Reviving Orchids, Huge Improvement after a Month!

Taking care of orchids wasn't something I wanted to do. Three were passed on to me last May. I honestly had no clue how to care for it. It did not turn out well. All of them almost died, well, one is still in ICU. I just couldn't get the hang of watering it. Mom had a lot of orchids and the only thing she taught me was to use charcoal, water well and remove the white hard skin. 

So I followed her and watered the orchids everyday. It ended in disaster. The roots rotted and I realized unlike Mom, the orchids that were sent to me were cocooned in moss. It kept the roots of the orchids wet. I guess that's how they do it to keep the flowers looking fresh. I didn't know you should immediately remove the moss and re-pot it. 

Yup, it was that bad.

I only found out when Kuya gave me orchids for my birthday. The flowers started immediately! I thought it was just the flowers, but it didn't look well after a month. So one fine October day I got to work. I followed the advise of Happiness Garden. Removed all the orchids from their pots and took out the moss. I removed the roots that rotted and gave them a garlic and ginger bath. Then I re-potted them in a terracotta pot with coco cubes as the main medium. 

After removing the medium.

To ensure I wasn't overwatering I would stick my finger under the roots to check for moisture. I give them a garlic bath once a week and then I just spray them with rain water almost everyday. The leaves now have a nice sheen and the roots have grown. I was really surprised to see the youngest sprout a new stem after just a few weeks. I think it will eventually sprout some flowers. 

Hopefully a flower coming soon!

One month after. Roots are a nice shade of green.

Mom always reassured me I don't have a brown thumb. I just need to work on learning how to care for my plants better. Orchids though to be honest are hard to care for. I need to check Mom's orchids to see how she had been potting them. I know she also attached them to driftwood before. I also need to discover how she had been able to make them produce flowers all year round. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plantita Saturdays: Caring for Orchids?

TBH I haven't the faintest idea about caring for orchids. My Mom lovedd them and she successfully got them to bloom year after year. She tried to get me into it, but I found it too complicated. She'd give me easy to do tasks. The only thing I remember is never to water the flower and leaves, keep them on pots with charcoal or bunot (coco husk). Give them fertilizer every so often and that orchids like egg shells. 

I received three pots of orchids last week. It came in a decorative crate. After a few days the flowers started to wilt and I knew they had to be re-potted and watered. Watched a few videos and did some research. I wasn't sure if it was safe to use coco peat only. The plant started to wilt and I thought it wasn't good for it to stay enclosed in plastic.

Found some unused terracotta pots and transplanted the two orchids. I filled it up with coco peat and they looked okay in it for a few days. I ordered some coco husk in case I needed to re-pot them again. Good thing I did because they didn't look good after awhile. Transferred the three orchids yesterday and hope they get better drainage in their new set-up. 

One thing I'm not sure about how much sunlight they should get. I read they should only get morning sun and should be protected from the afternoon sun. Mom used to place her orchids under a tree or some shade. They got morning sun, but would also get wet if it rained. They survived. Since it's been very hot, I have placed the three pots just outside my craft room. They would get some morning sun and I might put a net on the side to protect them from the afternoon sun. 

Here's hoping they would survive.

#BeKind #StaySafe