Rescues - Orchid Board

judith_arquette · #1 07-06-2014, 12:09 PM

I thought it might be nice for those of us with rescues to share their stories and updates. I got the idea after reading about stubby the aqua phal lol I realized that we all feel like our struggling plants making progress is just one more victory in the battle to get them to bloom

My current rescues are all being rescued from myself but it's been months since I've lost a plant or even come close. Almost all of my 20+ orchids have at least new root growth and 3 have, amazingly enough, new leaves growing. I have 2 encyclia sending out healthy new pbulbs despite me rotting out their ENTIRE root systems. Same with my brassia, a lovely new pbulb is groing ever so slowlu despite my total annhilation of its originally healthy root system. All 3 of these have lots of new root groth now too.

RosieC · #2 07-07-2014, 07:37 AM

My best rescue was a NoID zygo. It got rot in all the growths I bought it with. As I had been vert careful about water on the growths I think it was already like that but who knows

It got down to one rootless, leafless bulb. Not sure why I even tried to keep it, but eventually I had a tiny new growth which produced a pea size pbulb, which then dried up and I removed. Then it produced a new growth which resulted in a broad bean size pbulp... which soon dried up and was removed. However next season another growth and this one resulted in a 3cm long pbulb (which it still has a few years later). Since then each growth has resulted in a bigger pbulb than the previous and last year itstarted flowering with each growth. It's in spike right now

judith_arquette · #3 07-07-2014, 01:42 PM

Can't wait to see pics when it blooms!

Suzanne17 · #4 07-07-2014, 03:51 PM

Judith, what a great idea for a thread. 3/4 of my 15+ phals are rescues. I ran a competition on Facebook with my family and friends asking them for words that ended in -noid and if they gave me one I named the orchid plant after them...so I have Phalaenopsis arachNOID Allison, Phalaenopsis quinoNOID Lynne, etc. Some of them really struggled at first but most of them are doing pretty well right now and putting out new roots and leaves. The two doritaenopsis plants that I posted about in the beginner forum are the two rescues (which the nursery refused to mark down more than 10% despite dehydrated leaves and roots) that I can't seem to fix.

I also have 3 dendrobium that I got all on clearance...all 29.99 plants, all for 9.99 each. They are all busy putting out new roots and one is pushing a new cane. Yay!

Now, I haven't had any rescues reBLOOM...but new leaves and roots makes me hopeful for early spring! I always have a cool house in the fall so I think they will like that.

Skycat · #5 07-07-2014, 05:04 PM

Well, I've recently found new root nubs starting to peek out of my two struggling mini Phals.

And here is an update on the keiki growing from the first one's severed spike

JMNYC · #6 07-07-2014, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RosieC

My best rescue was a NoID zygo. It got rot in all the growths I bought it with. As I had been vert careful about water on the growths I think it was already like that but who knows

It got down to one rootless, leafless bulb. Not sure why I even tried to keep it, but eventually I had a tiny new growth which produced a pea size pbulb, which then dried up and I removed. Then it produced a new growth which resulted in a broad bean size pbulp... which soon dried up and was removed. However next season another growth and this one resulted in a 3cm long pbulb (which it still has a few years later). Since then each growth has resulted in a bigger pbulb than the previous and last year itstarted flowering with each growth. It's in spike right now

I love this account! Brava! You brought, patience, focus, to a still living being and the plant responded. Thrilling and humbling how resilient all living beings are....if only they get some of what they need!

To me, fathoming and supplying that is the happiness, the giving IS the getting.

Bet that puppy will produce blooms in not too long from now.

judith_arquette · #7 07-07-2014, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skycat

Well, I've recently found new root nubs starting to peek out of my two struggling mini Phals.

And here is an update on the keiki growing from the first one's severed spike

yay!

howze01 · #8 07-25-2014, 02:16 PM

I am glad I can finally post something in a thread like this! I bought my sister-in-law a phal about a year and a half ago. When I was over there a few weeks ago I saw it in miserable shape. Looked like it hadn't been watered in a long time. No leaves left and just a couple greenish roots. I brought it home and cut off all the dead roots and removed as much of the old dead leaves as I could. Bagged it up in some sphagnum and left it for a few days. After that I potted it in some sphag in a Tupperware container I.....engineered. Now, it has what looks to me to be 3 keikis growing. Guess who isn't getting one once they are big enough to remove! Hope the picture works...never posted from my phone before.

RJSquirrel · #9 07-27-2014, 02:05 AM

best feeling I ever got over rescue orchids was knowing they werent mine anymore

RandomGemini · #10 07-27-2014, 02:59 AM

Great thread! I rescued a Phal. Sogo Yukidian v3 from the hardware store last year. It ended up having five good roots after I repotted it into an orchid pot that I made by recycling a starbucks cup. It lost two of it's four leaves before recovery began, but it grew a new leaf this winter and is growing a whole bunch of new roots now! It will probably not bloom for a couple of years, but I will be thrilled when it does!