can try it.
