I'm a bad bad orchid mommy....

[camille1585]

I've been a very bad mommy to my orchids. I had some serious problems at the beginning of the month (debit card fraud that left me without a penny to my name), and was so distraugt that I completely forgot about my mounted orchids that I had put to soak. Normally they stay in their bucket only 15min or so, but this time they stayed there 5 DAYS.

A few days after I started seeing the side effects of their prolonged bath. Aerangis biloba abruptly shed all of its leaves, rotten at the base. Podangis dactyloceras lost 2 growths to rot, as well as all of it's roots. It's slowly dying now. Then last week Haraella odorata died. And tonight, my apparently healthy Aerangis rhodostica dropped all of its leaves, leaving a rotten stump. Of my 4 remaining mounts, 3 others look like they are on a similar path. Gastrochilus japonicus is nearly rootless and very dehydrated, Leptotes bicolor drops a leaf every few days, and Aerangis fastuosa is barely hanging on.... The only one that looks somewhat OK (though with some rotted roots) is my Howeara Lava Burst.

Now I have to begin the slow and expensive process of replacing them. Some of them I really really miss, like the Haraella and Podangis. And I'll be devastated if the Gastrochilus dies.

I can't wait for this month to finally be over, it's been hell, both at home and at work.

[Bud]

Relax, Camille...take a deep breath and exhale...you are not a bad person...you were distracted...you will have them all back again...and most of the plants will survive because you know how to take care of them.

[Judi]

I'm so sorry to hear about all your problems--but you are not a bad bad orchid mommy! We all get distracted at one time or an other, but that doesn't make us bad people. You contribute so much to OB, I know I have benefited greatly from your input. It is obvious you care about orchids and would never intentionally neglect them--unlike at the last orchid auction I went to last month--the lady sitting in front of me bought at least 5 orchids, one a tall epidendrum, and she just stuffed them under her chair! Never mind that she was scrunching the top of the epi and kept knocking over the others. I suspect they are probably dead by now, I really don't think she had any intention of keeping them alive long term. Even my husband commented on the "abuse" .

Hope you get everything together soon and can get new orchid friends!

[camille1585]

No, I'm not a bad person, just badly neglected my beloved 'children'. Losing so many at once is just so depressing, especially some that I've had for years. And makes the already sad me a bit sadder.

What I really need is an orchid fix to feel better, it always is a great mood improver to open a package. I got my paycheck a few days ago, and after some calculations I decided that I can treat myself to a few orchids from a local grower with very cheap prices. Haraella and Podangis are on the list, and I'll get one or two others depending on the price.

[quiltergal]

Bummer Camille! I hope you get the credit card fraud sorted out quickly! What a PITA!

I think we all go through times like this, sometimes from neglect and sometimes through no fault of our own. I'm still battling some unknown micro fungus and am on the verge of losing my Mini Mark. The Haerellla has it and I already lost my Aerangis rhodostica. And if that weren't bad enough I have ants again! They're probably tracking that damned fungus through the rest of my collection. I feel your pain!

[ezil]

Good luck Camille! December is going to be better. Debit card fraud is very stressful, so don't be so hard on yourself. If you ever feel distracted again while soaking your orchids, set a timer that sounds an alarm when 15' have passed (like the old fashioned kitchen timers). We all can use one from time to time.

[silken]

Here is a hug from us all Camille. I hope things improve real soon. The arrival of new chids will go a long ways to making things better I bet

[Leafmite]

Sorry about your orchids. We are all human. I was watering my orchids by dipping them in the goldfish barrel. I got interruped, left my daughter's dendrobium in the pond and ten days later, when she asked about it, I made some excuse and, ah, found it still submerged in the barrel. Being a den, and summertime, it lived.
Sorry about all your stress. Buying a few orchids will be very good therapy. I really like my haraella, too. Good luck on your shopping expedition!
Leafmite

[Gage]

Oh Camille, I feel you. I don't usually "soak" any of my chids, but one day I thought my beloved Asctm miniatum would love to soak in the nearby bucket of rainwater while I watered the rest if the orchids. Well the next morning it was raining, so I didn't go out to water all the orchids at all. The NEXT day I went out to water and couldn't find miniatum... I thought someone had stolen it. Nope, someone tried to drown it... ME! 2 days underwater! I freaked out, took it out of the water and brought it inside. I hung it in the shower while I blow dried it till it was completely dry. Thankfully only lost one leaf and damaged a few more. Anyhow, I hope you get everything on your list without too much delay. Take it easy.

[Kelo]

I can't stand when you get periods like this!!!! I HATE it!!! It always seems to come in cycles. Hope your plants are ok. I'm certain you will nurse them back to good health.