So yesterday hubby and I went to visit some of his relatives. It not being a garden center or anything hubby thought he was safe from me aquiring any more orchids... think again
The converstation moved round to my orchid hobby (the word obsession came from hubby... do you think he was refering to me
) and our hostess asked for some advice on her Phal.
It had grown a keiki and two days before she had just potted up the keiki and re-potted the parent. She said she could not remember which was which and when she brought them downstairs I could see that the keiki matched the parent in size (and had only just been removed). I spotted the keiki from the bit of spike left where she had snipped either side to remove it.
I expressed concern that they were over potted (15cm pot and I reckon 9cm or 10cm would have been better) and the medium was almost compost like with a few bark chunks in it (it was bought as orchid compost). I also gave some watering advice. She had been doing OK with it before but I
was concerned that the repotting may be the cause of problems in the future.
Anyway she kept saying she was frightened of them and then said I should take one of them. Then said I should take the parent because "it's more likely to survive for you". I suggested that was a reason she should keep it, but she would not hear of it.
Well when I got home I pulled it out the pot straight away. I was glad I did, as it still had the old sphag at the center from before it was repotted, with compost/bark on the outside. The sphag stank, I pulled it all away and washed the roots. They look quite good and there was nothing to trim.
I did not have a pot the right size but an 11cm one with some perlite to pack out the bottom will surfice. It's staying bare root until tommorow when my bark has soaked.
Hubby's learnt not to think he's safe from my orchid obsession anywhere
Visiting Relatives... I didn't mean to come home with an Orchid... really I didn't!
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