Reminders ..
Every single day I have to remember to tell myself this .. "Remember to make time to be happy today". Life is full of mistakes, heartaches, rain clouds and uncertainty. I mentally have to remember to carve out a little time for myself, simply to enjoy life and to find happiness in what ever for it takes. And sometimes that comes in the form of remembering the past and how fun it really was.
The First Orchid Post ..
Wow, over 4 years now since I wrote my first post about Orchids.. Countless posts later, here I am. I don't know how many I've written on the topic thus far. I tried counting them one day so that I could number each post.. something like 'Orchid Update #132' .. I gave up on that. But I did locate the first post I wrote, and I wrote it on January 30th, 2020.
The photo you see on my post banner (and the one below) are from that very first post. The Orchids have come a long way since then, and the memories are still bringing a smile to my face. Although I miss my little 'Pepper Boy' something terrible, thinking of him smelling those Orchids brings a subtle smile to my face .. And there is my "Happy Moment" for today. How is it that I can manage to smile and have a tear to wipe from my eyes at the same time? I take a deep breath and find the thoughts inspirational.
Orchid Update #???
So let's get into this update now that I'm inspired .. Whatever numbered Orchid post this actually is, the principle concept is roughly the same.. To try and make Orchids interesting in under 1,000 words. Most of you know by now that I tend to be a little long winded when I write. Not intentionally though. I just find it hard to say what I want to say using a few hundred words.. something I am determined to fix one day.
The Orchids.. Let's see. First the girls sitting on the floor by the door. They like their spot there, full of morning sun and warm temps. These Dendrobiums, Cattleya, and Bellara Orchids are all doing very well. I shared a while back that they were all pushing out new pseudobulbs. All of that growth is steadily maturing into healthy and happy shoots. We expect a nice bloom season in the late winter into early spring 2025.
The two Cattleya Orchids pictured above are also quietly putting their energy into developing those new pseudobulbs. The new growth is maturing so well that it is now very hard to point it out. I can still see that the newest bulbs are a lighter green color then last seasons growth, but everyday it gets harder to notice them. That's good though. It means they are preparing to develop those flower bud sheaths I mentioned in posts back. Blooms, blooms.. Gimmie Blooms! Soon enough and it will be worth the wait.
Maxillariella Orchid .. 'AKA' - Coconut Orchid .. This little gal is really needy. Water water water water water.. I need to come up with a plan on possibly repotting her into a larger pot with material that can retain moisture longer. It seems like I can never keep up with the watering requirements for this Orchid. You may see in the pictures that her pseudobulbs are looking like large, flat, green raisins. Not supposed to look that way. Those pseudobulbs should be smooth and shiny. I'll work on that!
Eventually I will be able to cut off the pseudobulbs that are growing higher up in the foliage, after they grow a few roots, and plant them in their own post to start new plants. Already we have seen this little gem of an Orchid put on substantial growth, since bringing her home from the Orchid farm about 5 months ago. And the aroma that comes from her flowers is amazing.. smells just like coconut (or sunscreen.. whichever you prefer).
Moving on to the Vanda Orchids .. They are happy just hanging out. Literally. My niece was so helpful recently when we went away on our trip to St John. She stopped by every day to water them and keep an eye on the house. They owe her their lives! lol.
I was REALLY hoping to find them a permanent, summer seasonal spot outdoors this year, but it appears that won't happen. Moving them outside into the heat and humidity would have helped to promote blooms, but I just couldn't find a spot that had filtered sun. I need to build an Orchid house for all my Orchids, but we had a few other projects going and just couldn't carve out the time to get that done. Next year I guess.
One of them has a few keiki (pronounced "kay-kee") forming at her base. They were there when we purchased the plant in March of this year. I can't say I have seen much growth when it comes to their size or independent root systems. It's going to be quite a while until they can be removed from the mother plant. They have to develop their own roots system first (approx. 3 roots about 1 inch long each). To repeat.. It's going to be a while.
Speaking Of Keiki .. Let's dive into to the Phalaenopsis Orchids. They are all doing quite amazing. They've come a long way since that unmentionable incident where I tried to kill them all by switching up media and pots. But we are past all that and have turned a new page.. forgive and forget is what they would say if they could speak.
Phalaenopsis Keiki .. I noticed about 3 months ago that one of our Phal Orchids was growing a basal keiki at her base. In three months that little keiki has grown a considerable amount. I think it may have quadrupled in size since that post.
This photo is from today..
And below is a photo from back in early may..
Now that I look at the two photos side by side, the whole plant appears to look quite healthier from where it was 3 months ago. I'm doing something right for a change!
And possibly more Keiki ??? I noticed a small growth forming between two leaf nodes on another one of our Phalaenopsis Orchids. It doesn't appear to be a root or a bloom stem, so I am going to say this may be another Keiki forming. If so, wow.. that's cool. It's rare for Keiki to naturally form (not using hormones), that to have two so close together is quite exciting. I could be wrong, but what else could it possibly be?
Last But NOT Least ..
I can not forget about our tiny Phal Orchid .. I am still nursing this one back from death. This is the last one to turn the corner and escape the grim reaper's black death grasp. It won't be long before we can move her to a big girl pot. We lost several Orchids, but this one I was able to save.. and that feels good.
Making Time To Be Happy
That's what we're doing.
Giving it our best shot at the very least.
Happy Sunday!
“What if she wants to be alone?”
She has a point. It’s possible.
But people don’t run or hide only when they want to be alone.
“What if,” I say, “she needs to know she isn’t?”
“(She's) become my best friend the way the others did.
Bit by bit, sand passing through an hour glass so slowly,
it's impossible to pin down the moment it happens.
When suddenly,
more of my heart belongs to (her) than doesn't,
and I know I'll never get a single grain back.”
― Emily Henry, Happy Place
