With a huge shock I realized this morning that one of my Dtps/Phal orchids
may have not been watered for several weeks and possibly as long as a month.
:-( I don't know how it could have slipped that much below my radar screen,
and I feel very guilty and rotten about myself this morning. Today I just
watered it with plenty of water.

My question: what can I do, if my worst fear is true that it was not watered
for a month (the last entry for this plant in my spreadsheet where I keep
track of watering schedule for orchids in bark was 1/8/2004, I hope I forgot
to put in another entry after that, but it is possible that it has been a
full month)? Have I just killed my first orchid? Please, please, please, say
it isn't so.

This is the condition of the plant currently is as follows:

This plant is in bark. It stopped blooming around the second week of
January, after a long blooming season. (I feel so guilty.) The pot was very
light when I picked it up this morning. It's leaves are much softer now then
ever before, but they are still green. The aerial roots are still green as
well. Today the pot has been soaked in lots of water.

Is there anything else I can do for this poor plant (other than pray and
hope and not ever do this again)?

Joanna

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 17:21:02 GMT, "J Fortuna"
wrote:

Have I just killed my first orchid? Please, please, please, say
it isn't so.

In all likihood it will be fine. If the leaves are not wrinkled, I
wouldn't even be particularly worried. Don't try and compensate by
overwatering it now. You've watered it well so just go back to normal
watering. You might mist the aerial roots for the next week or so,
but don't keep the potting mix soppy.

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of
dead plants in their wake. :-)

deg

Amateur.
K Barrett

(*G*)

"J Fortuna" wrote in message
...
With a huge shock I realized this morning that one of my Dtps/Phal orchids
may have not been watered for several weeks and possibly as long as a
month.
:-( I don't know how it could have slipped that much below my radar
screen,
and I feel very guilty and rotten about myself this morning. Today I just
watered it with plenty of water.

My question: what can I do, if my worst fear is true that it was not
watered
for a month (the last entry for this plant in my spreadsheet where I keep
track of watering schedule for orchids in bark was 1/8/2004, I hope I
forgot
to put in another entry after that, but it is possible that it has been a
full month)? Have I just killed my first orchid? Please, please, please,
say
it isn't so.

This is the condition of the plant currently is as follows:

This plant is in bark. It stopped blooming around the second week of
January, after a long blooming season. (I feel so guilty.) The pot was
very
light when I picked it up this morning. It's leaves are much softer now
then
ever before, but they are still green. The aerial roots are still green as
well. Today the pot has been soaked in lots of water.

Is there anything else I can do for this poor plant (other than pray and
hope and not ever do this again)?

Joanna

Don't worry, Joanna! In nature, there are dry spells.

And, to Deg's comment:

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of dead
plants in their wake. :-)

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana

Diana and Deg,

Thanks for reassuring me.

As for the number of kills to become certified, could you count other
houseplant kills? I have killed the vast majority of non-orchid houseplants,
and continue doing so at disturbing speed, so maybe we could agree to count
that toward my experience level, say at half value? If 2 other houseplant
kills = 1 orchid kill -- then rgo membership may be bestowed to me if I
kill at least 200 non-orchid houseplants?

Joanna (who feels much better now, though having been brought up Catholic,
regular re-occurrence of guilt is only to be expected, and the orchids do
provide me one way to express it)

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
link.net...
Don't worry, Joanna! In nature, there are dry spells.

And, to Deg's comment:

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of
dead
plants in their wake. :-)

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 23:06:42 GMT, "Diana Kulaga"
wrote:

And, to Deg's comment: "Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid,
you can only be an honorary member of this group. Real members have all
left a trail of dead plants in their wake. :-)"

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana

I was thinking of asking when Kath agreed with Dewitt, how many
do we have to kill first? Glad you straightened that out. G

Overly Certified.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

On Sat, 07 Feb 2004 23:06:42 GMT, "Diana Kulaga"
wrote:

And, to Deg's comment: "Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid,
you can only be an honorary member of this group. Real members have all
left a trail of dead plants in their wake. :-)"

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana

I was thinking of asking when Kath agreed with Dewitt, how many
do we have to kill first? Glad you straightened that out. G

Overly Certified.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

[quote]Originally posted by J Fortuna
[Have I just killed my first orchid? Please, please, please, say
it isn't so.

hi Joanna
do not worry so!!!
orchids in the wild go for months without water.... yours should also be ok.
do not overwater.. just get back to a regular watering routine...
it may like a weak dose of soluble fertiliser to give it a boost in remembering how to grow

you WILL know it if it is dead... green bits are a good sign!!
good luck
Renay

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in
link.net:

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Oh boy I'm in trouble here if I must have one hundred certified kills
before I'm a full fledged member here Because I have a bench full of
zombies under lights. Zombie = a plant with no roots, down to it's last
wrinkled leaf and tossed in the trash for dead. But then when I find them
this bad only about 50% survive so can I count the ones that didn't survive
even though I didn't really kill them??
the orchid scavenger
Dusty

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
link.net...
Don't worry, Joanna! In nature, there are dry spells.

And, to Deg's comment:

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of
dead
plants in their wake. :-)

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana


I'll post a pic of my 'kill file' over at apbo.

K Barrett

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
link.net...
Don't worry, Joanna! In nature, there are dry spells.

And, to Deg's comment:

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of
dead
plants in their wake. :-)

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana


I'll post a pic of my 'kill file' over at apbo.

K Barrett

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
link.net...
Don't worry, Joanna! In nature, there are dry spells.

And, to Deg's comment:

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of
dead
plants in their wake. :-)

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana


I'll post a pic of my 'kill file' over at apbo.

K Barrett

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
link.net...
Don't worry, Joanna! In nature, there are dry spells.

And, to Deg's comment:

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of
dead
plants in their wake. :-)

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana


I'll post a pic of my 'kill file' over at apbo.

K Barrett

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
link.net...
Don't worry, Joanna! In nature, there are dry spells.

And, to Deg's comment:

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of
dead
plants in their wake. :-)

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana


I'll post a pic of my 'kill file' over at apbo.

K Barrett

"Diana Kulaga" wrote in message
link.net...
Don't worry, Joanna! In nature, there are dry spells.

And, to Deg's comment:

Oh, by the way, if you have never killed an orchid, you can only be an
honorary member of this group. Real members have all left a trail of
dead
plants in their wake. :-)

You must have one hundred certified kills before you are full fledged!

Diana


I'll post a pic of my 'kill file' over at apbo.

K Barrett