How Do Orchids Grow ?
If you are an orchid enthusiast, then you will definitely want to know how do orchids grow. Understanding the growth stages of an orchid will allow you to provide optimal care for each stage of the growth. This will ensure that your orchid grows well and also survives. Many orchid growers complain that their plants do not live for too long. This can be avoided by understanding how do orchids grow. |
Orchids can be grown from seeds like all other flowers. These seeds are produced through pollination. Once the seeds germinate, they will grow into a mature orchid plant that will also have the ability to reproduce. In the wild, orchid seeds require a special fungus in order to germinate. Also, each kind of orchid has its own growth stages and this affects the production of seeds. For instance, there are some orchids that bloom for months together and this increases their chances of producing more seeds, while the ghost orchid produces just one bloom once a year and hence, the number of seeds produced is limited. (See Reference 1)
The seeds of an orchid are very small and light. They tend to float in the air and as a result get deposited on trees and the ground. As orchid seeds are devoid of endosperm, on landing the mycorrhiza fungus is required for the seeds to germinate. The fungus has to invade the seeds in order to give it nutrients required for germination. In return, the fungus is provided with a home. (See Reference 1)
After the seeds germinate,
hey take a very long time to develop into a young orchid plant. Some germinated seeds may take as long as 7 years to develop into orchid plants. Generally, orchids form a rhizome and then a pseudobulb, which is an underground stem that grows horizontally. This bulb stores the nutrients as well as water for the plant. (See Reference 1)
It is from the pseudobulb that them stem of the orchid emerges. This stem will grow in a vertical direction and the growth can take a few months or many years based on the kind of orchid it is. After the stem grows, the orchid will develop leaves. When this happens, the leaves take up all the nutrients and moisture from the pseudobulb which causes it to dry up and die. However, new pseudobulbs are formed to ensure continuity of the nutrients and moisture. (See Reference 1)
When the orchid has the right flowering conditions, it will bloom and this will facilitate pollination, so that the whole cycle of growth begins once more for the new seeds. Generally, pollination is done by insects, but there are some species of orchids, like the Ceratandra globosa, that rely on self pollination. (See Reference 1)
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Orchids are known for their beauty and have managed to enthrall many growers. The life cycle of orchids is also equally fascinating. Just like any other flower, the orchid also requires pollination in order to commence its life cycle. Different orchids adopt different methods to get their seeds pollination. There are some orchids that impersonate male wasps to get the wasps to fight the flower, while there are others that mimic female wasps to attract the males; and this facilitates pollination. There is one type of orchid that resembles a carrion and has an odor of rotting meat. This orchid uses flies to get its seeds pollinated. 
