How sick can orchid growing make us? - Page 2 - Orchid Board

frostedeyes · #11 10-29-2008, 10:49 AM

ok! how bout me! i cant stand looking at my orchids i always see them degreading but the thing is.. theyre not... its all in my head! ok...its a neverending nightmare! if one problem is solved another problem will pop out! ive solved the blooming.. now its the pest, and an upcoming problem which is my renanthera and aerides hasnt produce any new roots! gosh! i dream about orchids! LOL! and i wake up so early because i might forget to water them and wouldnt be dry by night! see... how cruel orchid can get! lol! i always curse my friend for getting me hooked on this hobby! Lol! but anyway its ok! hahaha!

frostedeyes · #12 10-29-2008, 10:50 AM

and the neverending use of calculator with the gallons and grams and teaspoon and tablespoon! its really mind boggling! ok...im a guy who worry alot!

Leisurely · #13 10-29-2008, 12:45 PM

Forgive me for saying that you are a control freak. Stop worrying and pampering your plants and you will enjoy them more. Orchids are tough plants and if you have to skip doing something for a couple of days they are not going to pout. They thrive more on a little neglect than a lot of pampering.

Cookiemonster · #14 10-29-2008, 01:06 PM

Frosted buddy, you need to chill out- LOL your going to kill yourself young because of the plants! I know at times the situation can be frustrating, or even depressing, but its all part of the game

It will all come around, you just do what you can, and heck if they choose to be fussy or want to commit suicide- LET THEM lol. dont take anything too seriously!!

JennS · #15 10-29-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frostedeyes

ok! how bout me! i cant stand looking at my orchids i always see them degreading but the thing is.. theyre not... its all in my head! ok...its a neverending nightmare! if one problem is solved another problem will pop out! ive solved the blooming.. now its the pest, and an upcoming problem which is my renanthera and aerides hasnt produce any new roots! gosh! i dream about orchids! LOL! and i wake up so early because i might forget to water them and wouldnt be dry by night! see... how cruel orchid can get! lol! i always curse my friend for getting me hooked on this hobby! Lol! but anyway its ok! hahaha!

I can understand where you are coming from. At first, I was always very worried about my orchids too. People told me they were sensitive plants or hard to grow, but not really once you get the hang of it. Also, once you don't have a choice and have to neglect them a time or two, that should settle your nerves some to see that they make it out OK.

I also used to worry about pests, slow growth, etc., but then I realized it is more fun to be happy about the good things happening with them then worry about the bad! At least they are alive, right?

That is something to be happy about! I agree that sometimes it almost seems like the orchids are toying with us! Either way though, you are hooked now and there is no turning back! Welcome to the world of orchids!

Des · #16 10-29-2008, 02:56 PM

Well I suppose I have had my fair share of mishaps ,bites and poisoning the most memorable are having a ladder blown away from underneath my feet while repairing my greenhouse roof at 6 am in the morning when a sudden gale-force wind struck. Having to cling to the gutter and scream for my wife to help. She continued to sleep soundly through all my calling for help. But my neighbors did not and were laughing at my predicament when i fell .I got to spend 3 weeks eating hospital food for that!
Then there was the time when a Cymbidium leaf gouged a piece out of my eye that cost me thousands to get it healed I still suffer today from that .
And what about the time that a bearing decided to seize in the big extraction fan in my G/H at 3 am , it sounded like a jumbo jet landing , i jumped out of bed and rushed to the G/h to switch it off . Only to notice when the noise had stopped that all the lights in the houses around had been switched on and folks were looking out of their windows at me and there i was standing in my drawers in a gold fish bowl!!
And then ............ No,no more or I am going to burst into tears , Isn't life fun , can't wait for my next one !!

Tropic · #17 10-29-2008, 06:17 PM

… I have noticed that there are many concerns and incidents involving the use of ladders in and around orchid houses though I now seriously doubt the possibility of any more major accidents I can actually suffer during my daily activities, at least of those relating to orchid growing. In fact, over time there have been so many dramatic incidents that it could fill a book and make exciting reading for a true story in passion, adventure and general human screw-ups with eventual mini-successes leading to bountiful happiness with my orchid plants. At present I am now establishing my third and maybe last orchid collection, therefore making sure to employ all the care and protection that I have learned about in my past orchid collecting and growing endeavors. My single incident involving a 12 ft. ladder happened about a year ago when I was changing positions of some hanging plants under a tree in the garden – no orchid house involved – and after spending many minutes looking upwards and untwisting wires, I decided to return down to the orchid house to get some more plants. This quick change of direction caused me to become dizzy and loose my balance, causing me to fall sideways onto a big thorny red bougainvillea bush. It sure felt like being the tar baby in the briar bush. The many deep thorn punctures hurt for weeks and I toyed with the idea of ridding the garden of all bougainvillea bushes, but my better judgment prevailed and the innocent bushes remained.

JennS · #18 10-29-2008, 06:36 PM

I really am enjoying reading this post. It seems that we all get so wrapped up in our orchids that we tend to forget what is going on around us! Maybe this is a lesson to try to keep your wits about you when playing with your 'chids? It is so hard though! Every little change is so exciting...a new leaf starting, a root tip, an unknown nubbin, or a shoot beginning. Oh, not to mention a bud beginning to open! I might hurt myself just thinking about it! Hehehe....

Leisurely · #19 10-29-2008, 06:49 PM

"How Sick Can Orchid Growing Make Us"

Des, if there were an award being given for the person who got the sickest, I would think that you would be the winner.

lily99 · #20 10-29-2008, 07:10 PM

When I was in medical school we all learned about a serious fungal skin infection one could get from handling infected sphagnum moss packed around exotic plants. At the time, I thought there was no point in my learning about this fungus, because how many people really order exotic plants packed in sphagnum moss? Now I know.