Ludisia

Family. Orchidaceae.

Origin. Indonesia, Burma.

Description. Ludisia or gemaria belongs to the group of precious orchids, which stand out from the crowd due to the unusual and spectacular color of the foliage. It is a small terrestrial orchid with beautiful, velvety leaves of various colors - from bright burgundy, brown to light green and almost black. A distinctive feature of this plant is the presence of contrasting stripes along the veins on the leaves. They are burgundy, pink or white. The lower part of the leaf blade is often painted burgundy. The shoots are creeping and juicy. The flowers are white with a yellow core, fragrant, small - about 1.7 cm in diameter, collected in an inflorescence at the top of erect peduncles rising above the foliage. The flowering period lasts about a month.

Height. Leaves can reach a height of 25 cm; peduncles up to 60 cm. 

Care

Temperature

Daytime temperatures range from 21 - 29 ° C, with a decrease at night to 15 ° C. Ludisia does not have a clearly defined rest period, so the temperature is maintained year-round. Sudden changes in temperature harm this plant.  

Lighting

A well-lit location, without direct sunlight. Only soft reflected light or, even better, partial shade. Ludisia is very shade-tolerant. In such conditions, the color of the foliage will be more intense. Place the orchid either on a northern window or in the back of the room in the spring and summer. If there is not enough sunlight, use artificial lighting that imitates a 12-14-hour daylight.

Care

Older plants often lose their lower leaves and their stems become bare. If the shoots grow too long, cut them off and root them in loose, moist soil. Cut the flower stalks after the buds fade to about 3 cm above the top leaf. Hemaria loves high humidity and will therefore grow well in the bathroom. To prevent the bushes from wasting energy on flowering, pinch off young flower stalks when they begin to form. This will encourage the bush to remain compact and bushy, with plenty of leaves.

Soil

An orchid mixture with a high content of peat and sphagnum moss, with the addition of crushed charcoal, coconut fiber and pine bark. Sand or perlite should be added to this mixture for good drainage. The soil should easily allow both moisture and air to pass to the roots of the plants. It is advisable to use pieces of pine bark as a drainage layer. Gemaria has a fibrous root system consisting of very thin roots and does not like planting in rough, fibrous soil. 

Feeding

Once a month, feed ludisia with orchid fertilizer at half strength. 

Purpose

Unlike most orchids, which are grown for their flowers, ludisia will delight you primarily with its very decorative foliage.

Flowering time

Autumn winter. 

Humidity

High – 50 to 70%. Do not spray the foliage, but simply place the pot on a tray with wet pebbles or use a room humidifier. Spray only with very soft water at room temperature – it will not leave stains on the leaves. Provide good air circulation around the plant, but do not expose it to cold drafts.

Watering orchids at home

It is extremely important that the soil is always evenly moistened, but not flooded. Excessive watering and stagnation of water in the pan can lead to rotting. For watering, use only very soft water at room temperature. We remove excess moisture from the pan immediately after watering.

Transfer

Since gemaria takes root easily and has a shallow root system, it should be placed in a wide and shallow pot. Repot the plant when the pot is full. The transplant is tolerated well. Freshly planted orchids should not be watered immediately - allow them to adapt to the new soil.

Reproduction

This orchid is very easy to propagate by dividing adult specimens in spring or by rooting lateral shoots - cuttings - in water. The rooting process does not cause any particular difficulties and can be successfully completed within 2 weeks.

Pests and diseases

Rots when overwatered. Plants kept in low light conditions bloom less profusely or do not bloom at all. If the soil dries out, wrinkles may appear on the leaves and stems. Direct sunlight can damage the appearance of the leaves. Too much light causes the foliage to burn or causes the plant to adapt to new conditions by reducing the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves, causing them to appear pale. When air humidity is too low, flowers fall off. 

Among the harmful insects, the orchid can be attacked by spider mites, mealybugs, and scale insects. 

Note

Ludisia is also called a living jewel because the light leaf veins located on the matte and seemingly velvety leaves, when hit by a ray of sunlight, suddenly flash with bright reflections like precious stones.