Taking a tiny break from my Greg break (after commenting ...
Taking a tiny break from my Greg break (after commenting under another post anyway) to post some more blooms, orchids, hoyas and more. A lot have opened, will continue photos in comments. Enjoy. #plantsmakepeoplehappy #happyplants #hoyahangout #hoya #orchidlovers #cactusclique
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I grew up with a massive Hoya plant growing in the kitchen window. I can still smell those beautiful blossoms and I just loved that sweet little drop on each little flower. I just bought one a couple weeks ago. It’s only about 4 inches high but maybe someday I’ll have some blossoms. I did about 20 years ago have a roped Hoya. It took seven years to Bloom. I did find out that it probably would’ve done better if it was root bound then I moved and had to leave it with my mom because I was going out of the country and she left it out on the porch and it froze to death. I was heartbroken
@maci.in.bloom if you only knew. 😀 the pink phal after the white one has bellina parentage mixed in, meaning on sunny days she smells overwhelmingly delicious all bloom long. And I also love those white mini phals. On first glance they always look like nothing special, but they are utterly charming. And look like a layer of glittering snow from up close.
@ZingBulrush12 oh no. I'm so sorry that happened to you. And though 7 years seem long, from what I know some species just are more difficult or take longer to bloom. While others (like the Mathilde and the bella and even the surisana, all in the pictures above) can bloom ridiculously early. Case in point, the surisana 😅 and tbh I only noticed the blooms on this one by chance. Because I'm currently dealing with a nasty mite outbreak I left her in the prop box for ages. For protection and because I kind of forgot about get. Little light, no real watering only high humidity. And now this. She's a trooper. This is how "big" she is. Two leaves. Some roots. That's it. Easygoing. Can recommend 😅
@MusicalRedmint , your orchid picture of the 2nd post set,…the beautiful drama queen that is red, which catt is it? Gorgeous!!! 😍
@MusicalRedmint , would you please share the specifics of your spectacular lady slipper orchid? SO stunning and I would love any tips you’d be willing to share on the “more difficult and delicate,” orchids.
@Alucen, don't be discouraged. They mostly don't deserve their bad rep. Just water according to their schedule, not your own (go by their change in root color to tell you when it's time). Don't neglect them, but when I'm doubt, too little of anything is better than too much. (Don't keep them or the medium continually wet, they easily burn when the sun is too strong, fertilize only (if at all, in the beginning) worth weak orchid fertilizer).
Most of all, be aware of rot: only get water on the roots. Nowhere else. If you do, especially into the crown or near the stem, remove it, e.g. with a tissue. That's basically it.
Oh. And always remember most stores that sell them either don't have the time or expertise for good care and that for many issues phals are slow to show damage. Meaning: if those orchids you had died soon after purchase it might have already had received bad care in the shop. Many retail orchids already come with damaged roots, so it's best to check them at home and maybe repot them.
Into suitable orchid medium, not soil!
Oh, and because this is Greg, just in case: orchids are normal flowering plants🙃. They can bloom for a long time but not forever. Withering flowers and flower spike doesn't mean death. That's about it. Give them a chance. They aren't *that* difficult
Most of all, be aware of rot: only get water on the roots. Nowhere else. If you do, especially into the crown or near the stem, remove it, e.g. with a tissue. That's basically it.
Oh. And always remember most stores that sell them either don't have the time or expertise for good care and that for many issues phals are slow to show damage. Meaning: if those orchids you had died soon after purchase it might have already had received bad care in the shop. Many retail orchids already come with damaged roots, so it's best to check them at home and maybe repot them.
Into suitable orchid medium, not soil!
Oh, and because this is Greg, just in case: orchids are normal flowering plants🙃. They can bloom for a long time but not forever. Withering flowers and flower spike doesn't mean death. That's about it. Give them a chance. They aren't *that* difficult
Gotta love summer, @MamaLinne 😅 blooms everywhere.
And I'm so sorry. Life has been literally mad, so I didn't feel up to writing anything on here. But I did see your flowers and celebrated them accordingly with a little hoya flower dance. So happy for you. Sorry for not answering up to now.
And I'm so sorry. Life has been literally mad, so I didn't feel up to writing anything on here. But I did see your flowers and celebrated them accordingly with a little hoya flower dance. So happy for you. Sorry for not answering up to now.
@HolyLacealoe uhm.... not much to tell, really. I'm not even a phaphiopedilum fan 😀 I bought and keep it for my mother, so it's technically a boarder that is nice enough to pay rent by now blooming for the second time within the year.
I treat it just like the other orchids and that's it. No special treatment. Medium a bit more water retentive than others maybe, but not soil. I've read they are more on the terrestrial side but so far they didn't complain about my (still quite light) mix. Also, from growing phals, I'm used to ignore the "low light" disclaimer on any orchid. Those usually mean "low light... for an orchid". No direct light, but with too little light in general they won't bloom as well or even at all. Seems to have been the correct call here as well. This one in particular is placed under a growlight. Not a strong one but quite close to the light source. It's set to 12h and the paph apparently loves it.
Fertilizer is the same as all the others. Rain mix (the European equivalent to the MSU).
But the two most important points probably are:
- I always luck out with my plant obsessions in this apartment. It is high in humidity and hoya and orchids love that. Don't get me wrong, you can grow them in lower humidity to without any issue, but they seem to forgive a lot more, grow faster and bigger in my small swampy apartment than elsewhere 😅
And second: how old are your slippers? That's the main question really, depending on where you got it. Unless you got it from a flower shop with one bloom already, it might just not be mature yet. Paphs from what I've read are among the orchids that take a long time to mature: up to 7 years. And some nurseries sell them before they have reached flowering size. So maybe they aren't difficult, they just might need more time.
Good luck with yours. I've really not experienced this one as difficult, but maybe I just lucked out. 😅
I treat it just like the other orchids and that's it. No special treatment. Medium a bit more water retentive than others maybe, but not soil. I've read they are more on the terrestrial side but so far they didn't complain about my (still quite light) mix. Also, from growing phals, I'm used to ignore the "low light" disclaimer on any orchid. Those usually mean "low light... for an orchid". No direct light, but with too little light in general they won't bloom as well or even at all. Seems to have been the correct call here as well. This one in particular is placed under a growlight. Not a strong one but quite close to the light source. It's set to 12h and the paph apparently loves it.
Fertilizer is the same as all the others. Rain mix (the European equivalent to the MSU).
But the two most important points probably are:
- I always luck out with my plant obsessions in this apartment. It is high in humidity and hoya and orchids love that. Don't get me wrong, you can grow them in lower humidity to without any issue, but they seem to forgive a lot more, grow faster and bigger in my small swampy apartment than elsewhere 😅
And second: how old are your slippers? That's the main question really, depending on where you got it. Unless you got it from a flower shop with one bloom already, it might just not be mature yet. Paphs from what I've read are among the orchids that take a long time to mature: up to 7 years. And some nurseries sell them before they have reached flowering size. So maybe they aren't difficult, they just might need more time.
Good luck with yours. I've really not experienced this one as difficult, but maybe I just lucked out. 😅
@HolyLacealoe oh and there are no catts in the mix rn. Do you mean this one? That's a no ID oncidium I bought last year, I think at Aldi's 😅 so really I can't help you there. It's clearly some sort of complex intergeneric. The fragrance let's me assume some kind of brassia mixed in deep down, not very flowery. That would also account for those star shaped petals. Or maybe a cochlioda hybrid? There are just so, so many oncidium hybrids out there it's hard to tell - if it even has a name.
@MusicalRedmint I appreciate that very much. These are my favourite flowers, and it's just been so disheartening over the years to keep trying and keep failing, despite wanting so much to have a single pot of these flourish. I'll definitely keep this is mind if I get up the courage to try again. 💙
@MusicalRedmint no apologies necessary! Totally understandable and I do the same sometimes! Hope you’re well! 💕
@MusicalRedmint ahhh, lovely 🥰 Are all these blooms happening at once? 😱 Even if not, still impressive! Did I tell you my ‘Mathilde’ is peduncling too (is that a word? 😂)?? Not sure if you can see my photos today but if not I’ll include in the email I’ve almost finished to you! I got some…more hoyas over the last few weeks that have been great emotional support hoyas (e.g. FUZZY!!) and I’m super pleased that a couple rescue phals are doing really well! I love it when a rescue plant that you made sure NOT to invest in pulls through. For a bit I really didn’t think they were going to make it, but huzzah! Can I say Meine Orchid ist nett? sportlich? Those are the closest words I’ve learned to ‘strong.’ 🤣
Also @Alucen Alucen, Susann is spot on re orchid care, as per usual. Do you know the reasons why yours didn’t make it before? I think they have a bad rap for being difficult, but once you learn the signs to look for, like Susann mentioned—roots turn silvery grey when thirsty, they really can be one of the most chill (and glorious!) plants.
Also @Alucen Alucen, Susann is spot on re orchid care, as per usual. Do you know the reasons why yours didn’t make it before? I think they have a bad rap for being difficult, but once you learn the signs to look for, like Susann mentioned—roots turn silvery grey when thirsty, they really can be one of the most chill (and glorious!) plants.
@DreamMachine I'm not entirely sure, though I suspect watering was likely the issue. I'd lose one bloom, then another, then the stems would start to turn, and eventually the whole thing would just tank on me, every time.
@MusicalRedmint , yes the no id is the one that caught my eye. Also thank you for the information on the lady slippers. I had a teeny tiny one years ago that never bloomed and then was sent to orchid heaven. I didn’t know they could take that long to bloom. Mine died while I was still learning about orchids in general.
@MamaLinne thanks 😊 not sure. Depends on whether my at this point in time truly ridiculous unlucky streak intends to break or at least pause for some days sometime soon. 🙃 some jokester in the fate department truly seems to be having some fun with me right now. Thank you for your kind words.
@DreamMachine
My first impulse was to say not all at once, some pictures are a few days old.... and then I thought about it and was surprised myself. Because, actually, yes. They are all in bloom at the same time anyway. Or they were. The Viola dropped the flowers this morning and the bella still didn't get her growlight and will finish maybe tomorrow. The caramel scene sp.aff.burtoniae also is almost finished, dripping so heavily with nectar that it seems like water at this point - but unlike the other two she has 5 more peduncles incoming.
The cactus is truly ridiculous and getting more vibrant everyday. And the phal. Love Potion (the pink one) is facing a bit sooner this year because I wanted to smell her and didn't keep her smack down in the windowsill. But since during the heatwaves my curtains were closed during the days, sadly it seems to be a bit miffed by the subpar lighting conditions. 🤷♀️ first blooms are dropping. But she is still opening remaining buds, and the heat seems to be more manageable so maybe I'll be able to enjoy her for a little while longer still.
Congrats on the Mathilde. Told you she's an early one. Please get back to me on how you perceive its stin....ergh lovely fragrance. Genuinely interested.
And you know my stance on word formation.. Might not be a lexeme (yet 😅) but sure as heck is a word. Love me some conversion, or rather zero derivation to be more fancy. (to)peduncle for the win. And when they grow a lot at a time, they are clearly peduncaduncling. No question about it . (Autocorrect "corrected" the word "question" in that sentence to "wisdom", and now I feel called out🙃).
Pictures are on again, off again, but I've not yet again experienced weeks without pics, so post away, I'll always see them at some point (knock on wood).
Pro fuzz, pro stable rescue orchids. Always. My rescues annoyingly are doing better than some of the regular ones. Life was too hectic to notice some rather serious issues. Or rather, the remaining energy was too low to take those issues serious after I noticed it.
I already have created (relative) quarantine corners throughout my apartment because of the mites (stay with the broad mites, flat mites are way more annoying 0/10, can't recommend). So when I noticed that a rust fungus and another (probable bacterial) infection hadn't been quite as taken care of and dead as I had assumed.... there was no (quick low-effort) way to deal with them presently. Regrouping plants and spread the mites around even more/ again? Nope. Use my quarantine boxes? And raise the humidity around plants affected with fungal/ bacterial infections? Not exactly wise. So, i ignored the issue mostly, only treating symptoms best I could to slow down spread. For now I've lost one twinkle, one brassia, 2 catt seedlings that had been struggling anyway, and, worst of all, one of my beloved schillerianas. That one hit hard. Not only because it is lovely, bloomed several times a year with the most elegant spikes and best fragrance, but also because it was my most expensive plant to date (and I already bought it in seedling size). No way I can get a remotely similar one anytime soon the way my life is going rn. 😅
Anyway, I'm rambling... how did I get here? Ah. Yes. Lost a lot of deliberately purchased ones.... while all the rescues are thriving for now. There is some witty philosophical punch line hidden in that situation somewhere, I'm sure.
How are your mites doing? Evil and good?
Had to smile with regards to your chosen words. Nett is similar to nice, yes, which is where i assume you got it from. Nett, just like nice, is used either as a character trait (sombebody is nice), a behavior (they are being nice/ sie sind nett zu mir (it is more often used in a transitive way in this case, however, more like they are being nice to somebody). And lastly a thing is nice. Which is what made me smile. You could say (often with an additional qualifier "ganz" (losely translated quite) ) : " das essen war (ganz) nett" or "die Trauung war ganz nett" (the food was rather nice, the wedding ceremony was rather nice"). But what you are really saying would be "nothing special", "boring", "trite"... you get the picture. We have the saying "nett ist die kleine Schwester von Scheiße"... and I leave it to your budding German vocabulary to suss this one out in particular😅😈.
Sportlich is similar 😀 you can call a person sportlich (fit). But you would only use it in the narrow context for people. You *can* however use it more broadly to describe achievements for example. "Das war eine sportliche Leistung", "das war ganz schön sportlich". In those cases you basically express admiration for an achievement. Sportlich takes on an understated tone and sometimes it sounds like the extent of the accomplishment comes at a slight surprise. Something like "that was quite the achievement" . So yeah, I guess. Ganz schön sportlich of your phal rescues, I guess. But hopefully you will never describe their blooms as "ganz nett". I actually think the best word here would be the same as you might even choose in English. They are simply resilient. Die meisten Orchideen sind resilient. Yours obviously are.
All typed out now, the day is suddenly halfway over. Hmpf. Have a great day and do tell how your mite cultures are doing
My first impulse was to say not all at once, some pictures are a few days old.... and then I thought about it and was surprised myself. Because, actually, yes. They are all in bloom at the same time anyway. Or they were. The Viola dropped the flowers this morning and the bella still didn't get her growlight and will finish maybe tomorrow. The caramel scene sp.aff.burtoniae also is almost finished, dripping so heavily with nectar that it seems like water at this point - but unlike the other two she has 5 more peduncles incoming.
The cactus is truly ridiculous and getting more vibrant everyday. And the phal. Love Potion (the pink one) is facing a bit sooner this year because I wanted to smell her and didn't keep her smack down in the windowsill. But since during the heatwaves my curtains were closed during the days, sadly it seems to be a bit miffed by the subpar lighting conditions. 🤷♀️ first blooms are dropping. But she is still opening remaining buds, and the heat seems to be more manageable so maybe I'll be able to enjoy her for a little while longer still.
Congrats on the Mathilde. Told you she's an early one. Please get back to me on how you perceive its stin....ergh lovely fragrance. Genuinely interested.
And you know my stance on word formation.. Might not be a lexeme (yet 😅) but sure as heck is a word. Love me some conversion, or rather zero derivation to be more fancy. (to)peduncle for the win. And when they grow a lot at a time, they are clearly peduncaduncling. No question about it . (Autocorrect "corrected" the word "question" in that sentence to "wisdom", and now I feel called out🙃).
Pictures are on again, off again, but I've not yet again experienced weeks without pics, so post away, I'll always see them at some point (knock on wood).
Pro fuzz, pro stable rescue orchids. Always. My rescues annoyingly are doing better than some of the regular ones. Life was too hectic to notice some rather serious issues. Or rather, the remaining energy was too low to take those issues serious after I noticed it.
I already have created (relative) quarantine corners throughout my apartment because of the mites (stay with the broad mites, flat mites are way more annoying 0/10, can't recommend). So when I noticed that a rust fungus and another (probable bacterial) infection hadn't been quite as taken care of and dead as I had assumed.... there was no (quick low-effort) way to deal with them presently. Regrouping plants and spread the mites around even more/ again? Nope. Use my quarantine boxes? And raise the humidity around plants affected with fungal/ bacterial infections? Not exactly wise. So, i ignored the issue mostly, only treating symptoms best I could to slow down spread. For now I've lost one twinkle, one brassia, 2 catt seedlings that had been struggling anyway, and, worst of all, one of my beloved schillerianas. That one hit hard. Not only because it is lovely, bloomed several times a year with the most elegant spikes and best fragrance, but also because it was my most expensive plant to date (and I already bought it in seedling size). No way I can get a remotely similar one anytime soon the way my life is going rn. 😅
Anyway, I'm rambling... how did I get here? Ah. Yes. Lost a lot of deliberately purchased ones.... while all the rescues are thriving for now. There is some witty philosophical punch line hidden in that situation somewhere, I'm sure.
How are your mites doing? Evil and good?
Had to smile with regards to your chosen words. Nett is similar to nice, yes, which is where i assume you got it from. Nett, just like nice, is used either as a character trait (sombebody is nice), a behavior (they are being nice/ sie sind nett zu mir (it is more often used in a transitive way in this case, however, more like they are being nice to somebody). And lastly a thing is nice. Which is what made me smile. You could say (often with an additional qualifier "ganz" (losely translated quite) ) : " das essen war (ganz) nett" or "die Trauung war ganz nett" (the food was rather nice, the wedding ceremony was rather nice"). But what you are really saying would be "nothing special", "boring", "trite"... you get the picture. We have the saying "nett ist die kleine Schwester von Scheiße"... and I leave it to your budding German vocabulary to suss this one out in particular😅😈.
Sportlich is similar 😀 you can call a person sportlich (fit). But you would only use it in the narrow context for people. You *can* however use it more broadly to describe achievements for example. "Das war eine sportliche Leistung", "das war ganz schön sportlich". In those cases you basically express admiration for an achievement. Sportlich takes on an understated tone and sometimes it sounds like the extent of the accomplishment comes at a slight surprise. Something like "that was quite the achievement" . So yeah, I guess. Ganz schön sportlich of your phal rescues, I guess. But hopefully you will never describe their blooms as "ganz nett". I actually think the best word here would be the same as you might even choose in English. They are simply resilient. Die meisten Orchideen sind resilient. Yours obviously are.
All typed out now, the day is suddenly halfway over. Hmpf. Have a great day and do tell how your mite cultures are doing
