Well. What do they get in nature? Sometimes an orchid is situated so mist reaches them at every angle. Sometimes not. An older orchid that has grown into a comfy nest of branches and twigs may do better than a new one straight out of a two inch pot. Bottom line is I try but I can’t reach every angle.
I “rescued” a bunch of phals and Dendrobiums just by pouring water over them. It never occurred to me that they might prefer a gentle mist. They responded nicely like “instant orchids...” just add water!
Plant bodies are modular. They grow in sections. You can see this on any multi stemmed orchid. In general they share resources among different parts of the plant body. So one section of roots may get moisture and that moisture is shared with the rest of the plant via conductive and storage tissue in the green part of the orchid.
“All sides” is an ideal I’d like to aim for but seldom achieve. It’s easier when the babies are in a basket isn’t it? Then you can pull them down and soak them in a bucket of water for a minute if you want. But there are no baskets in nature. Only adaptations that orchids acquired over millions of years of evolution for life in an imperfect environment.
Wonderful thing these amazing organisms are hard to kill outright. I think even if you meet your orchid halfway it will do its best to return the favor.
I “rescued” a bunch of phals and Dendrobiums just by pouring water over them. It never occurred to me that they might prefer a gentle mist. They responded nicely like “instant orchids...” just add water!
Plant bodies are modular. They grow in sections. You can see this on any multi stemmed orchid. In general they share resources among different parts of the plant body. So one section of roots may get moisture and that moisture is shared with the rest of the plant via conductive and storage tissue in the green part of the orchid.
“All sides” is an ideal I’d like to aim for but seldom achieve. It’s easier when the babies are in a basket isn’t it? Then you can pull them down and soak them in a bucket of water for a minute if you want. But there are no baskets in nature. Only adaptations that orchids acquired over millions of years of evolution for life in an imperfect environment.
Wonderful thing these amazing organisms are hard to kill outright. I think even if you meet your orchid halfway it will do its best to return the favor.
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