Some not sickly orchids

Last week I told you about the Home Depot Orchid. It's looking a little better but it's probably still too soon to tell. When they get sick, they get sick fast but when things are going well, things move pretty slowly.

In the mean time, I've got some happier pictures to share!

First up is Tolumnia Red Berry. This guy had been growing a new pseudobulb all year and is just starting to flower now! I'll have to remember to be very diligent about watering while he's in bloom. There are scraggly bits of moss tied around its roots but not much. Watering involves dunking him in water for a bit in the morning and letting him dry out for the rest of the day so if he doesn't get watered every couple of days, he will start to dry out and the flowers will wilt faster.

I have another tolumnia. I have no idea on the exact id of this one or even what the flowers look like. I got him from another member of my orchid society. When I got him, he was just one little fan. He has been working on growing a second fan of leaves (the plumper green bunch on the right) last year so it's really exciting to know that he's not actually dead.

The dendrobium hybrid I got last year didn't flower on the new cane but now I have another new cane starting to develop! This is exciting! I hope one day soon, maybe this year or next, he will show me some flowers!

Finally, this is a miniature phalaenopsis that I got at my orchid's society holiday swap. He was too dry so I kept him in a tall glass jar for a bit to increase the humidity in the hopes that if the roots weren't taking in water, maybe the leaves would. If you look in the middle, you can see the new leaf developing!

Finally, Phal Balden's Kaleidoscope is in bloom again and it has two spikes! Can't wait to see them all opened!

Dendrobium growth!

Before I left on my trip, I spotted the start of a new cane on the dendrobium hybrid. I wondered what it would look like after it go back. Well, it looks like this:

I am very excited!

New growths!

I love seeing new growth on my orchids!

A few weeks ago, I cut off the spike from Home Depot Orchid since the spike wasn't looking great. The leaves were also starting to look dehydrated like they weren't getting any water and so I replanted it. This weekend, I spotted a new leaf growth!

Even more exciting is that while the new dendrobium hybrid has dropped most of its flowers, there is a new cane growth! I was very nervous about this one since I had killed the last miniature dendrobium I owned and it dropped a few leaves when I first got it. Plants aren't like animals that can actually attempt to voice their displeasure. When your dog or cat isn't getting what it needs, it lets you know immediately. Plants slowly die off. I had seen signs of new root growth but an even better indicator is if it starts to grow new leaves, canes, pseudobulbs, etc.

What this is telling me is is that I'm doing SOMETHING right! And maybe I'm willing to my eyes to see things but on the other side of that same cane, it looks like there's another green thing poking out. I wonder if that is perhaps another new cane! We shall see!

Adjusting

When I'm well rested, I  automatically wake up, full of energy after five or six hours of sleep. After returning from Taiwan last month, I finally am back at that point.

Like, me the dendrobium has had to do some adjusting. I was afraid it was near death when I first got it since leaves were turning yellow and dropping off. Now, it has settled down. Flowers are open, leaves are still green and on the canes. Whew!

Dendrobium Hybrid

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered this dendrobium hybrid from Seattle Orchid's dendrobium sale.

The flower color is lovely but I do have some concerns.

The first pseudobulb has a large slit in it. The leaves are turning yellow and a couple of dropped off. I'm really hoping that it's just a result of adaptation to a new environment. I did re-pot it and the roots looked okay.