Posted in behalf of BigmanPigman!

[AndyS]

Well done!

Edit to add:
I got an orchid from someone when my dad died in 2019

and nothing grew for 2 years then this happened. I have 2 black thumbs and don't even know how to grow an air fern. This orchid did it all on its own under horrific conditions (poor thing had me as its owner after all). The flowers were larger than my hand and the whole thing ended up being almost 2' long when in full bloom.

Thank you AndyS for figuring out how to post the image for me.

BigmanPigman

[urbanhermit]

1. Wow!!!!

[Walleye]

2. Excellent!

[BigmanPigman]

3. I got an orchid from someone when my dad died in 2019

and nothing grew for 2 years then this happened. I have 2 black thumbs and don't even know how to grow an air fern. This orchid did it all on its own under horrific conditions (poor thing had me as its owner after all). The flowers were larger than my hand and the whole thing ended up being almost 2' long when in full bloom.

Thank you AndyS for figuring out how to post the image for me!

[MLAA]

4. Beautiful shot, BMPM!

[BigmanPigman]

5. All the interior doors in my apt

are painted black except for one red one so it was easy to take this photo with my tablet. I took some in front of the red door too. The orchid lasted 4 whole months. This year it didn't bloom at all so maybe it is an "every other year" orchid.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. Lol. All of us girls got an orchid plant when our father in law died

last September. We were bragging about how ours was the only one that still had blooms . And then I stupidly put it in the sun

I think it's amazing that your plant did that!! A sign from somewhere!!! And great pic!!!

Although I completely shy away from artificial plants, did get a good tip on orchids. You find the best looking artificial orchids you can find - they make them look super real now. When your plant loses it's blooms, you stick the artificial bloom part into the pot and leave the leaves of the real plant. Evidently the leaves don't know what's real and what's not real? The plant overall looks real and eventually the leaves will generate new stalks of real bloom!

[MLAA]

22. Or maybe it is a 'bloom whenever the hell I want to orchid'. 😬🙂

[BigmanPigman]

23. That must be the freaky variety that I have.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

24. Yes! Freaky

I watched a tik tok yesterday of Martha Stewart potting an orchid. She said the blooms fall off because the pots they come in are not right. She repotted in this pot with a bunch of holes on the side of it. Evidently the roots need a place to go? Of course she had orchid potting soil lol. And she covered the top with moss. Like where do you get that

[BigmanPigman]

26. My mom gave me some of that orchid moss stuff.

I repotted it AFTER the blooms died with her stuff and in a bigger pot and now no blooms this year even though I did all of that. I didn't do anything at all for the 2 years I had it until it suddenly bloomed. Now that I did repot with the stuff it it is not blooming this year. It is a botanical freak.

I also think it likes abuse since it thrives on it. It must be a masochistic botanical freak.

[LoisB]

6. Wow!

[SeattleVet]

7. Phalaenopsis are pretty easy to grow and rebloom...

Here's how to keep it going, year after year:

Go to http://www.aos.org (the website of the American Orchid Society) and select the "All about Orchids" menu item, and the "Culture Sheets" submenu from there.

There are a couple of sheets on phalaenopsis. You can start withe the 'Novice' one. It will have everything you need to keep the plant happy, alive, and get it to rebloom every year (it's also sometimes possible to force a second blooming the same year). It'll give you the ways to water (NO ICE CUBES!!!), fertilize, temperature, humidity, etc.

Nice photo! I was the head photographer for the AOS for the Pacific Northwest for many years.

(I once killed a coleus, which is supposed to be one of the easiest plants in the world to grow, but I seem to do OK with a large variety of orchids.)

[Laura PourMeADrink]

13. Thanks so much for link!!!

[BigmanPigman]

15. I gave up on it blooming after the first year

and treated it very poorly afterwards since I had heard they were difficult to grow and with my black thumbs I was just grateful it didn't die completely. When it bloomed after all I put it through I was shocked. Then I looked at you tube videos on orchids and tried what they suggested with spikes and roots, sun, water, etc. after the blooms eventually died. But no luck this year despite those efforts so I have come to the conclusion that this particular orchid has a mind of its own and I will have to let it takes its course.

This has made me attempt others plants in the past year and I actually am growing 2 canna lilies, 2 avocado trees from pits, 2 poinsettias and 1 red bell pepper plant from seeds. All are thriving despite having me as their gardener and a tiny back step outside in partial sun.

[SeattleVet]

18. Most people kill them by being too nice to them.

They way over-water, which can rot the roots off in just a few months.

Let it dry out between waterings (we usually water these every week to 10 days...whenever the pot feels light.) They should ideally be repotted in a fresh bark mix about once a year, after the flowers fall off. In the wild these grow on the limbs of trees, so their roots get plenty of air and they dry out.

If you fertilize (we use whatever is cheapest and on sale...doesn't have to be any kind of specialty 'orchid fertilizer') mix it up as a very weak solution. If the label says 1 tsp per gallon, we use about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. They are not heavy feeders. Many use a quarter-strength and fertilize every week when they water. The idea is to fertilize 'weakly, weekly'.

One thing that triggers flowering in phalaenopsis is a temperature difference of around 15-20 degrees between day and night for several days. Keeping it near a not-so-well insulated window can do this.

Looks like you've done a fine job with this one!

[BigmanPigman]

19. On a you tube video

they said to fertilize with banana water then another video said not to do that. I put that orchid soil stuff in the roots after my mom said she had some and gave it to me. I also saw that you should not leave them in standing water so I try to do that as well as indirect sunlight. No matter what I do it just ends up doing what it wants to do. It reminded me of the plant Audrey in Little Shop Of Horrors when the buds start to open up, like a big mouth. They certainly are heartier than I thought they were.

[TomSlick]

8. Extraordinary photo.

I sometimes think I would like to try to grow orchids but I have seen beautiful flowers die just from my walking by in the nursery.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. What a wonderful image, my dear BigmanPigman!

It is just stunning, and more than worthy of being framed and displayed in your home.

And thanks to Andy for helping you. He has a generous heart and he's smart besides.

[BigmanPigman]

16. Yes, that was so cool of him.

I told my sister and she said "the people on DU are so nice". I responded by saying, "Of course they are, they are Dems after all. Likely a GOP site wouldn't be as helpful and kind...not in their nature".

[Laura PourMeADrink]

25. Ok you took pic... For a minute there I thought Andy lived next door and came over and took it

Lol

[BigmanPigman]

27. When he posted his white on white orchid photo

I saw it and thought it was odd timing that just the day before I found my photos on my tablet that I took last Summer of my orchid that I raised from a pup but I didn't know how to post pictures. He replied for me to send it to him in his email and he could figure out how to post it for me. I thought my tablet "disappeared" my photos (it has a habit of doing whatever it wants which vexxes me). He was able to do it and I am very grateful.

I always take photos and videos with my tablet since I can see the image better than with a small camera. I can frame and position the image much, much better.

[Hamlette]

10. great shot

so interesting how the snow white "turns" grey in shadow.

[onecaliberal]

11. The photo is exquisite. Thank you for sharing.

[BigmanPigman]

17. I have not so beautiful ones too

where I am sitting on the floor with my foot up next to it (for scale) and next to my standing feet and a yardstick. The flowering part really was almost 2 feet long. It was awkward to move around it was so big. Taking pictures with your tablet isn't the best or easiest way to do it but it worked I guess.

[onecaliberal]

20. I've never tried taking photos on the tablet. Maybe I will give it a whirl.

[electric_blue68]

14. A splendid photo!

[HAB911]

21. Spectacular!