My Dendrobium: Looking so Pretty and Strong Despite the Insect Damage
Happy Monday, Hivers!! I hope your week has started great ☀️
This morning, I was greeted by this pretty cluster of Dendrobiums. It's a different cluster than the one I shared last week. Almost all the purple ones are blooming this month. I was in awe when I saw them.
Their petals and sepals look so pretty against the bright morning sky. I have had these orchids for a long time, but I still get excited every time I see new blooms or buds about to bloom. I think I'm a person with shallow happiness 😁
But I was slightly heartbroken when I noticed some petals had bite marks or holes, maybe from some insects. I tried to inspect each flower and leaf carefully to find the cause, but I couldn't find any. The leaves don't seem to have any bites, only the flowers. Maybe the culprit munched on the flowers, then jumped onto another plant.
(The left petal has holes on it. )
(This one doesn't seem to have any damage)
In order to protect the rest of the flowers, I need to spray some isopropyl alcohol on the flowers and leaves, but not the roots. I did this after sunset so the flowers won't dry out and the leaves won't have brown spots. Isopropyl is harsh on bugs, and it can harm plants when exposed to direct sunlight or heat. So, sundown is the best time to treat plants. I also dissolved a scoop of detergent powder in a pail of water. I poured it on the bamboo stand to kill whatever is hiding in there. And I poured the rest on the ground. This will prevent some bugs and crawlers from climbing up the bamboo stand. The next morning, I need to water them before sunset to wash out the alcohol and the detergent to avoid damage to the flowers, leaves, and roots. This method seems to be effective on my plants, not just the orchids, but also on my roses, hibiscus, and other plants. If you haven't tried it yet but want to, please do some research first and be cautious.
There is still one bud left to bloom. I hope the orchids remain healthy until the last bud blooms.
This is what the whole orchid looks like on the bamboo stand. Some of the purple orchids I shared last week have already withered and lost all their leaves. This one looks pretty despite the bite marks and holes on some of its sepals and petals.
This shows me that life should continue to bloom despite the challenges. Problems may bite you and leave holes, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying life. Keep blooming, my friend!! 🌸
🌸 Texts and Images by vvodjiu@vvodjiu 🌸
🌺 The lead photo was made using ChatGPT Image Generator. All of my photos were edited in Lightroom for minimal enhancements 🌺