Here’s my original post on Feddit.org, a german instance: https://photon.slrpnk.net/post/17757233

I still made quite some effort to translate it manually for you.

I bought two phalaenopsis orchids about two months ago.

A pink, and a gold one.

First the pink one. I got it from a discounter, and… well it already looked like shit when I bought it. The roots were pretty much all dead.

Now, it recovered, and even put out its’ first flower spike!

It still looks a bit dehydrated/ leathery, but otherwise it’s in a stable condition and recovers very well.

The other one is from a proper garden center, AND IT LOOKED EVEN WORSE!

Not only were the roots completely mush, but it also had a new buddy in its sleeve, I call him “worm buddy”, my new pet.

Now, it looks like this:

It grew new flower pods and already started to bloom! How awesome is that?

On top of that, I showed the pictures a worker in the shop I bought it, and they were so embarrassed, that they gave me a voucher for a new plant, because they called it “inrecoverable”. So I got this Oncidium orchid additionally for free:

This post is just a small reminder that plants can be very tolerant to anything, and with some luck and experience, you can save them.

  • picnicolas@slrpnk.net
    2·
    2 days ago

    Wonderful! Do you have any tips or resources for orchid care? What’s the rocky stuff you put them in? I’ve always seen bark chips but my orchids aren’t happy.

    • Guenther_Amanita 🍄@slrpnk.netOP
      2·
      2 days ago

      I don’t have any “secret advice” so to speak off, sadly. But I can tell you everything I do “right”.

      First of all, I have zero experience with orchids yet, except those ones. Everything I know is from what I’ve researched.

      First, high air humidity and indirect light. They don’t like direct sun blasting on them or prolonged very low RHs, like most other houseplants.
      That’s why they’re behind a very thin white curtain, or in my bathroom.

      And about those rock pebbles: they’re called “LECA”, or hydroton, or expanded clay pebbles. They’re a kind of hydroponic medium.
      Because they’re in this special setup, called “semi-hydro”, they receive optimal conditions, with lots of air, nutrients, and steady stable water supply. Because they have stable and perfect conditions, they are less stressed and grow optimally.

      Regarding the other benefits of hydroponics itself (pest control, etc.), you can read countless reports and literature about it, and also check out [email protected] in the meantime, where I might make a post about this setup soon.

      It’s absolutely great, I really recommend you trying that!

      • picnicolas@slrpnk.net
        2·
        2 days ago

        Thank you! LECA sounds like great stuff, I’ve ordered some and I’ll give it a try. Do you just water with a diluted orchid fertilizer?

        • Guenther_Amanita 🍄@slrpnk.netOP
          1·
          1 day ago

          You can’t just use LECA straight as a 1:1 replacement for soil (or bark in your case).

          Right now, I’ve made a introduction guide for example that, but sadly only in German yet. You can try to read it by translating it automatically via your browser, maybe it works.

          https://photon.slrpnk.net/post/slrpnk.net/17681128

          In that post I also explain what fertilizer I use.

          TL;DR: Wash and soak your LECA first after arrivial, and use orchid fertilizer at 1/2 strength or so. But proper hydro fertiliser should be better.