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Posted 1M ago by @CactusAdjacent

The Unorthodox Orchid - a tale of trauma, recovery and le...

The Unorthodox Orchid - a tale of trauma, recovery and learning that one size never fits all.

My gal Sonora (named for the neighboring desert, because I can't bring myself to call her Chihuahua 😭) was gifted to me three birthdays ago just after my dad died. I've always had terrible luck with orchids and figured this one would wither and die too, but with some research figured out my biggest mistakes (sunburns, fertilizer burns, root root) and toward the end of last summer she grew a huge new leaf in record speed along with a beautiful flower stalk.

Then came the mouse.

At first I thought my toddler had somehow gotten into the window sill and managed to surgically pluck a single flower. The problem there being I never found the flower, and two days later the other had suffered the same fate. I was baffled until the huge hole showed up in her new leaf, nibbled in a perfect half circle. I moved her to a less accessible place, and that's when we really put her mettle to the test. My husband tried to swat a fly on her, splitting another leaf down from the center. Then I somehow managed to stab her with my fingernail, leaving yet another big hole and me wondering if there are recorded cases of plant abuse in the law books. If not, I might be a contender.

After all this, she lives, but I could not keep her hydrated to save my life. It took me a lot of experimentation and advice from the awesome #greggers before I threw up my hands and said "if you're that thirsty, drink up, buttercup."

So now she's an aquatic orchid. I can only guess that my specific arid region lets me get away with it, and yes, I do take her out of the water at night lest she just. Rot. Her leaves are filled out again, the split stopped spreading, and her roots are FINALLY green after spending the better part of a year ashy gray.

TL;DR orchids are actually resilient asf and sometimes, if all the usual methods aren't working, try something crazy and see what happens Β―\_(ツ)_/Β― #phalaenopsisorchid #orchidlovers #orchidcare #backfromthedead #plantrecovery
4” pot without drainage
Last watered 2 days ago
YAY!!! What a thriller!! That was crazy! I cannot believe the mouse!!! What the fork! That’s crazy hahaha. I’m so excited about her success!! You are amazing!! Congratulations I can’t wait to she her continue to thrive!!! :)
Amazing! I took mine out through pot and but it was in a glass bowl with rocks so it wouldn't just sit in water. And I have it under a plate light. It's been thriving. I see a stem has sprouted out with flower bulbs. I was excited, like why I guess I was doing something right. I can wait for summer so I can sit it back outside in my landscape to make sure it's getting the right indirect sunlight. It loves being outside.