I loved the way.....
.....the group potting went with the Bellas! It turned out so beautifully and I feel like they will be great together. I decided to do the same with my remaining phalaenopsis since they would go well together in flower color and size. They're all in various stages of recovery so it will be good to save the room and put them in groups to make watching them a little easier.
I also had to say goodbye to my beloved Honey, who sadly died a bittersweet death. When I did my scheduled flushing, I noticed her axis was rotting and her final leaves were all but dead. There was no coming back for her so I made my peace. I'm so sad to see her go.
The new additions.....
I put my two remaining pink phalaenopsis together. Pinkle and Gemma, who is actually growing in new roots, are together in one pot now. I found this much more beneficial because alone, lacking in almost all of their roots, the plants were very unstable in their pots and would frequently wobble around. Now that they are sharing Pinkle's pot, Pink Wednesday, is much more stable as the plants kind of lean into each other. And as the roots of the plants grow in, it will help to further stabilize the two orchids. Pinkle (lower) is a medium sized orchid and Gemma (upper) is a mini phal so they will compliment each other should they spike at the same time. They are both currently growing in brand new leaves, which I predict will be smaller than their current leaves, but it is a positive sign! These mean girls will put on a sweet display.
Triple phalaenopsis.....
I put the trio of Plum, Viola, and Tweetie together in a big pot and I'm loving it! The Ladybirds are going to be a spectacular display if they all make it through the transition though my eye is really only on Tweetie (center) who is the only plant not to be growing in roots. The yellow and violet flowers of these mini phalaenopsis are going to be really a sight to behold.
With these plants grouped together in community pots, I've saved so much time when checking for growth and recovery while making room for more orchids. A win, win situation in my book! These are the only plants I would feel comfortable doing community pots for since they are rather common and easily accessible specimens. I would not do this with rare and/or expensive orchids. But these guys should be just fine together and it will be fun to watch the roots grow together.