To have an orchid that blooms like never before, there is a sponge method known only to a few people. Here’s what it is.
In our homes there are many plants and flowers that, in addition to beautifying and decorating our homes, have a positive function on our body and our mood, as well as helping the environment. Many of them, in fact, thanks to the photosynthesis of chlorophyll, tend to release carbon anhydrite and absorb excess humidity in the rooms, preventing the formation of condensation and mold. In addition, the presence of plants and flowers in our homes and especially on balconies, helps insects during pollination, a very important operation for the protection of the planet.
Orchid: the sponge method
One of the most common plants in our homes is the orchid because of its resistance and its multi-colored flowers that are used for many events and ceremonies and because of the elegance of its flower.
Not everyone, however, knows that to have a vigorous flower there is a method called sponging that only the most experienced nurserymen know and that we are going to illustrate step by step. Even a plant that apparently seems dead can come back to life and regain vigor with an incredible result: you start by cleaning the plant that is about to die by removing all the dry or rotten parts. Then you have to take it out of the ground and free it from all the bark and then with sterilized scissors remove all the other dry parts that cannot be removed freehand.
Don’t worry about removing parts that you don’t know if they are rotten or not, it is always better to remove the parts that are in bad condition than to keep them so that the healthy part can be revitalized after the treatment. The central part, still vital, will appear with a small root and perfect leaves if they are not completely dry. It may happen that living parts are created where fungi and bacteria can enter and they must be closed with cinnamon, which heals and helps to form new roots. The cinnamon should be dropped on the cut part and left to rest for 48 hours in a sterile and dry environment, placing the plant on a clean handkerchief on a serving plate.
What’s wrong with the plant?
After this time, cut the bottom of a plastic bottle , about 10 cm and perforate the bottom creating 4 or 5 cuts that will allow the water to drain. Inside, prepare the bed for the seedling. To do this you can use moss or grass, or if we do not have these organic materials, insert a sterilized sponge. Once you have entered this bag and inserted it into the bottom of the tattered bottle. Then insert the seedling by placing it, insert it in a plastic bag and close it, so that a real microclimate is formed that will tend to help the plant to restore and revive. Place it in a place where it can receive a lot of light, taking care not to put it in direct sunlight for about 50 days . After these two months or so we can see the results.
The plant will become vital with hard, green and shiny leaves and there will be no mould or bacteria and the root system will be perfect and the remaining roots will have grown a few centimetres forming new ones. Then, in a plastic pot with holes in the bottom, put some bark inside and, being careful not to break the roots, insert the plant slowly putting more bark until the pot is full. Then with a vaporiser or a spray bottle, wet everything, but being careful not to wet, at least in the first few days, the leaves. In this way, the plant should be treated like any other orchid plant. After another three months the plant will grow both from the point of view of the leaves and the roots and will grow more and more, later growing flowers that will be the envy of everyone.
