What is a golden orchid and how to care for it at home?

Orchid is a perennial herb that grows in the tropical forests of South and North America. It happens in different colors, shapes and sizes. It has a pleasant aroma.

In nature, there are about 30 thousand species and every day there are more and more of them. Today we will talk about another variety of this beautiful plant - Golden Orchid. You will learn about the conditions for its cultivation and proper care in this article. We also recommend watching a useful video on this topic.

What kind of flower is this?

Golden orchid is called "Kinabalu Gold". It is the rarest and most expensive orchid species on Earth. For the seedling of this flower, you can lay out about five thousand dollars. It grows in only one place - on the slope of Mount Kinabalu, which is located on the island of Borneo in Malaysia.

The orchid begins to bloom after the age of fifteen. The flowering period is not long - from April to May. One plant can produce only one peduncle, up to 70 cm long. It can have a maximum of six flowers, up to 45 cm in diameter. It can grow in the shade and in bright light.

Golden orchid - a huge fluffy plant, with intricate asymmetric petalswhich have a horizontal position. The height of the orchid reaches 60 cm. The leaves are large, from 40 cm in length and more. Width - about 5 cm. Have a bright green or yellow-green color. At the base are reddish hairs. In bright light, the leaves change color and turn yellow.

The upper sepal of the flower is ovoid. Usually light green, beige or yellow with burgundy stripes. The lower sepal is the same as the upper one, only smaller in size. Petals are usually cream or yellow with brown streaks and dark spots at the base. The edges of the petals are curly, covered with a dense layer of cilia. The lip of the plant is golden green with dark spots.

Pollinated flower thanks to parasitic flies. Bright green-red color attracts them. Flies usually lay larvae next to it.

ATTENTION: Golden orchid is quite easy to care for, but difficult to bloom. Young growths on an adult plant bloom after two years, and on a young plant after four or five years. Seedlings for flowering will take ten or more years.

Grade

The "Golden" variety is called scented lycaste for its bright lemon color.. The plant has high peduncles; flowers can exceed 17 cm in diameter. Also, this orchid variety has a persistent and delicate aroma.

Natural habitat - tropical forests of Central and South America.

Selection

Due to the fact that orchids are easy to cross, there are a lot of varieties of them. Often breeders work intuitively. When choosing a pair of parents, they only consider their appearance. Most often, these are large plants with a bright color. The result is interesting species and subspecies of orchids, but failures also happen. It happens that the partners do not lead to fruit set or the seeds do not germinate for no particular reason.

Photo

Next, you can see the photo of a golden orchid flower.

How to care for “Golden Kinabalu” at home?

All orchids are moody, so they need maximum care and attention to achieve their flowering. The flower is not whimsical only in lighting. He is well in the shade, so putting it on the window is not necessary.

IMPORTANT: The plant is very sensitive to ambient temperature. It must be monitored regularly, otherwise the flower may die.

Optimum temperature

The air temperature in the room should vary depending on the time of year and day:

• in the summer from +23 to +28;
• in winter from +18 to +23;
• at night - 3-5 degrees less than during the day.

Top dressing

It is necessary to feed the plant at least once a month. During flowering - twice a month. The flower does not tolerate an excess of salt in the soil, so it is better to reduce the recommended fertilizer portions in half.

Soil should hold moisture well. It should also be light and include charcoal, pine bark and sphagnum.

Orchid is a moisture-loving flower. Drying of the soil is unacceptable, but abundant watering can do much harm. It is best to lower the pot into a pan with water, then the plant will be able to absorb the right amount of moisture.

Transfer

The orchid does not like this procedure and is difficult to tolerate. It is necessary to transplant the plant only in the spring, not more often than once every two or three years. The pot should be wide, but not very deep. Everything must be done carefully so as not to touch the roots. The transplanted flower is not watered for three days.

Breeding

The best way to increase the number of golden orchids is to divide the bush during the transplant. Planted plants are not watered for two weeks. Air temperature should not exceed +22.

Watch the video about the propagation of orchids by dividing the bush (sockets):

Diseases and parasites

Orchid may be attacked by parasites: mealybug, spider mite and scale. If small insects or other changes appear on the flower, it must be washed with warm water and blotted with a gauze swab. If the plant is severely affected, insecticides must be used.

To avoid fungal and viral diseases, sterility must be observed during plant transplantation. Adhering to all safety measures, orchids will be healthy and beautiful.