Though the flower rose is the most common type of flower we see in the market, but one disadvantage that most people do not know about is that growing one at home is not easy and the plant itself cannot easily adapt various types of environment. Unlike orchid flower, this type of flower can easily grow at home and requires not much expertise when it comes to cultivating one. Many hobbyists would prefer to have orchids at home rather than any kinds of flowers. The hobby is commonly found in Asia and lots of online florists prefer to have these flowers in their floral shops. However, the demand for a colored orchid is higher as compared to the usual colors of orchid that we usually find.
Blue Orchid
Take the Blue Orchid as an example. This is an unusual color for an orchid but a blue orchid is a preferred color by many especially by the expert florist. This orchid also is in-demand to many floral shops as many consumers would prefer to buy this type of color rather than the usual ones like white. A lot of hobbyists would want to have blue colored orchids in their gardens, but growing one at home will not be easy and may require a different level of expertise. One reason is that this type of orchid does not grow naturally and it can only be done through a process known as the process of genetic modification.
Genetic Modification
Since a blue colored orchid is a result which is not developed by natural occurrences then science shed some light to make the impossible come into a reality. It actually took a lot of money and effort to sustain the study and continue the research in proving the possibility of growing a blue colored orchid. The results are actually from a patented process called genetic modification which would require a certain amount of skills. This is not some do-it-yourself process that you can do at home, because once the process is observed improperly then it destroys to the orchid and could eventually die in the process.
With this process, orchids of different vibrant colors like blue, orange, green may be produced. In addition, the color of the orchids through this process becomes more vibrant as compared to what natural occurrences can produce.
Dying Process
One unique process to give these colors to an orchid is through the process of dying. Just like how we dye our shirts, the process may also be done in producing colored orchids. What growers do is that they make a small hole in the stem of the plant to produce a watercolor orchid. After that, then into the hole, the growers inject the dye and cover the hole with wax. From there on, the dyeing process begins and after 24 hours, the orchid blooms will start to have color changes.
The process may sound like an easy work to do but this actually requires a certain amount of skills. The process is labor-intensive and cannot be done correctly if without the skills needed. It could harm the plant unless the process was professionally done.
Now, if you have plans to do this at home, then just make sure to learn and get trained by the professionals. To know the process and its details is important in order to harm the orchid plants that you have been cultivation back at home.
Active and Passive Dying Process
Since the roots of the orchids do not absorb the dye then it is sent to the flower itself or through its buds. That is through two different dying methods which a grower can observe in dying the orchids into different and vibrant colors. If the orchid has already bloom then one can use the method of the passive dying process. While on the hand, if the flower buds have not yet opened then the grower could use the active dying process.
- Passive Process
The first method of dying is to let the send the dye to the flowers which had already bloomed. This is the method where the grower makes a hole on the flower’s stem and into the same hole is where the grower infuses the water solution which contains the dye. Then let the process take in for about 24 hours and the previous white colored orchid is now turned to the same color of the dye you used in the process.
- Active Process
The other method is through the active process where the dye is quickly taken by the unopened flower buds of the orchids. Although this dying method is quickly taken, since it involves dying the flower in its vascular tissues then it may result in a “striping” effect. However, the color of the dye you use will still appear but it may be lighter as compared to the previous process.
Those are the different methods in dying your orchids into the colors that a grower wishes to have in their gardens. But, one thing that you should remember is that the dying process will not permanently make the orchid produce the same color that you dyed in it. Once the orchid plants re-bloom, the color of the original flower will re-appear. That is why if you want to have those kinds of colors then you have to do the process all over again. In order to prevent the plants from getting harmed is to monitor them from time to time. In this way, you would know if the orchids are still in good condition before you dye them again into a different color.
