Orchid Update!

Orchids Good. Hive Price Bad ..

My Phalanopsis orchids are starting to look good, just as the HIVE price is starting to look not so good. But that’s the way of things sometimes. We take the good with the bad. It wasn’t long ago when hive was making a streak towards the five dollar mark, and my orchids were making a streak towards death. Life has its ups and downs. Right now my orchids are on an upswing. Thank goodness! It was a long haul from where they once were; near and close to our old friends death and despair.

And then we have the current price of HIVE .. HIVE prices aren’t looking good if you’re holding for the long run, but if you’re buying more, they’re looking great. I guess it just depends on which side of it you’re looking at it from. If we see a nice dip from here, I may consider picking up a bit more.

Orchids!

Back to the Orchid update… my Phalaenopsis orchids are beginning to show true signs of a come back. In recent weeks my wife and I took a trip to the local hardware store and picked up some orchid pots made of terra-cotta/clay. These pots are made specifically for orchids, and I wanted to get away from the glass pots that I was using. These new pots will allow better airflow, better drainage, and absorb the unused water from the bark, creating a less damp environment, but still allow an acceptable level of humidity.

There above is one of the orchids that was already doing pretty well. It didn’t need to come back from a near death experience. Lol. It just got a new pot that’s all. You can see the large weep holes at the bottom. I also replace the bark and mixed up some perlite into the mixture to allow for more air movement within the soil/media. A large bag of perlite didn't break the bank, costing about five or six dollars USD. Definitely worth mixing some in. Part of my original problem, and the reason for my Orchids taking a turn for the worse, was that there was no air movement within the glass pots that I was using.

Here are all the orchids lined up along or half wall between the kitchen area and are living/family room. All of them neatly planted in their new pots.

Most of the orchids are showing small signs of improvement including better turgor pressure (noticeable within the leaves), new root growth, new leaf growth, better color, and just a nice overall healthy look.

Now, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have a few that are lagging behind and need a little more care to recover. We have two Phalanopsis that are still on the verge of going either way. They’re either going to make a come back or they’re going to die. They don’t look great. Especially this little guy...

This particular one above, looks like it may not make it. I don’t see any new growth, and it is extremely wilted. However, the one in the photo below, has a better chance of survival. I do see a small new leaf forming in the very center of the plant. The leaves that are present look a little less wilted and have a bit more turgor pressure. I just think it’s going to take more time for this plant to make a full recovery.

Our Vanda Orchid, 'Patchara Delight', hasn’t changed much since the last time I posted about her. I’d say the new leaf growth at the top has maybe doubled or tripled in size. It’s not a fast grower by any means. I keep looking for a new flower bud to form, but no luck yet. As I am writing this post, she is taking a bath. Lol. I occasionally soak her legs in the sink for a few minutes, then I’ll place her back on her rack near the door.

Turning our attention to the Dendrobiums' in our Orchid family .. they are doing surprisingly well. I thought it would be extremely difficult for us to raise these orchids, but I’m no longer afraid. They have really done well in our home and are not too hard to manage. The new growth they are putting on is looking pretty good. Over the last week or two the new sprouts have grown at a tremendously fast pace.
Take a look…

Oh, and our 'Hawaii Stripes' Dendrobium continues to hold her flowers steadfast. I’m not complaining at all! We are loving, having this touch of purple in an otherwise very green corner. I’m not sure how long these are going to last. I just continue to mist them lightly every other day with water and take enjoyment in the touch of beauty they bring to our home.

That's That ..

Well, I guess that’s about it for the Orchid Update. It’s still pretty early in the morning, and the only time I thought I would have a moment to write. Molly will be getting up sooner or later, and when she does, we will fight to get her to eat so that she can take her medicine.

Ummmm NO.

I am not eating for you.

I don’t like food anymore.

Poor girl.. We try not to get frustrated with it and offer her all sorts of things to eat. With her doggy dementia she just can’t remember how to start eating sometimes. Once she gets going, she eats like there’s no tomorrow, but getting her to that point is very time consuming and very frustrating.

I also try and remember that she’s not a puppy anymore.

She’s now 14 years, 10 months, and 24 days old.

After all that,

Maybe we will take some time to relax and go to a vineyard to have a glass of wine. Sounds good to me!

Did I say one glass? Well, maybe three is better than one.

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy weekend and I look forward to the next time I have some orchid information to share.

I have to say that I am missing my little Pepper this morning. As I write these Orchid posts, I can not help but be reminded of him and his fondness of anything new I brought into the house. Especially new Orchids. He loved to explore them, sniffing at them relentlessly. And I know if I left them in his company too long he would probably water them for me. hahaha. I suppose a little pee-pee never hurts.

Miss you buddy! :(

“Pain is a pesky part of being human, I've learned it feels like a stab wound to the heart, something I wish we could all do without, in our lives here. Pain is a sudden hurt that can't be escaped. But then I have also learned that because of pain, I can feel the beauty, tenderness, and freedom of healing. Pain feels like a fast stab wound to the heart. But then healing feels like the wind against your face when you are spreading your wings and flying through the air! We may not have wings growing out of our backs, but healing is the closest thing that will give us that wind against our faces.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.”
― C. JoyBell C.

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.