One of my Zygopetalums has bloomed!!! It’s the NOID one that I bought at Trader Joe’s in June 2010, and I am so in love with it (click image to see larger version):
The blooms smell AMAZING, and the scent is rather strong. I think the new blooms are a little smaller than the blooms that were on the plant when I purchased it, so maybe my growing conditions aren’t 100% ideal (a highly likely scenario). Here’s another pic, because I can’t get enough of this orchid.
Remember when I posted about my rescue orchid that had begun growing a terminal spike? Yeah…that orchid is turning into The Orchid That Won’t Die, Numero Dos. I cut the terminal spike a few weeks ago because it had started developing buds, but then the buds blasted. So what happened then? The little plant started to grow a new leaf:
The plant was definitely getting too much sunlight because the new leaf has so much red coloring, so I moved it to a less sunny spot. I’m really not sure what the hell is going on with this little orchid, but it sure has a strong will to keep on keepin’ on. More to come as this story develops.
I thought it was also time for an update on my keiki growing experiment. You may remember that Little Miss Klutz snapped off a developing growth at the top of my big white orchid’s spike—well, that event effectively stopped the growth. In order to reserve more energy for the rest of the plant, I cut off the top of that spike just the other day. Two of the remaining three nodes are showing major growth, but I’m not totally sure what the growth is, exactly. Check ’em out:
Both growths sort of look like part spike and part what I think a keiki looks like. For comparison, here’s a pic of a growth due to Keiki Grow Paste on another one of my Phals—it definitely looks much more like a teeny tiny developing plant with distinct leaves:
So I’m just gonna keep my eye on these, take pictures, and share their progress here. It’s truly fascinating to see how differently each plant reacts to the same conditions!
8 comments
Can you post a photo of your Zygo set up? I have a Galeopetalum that never rebloomed. And some Dendrobiums bloom. so I wonder if it is a light issue.
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I would like to see a wide shot of the grow area and what exposure does the window get…
congrats on the rebloom! Was it a $9.99 or $16.99 Zygo at TJ’s? I do not see those anymore…
Hi Stefano — you can see a pic of my setup here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheiman/5657635143/
It’s hard to get a wide shot because my orchid room is so small, but I’m on the top (3rd) floor of a brownstone with great southern exposure. I grow the Zygo on the 2nd shelf from the top, on the right side. Now that it’s blooming I moved it out to the living room, but I put it back in the orchid room for the photo so you can see where it usually grows. I’m pretty sure I got this one for $16.99. I haven’t made a TJ’s run in awhile…maybe it’s about time for another. 🙂
I have a 2nd Zygo on the shelf directly above, but that one hasn’t bloomed for yet. I got it from Orchids by Hausermann about a year and a half ago.
Hopefully yours will bloom for you someday! When it does I bet it will be worth the wait.
Fantastic zygo — love it.
I like your setup. I am on the 2nd floor, southern exposure. So you get more afternoon sun if you keep the shelf on the right side. Does the sun comes in enough in late spring / summer when it is way up on the horizon?
I seem to get enough sun year round, actually. There aren’t any trees or buildings blocking the light. I got pretty lucky with this apartment!
LOVE this ice cube trays! Brilliant!!! The flowers are gorgeous too – congratulations!
Thanks Kelly!!