Unexpected Surprises

In the last week, I noticed some new growths on some of the orchids that I thought perhaps I was actually killing!

This is a mini phal that I had gotten in the HHOS Christmas party swap. I had a mini phal a couple of years ago and it died from lack of watering. When I got it, the roots were packed in moss and didn't look great. I had actually gotten two and the other one is sitting on the boyfriend's window sill. His started growing a couple of new leaves while mine just sat and didn't do much for a while. Then one day, I noticed a new leaf growing and was really excited. This week, I noticed that the original spike (that big one) had grown and extended for new buds on the tip and it branched! You can also see the start of a second new leaf in the picture!

If you take a look at the roots, you can spy a healthy green root in there. I water it every couple of days to give it some time to dry out, but not so much that it's dying from thirst.

The terrarium is a dendrobium nobile and I really didn't think it was doing all that well but there is a new cane with a couple of leaves peeking out! I guess there was some root growth in there and I didn't completely neglect it it's doing okay.

Do you see that little nub? This is actually half of my mom's orchid that I brought home with me at Thanksgiving. I really had my doubts on it. When I repotted it, the original plant was in dirt, which it should not have been, and it split in half. I replanted it in bark but because this half was so off balanced, it kept tipping over. Also, I questioned whether going from dirt to bark was a good idea since it had spent years in dirt, probably getting used to the moist environment. I replanted it a couple of weeks ago into a semi-hydroponic environment with the clay pellets. Now, it can suck up as much water as it wants. The other half is still in bark. It will make for a nice environment

This week, I spotted the nub and I wasn't sure what to make of it or if it was even there before! I will look forward to see what develops here!

Mom's orchid

My dendrobium hybrid had been growing very well so I decided that this year was the year I would bring mom's orchid home at Thanksgiving. And so I did.

I pulled it out of the pot to take a look at the root conditions and found myself with two orchids that pulled apart very easily. There were still many viable roots, it just needed new potting medium and a much smaller pot.

Before repotting, they both got a physan bath and are now making themselves comfortable in their new home. They are both incredibly lopsided, but I guess that's just how dendrobiums grow.

I think they produce purple flowers. It's been almost 20 years since I saw it flower and my mom was very excited by it.