Orchid recovery

[dbarron]

Ok, I made a bad assumption 18 months ago with a Howeara Lava Burst. It came in spagnum and I assumed it would want fairly typical 'water when approaching dry'. I'd grown one before (about 20 yrs ago) but it was in bark and hey my memory isn't that good. My mistake...I should have immediately transplanted it.

Well it went downhill pretty fast (for an orchid), and I changed it's location and watered a lot less frequently, but the damage was done and the old PB and roots were gone. It managed to send out a new PB about a year ago...and I was busy and ignored it. It never really took off to the moss..and the leaves were folded shut and maybe even a bit crinkly. It was only getting water from whatever the leaves could absorb when I put it under the faucet. Not at all happy..just barely hanging in there.

I finally saw that the PB was putting out two (also mostly dessicated) new growths and decided if it wanted to live that badly, I would finally get it out of that moss and into some bark. So Monday (today being Thursday) I unpotted it, stripped off the rotten old portion and put it in some good fine bark.

It's only been three days, but it's almost looking happy, the leaves having unfolded and took on a much happier green tone. I swear I can see that the new growth is actually growing even in so short a period of time.

We all do things wrong....it's how we learn. But this is a good example of how darn tough many of these orchids are..and how much they want to live.

Though I'm not proud to have brought this orchid to this state (the near death state), I will attach a photo of it currently. It's not looking great, but it's come so far from near death.