On Growing Orchids (Part Two)

On Growing Orchids (Part Two)

Part Two - Patience Works Wonders With Orchids

When I got home, I immediately unwrapped the plants, but John had cautioned me not to water them then, or try to do anything with them for a day or so, until they had 'adjusted to their new environment'. So I just placed them on the table and did not move them again for the next few days. I wondered if they would really be all right or if they might have been frost bitten. I just hated the thought of losing even one of them, much less all of them because of the cold weather.

One of the plants had a leaf that had been bent back a bit in one place, so I straightened that out, hoping that it would be all right too.

I was also a bit concerned that the one that was planted in moss might need to be transplanted into a flower pot containing bark. John had advised me that I could do that at a later time, if I wanted to do so. I decided to wait and see how well they would fare. He explained that moss was also a legitimate media for growth in their natural habitat. (I am increasingly certain about them needing a bark chip 'soil' as the ones in bark are actually doing better than the one that is in the moss. I still need to get some bark for it one of these days.)

A few days later, I gently placed them in a corner of the living room, by an easterly window, where John had said that he thought there would be appropriate lighting for them. He told me that the 'secret' to growing them was to put them where there is some 'indirect' or 'filtered light'.

He explained that they do not do well in 'direct' sun and in their natural habitat are in a relatively dark and humid setting sheltered by a lot of tree leaves. Huge, sudden, violent rain storms are not infrequent in the area of the rain forest.

Where I put them appears to be quite appropriate and thus they have been sitting there ever since I placed them on my stereo, behind the semi-shear curtain. Since the window does face the east, there is morning sun that comes in to brighten up the day.

John had also advised me that orchids only get watered (and not a lot), only one time per week, explaining that they don't like 'wet feet' (...but then who does?) So I watered them very cautiously the first time, with water that was at room temperature. He had suggested that I let the water sit overnight before it was used to water the plants, just in case that there was any chlorine in the water. By that time, it was a Friday and I decided that Friday, every week, would be their regular watering day.

I was absolutely thrilled to have the orchids especially, when on December 31, 2003, my first one blossomed for New Year's Day and stayed in bloom right through until May 12, 2004. It had taken six months to get the first blossom. (I actually wrote down the dates.)

The first orchid that blossomed had the most wonderful five or six bright pink flowers. The second orchid that blossomed also had the same kind of pink flowers that opened in June of 2004 and the third one, a few months later, in September. This one had the same kind of flowers but they were white with a pink center. So similar and yet so different. What a joy to behold!

I quickly learned the hard way, that orchids do not like to be moved and that they drop their flowers the next day or so, if you do move the plants while they are in blossom. I have lost some blossoms several times now, simply by lifting the plants to dust under them, so generally, when they are in blossom, I do not move them at all.

I think my four plants were in a mild state of shock for a while, after I received them from John, as each one lost a leaf or two over the first few months. It appears that when the leaves are going to fall off, they turn a yellowish-orange colour and gradually dry up, becoming quite wrinkled. They cling tightly to the plant and only fall off when they are ready to do so, and not one moment sooner. You cannot just pull them off until they are ready to let go. Then they almost fall off, breaking away at the base, a bit at a time.

I really have no idea how long it takes for them to start blossoming if you start with baby plants, but I suspect that if the conditions are right, it does not take very long, maybe a year or so before they start to blossom. I do give them a very small amount of orchid fertilizer once a month or so, just to encourage the growth and propagation.

John, by the way, was immensely pleased when I told him that I had managed to get the first one to bloom. "You did it right!" I remember him saying, with a big smile on his face. I reminded him that I did have a good teacher too, which makes all the difference in the world.