So, I'm sticking with my orchids! Who would have thought that I could get these guys to grow! My mom had an orchid that was her prized plant. I was terrified of killing it so for 15 years, it has been in a foster home. I was hoping that I could learn to grow orchids and not kill it. It's taken a while but I think I've finally got the hang of it. It helps that I have large east and south facing windows that get a lot of light.
The orchid that I call my Home Depot orchid was my last shot and trying to grow these guys. I knew I had to water it but I couldn't over water it. With this guy, I found my own personal trick on keeping them watered. This may be the third spike that it has sent up since I've had it and I'm very happy because it means that it likes me!
I did miss seeing the current spike develop and so I didn't get it staked in time which is why it just grew side ways. When it's not being photographed, I have the flowers staked to...
My little lady slipper!
When I bought this plant, it had a flower and two developing growths on the side. This flower is coming from one of those growths!
I also have this phalaenopsis. I got this guy and the lady slipper and my little mystery oncidium at the National Capital Society orchid show in 2012. Since then, I've had at least one flower on this guy! I am absolutely amazed! The flowers last for a long time and as they die off, more develop. With our wacky weather and the constant and drastic temperature changes, I think it's been promoting now branch growth for flowering. I expect to see some flowers within the next couple of months!
My mystery oncidium was purchased from the members' table at the orchid show. The members' table consists of little baby off shoots of members' plants. This one, I got for $3 to grow as an experiment. Okay, yes, it is actually labelled with what it's called but I rarely look at the label so I just call it the mystery oncidium. Orchid growth takes patience and I knew that it would take a couple of years before I could even possibly see a flower. It is that young. I just had to keep it watered but not over watered and keep it alive. Well, imagine my surprise when I looked at it the other day and saw a new growth and even root development! I'm doing something right!!!
Finally, my mini phal. I got it at one of the orchid society meetings and it had grown a spike once it had come home with me. I had noticed a few months ago that it started growing funny. It was growing little keikis! Keikis but no roots. I asked around in an orchid forum online and got some suggestions that the potting medium was probably too moist and suffocating the roots. After pulling it out of the pot, yup, they were right! I definitely still had a few good viable roots but it was definitely too moist. I just repotted it yesterday and I'm hoping it will settle in and dry out and roots can develop on those keikis so that I can separate them out into other plants!
