Potting stories

[dbarron]

Well, it was 72 degrees today and I thought it was just a perfect time to report a Dendrobium Silver Wings x Silver King plant that I had abused for years. I bought it in 2015 and I had only repotted once...watered so infrequently since that the media was still good. I resolved to be better to it, so it got a more moisture retentive media (basic orchid mix from Hausermann). Poor thing had hit the wall of the pot and headed the growth point down into the media. Roots were decent to good though..and I don't think I broke a one. I really should have put it in a bigger pot last time, it had hardly any media. Oh, and I didn't have a correct sized pot, so had to run to Lowes and bought clay 2 orchid pots (6 inch), because repotting never stops with one.
Then I faced that miltonia that had been in the same media for a year (what it was shipped in..pure sphagnum). I get a bit of joy teasing the sphagnum out of the roots (I dunno why, but I do). There were no rotted roots and quite a bit of new roots growing. I wasn't sure when I got it out of the pot if it would go back into the same pot or not. But the other orchid pot was put into use, after I removed a lot of older and possibly disfunctional roots to settle it into the pot better. I looked and I had accidentally ordered spanish moss and not sphagnum so..what was I to do. Ok, well, we can try to transition it to bark, so I had a hobby bag of orchiata that I got yesterday. It's living the life in prime media now. Boy that bag didn't last long, I used most of it. I should have ordered more. I hope the miltonia makes adjustment well. It's cooler now and I think it will. I also rescued the bears paw fern that was growing in the pot with the miltonia too. Best looking bears paw I ever had....lol.
Then, like the plant addict that I am, a box of tropical plants arrived. So I was unboxing them, watering them, and thinking where their permanent home was. They're starter plants (cheapo me, though I enjoy growing things on), and will probably need repotting in a month or so to larger digs. Stellar geranium, jasmine sambac 'Little Duke', impatiens niamniamensis, begonia 'Withlacoochee' (substitution), and cryptanthus 'Elaine'. Simpler times, old fashioned flowers.