Pabstia
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Pabstia: a description of the orchid
Orchid Pabstia: photo of a flower
The common name of the plant is pabstia, it belongs to the Orchid family. Today, the family includes five main species of these herbaceous perennial crops. The halo of their habitat is forests with high humidity, mainly located on the coast of southeastern Brazil. Usually pabstia can be found at an altitude of two hundred to one and a half thousand meters above sea level. Perhaps this is the reason for some of the features of the cultivation of this plant after its varieties were cultivated by humans and began to be actively grown in open ground and in personal plots.
Pabstia is an orchid epiphytic plant that predominantly grows on the trunks of growing and fallen trees, since this is the main specific feature of epiphytes. Also, sometimes pabstia can lead a lithophytic existence, they can also be found in the form of land plantings, which look quite peculiar, and this is their feature, which many just pay attention to when choosing certain types of plantings. The genus of this plant was not named that way - it got its name in honor of the Brazilian botanist Guidu F.J. Pabst. In pabstia, pseudobulbs grow, which have an oblong shape, sometimes tetrahedral bulbs are found, but here much depends solely on the type and variety of pabstia. From the top grows from one to two leaves.
The leaves of the pabstia are painted in dark or light shades of green, they are lanceolate in shape, grow together at the very base. The edges of the leaves are smooth, there are slightly wavy varieties, and their tip is always pointed, the leaves look quite attractive and decorative. Peduncles are shortened, grow straight, peduncles develop right from the very base of the pseudobulbs. The number of buds can be different - there are pabstia with one bud, and there are those pabstia in which up to four buds are formed on the flower arrows. The sepals, which are located at the very top, are free, slightly curved, may be elongated or rounded. Lateral stems are open, can be very slightly beveled. The petals are identical in shape to the sepals, but they are always smaller. In general, the external characteristics of the flower are very similar to the orchid; there is even the same lip that bends slightly and moves forward. Flowers can be colored in different shades, most often white and cream, as well as green, atypical shades of inflorescences. On the lips, you can see small strokes or ornaments, as well as spots that are painted in red and purple, brown. All this makes the plantings very attractive and decorative.
Now I would like to talk in more detail about what are the most popular types of pabstia today, and what features and characteristics they have. In culture, as a rule, it is easiest to grow a variegated representative, which is called juicy pabstia, and therefore it is most often met. To create a pattern located on the lip and petals, nature has tried very hard and seems to have used a wide variety of shades and colors that cannot but attract attention from gardeners and florists. Less often you can find humble pabstia and green pabstia. They also have their own characteristics and differences, and it is these varieties that adapt best to new conditions.Of course, in order to get a full-fledged and ornamental plant, it is necessary to observe certain conditions for planting and caring for the plant, as well as observe and take into account the peculiarities of growing this culture. In the next part of this article, we will just dwell on these aspects in more detail.
Pabstia: growing and care
Orchid Pabstia: photo of a flower
In general, pabstia is a culture that can easily grow on blocks, as well as in pots and any other containers. If the gardener does not have the opportunity to quickly acquire a substrate for planting this plant, as well as a soil mixture that is designed specifically for orchids, then it is advisable to add components such as perlite or charcoal to the bark of the middle fraction. One of the prerequisites for keeping plants is also the use of components such as sphagnum or moss, since the plant must be surrounded by such components, which, moreover, feed it perfectly.
As for transplanting pabstia, this should be done as rarely as possible, since the plant does not respond in the best way to transplanting, and it takes a long time for it to recover further. Sometimes the pabstia after transplanting may not react at all to anything at all, the flowering of the plant stops, and this is a signal that the plant needs additional support from the gardeners. But if the substrate in the container or the soil has become completely poor and depleted, then you should not postpone plant transplantation. Moving is best done immediately after flowering has ended, and only the root system is buried in fresh soil, but the lower leaves should remain on the surface.
At home, pabstia can be propagated, but this should be done only by division. Often, this is generally not worth doing, since the Pabstia reacts quite negatively to reproduction too. In order to still reduce the risks, it is necessary to take only an adult and absolutely healthy, strong plant for reproduction, and also use tools that have been disinfected so as not to introduce any bacteria into the cut sites during division. There is also a rule that the gardener must follow just strictly. This rule is that at least three strong and viable pseudobulbs should be located on each section. Only in this case, the division will be sufficiently adapted to develop normally, to give full-fledged growth and development in the current conditions. Strong and viable planting material is the key to breeding Pabstia that are attractive and decorative enough.
Among the diseases, pabstia can be distinguished rot, but among the pests that can be dangerous for pabstia, we will single out spider mite... It is recommended to propagate the pabstia orchid by dividing, since only in this case the survival rate is a fairly high percentage. Pabstia is a culture that responds well to mild-warm contents. In the summer, it takes root well at temperatures from 23 to 25 degrees during the daytime, and at night the temperature can drop to 17 degrees, but not lower. With the onset of winter, the temperature indicators change noticeably - the plant can withstand a drop in temperatures up to 14 degrees, anything lower will lead to the plant being in a critical state and may die altogether.
Pabstiy thrive in partial shade or in diffused light. If we talk about direct sunlight, then in no case should the pabstia be located under them, as this threatens that visible burns will begin to form on the leafy parts of the plant, and the plant itself will feel less comfortable.In winter, sometimes the plant needs additional lighting, so that the duration of daylight hours is no less than ten hours. In general, in winter, the plant should be very closely monitored, observed the general condition, controlled so that the plant develops normally. If the gardener is not vigilant, then the lack of proper care of the plant will be the main reason why it will not develop normally and will not reveal its decorative features and characteristics.
Orchid Pabstia species is very fond of moisture. During the growing season, it is recommended to constantly moisten the orchid with settled or well-filtered water, which should not be cold - water at room temperature is ideal. The substrate should not undergo excessive drying out, but at the same time, in no case should a large amount of moisture accumulate in the soil, otherwise it will lead to rotting of the soil.
Pabstia is also the very plant that loves high air humidity - on average, it should be from seventy to eighty percent, no less. But, of course, taking into account all the features of the plant, it is also worth saying that it quite calmly adapts to more severe conditions. You can sometimes spray the plant with a spray bottle, and it will feel quite comfortable. It is also very important to ventilate the room in which the plant is located, but at the same time do not allow it to be under sharp currents of air and wind, and also drafts should not be allowed. From the end of spring to the very beginning of autumn, the plant can be moved to more open spaces - either directly to the personal plot, or to a balcony, terrace or loggia.
If the plant stays in the open air for a sufficient amount of time, this will have a positive effect on its general condition, as well as on external characteristics. But the plant should be protected from such factors as direct sunlight, precipitation and sudden gusts of wind, since in this case the pabstia simply dies or loses its strength.
When pabstia is entering a very active growth phase, it is worth fertilizing. As top dressing, special fertilizers are used, which were originally intended for orchids. It is still recommended to reduce the concentration, to make it two or four times less than what is indicated on the package in the instructions for using the feeding. After the flowering of the pabstia orchid is completed, as well as after the plant has formed new but false bulbs, the pabstia enters a dormant stage. For this period, it is worth canceling any top dressing, and you should also not add moisture to the soil. The introduction of water should be replaced by spraying the soil about two or three times a week, not more often, in order to maintain a light soil moisture.
Potential Problems When Growing Pabstia Orchids
Orchid Pabstia: photo of a flower
Some gardeners say that at times they may find it difficult to grow pabstia. This is the refusal of the plant from flowering, the cause of which may be an unsuccessful transplant of a shrub, its incorrect division, as well as the fact that the dormant period for planting was not organized in accordance with all the norms and rules of agricultural technology, and now pabstia thus shows that its such attitude does not suit at all, and that the gardener should urgently change his tactics and treat the planting with great attention and responsibility.
Rotting pseudobulbs is another problem that flower growers can experience. The reason may be too excessive introduction of moisture, the use of cold water for irrigation, too much deepening of false bulbs directly into the substrate, because of which they begin to react negatively to this, show their dissatisfaction in the form of damage to the planting material.It is worth making sure that the moisture is applied in accordance with the schedule, and that only settled or filtered water is used at room temperature. Sometimes pabstia's leaves may wrinkle, and uncharacteristic specks may appear on them. This suggests that the soil was too dry, or the plant is in a draft, which may cause such visible disturbances and defects.
Of course, a lot will depend solely on the gardener himself, as well as on how he organizes the care of the Pabstia orchid, whether he gives him enough attention, and whether he generally complies with the requirements of agricultural technology, which, of course, are very important.
