Читать книгу Orchids For Dummies - The Editors of the National Gardening Association, Steven A. Frowine - Страница 28

Temperatures are starting to heat up now. Some orchids, like a few of the summer blooming hybrid cattleyas, moth orchids, oncidiums, and slipper orchids, will be in flower. These months aren’t usually noted for a lot of orchid flowering, but they’re a time when the plants produce many roots and leaves to build up energy for future blooming so pay attention to them in the following ways:

 Be sure your windowsill or greenhouse doesn’t get too hot. Consider moving the orchids you have in the south window to the east window, where they’ll have reduced light and heat.

 For orchids growing under lights, make sure your growing area gets plenty of ventilation because it could be getting very warm now under the lights. If you have trouble keeping the temperatures low enough, consider summering your orchids outside in a shaded and protected spot. They’ll enjoy the vacation.

 This is also a prime time for insect problems. If it gets hot and dry, be on the lookout for mites. If it’s wet, slugs and snails will be a plague. Aphids, mealybugs, and scale can show up anytime. If you need to spray, do it in the morning when it is cool and be sure the orchids are well watered before you spray. Check out Chapter 9 for more information to handle bugs.

 The orchids should now be responding to your earlier repotting efforts with new root growth.

 Repot miltonias. Remember: They like to be pot-bound, so don’t put them in too large of a pot. This is true for most orchids. If they’re overpotted (the pot being larger that desired), there’s a tendency for the potting material not to dry adequately between watering, which can result in rotted roots.