POCHE – 1 year 10 months in Water Culture
Poche’s flowers are still blooming; the first popped on January 5. His root system looks good with some original roots still functional.
CHANDEBISE – 1 year 9 months in Water Culture
New roots seem to be the main focus for Chandebise. His root system seems to be thriving with two new roots coming on.
Hootie Pie – Basket Culture?
Hootie Pie is beginning to respond to life in her plastic orchid pot, but she is not expanding her root system. At this point in time, she is soaking for 3-4 hours every day. I have decided that I need to reduce her soaking time because right now, she has no incentive to grow new roots. My theory is that if she needs more water than her current roots can get, she’ll grow more.
KAT – 6 months in Water Culture
Kat seems to be happy and healthy in water. Her blooms are beautiful and her leaves are firm. Her root system seems to be performing well considering they are mostly her original roots.
ELEANOR – 5 months in Water Culture
In January, I noticed Eleanor’s leaves were getting wrinkled and leathery. I also found that most of her roots were beginning to fail, so I made the decision to move her back to bark and moss. Two months later, I’m not seeing any real improvement. I’m also finding that not being able to see what is going on with her roots is a distinct disadvantage. With that in mind, I’m moving her back to water culture so I can keep a close eye on her roots. Specking of roots, Eleanor has some new roots coming on. I hope that when they reach the water, her dehydrated appearance will improve.
Care Note: When the velamen on an orchid’s roots becomes soft and mushy, it’s not working properly. Deteriorating velamen in the water encourages harmful bacteria that can further harm the plant. Therefore, the velamen should be removed, leaving just the inner string root. These “strings” can still provide some water to the orchid, but only about 10% of what a healthy root can deliver. When an orchid is dehydrated, even this small amount from the string roots is better than nothing.
Alais – I5 months in Water Culture
Alais has lost almost all of her original roots before new roots could grow to replace them. The bad news is that I removed the dying roots instead of just removing the velamen and leaving the string roots. The good news is that there are new roots coming on that will eventually nourish Alais.
PETRA – 5 months in Water Culture
One of Petra’s leaves was damaged when she arrived from Orchid Classics, but despite that, she has adapted well to Water Culture. She has both original and new roots
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