What do you do?

[Merlyn]

Was hoping someone would catch it, thanks Glen !

[Orchid126]

When I first started growing orchids I hit the bargain of the century! An elderly greenhouse grower a few miles from here was retiring, and selling orchids for $5 a flat, my choice! Of course I bought all that I could carry, not knowing what I was doing, but figuring that somewhere in the 40 plants were a couple I could grow well.

I researched the begeesis out of them, wrote their needs down on individual 5x8 index cards, and tried to give them the water, light and fertilizer I though they needed.

No matter what I tried, the plants languished. I moved them from window to window, tried different fertilizers (I have a shelf full of products) different water regimes, and even insecticides and fungicides. Nothing helped, the plants still languished and some even died. I finally took a couple to our county extension agent. She checked them under a very high powered scope and gave me the bad news. The plants were suffering from mites, thrips, and bulb mites. Bulb mites were eating the rhyzomes.

She told me what to use, heavy duty stuff that was very scarce, and malathion. I drove from place to place until I found the heavy duty stuff and was joyous. I gave the plants their treatment, three times, a week apart, and the plants stopped looking sluggish. However, then they started to fall over. They had no roots. The bulb mites had eaten all the roots.

I propped the plants up using sticks and hairpins and whatever would work, and patiently started to bring them back to life. It took a year. Many succumbed on the way. But by gosh, some of them lived.

Eventually they started to thrive, and were happy with the water, fertilizer and light they got. I was so thrilled I bought more, only this time I was more discriminating.

Then I got arthritis of the spine and couldn't care for so many. I gave away all but my favorites, which I still care for and enjoy.

Why did I keep hanging on and not throw the whole mess of plants out? You got me.

So you see, you're not alone. I'm sure there are horror stories worse then mine. The sad part of it is that I spent gazillions of dollars on products to try to save them, so my bargain of the century was no bargain at all.