Lush and green - with all the rain we had it should be.
Lush and green - with all the rain we had it should be.
On top of the rain, the hill we live on is riddled with springs. When we had an extension built, the hole for foundations was ankle deep in water in a very dry august. Our house is built on clay but, as the builder put it, standing in the water, clay foundations are only a problem if they dry out and ours never will.
Madelaine
4 shops for Cats Protection & Prospect Hospice
My Postcard Shop
BK Stamps for Philatelic listings
& Yarnalong for craft patterns
and
Lotzabitz -anything that doesn't belong in one of the other shops.
OLD - as usual, I love your orchids! And that you remember to describe the scent Spring is here for sure, as I've had my first batch of black sugar ants invade the house. No, I'm not going to squish one to tell you what it smells like - I want every one of them to partake of the bait I've set out so they will carry it back to the nest and kill the nest off - lol!!
MADELAINE - I love the fritillaries - have never seen anything like that before! I will have to make a note of that and see if I can order some bulbs for next year. I did a search and most links were in the UK but did find a Better Homes & Garden article that showed the different varieties and they call the purple speckled one a "Snake's Head Fritillary" - what an awful name for a gorgeous flower!!
So nice to see everybody's beautiful flowers!! The "well-maintained" flower beds are making me really envious though as I'm not able to get out and pull weeds yet. But everything has bloomed on schedule despite my neglect. We have had a lot of rain here this spring too and the log trucks crushed the culvert where the creek runs under the road, so the creek backed up and left a lot of debris in the yard. Mostly, I sit in the house without my glasses on so I can see the splashes of color and not all the weeds and debris - LOL!!
Hi Shesa! - you need to clear your stored PM folder.
Dr. Old tried to send a message!
HELP! with orchid please:
I have an orchid - one of the common supermarket variety - which I have managed to see through two years. Last year it bore 25 flowers - a splendid sight. This year, it has thrown up a new flower spike which is now about 5" long. However, the roots have now burst through the original 9cm plastic see-through pot. I have purchased a 12cm orchid pot but what do I do with all the space which now exists around this little plant - 4 leaves and lots of roots?
There is a sticky up bit at the bottom of the pot. What is that for?
Please help as I would love to see this orchid through another year.
Should mention, that the last one I tried to re-pot with orchid compost, died after a few weeks.
Thank you
Hi love-to-stitch, firstly - a photo of the plant or flower would be a big help.
This is because the type of potting mix varies depending on the species. However - as a general rule, all orchids NEED perfect drainage i.e. they like to be drench watered & then drain & dry out quickly before re-watering.
They don't like to stay wet for too long. In the wild, most epiphytic orchids growing on trees, get rained on & then dry out till the next shower.
The raised bit in the pot is an aid to drainage! The see through pot is to allow light to get to the roots (as most orchid roots are aerial types (can live on moisture in the air) & light helps with photosynthesis.
Try to get rid of the old pot & mix from the plant without damaging the roots if possible. You can wet them which may help loosen attached mix etc. Then repot with a similar mix - it'll be either very chunky bits of bark & charcoal with a small amount of sphagnum moss (most likely) OR a finer mix of small bark/wood chips, small charcoal & perlite. PS - if attached bits can't be removed from the roots - leave them alone. That's better than damaging the roots!
You can stake the plant using a bamboo stick & twist ties, to secure it in the new mix & until it's stabilized in the new pot. Hope this helps!
Oooh! - forgot to say - you can do a You-tube search on how to re-pot an orchid - plenty of good stuff about it there! Just look for your type of plant.
Hi Old,
Thank you very much for all that info.
I can't send a photo as there are only four big leaves and another one about to unfurl. It has only ever had a few leaves but masses of flowers.
The on-line info has been very confusing as some say bark, others say orchid soil. I used soil for my last one and it died
This one is just a mass of roots and a few bits of bark and moss so I guess I should do the same. Suppose I shall have to go to the garden centre for some but the plant was so cheap that it hardly seems worth it. Just a challenge to see it through a third flowering
Thanks again.
No problem! My guess is that it is a Phalaenopsis, & if correct - DO NOT use orchid soil. Just very chunky (up to an inch) bark & charcoal. Just a little bit of moss, say 10% - this is to keep a bit of moisture around the roots for longer.
You can even use chunks of polystyrene, BBQ lava rock or even garden top dressing bark/wood chips - as long as it's chunky & untreated with chemicals!
Check out the Y'tube re-potting Phalaenopsis vids. (like this one)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9FN6HBokzU
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