Disclaimer!
This orchid is not even technically mine, however, it is under my supervision. It is my mother's, so I guess her patience paid off. The way I have it set up, in a pot with pebbles of coco coir, it needs to be spritzed every day or at least every other day. I have the greenest thumb in the house or maybe I'm just the most observant. Sometimes I spoil them and spritz them multiple times a day if I notice the roots have turned pale green again.
When the initial blooms it already had became spent, I was hopeful for the green flower spike that remained. For a long time I thought that the little higher branch was going to make some buds. The plant had other plans. It produced a fresh branch with new buds that began to swell, just like my excitement.
Now, it's only a matter of time! I have never experienced this so I don't know if it will take days or hours!
Within a few hours, that afternoon, it looked like this. It did not finish by the end of the day.
I was greeted by a pleasant surprise the next morning! I feel like this is such a great accomplishment! Perhaps I can put this on my plant resume, haha!
I think the orchids will be happier if I give them less airflow. Less?! Why? Well, I think they are getting too much and that's why I have to water so frequently (besides the dryness of the house). I might incorporate some moss into their substrate in order to hold more water for longer. However, I would not plant them in 100% moss because that is how they come from the store and it is not a good environment.
I'm not saying moss is bad, but a solid brick of it is not going to let any air in or allow the roots to get sunlight and air. Besides the flowers themselves, I think the coolest part of an orchid is its roots. I love the way they grow and it's cool to see them turn dark green after being watered.
Sidenote: I want to invest in some keiki paste in order to propagate some clones of my beloved orchids!
Thanks for visiting my poor little orchid!