I'm still scared of killing all my plants. How do I get over it?

[snowflake311]

I killed 2 Phals and almost killed 2 others but brought them back and they are doing well now.

It happens and you learn how to be a better grower from mistakes. Once you find your green thumb and you will it is easy to keep them alive.

[MattWoelfsen]

Orchids are a luxury. People who buy orchids and grow them or kill them trying to grow them, are a resilient lot--we keep trying and despite our efforts failing as many times as being successful.

My observation is, there are two kinds of orchid growers/killers:

One kind is a person who is intrigued enough by a particular orchid, for example a Paphiopedelium, they do everything they can to learn all about them. This grower will change their environment in order to grow them successfully.

They buy a healthy plant and places the plant on a windowsill. The plant looks good but after awhile, it looks a little off. To the Internet they go., they find a picture, similar to their own plant. The advice? Need more light. They start out with a light stand. Plant grows, but not robustly. They discover Orchid Board, and someone mentions 'relative humidity'. They cover their light stand to keep in the humidity. They buy timers so they don't worry about turning off and on the lights. They buy fans because they read somewhere that circulating air keeps the plant from experiencing stagnant air. They buy matt heaters to keep the roots warm and chillers to keep the plant viable because it is a cool to warm growing plant. They buy RO filters because you cannot store enough rain water. and fertilizers especially formulated for RO treated water.. Plants respond positively. They start entering their plants at orchid shows and they get a Blue Ribbon: success! Eventually this grower will build a greenhouse....

A second kind of grower, is someone who gets easily hooked by a pretty flower at the grocery store (or home improvement garden center). They buy the plant, take it home and treat it like an exotic tropical plant. The plant is deceptive, it was bred to be mistreated--ice cube anyone? And for a month or two, the flowers continue to be viable. But then comes the day, when a flower shrivels, and then the next day another shrivels, and within a week, all the flowers are gone.

A quick consult on the Internet reveals solutions, see description above. But this grower doesn't want to change their environment to fit the plant. They end up getting something else, another pretty flower. They find a Sharry Baby Oncidium. It grows pretty good, but the green bulbs are shriveling and all the flowers have dropped off. They consult Orchid Board and find out they didn't water it enough. So they water it a lot but the plant lost all of its leaves, and eventually it dies.

Cattleya are beautiful and fragrant...it dies too. This person goes to an Orchid show, and they see these beautiful plants with huge plate sized flowers, what is this? They find out it is a Vanda. They discuss how to grow this plant with the vendor, and after awhile, they take it home. Eventually this plant dies.

Then one day, late at night, they are trolling Orchid Board and they find Vanda Neofinetia. They start reading, and reading, and reading--convinced this plant has to be an easy, no fuss plant, they go to eBay and find several plants for sale, expensive plants...but maybe if you get one plant and it grows...

This second kind of grower is someone who killed many plants only to find one day,, the plant that will grow in their environment.

Whew!

[digriz]

When you kill one, try and learn from its death.

[Wathepleela]

Originally Posted by MattWoelfsen

Then one day, late at night, they are trolling Orchid Board and they find Vanda Neofinetia. They start reading, and reading, and reading--convinced this plant has to be an easy, no fuss plant, they go to eBay and find several plants for sale, expensive plants...but maybe if you get one plant and it grows...

This second kind of grower is someone who killed many plants only to find one day,, the plant that will grow in their environment.

Whew!

That’s me. I used to have nothing to do with Vandas, I don’t like their fish-bone shape foliage, hate their saucer-size flowers with kitschy colors and can’t stand their habit of growing and growing till they reach jungle size proportion. But then I got bored with my herd of elephants (thai for rhys,) once done with their blooms, they close up shop so to speak and only sprout roots and leaves. I sometimes have the urge to shout “Stop growing those things, gimme some flower for god’s sake!” They all shake their new tusks (roots) politely saying, “Wait till next year, Dad.” In the meantime, I got a colmarie (now two) with irresistible black tulip dark flowers, turned out that it has a Vanda as one of its parents.

Then one day, starved of affection (read blooms) I succumbed to the siren song of my orchid seller :”Look at this one, so cute, fragrant too…” A young vanda beautifully mounted on a piece of wood completely engulfed in a massive wreath of white roots that sprout god knows how many knuckly round little tips. I call it The Bride with White Hair but actually it looks more like Xmas tree lights with ornaments. It ready has a baby or two and SEVERAL spikes sticking out. Of course I bought it, with the seller’s assurance that it will bloom at least TWICE a year.

The spikes are blooming now, at a deliciously leisurely pace… So I resign to life with the once a year blooming rhys, and console myself with the perkiness and playfulness of the vanda, just like a married man finding new joie de vivre (pardon my French) with a, ahem, mistress. Except in this case we all live happily together. At least for now.

[tarev]

I'd say, grow one, lose some, buy one more..that's how to get over it.

As intriguingly annoying at times...how one type of orchid thrives with neglect, while another one is just a drama queen orchid..growing orchids teaches patience and a continuous learning process for me.