Aerangis: The African Tropical Orchid Growth Guide

Aerangis makes the African region join the category of places serving as habitats for exotic ornamental plants everyone loves. The plant brings a sweet fragrance with its beautiful appearance, matching interior decor to events and improving floral-related activities.

However, the beauty that strikes everyone results from satisfying the care requirements that this plant brings forward. So, let’s learn about these requirements and help you grow your collection of Aerangis Fastuosa plants with our seamless guide.

What Is Aerangis Orchid?

Aerangis is a member of the orchid family tree having its flower appearance either greenish yellow, white, cream, or both. The plant is common in Africa and prominent for its ornamental use in floral events and decor, because of its graceful flowers that bloom from summer to fall.

Aerangis Care and Needs

– Water Requirements

The Aerangis orchid plant is one that likes to be kept moist without drowning in water by watering in excess. This means that as you are growing it, make sure that you would water it once every seven days, when the weather is hot, and in winter, try to reduce it to every 10 days.

Applying too much water makes the root rot, so it’s essential to avoid that by leaving it to dry in-between watering intervals. Also, ensuring proper drainage with the pot prevents water from settling at the bottom, making it waterlogged. This is also another issue that you have to take into consideration when you are watering this orchid.

– Light Requirements

Orchids like to be supplied with indirect bright light during their growing period, and Aerangis isn’t any different with its demands. The best lighting setup is to place the plant next to an eastward-facing window with a bright light shining, yet coming in an indirect way, so that the rays of the sun wouldn’t be harsh upon it. You can also diffuse direct sunlight with a thin layered curtain if you can’t get a good position for the plant.

– Soil Requirements

Aerangis demands loose soil that drains water well and doesn’t pack the roots tightly like its natural habitat. The most compatible soil is a mix of orchid bark, including charcoal, perlite, and sphagnum moss for optimal growth. It is especially observed in cultivating some species, to give the right Aerangis Mystacidii care, what you can do is make sure that the roots are not going to be in a medium where the roots are not going to be trapped with too much water.

– Temperature Requirements

Despite its preference for warm temperatures, the plant has separate temperature demands to serve its day and night routine. It requires you to maintain temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit at night; on the other hand, it should be 60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime.

This gentle orchid is capable of handling slightly colder temperatures but doesn’t do well with sudden fluctuations in temperature conditions.

– Humidity Requirements

Getting an optimal growth rate for the plant is attached to maintaining highly humid conditions similar to its natural habitat. It demands a humidity level between 50 and 75 percent values to exhibit healthy growth during cultivation.

Consider using a greenhouse to create this condition or opt-in for humidifiers as a cheaper way to attain the required humidity value. This is due to the fact that not everyone would be interested in investing in a humidifier, which is why you can also go for another option, which is why you can also mist around it and increase the moisture rate.

– Fertilizing Requirements

Aerangis needs nutrients to grow but doesn’t want too much or too little in its growth and dormant periods. It’s essential to balance the fertilizer and prepare the mixture at half strength before applying it to the plant, aiding its growth. Make sure that you schedule your fertilizing frequency to intervals of two to three weeks which should be reduced or halted when it becomes dormant.

– Pruning

The plant doesn’t need much when it comes to pruning, especially the Aerangis Distincta, but you need to improve its appearance. You can improve it by observing the plant for dead and yellowing leaves, then cutting them off and repeating the process occasionally.

Pruning also helps the plant to conserve energy spent on those sections helping it grow faster and more efficiently. As long as the tools of this process are well sterilized, that’s when you will have a healthy growing new shoots.

Propagation and Multiplying the Orchid

– Division

The division method has to do with separating specific parts of the plant into sections and replanting them for new growth. It’s a fairly easy method to complete and takes less time than many other methods that most enthusiasts use. First and foremost, you must go ahead and check out a fully-matured plant and remove it from its pot, then scan for sections with healthy roots.

Separate these sections from the mature plant with clean, sterilized tools and dust them with fungicides for protection against infection. Prepare pots to match the number of sections and fill them with compatible soillike orchid bark mixed with sphagnum moss and perlite.

Place the sections into each pot and satisfy all care requirements, especially lighting, humidity, and water, while observing its growth regularly. Make sure that you do not water it excessively because they are in a vulnerable state, and should not be at risk of any infestations.

– Keiki Production

Aerangis also produces small plant growth on the parent plant called Keikis, and you can propagate the plant using them. It is also closely related to the division method since it involves using parts of the parent plant to propagate Aerangis. The first step is to observe the mature plant for Keikis having several shoots and roots, then separate them, and pick the healthy ones.

You then prepare the Keikis by dusting the root section with fungicides to protect them from infections during their growing period. Prepare containers that drain well and fill them with a mixture of perlite, orchid bark, sphagnum moss, and charcoal. Place the Keikis in the container and press the roots into the soil mix, then maintain all optimal care conditions till it matures.

– Seed

The seed method is more complicated since it requires more technicalities and time, so it needs your patience. It’s also the best method to consider if you are an enthusiast planning to create new species of Aerangis by hybridization. Firstly, you extract the seed from their pods on a mature plant, sterilize them in bleach, and rinse them afterward.

The next step is to prepare a container, fill it with a growing medium, and then space out the seeds. After observing new growth, maintain optimal humidity and lighting until they germinate and transplant into permanent pots with a compatible soil mix. Satisfy all care requirements after transplanting and repeat the process till the plant fully matures into a parent.

Problems and Issues Hindering The Plant

– Infestation of Pests and Infectious Diseases

Growing orchids leads you to encounter pests, and Aerangis also follows this direction with the infestation of spider mites and mealy bugs. It’s also common to see scale insects around the plants, and these pests can degrade the health of the plant.

You should check the plant regularly for bite marks, webbing, sticky deposits, or tiny insects and combat them early. Ensure you prioritize using fungicides, pesticides, and insecticides to ward them off and maintain the plant’s health.

– Stunted Growth

Aerangis can experience stunted growth if it doesn’t get enough nutrients to match its demands due to under-fertilizing. It’s common to encounter this issue when the plant isn’t supplied with enough light or grows in low humidity.

You should balance out the mixture when fertilizing and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on using the product. On another note, place the plant in a location that provides enough lighting conditions and humidity to grow optimally, and make sure the plant is also being given the right amount of water and not lower than its demanded quantity, which is how you will resume the growth.

– Root Rot

Overwatering is the case when you notice your plant giving a foul odor with its roots getting mushy. This means that the roots have been infected by a fungus, and mold is growing due to the excess humidity and moisture in the soil.

It might not be the application of water in excess but an improper drainage system with the soil and pot. The situation makes the plant sit in water, causing the root to rot and must be attended to early. Ensure you use a pot or container that drains well and prioritize soil that isn’t tightly packed like an orchid mix.

– Spots and Yellowing of Leaves

Yellowing of leaves mainly occurs when the plant sits in water or has it in excess recently. It might also be a sign of nutrient deficiency, leading to plant death if not resolved earlier. Ensure you feed it enough nutrients when fertilizing and avoid letting the plant sit in water to prevent root rot.

Conclusion

Aerangis candles might be made from the plant, and you would want that same fragrance from the original, which is why you should remember when cultivating this plant that:

• It needs proper fertilization to grow well, especially in the growing season
• Propagating Aerangis leads you to choose between three prominent methods: Division, Seed, and Keiki production.
• Aerangis is sensitive to excess and too little water supply.
• Pests like scale insects and spider mites target the plant, which is why you should tackle them.

That concludes everything you need to know about Aerangis to help you properly groom and care for yours. All that is left is to decide on a propagation method and work towards increasing your orchid collection.