Ludisia

Ludisia is a rather interesting member of the orchid family. Even if you have ever come across it, then you probably did not know that this plant is one of a kind. Literally: it is the only representative of the monotypic genus of orchids, which is quite a rarity among these flowers, because most genera in this large family are represented by no less than ten species, and some even hundreds of species. However, the uniqueness of Ludisia makes it an even more exotic plant than any other orchid, and therefore in this article we will look at the nuances of growing and caring for this unusual and interesting flower.

Orchid Ludisia: photo

Ludisia orchid: flower description

The homeland of Ludisia is considered to be the tropical part of Asia. And even in this, it differs from the predominant majority of orchids, because they often grow exclusively in South America. Speaking about the description of Ludisia, it should first of all be noted that this orchid is a herbaceous land plant. By the way, she has another name that is desirable to know, because many sellers and gardeners prefer to use it. It sounds like hemaria. The shoots of this plant are a fairly fleshy and branching vine that spreads over the surface of the soil. From it, the plant sprouts its stems, which can reach from ten to fifteen centimeters in length. The leaves can be planted not only on the stems themselves, but also on creeping shoots. Speaking of the ludisia leaf blade, it is colored very dark green and covered with small, thin veins that are much brighter than the rest of the leaf surface. All veins are longitudinal and parallel to each other. Well, and, of course, do not forget about the length of the leaves, which on average reaches values ​​from six doors to seven centimeters, but in width they are not more than five centimeters. Of course, it is worth mentioning the peculiarities of these leaves: like most orchids, their seamy and front sides are completely different from each other. The front side has a rough texture and is painted in the above-mentioned dark green color. The seamy side is smoother and has a purple-burgundy color. Therefore, this orchid looks very good when it is at eye level, which makes its color much more varied and attractive. By the way, the leaves of the ludisia orchid are quite durable, and they can live up to seven years, which, of course, is a very good result for a herbaceous plant. At the end of this period, the leaf disappears, leaving behind only a small white notch.

Orchid Ludisia: photo

You may ask why we focus so much on the foliage of the Ludisia orchid, and not on its inflorescences. The fact is that it is for its foliage that this flower is most famous in the circles of gardeners and florists. It is so spectacular and unusual that many experts class it as a “precious orchid”. And such an honor, believe me, is given to very few species. However, it would be a crime not to say anything about the blooming of this stunning orchid. Flowers appear once a year at the very end of autumn. Sometimes this date falls even at the beginning of winter.The peduncle appears on the top of one of the largest and strongest stems. After the full growth of the peduncle, its dimensions are attached to the rather large length of the stem, which can reach from twenty to twenty-five centimeters. However, the ludisia flowers growing on this oblong tassel cannot boast of such dimensions, and their diameter is no more than two centimeters. The color of the flowers is most often white, however, deviations in a pale pale greenish color are also possible. If the conditions in which you keep the plant are similar enough to those in which it grows in the wild, then the chances are quite high that the flowering will be quite long and last about a month. However, this usually does not exceed three weeks.

Lydisia: home care

Orchid Ludisia: photo

As you may have noticed, the Ludisia orchid is an incredibly unusual flower. However, its features are not limited to what we wrote about it above. The fact is that most orchids require simply colossal efforts on the part of their owner only in order to take on a more or less decent and beautiful appearance. In this regard, Ludisia is much more suitable for beginner gardeners, because she is not at all demanding and not whimsical at all.

Temperature regime

First of all, many flower keepers will be pleased that Ludisia absolutely without problems tolerates those temperatures that would be critical for many other representatives of this family. The peak points, after crossing which this flower begins to feel bad, are ten and thirty-seven degrees Celsius. Considering that the rest of the Orchids are barely surviving a deviation from their usual temperature by only seven to eight degrees, this is a pretty good result. Nevertheless, even Ludisia should be avoided such extreme temperatures, because no matter how persistent she is, she is, nevertheless, not immortal, and she must be protected. Either way, room temperature will be ideal for Ludisia. At the same time, it is desirable that at night it drops by at least three degrees, and therefore do not forget to open the window for airing at night. If we are talking about winter, then the temperature should be slightly lower than that which is maintained in summer. The best thing is to keep it around twenty degrees.

Lighting

And here Ludisia also distinguished herself from most of her relatives, because she does not really like the sun and prefers to grow in shaded areas. Therefore, if you do not know where it would be better to plant it, choose the western or northern window. However, we recommend that you place it not on the window, but somewhere deep in the room. There you will have a lot more options for where and how it can stand, and, in addition, you will have a lot more opportunities to look at its unusual, evergreen leaves. However, this still does not mean that Ludisia can be put on a bedside table in the darkest corner of your house. The fact that she loves the shadow does not mean that she does not need at least diffused sunlight, and therefore the daylight hours of Ludisia should be at least twelve hours.

Watering

Orchid Ludisia: photo

Of course, as a plant that grows mainly in rainforests, Ludisia reacts very negatively to lack of watering. Therefore, the substrate must always be slightly moist. It is very undesirable to wait for the top layer to dry out, because this can greatly harm the crucifixion. Nevertheless, it is also undesirable to bring the liquid to stagnation in the pot, because in this case, you can accidentally destroy the flower. With an excess of water, its roots will rot very quickly and all your efforts will go into emptiness. However, exactly the same rules should be followed when watering other flowers, and therefore Ludisia did not distinguish herself here.

Also important points of the instructions for watering ludisia, which must be remembered, are that the water with which you water the flower must be present, and also that it must be the same temperature as the air temperature in the room where it grows flower. In this case, there will not even be the slightest chance that you will harm Ludisia in any way.

By the way, even though most people prefer to water Ludisia using the standard method, we would still advise you to use the diving method. It works especially well with orchids.

Orchid Ludisia: photo

Air humidity

Of course, ludisia needs a fairly high air humidity, reaching from sixty-five to seventy percent. However, there are also orchids that require one hundred percent humidity, so here the owners of Ludisia were even a little lucky, because, frankly, it is not at all difficult to achieve an air humidity of seventy percent. To do this, you only need an ordinary sprayer to help humidify the entire room. However, if you decide that instead of a humidifier, you will use spraying foliage directly from a spray bottle, then you should immediately give up these thoughts. This treatment works very well with many other orchids, but it is completely unacceptable for Ludisia. The fact is that if you use such a procedure, then stains will remain on the surface of the sheet plates, which is almost impossible to get rid of.

However, if even under these conditions you do not want to use a humidifier, then a rather simple, but at the same time very effective method can help you, which implies that a container of water is placed next to the pot with Ludisia. Due to evaporation, the air is humidified and you achieve the desired result without harming the flower.

Important! The Ludisia Orchid also hates being placed near heat sources such as heating pipes or radiators. Therefore, it simply needs to be kept away from them.

Ludisia: pruning rules

Orchid Ludisia: photo

Having reached this point, we can please many novice florists who are not very friendly with pruning, with the fact that Ludisia's orchid does not need it at all, and this species does very well without it. It has such a remarkable quality due to the fact that the stems of Ludisia do not branch at all, and therefore there is no need for pruning them.

Soil mix

Well, but with the soil you will have to get a little confused, because the better it fits your orchid, the more likely it is that it will take root well and will delight you with exceptionally bright and healthy leaves. The main qualities that a suitable soil should have is looseness, which will allow it to pass water and air well, as well as fertility. In principle, you can buy a ready-made soil mixture with such characteristics, however, we still advise you to prepare it yourself to be one hundred percent sure of its composition.

So, there are three effective recipes:

• The first will not only provide your orchid with a very good place to grow and live, but it will look very good, complementing the already stunning look of the Ludisia leaves. This mixture consists of peat, decayed foliage and chopped pine bark, which is sprinkled on top.
• The second is a more practical, but less decorative, potting method. It involves mixing sphagnum, crushed fern roots and coarse-grained river sand. All this is taken in equal proportions and mixed almost to a one-sided state.
• The last recipe is the most difficult of all, but it will provide your orchid with the best nutrient mix.This mixture consists of: sphagnum, pine needles, peat, rotten leaves, a small amount of charcoal and, attention, foam. All components, except the last two, are mixed in equal proportions, but the amount of coal and foam should be equal to a quarter of the amount of each other ingredient.

To plant a ludisia orchid, you will need a fairly standard pot. The only distinguishing features that it does not need to have, but it is desirable, is the increased width and small height. It is also very important to take care of a good drainage layer before filling in the soil mixture, which will provide Ludisia with even better air and moisture permeability. As a drainage, it is best to use expanded clay, or polystyrene, the presence of which in one of the recipes, for sure, surprised you. It will also be quite useful to put moss on top of the substrate, which will constantly have to be wet, although this is not necessary.

Top dressing

Orchid Ludisia: photo

Ludisia is the type of orchid that requires constant and abundant feeding from its owner. Most often and most abundantly, this procedure will need to be carried out during intensive growth. The frequency of feeding at this time should be at least one per week or two. The rest of the time, of course, such intensive feeding is not needed, but at least once a month it is still necessary to fertilize the flower.

Ludisia: Orchid Transplant

The frequency of transplanting ludisia depends on many factors, however, believe me, if you have at least a little experience in caring for plants, and the orchid becomes cramped in your pot, then you will definitely notice it. However, on average, Ludisia is moved to another pot every two years. However, it is nevertheless necessary to follow it very carefully, because the required period can come either a year earlier or a year later.

Ludisia: Orchid Reproduction

Orchid Ludisia: photo

The ludisia orchid differs from many plants in that it is very difficult to propagate. Perhaps this was the reason for its small variety. In any case, the most effective method for growing at home is the method of dividing. No other offers the same high percentage of effectiveness and acceptance, and therefore we recommend using it exclusively. Speaking about the rules, it is worth remembering that at least three healthy buds must be preserved on each plot.

Pests and diseases of Ludisia

To be honest, the chances of this plant getting sick if properly cared for is extremely small. Therefore, if you are faced with Ludisia's disease, the problem is most likely that you make gross mistakes in caring for the flower. More specifically, the most common plagues of this orchid are sunburn, over-watering or insufficient moisture.

However, this cannot be said for insects, because they can start on a flower regardless of how you care for it. The most common troublemakers in Ludisia are the spider mite and the scale insect. However, you can defeat them with a simple soapy solution or a weak insecticide.

Ludisia Orchid: Home Care Video