I have on my table beside my laptop a pair of orchids. I picked up the orchid from outside a church, where the Parish priest had been transferred months ago, and this plant in a plastic pot was rolling around in his garden struggling to survive the heat of summer. Since the time I brought it home and re-potted it, it has never bloomed. The last time I re-potted it, in June, I separated the two shoots and planted them in two separate containers. Both have picked up well. Now in one of the bigger plants there is a small stalk coming up and I feel it is a flower stalk, not an aerial root.
I've never used any chemical sprays or fertilizers so far. Just plain rain water and perhaps some natural fertilizers like chicken pellet powder or eggshell powder, once in a way. I was in no haste to make it bloom. I have been happy watching it grow. Even if it does yield just one flower it is fine by me. I'm not pushing the plant into some race to produce a large stalk of lengthy flowers. I've been watching and observing what the plant takes in best and being happy just to see it grow. The shift from the room below to the one in the attic has not been really helpful for the plants. Down below they enjoyed a great amount of direct sun on the window. Here I don't have a window, just a sunroof. The growth has indeed been slow. A real lesson for me in patience. But as both the plants put out new leaves and roots, and one even ready to flower, I feel happy. I hope the plant does too!
Many question the point of having an orchid plant but no flower! I have no such expectations. I'm happy with the plant looking healthy, even without a flower. That's the reason, I'm not feeding it any artificial products. I want the plant to be at home, without more than the already artificial settings!
I've never used any chemical sprays or fertilizers so far. Just plain rain water and perhaps some natural fertilizers like chicken pellet powder or eggshell powder, once in a way. I was in no haste to make it bloom. I have been happy watching it grow. Even if it does yield just one flower it is fine by me. I'm not pushing the plant into some race to produce a large stalk of lengthy flowers. I've been watching and observing what the plant takes in best and being happy just to see it grow. The shift from the room below to the one in the attic has not been really helpful for the plants. Down below they enjoyed a great amount of direct sun on the window. Here I don't have a window, just a sunroof. The growth has indeed been slow. A real lesson for me in patience. But as both the plants put out new leaves and roots, and one even ready to flower, I feel happy. I hope the plant does too!
Many question the point of having an orchid plant but no flower! I have no such expectations. I'm happy with the plant looking healthy, even without a flower. That's the reason, I'm not feeding it any artificial products. I want the plant to be at home, without more than the already artificial settings!
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