Tantrum Thread .. OK People! Sound Off!

[Psyguy10]

Originally Posted by Beverly

OMG! I went upstairs and found that one of my new Phals got blown off the windowsill and into the toilet. I cant believe how fast I put my hand in the toilet for it.

Lets just hope someone flushed

[Jerry Delaney]

Gee, I hate to be a party pooper but;
1. When I got up this morning I looked out the window and the green side of the grass was showing!! Off to a good start!

2. Yesterday, the high was 104 degrees. Tomorrow, they say 80!! Things are looking even better!

3. I have actually made a little room in the greenhouse. Great improvement. Maybe there is room for the plants coming from Tropical Orchid Farm this week!!

4. Can't wait for fall/winter to set in! Should get some rain (or what they call rain out here) since we haven't had ANY since early last spring.

5. Maybe I will be able to keep greenhouse temps where they belong for a few months. Hard to do when temps are 100 - 110.

6. We are surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. A little later on if I feel that I just HAVE to see some snow close up, I will ask my spouse to drive me up there (sorry Ross).

7. I even noticed that one of the fired tomato plants is beginning to show some green again. A few years ago, I went out and picked enough fresh tomatoes for our Xmas dinner. Maybe again this year!! Life's great!!

[cb977]

[playtime8978]

I should add this free stuff site was advertised as product testing which I have done before so thought it was the same thing but I have not had anything useful from them LOL

oh god don't get me started on the penis enlarging pills this gals got quite a complex! They keep sending me the emails and I cant find mine so I must REALLY need those pills

[fotofashion]

oh god don't get me started on the penis enlarging pills this gals got quite a complex! They keep sending me the emails and I cant find mine so I must REALLY need those pills [/QUOTE]

[cb977]

[peeweelovesbooks]

Ok.

Here it goes. Sigh.

I hate my Vanda. My large Vanda. My first vanda. LOLOLOL

I bought it exactly last year in October during Baldan's "getting rid of plants nursery sale." It cost me 100.00. At the time, it had one large vanda and 3 keikis attached to it.

I hate to curse, but it looked like sh^t. The basket was all rotted, the leaves were coated in this rust colored "thing," and it was just--well in need of a lot of TLC. Baldan's actually had an entire row of humongous vandas all the way across their back wall--many of which were overgrown and tangled with each other.

Why did I buy it, you ask? (since Maria doesn't even like sheaths much less rotted vanda baskets) Sigh. The flowers were gorgeous!! Deep yellow with red spots. Just gorgeous. I was in love.


I took the vanda home. It took me 2 weeks to wrench it out of its rotted basket. I put it out under my mango tree.....It started dropping leaves.

I moved it to another place--it stopped dropping leaves. Fine. I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned it, but it still had that rust like residue on it.

I gave up on that for the time being. I had a surgery to recover from.

I finally hung it bare root--the roots were skinny and dry. So I decided to cut off some of the roots. It grew new roots.

The vanda was still alive!! Not doing much though. Since it was my first vanda, I had no idea what the hell I was doing culturally, so I sort of left it outside during the "winter", except for the coldest days. I read that I needed to water it every day, and unlike in my professional life, I failed to read the fine print--except when it's so *&&^% cold that the water will feeze." OOPSIE.

So, my vanda and I survived the winter months. I noticed that while it was getting new roots (YAY!) no sign of spring flowering. Nothing. Nada. The keikis were growing though. The roots DID NOT look like anything I saw online and in other members' plants--thick fat healthy roots--mine looked like little bones strung along a huge thread. I watered some more.

Nothing.

I think it was at this point I started to hate my vanda. I thought of throwing it away, but those 100.00 flashed in my mind. I read that some people used little pouches of fertilizer and left them there--I tried but all that happened was lots of rivulets of blue. No growth. Plus--the little pouches started to irritate me. I take them off and keep watering.


I develop bad elbows from reaching up with the hose.

I decided I needed to water some more. My granny starts complaining of the water bill. I stare back innocently and contiue watering.

After much agonizing and consulting the only orchid guru I know in person (Roly) who told me, "Your vanda needs more sun," I decide to give it more sun. At this point, my vanda and I are no longer on speaking terms. I'm like, "fine!!!!!!!!!." I decide to let Roly live instead of turning him into fertilizer every time he informs me of his beautiful 2 million vandas in bloom. I think Roly is grateful because I have allowed him to live.

As I'm moving the vanda to a place with "more sun" (which is really a few inches further out, despite Rolando's instructions) I slip from the small ladder (SHIT!!) grab onto anything for support (which happens to be the plant).

I suddenly look at the ground, and my brain tells me, "THERE'S A VANDA ON THE FLOOR!!" I look and the vanda has snapped in two---the three keikis are staring at me from the floor, and the mother plant is smirking at me.

I'm pissed. I want to torch it and make some nice S'mores. I remember the 100.00 and the sea of water I have devoted to it. So, I pot them up.

So now, my vandas (now I have 2) have decided to grow thick fat healthy roots. I cleaned both of them today with dawn soap and a soft toothbrush--lovingly cleaning each leaf. I notice the mother plant has 6 new leaves growing at the same time. The keikis are humongous and fat.

But, still no flowers. Because, I think my vanda hates me. Now I love them both though. Why? I have no idea. I think I'm in love with the "idea" that someday it will give me blooms. This is what I keep telling myself. Maybe I have reached a "zen" place of understanding with living things--it doesn't matter if it blooms, "I am their caretaker." Maybe I am a masochist who insists on torturing herself with lost causes. Maybe it will stop punishing me. Soon.

Sigh.


I think Baldan's may still have some for sale. Hmmmm......they are only 100.00!!

[Roly0217]

Maria it felt good to let all of that anger out didn't it !!!!! You have to give me one of those keikis and I'll give it my treatment and see if I get blooms next year. If it works you better follow my instructions !!!!!

[Bird Song Farm]

I always like a story with a happy ending! Well, almost happy ending.
Thanks Maria, for the chuckle this morning.
I hate my Den.!
Al

[Kath]

I felt that way about my cyms, until this year. I was about to throw out out 2 cymbidiums to a friend of mine who has great success with these orchids. I decided at the beginning of the year if they didn't flower they were going out or they'd be left outside, in the hope that we'd have some frost and that would kill them off!

I mentioned my problem on OB, and someone wrote back (it think it was Camille) saying that fertiliser once a month was the way to have them flower. I went for it and religiously watered them with the required fertiliser once a month, in the hope that it would work. Low and behold, I have 2 cymbidiums, one with 1 flower spike, the other with 3 spikes, all growing with gusto, and looking very healthy! It goes without saying that I shan't be leaving them out this winter! They've earned their winter rest in the warm! The next surprise will be waiting to see the colours, as I can't remember what colour they were, as it's been 2 years since they flowered. Only goes to show that OB is useful, and I can hear my cyms thanking you all!