Update on Hootie Pie

I had high hopes that Hootie Pie would be able to pull through, but I’m not as sure now. On March 13 two of her lowest leaves had fallen off, which is a normal part of growth. When an orchid loses a leaf, there is a ridge where the leaf breaks off and the rest of the leaf stays attached to the stem. When that connective leaf tissue dries up, it can be removed to make it easier for new roots to come on. knowing she desperately needs new roots, I went ahead and removed the connective tissue.

All seemed well until I noticed that her next two lower leaves were turning yellow. This was definitely not a part of normal growth and I resigned myself to the idea that Hootie Pie might not make it.

Then today as I was caring for her, I noticed that one of Hootie Pie’s new roots was brown and withered, leaving only one fully functioning root. Thinking back, I realized that I had probably been a little too aggressive when removing the dried leaf matter from the stem in March, and had damaged the root that was now brown and withered. This explained why she was rapidly dropping leaves. Knowing what was wrong with her gave me a glimmer of hope that I might be able to nurse her through this.

Another thing happened today that really filled me with hope; Orchid Whisperer finally posted a YouTube update on her vanda in water culture (see the original video from November, 2024 here).

So, once again, into water culture she’ll go! This time she’ll get about 1″ of fresh water in the morning, and I’ll drain it at the end of the day. I’ll also drape a piece of microfiber from the water over her good root to keep her hydrated. Then once a week, she’ll get a full dose (one teaspoon per gallon) of Orchid Plus orchid food.

At this point, I have nothing to lose, so I’ll give it a chance and see if Hootie Pie has some more fight left in her.

Hootie Pie is down to her last 6 leaves and her roots do not seem to be growing. Today I mixed up a paste of root stimulator and rooting hormone in hopes of seeing some new root growth.