| Haha Prisana, how did you know I was about to buy another Orchid, I went looking for a smaller pot yesterday they didn't have any 3" pots (of any kind) where I went yesterday so I am going to Lowes. I ended up looking at other Orchid plants too and was thinking of getting another one. Didn't see any that I really liked but I am sure I will find another. Some of the ones they had were blooming but looked sicker than mine! The ones they had where I went were Phalaenopsis and buried in soaking wet sawdust stuff. I also have been looking on Ebay. I am sort of stuck on the ones that look like corsages like your avatar and I guess these are all Cattleyas that look like this. Some of the others are pretty cool too but that is the kind I like the most. I have been reading a lot about these lately and I think my main problem was that I thought they actually needed to grow down into the medium but have finally got it through my head that they are air loving plants and only need the medium to hold them and provide some extra water and should be mostly planted on top of it. I am sure mine has some rotten roots because I buried it so deep. One article I read even described the wrinkled/shriveled up leaves as a symptom of rotten roots. I was also looking at the rest of my bag of Schultz potting media this morning and I think it has WAY too much charcoal in it. I think they screwed up when they mixed it up or something. I noticed on my plant that there are little hunks of charcoal embedded in the roots so that can't be good. I think it was trying to eat them so I have officially named it Audrey. Anyways, I am going to try and save this one and find a blooming Cattleya for my Mom and maybe one for me too. I don't mind waiting for this one to recover and I really like the slow growing aspect of the Orchid. It is pretty neat to keep something alive for two or three years and then have it grow a cool flower.
On a side note, one of her Amaryllis plants made a seed pod this year so I am going to try to grow some Amaryllis plants from seed too. I love growing things from seed. Did a Wave Petunia basket from seed for my mom this year and it is doing good and the sprouts are about 4". Also have several other sproutlings from the seed I got from Ebay planted in 3" peat pots that will go in other baskets after they get bigger. I also grew some cherry tomato plants from seed for her garden. We are letting the Amaryllis seed pod dry out right now. I am pretty excited about trying to grow them from seed. To me it is neat how they take such a long time to make a flower (just like Orchids). Watching a seed grow is to witness one of Gods miracles! That little tiny thing coming alive and making a living plant from nothing but dirt, water and air is amazing to me! Now that I am getting little bit of a clue, Orchids are even cooler in the way they grow.  |