How to propagate?
Cambria is usually propagated by dividing the bush, it is best to do this in the spring, when the dormant period ends and the active growth phase begins. It is quite possible to successfully combine the reproduction procedure with a transplant, because reproduction is also best after flowering. Let's take a look at the main steps:
first of all, we soak the root system in water (immersion) so that fragile roots are not damaged;
we process tools with alcohol;
we remove spoiled (rotten) places;
carefully divide the plant into 2-3 parts;
we treat places of damage and cut leaves with coal powder;
we remove the old soil from the root and dry it;
we plant the plants in new soil.
Watch a video about the reproduction of an orchid by dividing a bush:
Reproduction
A favorable period for the reproduction of "Cambria" is the beginning of spring (March - early April). At this time, she prepares to emerge from the biological dormancy. The orchid should be propagated after it has faded. Traditionally "Cambria" is propagated by dividing the bush.
The process of dividing the bush:
- pre-soak the root system of the flower in water (to avoid damage to fragile roots by bark or other soil components);
- disinfect the tools (with fire or alcohol) that you will be using;
- remove the rotted areas of the orchid;
- carefully divide the bush into 2-3 parts, try not to damage the roots;
- treat the places of cut leaves and other damage with charcoal powder;
- rid the root of the old earth and dry it;
- transplant the plant into new soil.
The rules for caring for "Cambria" are simple and not demanding, since this hybrid was created with the expectation of being kept in an ordinary apartment.
The ideal temperature range for an orchid ranges from 15 ° C to 25 ° C. It is suitable for both day and night temperatures. If you want your] orchid to thrive, keep it cool (15-20 ° C). Lighting for an orchid must be chosen with good light permeability, so the flowering will be much better, and the flowers themselves will be larger. In this case, "Cambria" must be protected from direct sunlight - they burn fragile leaves and those, over time, begin to turn yellow (in this case, the flower must be moved to another place).
The soil for orchids should include whole pieces of bark (2-3 cm in size). If the bark is crumbled and looks more like a lump of earth - throw it away, such a substrate does not allow air to pass through and retains water. In this case, the roots of the "asterisk" will begin to rot and harm the plant. Sometimes foam is added to the bark, which helps it dry quickly from excess water. Coal, sphagnum moss and fern roots can be added to the soil.
An ideal substrate should:
- hold back moisture for the roots;
- do not form acidification (moisture should not linger for a long time in the container);
- allow air to pass through (do not be too dense).
Such a substrate for the care of "Cambria" can be purchased in almost every flower shop. If necessary, you can make your own orchid substrate at home.
The root system of the orchid is very fragile. To protect it from decay, watering in hot weather is carried out once a week, and in rainy or cold weather - once every two weeks. With daily watering, the plant will disappear from the abundance of water and decay. Water for irrigation must be boiled or filtered, "Cambria" is extremely sensitive to water quality. You can also place the pot in water for up to half an hour and then leave it dry until it is completely dry.
During growth, the orchid is fertilized with special dressings. This lasts until the flowering period, after which any feed stops. Be careful to use half the dosage indicated on the package so as not to burn the delicate roots of Cumbria.
The flower does not tolerate frequent transplants; if necessary, it is propagated once every two years (when the roots will not fit in the pot, and their growth will slow down significantly). The best time for transplanting is considered the period when the roots have not yet appeared on the bulb.
Step-by-step transplant "Cumbria":
- remove the flower from the pot;
- clean it of moss and bark (if there are suppurations, they also need to be removed);
- put bark and polystyrene on the bottom of the pot (so that the roots are not in the water when watering);
- set the plant at an angle of 90 °;
- we fall asleep with new bark, pieces of coal and moss;
- do not water for a week (so that the resulting wounds heal).
Conditions of detention
Cambria is not capricious. But for full development and abundant flowering, you need to provide the plant with the best conditions for keeping.
Temperature regime
In order for the cambria orchid to grow normally, it is kept at a temperature of + 16-20 ° C. Cambria is thermophilic, but reacts painfully to heat, slows down growth. Night temperature fluctuations are unacceptable. The difference between day and night temperatures should not exceed 5 ° C.
Air humidity
The cambria orchid is not capricious in terms of air humidity. If the flowerpot is close to the heating radiator, then the air humidity must be artificially increased. To do this, a container filled with water is placed next to the flower.
Also, regular spraying of the foliage is beneficial for the orchid. But when spraying water, the spray bottle must be kept away from the plant so that large drops do not remain on the leaves, which can provoke the appearance of yellow spots.
Illumination
Cumbria is photophilous, it should be in a well-lit room. However, the light should be diffused, direct sunlight should not be allowed on the orchid. Intense ultraviolet light burns the surface of the leaves, provoking yellowing. The optimal place for an orchid is a window in the west or east.
With a lack of natural light in the winter months, phytolamps have to be installed. But if the plant is dormant, then there is no need to disturb it with additional light. The optimal daylight hours for an orchid are 10-12 hours.
Priming
For growing orchids, a special soil is purchased, including:
- pieces of sphagnum moss;
- chopped pine bark;
- a small amount of charcoal to prevent oxidation of the substrate;
- expanded clay as an aerator.
Top dressing
Fertilization begins when young shoots appear on the orchid, and ends when the flowering phase begins. Cumbria has a thin and sensitive root system. In order not to injure the roots, fertilizers of low concentration are prepared: for the solution, they take 2 times less of the drug than indicated on the package.
Watering
Water the plant when the substrate dries up. In the summer months, watering is usually carried out once a week. With the arrival of winter, the frequency of watering is significantly reduced. Watering is carried out by the lower method: the flower pot is placed in a basin of water. Use only settled, slightly warm water.
Seasonal care features
The peculiarity of the cambrian orchid is that it does not have a pronounced resting phase, with good care it can bloom all year round. Moreover, the flowering shoots come out alternately: one withers, the other appears. Therefore, flowering is virtually continuous.
Spring
With the onset of spring, the orchid standing on the windowsill must be protected from bright sunlight. If the room temperature is no more than 18-20 ° C, then it is not necessary to moisturize the flower abundantly.
Summer
In the summer months, the delicate orchid leaves protect from direct sunlight. The optimum summer temperature for a plant is not higher than +25 ° C.If the weather is hot, then humidify the air around the flower. For spraying, a finely dispersed spray bottle is used. In summer, the orchid can be taken out to the balcony or yard. Place where there are no drafts, where rain drops and direct rays of the sun do not fall.
Autumn
With the arrival of autumn, the flower begins to lack sunlight. Cambria can go into a dormant phase, or it can remain in an active state, release flower stalks. In the first case, the plant is not disturbed with additional light, in the second, phytolamps are installed.
Winter
If cambria continues to bloom during the winter months, then artificial lighting is indispensable. The optimum winter air temperature for a plant is 16-20 ° C.
How to care during and after flowering
Cambria blooms most actively in autumn and winter. In the spring-summer period, pseudobulbs form on the shoots, peduncles emerge from the leaf sinuses. In order for the winter flowering to be beautiful and full, phytolamps must be used.
When the pseudobulb is formed, the plant is not moistened for two weeks. Watered further, but not abundantly. This sequence of actions ensures lush flowering of the orchid. Watering is resumed in the same volume after the peduncles emerge from the leaf sinuses. With excessive watering at the end of the growing season, cambria may stop blooming.
Conditions for growing Cumbria orchids at home
Care and maintenance of the Cumbria orchid at home requires strict adherence to all growing conditions, which consist in the correct choice of plant placement, an ideal pot and soil. Only the combination of all conditions can guarantee a beautiful and blooming orchid flower.
Placing the Cambria orchid indoors
First of all, before deciding to purchase an orchid of the Cambria group, it is important to think about the most suitable location for a flower culture.
In this case, special attention should be paid to the issues of lighting and temperature. So, to get a healthy and lush blooming flower, it is best to give preference to window sills on the east or west side.
There is an optimal combination of sunny and shaded periods of the day.
If this is not possible, and the pots are located in the southern parts of the room, then during especially hot periods it is necessary to shade the plants with gauze.
Sometimes in winter, lighting is not enough, since the Cambria orchid requires daylight hours within 10-12 hours
In this case, you can use phytolamps.
When choosing the optimal location for a Cumbria orchid pot, it is important to consider the temperatures required by this plant. For full-fledged growth and abundant flowering, you need to adhere to the temperature range of 16-21 degrees.
Choosing a pot and soil for the Cumbria orchid
When planting and growing this group of orchids, it is important to pay special attention to the selection of soil.
For this plant, you need to take crushed sphagnum, as well as pieces of pine bark. Small pieces of wood ash should be added to this soil mixture so that the bark does not oxidize.
To make the soil light and breathable, it is recommended to add expanded clay, pumice stone or pieces of foam plastic to it.
You can buy a special soil for planting orchids in a garden store, then select the largest pieces from it and put it in pots.
If you are using bark brought from the forest, be sure to boil and dry it to avoid various diseases of the flower.
You also need to carefully consider the choice of a pot or container for the Cumbria orchid.
Unlike other types of orchids, this group prefers to grow in pots that completely block out the sun's rays. In this case, you can take clay or plastic, ceramic and coconut are also suitable.
The size of the pots should be several centimeters larger than the previous one, so that the roots of the Cumbria orchid are freely located along the walls.
Buying a Cumbria orchid in a store
If you have just decided to purchase an orchid of the Cambria group, then it is best to go to a specialized garden store, where a large assortment of high quality varieties of this flower is presented.
It is important to choose the right flower in the store so that after being transported to your home, it can adapt and bloom.
You should not buy a Cumbria orchid with one pseudobulba, since in this case there is a high probability that the plant will not survive and will soon die.
For the full growth of an orchid, at least 2-3 bulbs are required, so you should especially carefully check the surface of the soil for the presence of bulbs.
Also check the upper part of the plant, the leaves and peduncles should be firm and fresh, have a bright and rich shade.
Transfer
There is no need to rush to transplant a flower, because in the first two years this can only do harm. Experts advise, after the purchase, at least wait until next spring. Any modern amateur florist can easily grow a beautiful orchid on his window, although a few years ago this process caused certain difficulties. In order for such a beauty to please others for a long period of time, it is necessary to provide her with thorough care, and at the same time know how to transplant an orchid and then take care of it. Over the years, you have to change the container in which the flower grows, and not only because the substrate where the flower grows becomes unusable, it is just that the roots begin to crawl out of the pot.
It is advisable to replant the described flower every few years. If the orchid was purchased recently, transplantation is possible only after it has faded for the first time or in a year, if counting from the moment of purchase, as mentioned above. The best time for this is early spring, when new shoots appear, the root system is formed.
It is important to understand how to transplant an orchid during the described period, so that it can quickly get used to the content in new conditions, and the roots are fixed in the new soil
It is necessary to transplant in the following sequence.
It is necessary to remove the plant from the previous container and temporarily move it to another. They clean the root system from the old soil. It's best to pour them out of the shower.
It also happens that the root system is strongly intertwined with each other, then you can carefully separate it with your fingers. If there are roots that have grown into parts of the bark, you should not injure them and try to free them, it is better to leave them as they are.
After that, the rhizome is carefully examined, dried and bad
As a rule, they are chocolate-colored. Pruning is done with clean scissors. Next, the roots are rinsed under the shower with a slight pressure. Be sure to process the cut points. Fungicides are most often used, but you can do it easier - take and crush activated carbon, with which to sprinkle the slices.
Allow the rhizome to dry so that the wounds formed after the cut can quickly heal. Ideally, it is always best to remove the orchid from the old pot at night and leave to dry until morning.
Prepare new soil for planting. If there is no time, then you can always buy it in the store, where it is supplied ready-made, or cook it yourself using crushed pine bark. It is advisable to boil it and rinse thoroughly under a stream of hot water to protect the plant from parasites that may be inside.
Take a pot of the required size. The distance from the roots to the walls should be 2 centimeters. Do not put the plant too deep in the container, this will damage the roots in the future, as well as the foliage of the orchid when it comes into contact with wet soil.The design of the container for planting will need to provide for proper drainage. It should consist of several large stones, but expanded clay cannot be used, it greases the soil. Lay the roots and sprinkle with the substrate, but do not compact it. Looseness must be maintained, otherwise the plant will suffocate.
When watering for the first time, it is worth considering how much the orchid was dried before. If it was left overnight, then it is allowed to add moisture already at the transplant stage. When the drying process took only a few hours, it is best to water it after two days.
Cambria Orchid: Features and Botanical Description
Orchids are very beautiful and showy flowers that delight the eye with large green leaves and simply incredible inflorescences. And although there are a large number of them, it is possible to grow only a few at home, among which Cambria orchids have gained particular popularity in recent years. This is an artificially bred group of orchids, for which the breeders took a fairly large number of species orchids. The main parental varieties include Oncidium, Odontoglossum, Miltonii, Kohliod, Brassia and others.
The Cumbria orchid flower has absorbed all the best qualities and features of the parent varieties, for example, from odontoglossums, these flowers adopted large enough inflorescences of the brightest colors, from the miltonia of the Cambria orchid they adopted a wonderful aroma, and from Wilsonara the plant received unusual and mysterious patterns on the petals. Breeders all over the world worked on creating a unique type of orchid, and for this they took a large number of varieties in order to end up with an unpretentious and hardy houseplant with a bright appearance.
It is worth noting that today in the flower shop you can find a large number of flowerpots with the inscription "Cambria orchid". At the same time, flower growers may be confused by the obvious difference in the appearance of plants. No need to be intimidated here, the name "cambria" is just a commercial definition that includes a large number of hybrid orchid varieties specially grown for indoor cultivation. All these varieties are united only by the similarity of the structure of the inflorescences - they resemble stars. On the shelves of garden shops, all these orchids can be found under various names, for example, Aliceara, Bakerara, Beallara and others.
Cumbria orchid varieties were bred around the 20th century in England, after which they became widespread throughout the world
Despite the fact that this plant is rightfully considered the most unpretentious and easy to grow at home, it is important to clearly understand and know the main features of the care and maintenance of the Cumbria orchid at home.
Description of Cumbria Orchid:
- The first hybrid of the Cambria orchid was bred in 1911 in Belgium by the famous local breeder Charles Vuilsteke, after which this houseplant quickly spread throughout the world. Cumbria orchids are suitable for beginner growers who are afraid to start growing more capricious orchids.
- This plant is a complex hybrid of a large family of sympodial orchids that grow horizontally and have multiple points of growth.
- The root system of this houseplant is thin and wavy roots that cannot tolerate sunlight and require shading or a dark pot. The surface of the roots has a kind of velamen layer, characterized by a porous structure.
- The plant has a shortened stem that is horizontal and is called a rhizome.
- From this stem, young shoots grow, which appear to replace the old ones.
- On young shoots, peculiar growths are formed every year - pseudobulbs, which have a veritin-like or flattened oval shape. They can be elongated or flat and reach a length of 8 cm.
- Pseudobulbs are well developed, 2-3 leaves grow from their upper part.
- The leaves of the Cumbria orchid can reach about 50 cm in length and are long broad-lance or belt-like leaf plates. The leaves of this plant are densely arranged.
- The color of the foliage is dark green with a clearly visible central stripe, which has a lighter shade. The peculiarity of the leaves of this orchid species is that the leaf blade along the longitudinal center line is slightly bent in half.
- Long and erect peduncles grow from the axils of the lower leaves of the Cumbria orchid, much less often they can be branched. At the same time, one plant can have about 2 peduncles, which must be cut off after flowering.
- The bloom of the Cumbria orchid can be observed at any time of the year.
- On each peduncle, up to 50 fairly large flowers can bloom, which can reach 7-10 cm in diameter.
- The flower resembles a star in its shape and consists of 5 sepals and 1 large modified lip.
- The color of the flowers of hybrid orchids Cumbria is very diverse, but most often the petals have various blotches, spots, stains, strokes and patterns.
- After the end of flowering, the pseudobulbs, along with the peduncles, are removed, and new ones are formed in their place.
Growing conditions
Opinions are divided on the ease of caring for Cambria. However, experienced florists believe that since the flower is created artificially, it is not as capricious as typical natural species. An important and initial step is creating a comfortable microclimate for growing Cumbria.
Soil and capacity
For a hybrid exotic plant, due to the specifics of the development of progenitors in the jungle, a special substrate is required. You can make it yourself by taking fine-grained pine bark and sphagnum moss in a ratio of 3: 1. To slow down the acidification and caking of the soil for Cumbria, pieces of charcoal are added to the composition. Good drainage from expanded clay or pumice will help to increase the level of aeration. To successfully complete planting, the moss is placed top layer when the plant has already been transplanted. Since exotic Cumbria has no roots in photosynthesis, it can be planted in a matte plastic or ceramic pot. It is better to refuse glass containers.
For your information! Before putting pieces of bark in a pot, boil it 2-3 times, which allows you to remove resin residues and saturate the substrate with moisture.
Lighting
Natural species of orchids develop in the lower tier of the jungle. This is due to the need for an abundance of lighting, but the rays should be soft. The best placement option is the window sills of the east and west windows. In the south, it is necessary to shade the flower at lunchtime. In late autumn and winter, the plant is supplemented to provide 10 hours of daylight.
Temperature
The hybrid feels comfortable at moderate temperatures in the 18-25 ° C range. An important feature of Cumbria is that the orchid does not need daily temperature drops to set the buds. The minimum allowable value below which the mercury column must not fall is 14 ° C.
Air humidity
An indecisive indicator when cultivating a flower. However, if the latter is located near heating appliances, or the air masses in the room are too dry, a bowl of water is placed near the pot or a stationary humidifier is installed in the room. It is possible to spray, but from a long distance, so that no drops of water remain on the shoots: this makes the leaves turn yellow.
What is Cambria afraid of
If the flower is not properly looked after, it can become seriously ill. But don't worry: after all, there are people who buy even store-discarded plants and nurture them.
Understand what is the cause of Cambria's malaise and eliminate it.
Diseases and treatment
Yellowed leaves. The reason can be both bacterial pests and fungi. We can talk about bacteria, there are insects on the stem (they carry diseases).About fungi, if you overflow the flower. Take it out of the pot for a day, let it dry, treat it with a fungicide (dilute it as written in the package), and then put the pet in a dry substrate. And from that day on, water it a little less.
As for bacterial infections, infected leaves should be cut off, and healthy ones should be treated with a fungicide. And also urgently rearrange this pot away from other, healthy plants so that an epidemic does not happen.
The leaves turn yellow and fall off. Either the flower does not have enough food, or autumn has come. Yes, even orchids begin to fall off during the dry season (but not completely, of course).
Pest control
- Scorms. Fluffy white insects, very dangerous. Remove them with a swab soaked in alcohol or liquid soap. In case of total infection, Fitover will help.
- Thrips. They can sit on leaves and roots. Here folk methods will not help - one cannot do without "Aktellik", "Aktara" or "Fitoverm". Spray the orchid once, and again a week later.
- Spider mites. They cause the leaves and flowers to fall off. To get rid of this misfortune, it is not enough to treat the flower with the above-described poisons - you also need to increase the humidity of the room, and also water the flower more often.
- Whiteflies. Butterflies are not dangerous, but their larvae suck the juice from the leaves. Leaves are "washed" with a solution of water and laundry soap (6: 1), or by treating with "Aktara", "Aktellik" twice, with an interval of 7 days.
You can learn more tricks and intricacies of growing cambrian orchids from this video. The florist tells, demonstrating his healthy, well-groomed, blooming flowerpot:
Planting and transplanting Cumbria after purchase
For Cumbria, soil in the form of ordinary soil is not suitable. For planting Cumbria, a substrate is used, consisting of small and medium pieces of pine bark with the addition of charcoal. Such a soil is most suitable for epiphytic plants, since it provides the root system with good aeration. To grow such orchids, pots made of plastic or ceramic are used. They do not have to be transparent, but with a lot of holes for water drainage and aeration of the roots.
Cumbria should be replanted in the spring when flowering is over. This procedure is done in the first year of cultivation after purchase, or in cases where the plant becomes cramped in the previous pot. You can determine the need for transplanting by the condition of the roots. They will come out of the drainage holes and go up. At the same time, new shoots grow outside the container.
A new container is selected so that its diameter is 5 cm larger than that of the previous pot.If transplanting is carried out simultaneously with dividing the bush, then containers are selected for the divisions, the size of which coincides with the size of the previous container. It should be noted that in this pot the plant should give several more new growths.
Drainage from pebbles or expanded clay is laid at the bottom of the container. Then it is filled with the prepared substrate. The plant is planted so that the old pseudobulb is at the edge of the pot, and the young shoot is in the center. The growth point is left above the surface of the substrate.
Pieces of the substrate are pushed between the roots and carefully fill the remaining space of the container with them.
The transplanted flower is not touched during the day, waiting for all small wounds and injuries to heal. After a day, irrigation is carried out and placed on a shaded window sill. The planted orchid is tied to a support to help it strengthen. When the plant takes root in the new soil, it is rearranged to a permanent place.
Home care
Caring for the Cambria orchid is not difficult. It consists in proper planting, watering, fertilizing and maintaining the required temperature.
Landing
This orchid requires good ventilation of the root system. Good drainage is essential. The roots do not tolerate waterlogged soil and may begin to rot.It is better to choose a ceramic or plastic pot for planting, with drainage holes in the bottom and in the walls.
The size of the pot is selected in such a way that the roots almost completely fill its volume. They are neatly straightened along the walls without bending inward.
The soil should contain coal and bark, and be sufficiently coarse.
Coal in the soil allows the roots not to dry out for 5-6 days, which is necessary for Cumbria.
Lighting
This plant loves abundant diffused lighting, without direct sunlight. If flowering occurs in the winter, then Cambria needs additional illumination with a special lamp. It is better to place this orchid on the windows of the east, west and north-east direction.
On hot summer days, it must be shaded.
Temperature
Cumbria orchid does not tolerate heat, sudden changes in temperature and drafts. The optimal mode for it will be indicators from + 16C in winter, to +25 C in summer, but not higher.
Watering
Care must be taken when watering, this plant does not tolerate waterlogging. Watering is necessary when the soil is almost completely dry
The ideal watering option is to immerse the plant pot in boiled, slightly warm water for 20-25 minutes.
Make sure that no water overflows over the top of the pot. Thanks to the drainage holes, the plant will absorb as much water as it needs.
Air humidity
If the temperature in the room is not higher than + 18C, additional humidification is not required. At higher temperatures, humidity should be around 40-50%. You can spray the area around the plant, in hot weather - up to 2 times a day.
Top dressing
They begin to feed Cambria during the growth period, from March to September, about once a month. For this, special fertilizers for orchids are used in low concentration.
It is a good idea to use a weak brew of tea as a fertilizer. With the beginning of flowering, feeding is finished.
The soil
You can use a ready-made earthen mixture for orchids, or you can prepare the soil yourself.
The composition of the soil should include: pine or spruce bark, fern roots, coal and moss. At low air humidity, you can add pieces of dry peat, and at high humidity - some pumice crumbs.
Dormant period
As a rule, the Cambria orchid does not have a pronounced dormant period. In winter, when the temperature drops, watering is reduced and feeding is stopped. If the flowering period or the growth of false bulbs occurs in the winter, then the plant is provided with additional lighting, feeding and watering.
Cumbria is not pruned. After flowering, the dried peduncle is removed from the plant.
Transfer
The orchid does not tolerate a transplant, so it should be carried out no more than once every 2 years. You need to focus on false bulbs that do not fit in a pot. The transplant is carried out after the end of flowering or when new roots germinate.
The plant is gently shaken off, if necessary, decayed roots are cut off. Places of cuts are sprinkled with cinnamon or coal and planted in prepared soil.
Reproduction
Cumbria propagates by dividing the bush. When transplanting, the bush is divided into 2-3 parts.
The main thing is that there are at least three false bulbs on each separated part.
Pests and diseases
The most dangerous pests for Cumbria are scale insects, spider mites, aphids and thrips. The affected plant must be isolated and the leaves treated with a concentrated solution of laundry soap or an insecticidal preparation.
Of the possible diseases, Cambria can suffer from bacterial and fungal infections. In this case, the affected leaves are removed and the plant is treated with special medications, and then transplanted into fresh soil.
How should you look after this noble lady?
If your windows face different directions of the world, "assign" cambria on the east or west windowsill (the north is too dark for it, and the south, on the contrary, is too sunny)
It is important that the light is bright, but diffused, and the rays do not fall directly on the leaves and flowers of the orchid.
As for the air temperature, this flower is thermophilic. The gold standard for it: 16 to 28 degrees
Moreover, it is important that the day and night temperatures in the room are almost the same - temperature jumps for cambria are destructive
The florist should be most careful in the off-season, especially in the middle of autumn: make sure that it is not below 14 degrees in a cold house, otherwise the orchid will freeze and it will be difficult to save it.
What kind of watering does Cambria like
- Abundant - if the life cycle of the flower enters the active phase. That is, new pseudo-destinies are growing in him or an arrow-peduncle grows.
- Abbreviated - if nothing interesting happens in the life of the orchid.
- Stop watering when the flower enters the resting phase (winter).
Important: never water the flower if the substrate is wet. It should dry so that the pieces of bark rustle as much
It is interesting that cambria is the case when it is not transparent roots that speak of watering a flower, but dried soil (this plant can generally be kept in an opaque pot, since its roots do not need light as much as phalaenopsis roots).
Water can be poured directly into the pot (on the ground, but not on the stem). But most of all, Cambria likes when the pot is immersed in a container of water (the so-called watering by the immersion method).
During this procedure, remember: it is better to put some stones on top of the pot so that the bark does not begin to float.
Like all other orchids, this plant loves settled (frozen, soft) water of warm, room temperature.
Spraying the flower is contraindicated (“rashes” in the form of brown spots may appear on the leaves from water droplets).
However, during the period of hot radiators, as well as in the spring, when your pet will grow its pseudobulbs, it is very desirable to increase the air humidity near the pot with cambria. This can be done by placing a pallet under the pot filled with moistened expanded clay or pebbles.
Fertilizers: do I need to feed it
It is necessary, and how! You can remember the first feeding in the spring, as soon as the bulb begins to gain strength. It can be a complex mineral fertilizer.
But dilute it lightly, adding twice as much water as it says on the package. The fact is that the roots of this type of orchid are very weak, and food that other flowers like will simply burn them.
You need to fertilize the flower in different ways, alternating them (but in no case using them together):
- Root method. Fertilizers are added with bottom watering (the pot is placed in a bowl of water, which the flower picks up with the roots through the holes in the pot).
- The foliar method, also known as the leaf method. Top dressing is applied by spraying from a spray bottle, and you cannot spray on the flowers. But remember: it has already been said above that cambria does not like spraying, so you can only decide on this type of feeding if the root system of the flower is damaged. The sprayer must be especially fine dispenser.
You need to feed the plant once every 2-4 weeks. Moreover, it is better to underfeed this gentle pet than overfeed.
And when your pet blooms, you can put him on a "diet" (until the bloom ends and new pseudobulbs begin to grow).
Soil and transplant
Every 2-3 years the plant grows out of its pot and needs to buy a bigger one. Or another case: the substrate is caked, salted (if the water in your house is too hard), so it needs to be changed.
What kind of soil to buy? Store soil for epiphytes (orchids), medium or fine, is suitable. If your place is constantly hot, add a little agroperlite to the soil.
You can choose any pot, both plastic and ceramic, and, as mentioned above, it is opaque.
This orchid, like its siblings, needs drainage, so place a large piece of bark at the bottom of the pot.
When transplanting an orchid, the roots deepen, and the bulbs are shifted over the soil - they cannot be sprinkled. This procedure is very stressful for the plant, so let it drift away: for a week after transplanting, do not touch the pot at all.
The orchid can neither be watered, nor fed, nor even moved to another place.
Plant propagation
One old cambrian bush can be made into two by dividing the bush
When replanting a flower, carefully separate the bulbs and rhizomes. Rub the sections with charcoal
Plant each resulting bush in a separate pot.
Where exactly is the cambria bulb, this photo will tell you: