Somewhere around March or April of 2014, Scott bought me an orchid! I wish I had a picture, but I guess I forgot to take one... I think I had it at my parents house while we went to New York for the summer, and it pretty much died. At one point it had WAY too much sunlight. (I used to think sun was good, but its bad. However, sunlight is good.) After coming back, I have been determined to nurse it back to life! And reviving it has been quite a process. Orchids are such picky plants. Direct sunlight and the leaves will burn. Too much water and they will rot. Dry air is bad. Not enough airflow is bad. Normal soil is bad... I have my orchid on my windowsill in the kitchen right now and it seems to be doing quite well. You can see in the pictures below!
My first task with this plant was repotting. There were these teeny tiny little bugs in the bark and bugs are never good... So repotting was a must! I used this website for some assistance. The first step is to determine if it needs to be repotted. Bugs should also be on the list because bugs eat roots, which is bad! I also didn't soak my orchid potting mix overnight...just for a couple hours maybe...and I did strain it because you just want mainly the bigger pieces of park and straining/rinsing will help with getting rid of any possible bugs hanging out in the potting mixture!
I think I did fairly okay with my repotting since the orchid is growing a new root!! (New roots come from between the leaves and will grow down. Flower spikes come from the leave and grow up. Also, flower spikes are usually green, not purple like my new root. More about that here or here) My orchid had some pretty nice leaves, and one stunted leaf. Maybe I'll get lucky and there will be a new flower spike in the near future!
Anywho, check out my orchid progression photos. I included the dates of the pictures as well. :)
My first task with this plant was repotting. There were these teeny tiny little bugs in the bark and bugs are never good... So repotting was a must! I used this website for some assistance. The first step is to determine if it needs to be repotted. Bugs should also be on the list because bugs eat roots, which is bad! I also didn't soak my orchid potting mix overnight...just for a couple hours maybe...and I did strain it because you just want mainly the bigger pieces of park and straining/rinsing will help with getting rid of any possible bugs hanging out in the potting mixture!
I think I did fairly okay with my repotting since the orchid is growing a new root!! (New roots come from between the leaves and will grow down. Flower spikes come from the leave and grow up. Also, flower spikes are usually green, not purple like my new root. More about that here or here) My orchid had some pretty nice leaves, and one stunted leaf. Maybe I'll get lucky and there will be a new flower spike in the near future!
Anywho, check out my orchid progression photos. I included the dates of the pictures as well. :)
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| Orchid as of 10/09/2014 |
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| Orchid as of 10/22/2014 |
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| Orchid as of 2/03/2015 |
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| Orchid as of 2/11/2015 Repotting |
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| Those roots look so sad! |
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| Pretty new pot! |
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| Orchid as of 2/12/2015 New growth! |
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| Orchid as of 2/21/2015 Do you see that beautiful new root growth?! |
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| Orchid as of 2/21/15 |
Also, be sure to check out my instagram for current updates.
Cheers!
I have the worst luck when it comes to plants! They are beautiful for weeks at a time, but then they die never to be seen again. :( How exciting that you're seeing some growth! Cute blog!
ReplyDeleteOrchids are very fickle! I'm hoping to get some blooms sometime in the next year, or else I may just get a whole new plant and try again! haha :) And thanks!
DeleteI love orchids too, but the past few years mine are dying quicker than usual:(. I'll be anxiously awaiting to see what yours does!
ReplyDeleteMake sure that you are watering them about once a week! They also need some air circulation and bright light, but not direct. Orchids are pretty stubborn and need to perfect condition to grow! My fingers are crossed to hopefully get some good growth!
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