Orchid species difference, creating conditions for growing and keeping beallara, advice on reproduction, difficulties and diseases, interesting facts. The world of orchids is beautiful and multifaceted, which only shapes and colors have not been created by nature, but people, as always, have little such diversity and already many varieties they get themselves, crossing varieties of these extraordinary flowers with each other. One of these hybrids is Beallara.
So, this orchid is a hybrid flower obtained by crossing the following genera of orchid representatives - Brassia, Cochlioda, Miltonia and Odontoglossum. It belongs to the group of oncidium hybrids (Oncidiinae), and is also included in the Epidendroideae subfamily.
This orchid is named after Ferguson Beall from the Beall Company (Seattle, Washington, USA). Beallara is often called "cambria" or "cambria-beallara", and this name has nothing to do with botany or science. It is simply the trade name that enterprising Dutch growers use to refer to all complex hybridized orchids that are part of the onsidium group.
The type of growth in this orchid is sipmodial (that is, shoot) - in these plants, the stems are so thickened that stem tubers (they are also pseudobulbs) are formed from them. With their help, beallara is stocked with nutrients and moisture in case of unforeseen poor living conditions. This type of orchid is constantly renewing its shoots - since the bud at the top of the bulb can die out or transform into an inflorescence, one or more shoots appear on the pseudobulb, which will subsequently replace the old one. Thus, a new orchid plant appears - a baby.
The rhizome, which is a pseudobulb, is distinguished by elongated outlines, a rounded shape from which a pair of dense leaf plates originates. The height of the plant can be measured 60 cm (the main part falls on the peduncle). Leaves vary in length in the range of 20-30 cm. Their shape is elongated, belt-like, color is soft or rich green or herbaceous. The central vein is clearly visible on the leaf, which seems to be pressed into the leathery surface.
Beallara flowers gather in an inflorescence of several units, and like many orchids, it is crowned with a long peduncle, the height of which can start from 30 cm. It grows from the leaf sinuses, which adhere tightly to the rhizome-bulb. This mainly occurs in young plants at the moment when their psebdobulb ripens. The inflorescence can contain up to 15 flowers, sometimes only one bud appears. The flowers are large, their diameter reaches 20 cm. The color of the flowers is very delicate, they include white, pinkish, purple and cream shades. The entire surface of the petals is covered with a pattern of dark specks and specks - they adorn the sepals and the lip. And the shape of the flower is very similar to the star one. Beallara has the ability to release a pair of peduncles at the same time, and then the flowering becomes truly bewitching in beauty. The flowering process for this representative of orchids occurs in July-August.
This star-shaped orchid does not have a pronounced dormant period. Of course, we can consider it the moment when the plant stopped blooming, and new shoots are not yet visible, but this does not mean that she fell into "hibernation". At this time, there is a build-up of new young stems. If there is very little illumination, then such a period of growth retardation occurs in the winter months, when the brightness of the illumination will not be enough for the beallare. However, the period when green leaves are growing is also not traced. The orchid has the ability to both release new flower stalks and sprouts at the same time.
Beallara also has no problems with recognizing the type of a new sprout (this root or peduncle). The new formation of stems appears in the form of a small bush. Over time, a pseudobulb will form at the base of such a bushy compound. And from there the flowering stem will begin its movement.
Agrotechnical conditions for growing beallara orchid
- Lighting and location of the flower. The orchid likes to grow in good enough lighting and bright sunlight. But direct sunlight can negatively affect its leaf plates, therefore, when the flower pot is on the sill of the south window, it is better to shade the plant. To do this, flower growers hang translucent curtains or make curtains made of lightweight fabrics (for example, gauze). If the beallara is placed on a window of an east or west orientation, then the sun's rays at sunset or sunrise will not damage the flower, only the pseudobulbs will begin to acquire a reddish tint, but as soon as the autumn days come and the level of illumination decreases, they will turn green again. However, it is not recommended to place the orchid on the window of the northern location, since there will not be enough illumination there and this will lead to the fact that the rhizome bulbs will become smaller and because of this (as a result), the flowering will be very weak, but it may not even come. Therefore, in the autumn-winter period, in any case, it will be necessary to carry out supplementary lighting with phytolamps or fluorescent lamps, and on the north window this is done regardless of the season. After buying a plant, it is not recommended to put windows on the windowsill, where the sun is shining with might and main, as this can lead to sunburn of the leaf plates. Train your beautiful orchid to the sun gradually.
- Beallara content temperature. Since the plant is a bred species of orchids, it is quite difficult to say exactly what temperature indicators need to be maintained for this species. This is due to the fact that there are so many hybrid plants that the temperature range in which beallara is grown is very diverse. There are cold-loving varieties and also those grown in warmth. It is almost impossible to understand what type of flower you are cultivating without your own experiments and careful monitoring of the state of the beallara. However, there are still some rough guidelines. When keeping this hybrid of orchids, it will be necessary to maintain moderately warm temperatures in the rooms, within the range of 18-35 degrees in the daytime and 16-20 for the night. Normal growth will require a slight fluctuation between nighttime and daytime heat values - this will affect the frequency and number of buds in the beallara. If you keep a flowerpot with a flower on the windowsill, then this will contribute to the year-round drop of 3-5 degrees, which is so necessary for growth. The plant can withstand even a slight heat for a short time - this will be facilitated by the moisture accumulated in the pseudobulbs, only they wrinkle very much in such conditions. With the arrival of autumn days and in winter, it is necessary to lower the temperature in the room where the flower is kept to 15-18 degrees. But below 12, the thermometer should not go down.
- Humidity air when growing this orchid should be measured 50-70%, however, it is believed that this is one of the more resistant varieties of orchids, to dry indoor air. You can use a soft cloth to regularly wipe the beallara leaf plates from accumulated dust, or spray orchid leaves from a spray bottle. The water is taken warm and soft, free from lime impurities. If the last condition is not met, whitish spots from droplets of moisture will appear on the sheet plates. On hot days, you can put humidifiers or vessels with water next to the pot, which, evaporating, will raise the humidity. Some growers install a flower pot in a container with sufficient depth and width, at the bottom of which a layer of expanded clay is poured and a little water is poured. It is only important to ensure that the bottom of the flowerpot does not touch the liquid level.
- Watering the plant. In the period from spring to late summer, when there is a build-up and activation of the growth of new shoots, abundant and regular soil moisture will be required. The procedure is performed when the top layer of the substrate dries well. Overdrying should not be allowed, since young leaves begin to grow incorrectly, their plate takes on the appearance of an "accordion". The plant responds very positively to watering with hot water (temperature approximately 30-40 degrees). After flowering is over, the orchid is given rest - watering is reduced to dry out the substrate more, and the frequency of humidification is exactly once every 2–4 weeks. As soon as new young shoots are replaced, watering is increased again. And in the usual mode, humidification is carried out every 7 days. It is a good idea to irrigate with the help of shower procedures. The water temperature should be higher than that of the human body. In this case, make sure that the liquid entering the pot flows freely through the drain holes. But this method is bad when there are flowers on the plant, if drops of liquid fall on delicate petals, they will become covered with brown spots. Another way to moisturize is bottom watering. You can pour water of the required temperature into a wide basin and immerse the orchid pot so that the water covers it almost to the top. After 15–20 minutes, the container with the flower is taken out and the water is allowed to drain. It is important that there are a lot of holes in the pot, and that excess moisture flows out on its own - this will be a guarantee that there will be no stagnation and rotting of the roots will not begin. Water for irrigation must be taken soft, free from impurities and harmful substances. Naturally, the best option here would be rain or river water, and in winter snow melt. Before moistening it is heated.
- Fertilizers for beallara, it is necessary to bring in from the moment of the activation of the growth of new young shoots. Fertilizers are used for orchid representatives, but the concentration is made very weak. You can use the usual complex of dressings for indoor flowering plants, but in this case the concentration is reduced by 5 times. The regularity of fertilization occurs every 14 days. It must be remembered that overfeeding has a very negative effect on beallara. When the flowering process stops and the orchid begins to form a new pseudobulb, the growth of the flower stops and a period of rest begins. At this time, the plant is not disturbed with fertilizers and watering is also reduced.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. It is optimal to transplant beallara at a time when the flowering process has ended, and the new shoots have not yet begun to grow (while they have not yet formed root processes). However, frequent transplants during the cultivation of this orchid variety will not be required. It is necessary to change the soil and the container in which it grows in the case when the old substrate has turned into dust and the root processes have filled the pot too much with their volume, or the bush itself has grown too much and may turn over due to the large amount of aboveground mass. For planting, you will need to purchase an opaque pot (there are many of these now sold in flower shops and they are just specialized for planting representatives of the orchid genus). But many flower growers advise using ceramic flowerpots. The substrate is based on pine bark with medium fractional sizes (approximately 2–2.5 cm), pieces of charcoal and chopped sphagnum moss. In this composition, some connoisseurs mix chopped up fern roots, small pieces of peat soil. Sometimes a clean bark is used for planting, and a layer of moss (about 2 cm) is laid on top of the substrate to reduce moisture evaporation. You can, of course, use ready-made soil mixtures for orchids, the main thing is that the substrate has a sufficiently high water permeability index. It is impossible for moisture to stagnate at the roots, this will cause their decay.
A small layer of substrate is placed on the bottom of the new pot, the orchid is carefully removed from the old container and placed in a new one. Then, the free near-root space is filled with the remaining soil. It is not worth tamping new soil - this can injure the pseudobulbs. The roots must have a constant supply of air.
Self-breeding beallara at home
As soon as the flowers wither, and the new sprouts have not yet begun to activate and they have not yet grown roots, the orchid bush can be divided. The plant does not have a dormant period, but there is some time before a new growing season begins. The beallara is carefully removed from the pot and the separation is carefully carried out. Since the plant has a sympodial type of growth - in the parent bush on a pseudobulb, small baby plants appear from the buds at the top, they can be separated.
It is necessary to prepare a new pot of soil and transplant the cut into a new container. Until the plant starts growing, watering is not carried out.
You can also split a heavily overgrown bush. In this case, a part is taken containing at least three bulbs. The rhizome will need to be carefully cut into pieces using a sharpened knife. Sections are powdered with activated charcoal or charcoal crushed into powder. This will provide delenk disinfection. Then the parts are planted in pre-prepared pots with a substrate, following the recommendations for replanting beallara.
Problems with growing orchids
Pests rarely bother this representative of orchid plants, but sometimes they are noticed by spider mites and mealybugs. In this case, one should be guided by the following signs of the presence of harmful insects: the appearance of a thin cobweb on the leaves and peduncle, whitish lumps, similar to cotton wool, form on the back of the leaf and in internodes, or the leaves become covered with a sticky sugary bloom. They shower the orchid leaves with water at a temperature of 45 degrees, and then they are treated with an insecticide, making sure that it does not get on the roots and pseudobulbs.
Diseases are most often the cause of improper care of beallara, of which the following can be distinguished:
- If the substrate was selected incorrectly, the soil was flooded, or the orchid was kept at too low temperatures, root decay may begin. In this case, the pseudobulbs begin to rot and the plant dies.
- When flowering does not start or it is very weak, then this happens if the illumination with the beallara is very low or the temperature is very high. It is necessary to carry out additional lighting with special lamps, the temperature is reduced.
- If the air humidity is very low, then young leaves begin to grow deformed in the form of an "accordion" and they will not be able to straighten even when they grow up and the humidity conditions stabilize.
Naturally, such a "defect" does not greatly affect the further growth and flowering of the orchid, but its decorative appearance will be spoiled. The reason for the next "accordion" type of leaf plates is the sticky substance on the surface of the leaf when it is still very young (it also exists on the flower-bearing stems). When the humidity is low, the surface of the leaf dries out too much and does not allow it to fully straighten out in adult form. Therefore, dry air should be avoided when growing beallara.
More information about the beallar in this story:
