Worrying orchids to death

[SouthPark]

Keith --- I agree ----- in that --- there is not much we can do - except to do our best. Not everybody goes online to orchid forums, and not everybody has all the information, or knows experienced orchid growers.

But - I guess, the old saying goes ------ we can only do our best. This particular orchid forum does have a sticky - such as the phalaenopsis one, that can help anybody that visits this particular forum.

Another sticky could just contain a general set of rule of thumb - including finding out as much about growing orchids, or particular orchids as possible prior to growing one (if possible). And rules of thumb about orchid roots requiring enough oxygen - so avoid drowning. And also about benefits of gentle air-circulation to avoid mold/fungus on leaves, stem etc. Avoiding crown rot. Adequate light. Suitable temperature range. Adequate humidity. Fertilising and mag-cal scheduling. Equipment, media, items to have on hand - including treatments for fungus/pests etc.

A little can certainly lead to a lot of information. But it should be possible to have some general rule of thumb points ----- and then anybody can branch off and develop from there.

[Roberta]

Adding to "Orchids teach patience" (my mantra) I also am delighted to quote the brilliant Bulbophyllum (among many other things) grower Bill Thoms, who advocates for your "Hidden secret power, the Power of Observation, or POO" Exercise your POO! Orchid growing benefits from your POO!

[estación seca]

People also need to remember an orchid, its medium, its surroundings and its container are an ecosystem. There are going to be harmless fungi and bugs in there. If people can't handle that they need another hobby. I wish these germ phobes could look at their surroundings with a microscope.

I see this all the time with people who want a pond. They freak out when a little algae grows on the walls. A pond is not a bath tub and not a washing machine. Ponds have algae, microorganisms and insects along with the fish people put into them. A pond with completely transparent water is called a chlorinated swimming pool.

[My Green Pets]

I fully agree. The only way I'm really going to take another grower seriously, YouTuber or otherwise, is if I have a clear view of their collection and it is consistently in excellent condition, or close to it.

I guess that is the benefit of people sharing videos and photos on the various social media platforms. A discerning viewer, newbie or not, should be able to figure out who actually knows what they are talking about. As I heard Roger Frampton say in one of his videos, "The proof is in the pudding."

Ed's Orchids for example, his Paphs and Phrags are immaculate. Beautifully grown, some of the best I'd ever seen. The second I saw his collection, I started taking notes.

Maybe OrchidBoard members could create and maintain a current and curated list of growers on social media who have the OB seal of approval.

Originally Posted by Dusty Ol' Man

I think there is merit to what ES said about youtube. Warning newcomers to the variety of conflicting information across the web and directing them to the wealth of successful growers right here could go a long way in saving them so much stress. I stay away from youtube most of the time, and when I do view an orchid video it is usually by one of our own. When it isn't, I find myself shaking my head at the bad advice.

[tmoney]

as beginners i would offer that we obsess too much, but there are a couple reasons why i think this is so. (for the record, i personally worry and obsess, but the better half is super relaxed about them and you wouldn’t even know she cared sometimes...she has a good balance about most things!)

1. orchids can be expensive and, unless you buy at a grocery store, some effort must be put into acquiring them. thus, i want them to perform their best and of course not die straight away or linger on for months not doing anything at all. i personally don’t care about any old houseplant we get at the corner plant store. if it dies i only paid a couple euro for it and i can go get another one.

2. the flowers are beautiful and unique (obvs), which is why most of us get into growing them. often we may get a tease when we buy one already in flower and so want to see them again. in my head i equate it to investing. thru this year we have put a lot of time, money, research, and effort into investing in our phals to get the most bang for our buck thru winter and into next summer (and hopefully beyond). the difference is with stocks and stuff, you get quarterly earnings statements and can see how you are doing....with paphs you just gotta wait and see and hope you did things right. i obsess over the leaf and root development and bug signs as sort of my quarterly statements on my investment.

3. plants in general (and also other organisms) have a way of trapping the human brain. i have gone thru this for years with different groups of plants. i can’t help it, it is truly an obsession. plus, they are right there in your living room and looking over them for me is a sort of meditation, in much the same way i approach my bonsai trees. i feel i get something from them energy wise when i spend time on them. and the psychedelic side of me says the plants get something too!!

so anyways, as always i really hope my posts don’t come across as hegemonic or anything, i just try to put out a beginners perspective when i feel i have something to contribute!

reedit cause i forgot my main thought, and that was for sure the plants do better when i am forced to stop worrying and obsessing over them! that’s why my girl and i make such a great team cause she can just sit there and tell me to chill out!

[SouthPark]

Also .... among the best we can do ..... can be to put into the sticky .... a notice that encourages some orchid growers to discuss the situation before doing something possibly 'drastic'.

[K-Sci]

Originally Posted by tmoney

as beginners i would offer that we obsess too much, but there are a couple reasons why i think this is so.

I would be very surprised if it were not the case that every last one of the experienced collectors posting here recognized at least some part of the OP as something they lived through themselves.

...and from time to time probably still do.

-Keith

[Dusty Ol' Man]

...and from time to time probably still do.

Especially when one of my plants is struggling!

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by K-Sci

I would be very surprised if it were not the case that every last one of the experienced collectors posting here recognized at least some part of the OP as something they lived through themselves.

While that might be true - the situation or circumstances aren't always straight forward. Because the conditions and challenges are different through the world, and depends on where people live - country, city, and their resource - what equipment and accessories they can get, and have access to. Budget, environment. Lots of things.

Some people even assume that everybody has mobile phones, and internet, and unlimited internet access ---- in order to gather information about orchid growing, and other things.

So for those people that don't use the internet that much, or at all, and don't visit orchid forums etc ------ then ----- we're back to the beginning again. There's nothing much that can be done - except to just do what we can ----- such as have a sticky in this forum --- so that if newcomers just so-happen to visit this forum, then they can read the sticky - and start from there.

The information taught there, and in this forum, and orchid books, and other places such as nursery guidance, and orchid club/society guidance etc ----- will certainly spread and propagate out. How fast or slow --- doesn't necessarily matter. But ----- it will. Many people will benefit one way or another.

[SouthPark]

I forgot to mention - that I totally disagree with those people that reckon that it's necessary to kill LOTS of orchids (eg in the hundreds or thousands etc) during their 'learning' or gaining experience phase. It absolutely is not 'necessary' to do that in order to become pretty good at growing regular phalaenopsis or cattleya sorts of orchids - provided that the environment in the particular part of the world is suitable for that sort of orchid.

And - also - one orchid grower and another one may have various different approaches and resources (for learning) ---- and different abilities in terms of applying what has been learned, and decision making processes etc.

So - after doing what we can to help others ----- it then becomes up to individual growers to do what they can. So overall - that's all we can do. That is all there is to it.