P.S.: Despite the very cynical approach evidenced in the email I just wrote,
I still feel like crying whenever I break a spike, and it still makes my day
whenever I discover a new one. But I no longer fret when an orchid does not
make it--some of you old-timers may remember a time when it was a matter of
pride to me that not a single orchid had died in my care, and the first time
that one did I was not a happy camper. Those times are over, nowadays I fear
that when an orchid bites the dust, I tend to shrug it off, not that it
happens frequently (it does not), but if it does then I figure that orchid
and I were not meant for each other, and since usually it was not doing well
for a while before it died, it was not my favorite anyway by then. On the
other hand, every one of my orchids has a nickname (including "Smelly Baby,"
"Big Mama", "Charles Monroe" (nicknamed after a very flamboyant male
prostitute character in a mystery book), "Sir Weed" and its kiekie "Page",
and 40 others. So I guess my relationship with my orchids is a bit more
complex, and not entirely as emotion-less as my previous post may have
suggested.
"J Fortuna" wrote in message
news
328j.9078$581.8664@trnddc04...
"Ray B" wrote in message
news:gOR7j.4633$xd.1366@trndny03...
snip
Generally, I recommend moving a plant to S/H culture when it is starting
to form new roots. That way, the new roots can grow tailored to the new
environment, and support the plant while the old roots fade away.
snip
Ray,
LOL!
It may come as a shock to rgo-regulars, but I have not exactly been paying
attention to when my orchids start to form new roots. My general approach
on the subject of roots is as follows: If the plant is in a transparent
pot and I can see oodles of roots, then I have warm thoughts about them.
If there are aerial roots, I enjoy them and try to get them wet as well
when I water the plant. If the orchid is in a non-transparent pot, I kind
of assume that there are enough roots in there, unless/until the plant is
unstable and wobbly or doing very poorly and thus I start to suspect that
there may be problems with the roots. In the very occasional
once-in-a-blue-moon occasion when I repot an orchid, I trim away dead
roots. If I see the beginnings of a root on a Phal around the time when it
is time for it to spike, I look at it to check whether it is a spike after
all and not a root. If the orchid falls onto the carpet and all the medium
gets out of the pot, I stick the orchid and the medium back into the pot
as best as I can, and I might glance at the roots then.
Other than that, I don't give the roots a second thought I am afraid. So
you see I don't have a clue when orchids start to form new roots. And
somehow I suspect that I am very unlikely to start paying more attention
to the roots now. Sorry! Do I now get points off for being such a terrible
orchid caretaker? Is this equivalent to being a parent and not noticing
when one's child has a growth-spurt? I don't think so.
I hope that I won't shock too many of you when I admit that orchids are
way lower on my priority list than my child, and that I have always found
it very disturbing when anyone compares their orchids to being kind of
like their kids ('chids as it were). In my book, they are just plants
after all, even if they are gorgeous plants that bring us lots of
enjoyment, but if there is very little time and something's got to give,
there is no second thought in my mind that if the orchid care suffers, it
is while unfortunate not the end of the world. And if I have very little
time to take care of them, those orchids that survive best under benign
neglect are now my absolute favorites.
My number one favorite orchid these days is a Phal Baldan's Kaleidoscope
'Golden Treasure' AM/AOS. I bought it at a Safeway grocery store a bit
over two years ago. It grows in moss in a transparent pot with oodles of
roots. It needs watering once a month--just does not dry out any faster.
It lives in a north-facing window. It is in bloom for 10 to 12 months, and
before it looses the last flower it starts a new spike again. It tends to
have lots of pretty flowers when in bloom. It is currently in bud yet
again both on an old spike and a new one. My only complaint is that the
flower color fades over time, other than that it is the perfect orchid for
me. Now if only my other 45 orchids were like that only in different
colors, shapes, and sizes, that would be awesome. :-)
Joanna