It's a crabapple orchid, right!!!!

Also known as crabapple orchid

Name: crabapple orchid

Pinyin: xiè?zhǎo?lán

Note: ㄝㄝ? ㄝ? ㄌㄢˊ

Alias: Christmas cactus

English name: Schlumbergera

Category: epiphytes

Family: Cactaceae? Crabapple

Morphological Characteristics

The plant is often pendulous, tender green, with reddish emerging nodes, the main stem is rounded, easily lignified, much branched, nodal, with prickly hairs on the spines, and the flowers are borne on the spines on the top of the nodes. Common cultivars are large red, pink, apricot yellow, and pure white. Because the nodes are connected in shape like the crab's claws, so it is called the crab claw orchid.

Ecological habits

Prefer warm, humid and semi-shady environment. Not hardy, afraid of sun exposure. Fertile leafy soil and peat soil, afraid of raw coal soil coal ash. Winter temperature is not less than 10 ℃

The appropriate temperature

The optimal temperature for the crabapple lotus 15 ℃ - 25 ℃, more than 28 ℃ in summer, the plant will be in a dormant or semi-dormant state, the room temperature in winter to 15 ℃ - 18 ℃ is preferred, the temperature is lower than 15 ℃, that is, there is the possibility of bud drop.

Originality and distribution

Native to Brazil, it is now farmed and sold throughout the country

Propagation

Cultivation

Commonly used in cuttings and grafting propagation. Crabapple orchids to grafting propagation is better. Cuttings, can be carried out throughout the year, to spring, fall is preferred, such as the temperature is suitable, can also be carried out in winter, but must add plastic film insulation. Cutting fat metamorphosis stem 1-2 sections, will be cut down to be grafted stems placed in the ventilation out of one to two days, and then inserted in the sterilized sand bed (river sand), the insertion of the soil temperature can not be large, inserted 3 weeks after rooting. Grafting, it is desirable to use hardy and robust cactus, rootstock with the amount of sky ruler or tiger spines, which with ?l a 2-year-old, tall and fat black spiny cactus grafted crabapple orchid growth is more robust. In May-June and September-October for the best. Scion selected robust, fat metamorphosis stem two sections, the lower end cut into duckbill shape, with embedded method, each rootstock can be connected to 3 scion. After grafting in a cool place, if the scion remains fresh and erect after 10 days, that is, it has been healed to life. Generally more than 20 cm high cactus can be grafted on 3-4 pieces of scion at the same time. Top 1 piece, the following 5 centimeters below the left and right 1 piece. Can choose the flowering period of similar, different color varieties of each piece of l, can also choose the flowering period is far away from the varieties (or cactus finger) each piece of ?l piece.

Propagation of new branches, in the summer, should be put in the ventilation of the cool place maintenance, the temperature is too high, the air is dry, the stem section growth is poor, sometimes the stem section atrophy death. Fertilizer every half month during the growing period, watering once a month, to water thoroughly. If the environment is dry, you can wet the stems and leaves with a spray bottle every morning. Apply 1-2 times of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer in autumn. Grafting new branches that year, can bloom 20-30, cultivate 2-3 years, a plant can bloom hundreds of flowers.

Selection of soil on the pot culture soil to sandy loam is preferred. It is best to mix mountain mud, humus, garden soil in equal measure (or add river sand 10%), and mixed into the appropriate amount of fermented organic fertilizer, bone meal or calcium superphosphate as a base fertilizer, but also can be mixed with a small amount of grass ash, so that?PH value is neutral. On the pot, to first in the bottom of the pot on the high l/5-l/4 broken tiles or cut into l a 2 cubic centimeters of hard plastic foam, and then filled with people culture Shi. Fertilizer? Crabapple orchids have two peak long and two semi-dormant period each year, according to this growth pattern of watering and fertilizer. Spring when the temperature rises to about 19 degrees, crabapple orchid into the first peak period. Watering should be from half a month, a week gradually transition to 3-5 days a time, pots to see dry and wet and slightly wet is good. At the same time, about 10 days to apply a nitrogen-based all-vegetable compound fertilizer, thin fertilizer and diligent application. Summer when the temperature reaches more than 30 degrees, the plant is semi-dormant. To stop fertilizer, less watering, potting soil see dry and wet, to dry mainly. Fall into the second peak period. This period is mainly reproductive growth, water can be slightly more, potting soil see dry and wet, to slightly wet. But the middle of October should be a little dry, in order to facilitate pregnant buds. After the buds are still slightly wet mainly. From the beginning of autumn to the full bloom before, can be talked about by the thick application of phosphorus-based all-vegetable compound fertilizer, 10 days or so once. After the buds can also be sprayed to the foliar potassium dihydrogen phosphate, to promote the flower color color. Winter bloom period stop fertilizer, water should also be less watering. After flowering, apply a nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer to supplement the consumption of the flowering period. Thereafter a period of time without fertilizer, water 10 days and a half a month, mainly dry. In addition, because the crabapple orchid like moist, whether it is the peak growing season or semi-dormant period, should often spray water to the stem and leaves, to the stem surface slightly wet and not downstream as good. Again, in the first growing season, you can also add 0.2% urea and 1% vinegar to the water mixed spraying, once a week. In the fall, add 0.2% potassium phosphate and 1% vinegar. Because like half-shade, so must be in different seasons to choose a different location.

If you want to make it open on the Fourth of July, from early August every day at 4 p.m. to move it into a dark room or cover it with a black cloth, the next morning at 8 a.m. to see the light again, after the buds and then into normal management, so that in October that is to be seen in flower. If you let it in the middle and late October natural buds, and want to make it early flowering, can be moved to 20 degrees above the place, then?November can bloom; if you want to delay the flowering period, can be moved to 5-8 degrees, so that the growth of stagnation, when you want it to bloom, and then move it to more than 12 degrees above the place, you can restore the growth, and then bloom. In addition to the above points, but also pay special attention to the maintenance of the rainy season. At this time, such as outdoor planting, must be placed in a well-ventilated and sheltered from the rain in a cool place, otherwise the rain is too wet pots, cacti easy to rot the roots, will be affected by the crab orchid

Garden use

Nodal stems are often too long, and the pendulous, so it is often made into a hanging orchid for decoration. Crabapple orchids bloom on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the plant is hanging, the flower color is bright and lovely, suitable for window sill, entrance to the court and exhibition hall decoration, lively and lively, and then the room is full of light. However, some crabapples are regulated to bloom in October because of the way they are kept.

Application Value

Horticultural Uses. No medicinal use.

Other

Epiphytic Polypody:

Two other species belong to the same epiphytic group as the crabapple orchid and are easily confused with it: the fairy finger and the false blossom. The latter two are often mistaken for crabapples.

-Crabapple orchids have rounded, full petals that unfold evenly when in bloom, and the blooms are rounded. The flower color is mostly pure red, peach, soft yellow, and pure white. The edges of the nodal stems are pointedly toothed, and the circumference is green. Young leaves are purplish-red, and green as adults.

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-False Azalea petals are pointed and thin, straight, and when in bloom the petals spread out evenly in all directions, shaped like an open umbrella. The flower color is mostly pure red and peach. The margins of the nodal stems are crenate and green, and the young leafy stems are purplish-red, fading to green in adulthood, with crimson margins.

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