My very first (successful) bloom ever

[lund0682]

Thanks for all the kind words everybody!

Hi Paul - I think you're exactly right about the environmental stress. I got this plant a few months ago and I've been unintentionally shocking it ever since: inadvertently exposing it to cold drafts (then hot drafts); moving it around to different locations and different light levels; leaving town for a couple of weeks and letting my Designated Plant Watering Friend forget to water it. I'm sure these sudden (and frequent) changes are why all the previous buds didn't make it. I'm really glad it was able to survive my "care" and actually produce a flower. Such a hard-working and forgiving plant!

I've really learned a lot from this one plant - mostly what not to do. Another thing is that I was too afraid of over-watering, and so I didn't water enough! But lately I've been giving it a lot more water and trying to leave it alone, and that seems to be just what the plant wants .

[Paul Mc]

Oh WOW! Then congratulations are surely in order! To get it to bloom given the stresses it has encountered is quite amazing! Good job!

[Paul Mc]

As a side note, you might want to get some Dyna-Gro Pro-Tekt. I've had great success using it when my orchids have encountered environmental stresses, and it seems to somewhat have toughened the plant a bit. Supposedly, it helps strengthen the plant against over/underwatering, cold/heat fluctuations, etc... I have to say I've been convinced by using it when I've had issues.