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Friday, June 14, 2013

A Happy Orchid is a Pretty Orchid!

This morning, I carefully inspected the site where that yellow leaf had fallen off.  Since the leaf fell off naturally, I wasn't as concerned as if I had to remove it using some type of sharp cutting tool.  It looked healed and it's drying out nicely:


Still being such a beginner, I know I am a very insecure Orchid caretaker.  However, upon further inspection, she looks to be in good shape. 



Recently, I made a few slight modifications regarding my still evolving Orchid care routine:

1)  I am giving her more fan time in the morning to get some good air circulation between the blooms, leaves, and those roots.

2)  I added a bit more of the bark media over the exposed roots at the base of the plant.  I was concerned that when she's sunning, her roots are vulnerable to sunburn during the weekends.

3)  I started watering her with a small plastic cup to eliminate the possibility of getting water in the crown or lodged between the small crevices near the basal leaves.

4)  I am a lot more selective of when to water.  I am now sampling a few areas within the center of the pot and outer rim seeking moisture or cool media prior to opting to water.  I have adopted the mantra I learned from the orchid board:  "If in doubt, wait a day" . Orchids are able to tolerate underwatering a lot better than rotted roots due to overwatering.

So after these small tweaks, I can now profess that she's adapted nicely to the office environment and the care I have been giving her.  She's taught me a lot over the past few weeks.

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