Surprising developments.....
.....from the Ladybirds! I put together this community pot of mini phalaenopsis back at the beginning of February. The phals were taking up a lot of room and I really loved the idea of shared pots. All three of the phals (formerly Tweetie, Viola, Plum) were clipped of their flower spikes to help conserve energy toward root production long before they were put together. In the cases of the two violet flowering phals, the hint was not taken and both orchids decided to put out brand new spikes!
This was quite a shocker but these two plants were the least stressed of my phalaenopsis orchids and both were relatively healthy before the repot. I've got plenty of new root tips coming in on both plants and they are not as dehydrated as some of the others.. The yellow flowering orchid in the middle is less happy and is still stubbornly not doing much of anything at this time.
Some promising news from Pink Wednesday.....
.....is that they are both showing signs of new growth. These two little leaves are coming in nicely on both plants. I can see lots of new roots growing in on the mini pink (left: lower) so despite the sad state of leaves at the moment, she will be able to recover with no problems I believe. The medium size phalaenopsis with the mottled leaves (right) has finally started some new root growth! She's been pouting from quite a long time now and has lost all but two aerial roots during this process. I wasn't sure if she was gonna do anything but behold, she has shown me a sign. All will be well with these ladies I hope....
I am really testing these complex hybrids right now because I'm moving this pot on the top shelf of the Book Window. Its a low light shelf but I'm hoping its just enough for keeping phalaenopsis. This recovering community duo will be a test of the light levels. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Pink Wednesday will continue to grow in those new roots and recover without any issues. Its hard to say since its a west-facing window that gets lots of afternoon light but I have a slight overhang on the roof of the house so its shaded on that high shelf. Now its a wait-and-see!