What Happened to my Orchid Collection || Why I Haven't Been Making Orchid Videos
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video I explain what has been happening to my orchid collection and why I haven't been making videos.
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Thanks for sharing, the blooms are wonderful. I think that if you do decide to share orchid updates from time to time, even with frustrations and difficulties, your community will step up to support you and cheer you on as I see in this comment section. And maybe we can help you combat the demotivation. This is far from the end! 💚
Thank you, William. I think you are right. The orchid crowd is the chattiest bunch on TH-cam ☺️
You deserve a lot of respect for sharing such a difficult situation.
thank you
Oh no. I’m so sorry. You grew such beautiful ones. Happy to see you though.
Thanks so much
I’m in sub-tropical Australia and I have major issues with scale on Cattleyas. My dendrobiums suffer from dendrobium beetle 🪲 and destroy the blooms. I’m with you, Rachael! If it’s too hard, then bin them and move onto something easier. My orchid collection is going to be shaved 🪒 by 2/3.
I do however have great success with phaleonopsis, oncidiums and tolumnias, so will concentrate on them going forward.
Gardening should be joyful, not soul destroying 😉🌸
I think what you say makes sense, we should grow what does well for us and ignore those yearnings to try what we cannot. Isn't it funny how some genera are just more resistant to pests than others! Thanks for watching and happy growing.
I had been wondering what happened to your orchids. But I thinks you I have done the right thing by tossing those infected after trying so many different things to rid your orchids of scale. Fingers crossed that the remaining Chids are pest free (or at the very least you are able to rid any that may be on them). Do not be apologetic for this video…. This is one of the “bad sides” of growing orchids, especially if you have a large collection. Hope you enjoy your week ahead. ❤🌸
Thank you, Trish. Let's all wish for pest-free, regularly-flowering orchids 😝😊🌸
Oh dear Rachael. You are very brave to share your sorrow. Here’s hoping your enthusiasm and spirit will rise and you will slowly add to your collection. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🫶🫶
Thank you for your kind words but don't worry, this is not sorrow.
Do not give up Rachel,we are all trying our best and failing.But once we give up we are all finished.
🌼🌷🌸🌻🪻🌺
Hi Rachael, I think your video today seems quite cathartic for you which will make way for you to move forward regardless of your final decision of whether or not to get back into making orchid videos.
You have my support regardless of what you do in the future.
Thank you. Yes, I do feel better after having made my decision. It is a good thing.
So glad to see you talking orchids but sad to hear what's happening. I really hope you overcome the ghastly problem. I was always envious of your beautiful cattleya collection and hope you share with us your remaining plants. Thank you Rachel for this video. Good luck and take care.
Many thanks for your kind words and good wishes 🌻🌺🌷
I’m just seeing this video now. I’m so so sorry about your collection. I truly understand the way you felt. I lost a lot of orchids also I’m still in the process everything. Again so sorry 🙏🙏❤️❤️
Thank you so much! I am sorry to hear of your collection. It can be very upsetting 🙄
Thank you for the update, but I'm so sorry you lost so many of your orchids.
I had medical issues last year, so my houseplants and orchids got neglected. When I had the energy to take proper care of them again, many had pests. It was so disappointing. I don't have nearly the number of plants that you do, but I decided to propogate the houseplants and divide the orchids, when I could. That way I had much smaller plants to treat when it came to eradicating the pests. That made it manageable for me. I can't imagine battling an infestation on the scale that you had. I hope things are much better now, 5 months after this video first came out.
Thank you for your kind words. I seem to have overcome the scale. Fingers crossed 🤞
Hello Rachel, I am so very sorry about this. Thank you for sharing the news with us. It's great to hear that you did not let the infestation deter you from continuing your orchid journey! ❤
Thank you so much, Wanda. Feeling better about my decision already. xx
Thank you for sharing your journey. We all have such low moments and, hopefully, find our ways out. All the best to you. ❤
Thank you so much! Take care.
I’ve lost precious plants . I felt your pain .
Best wishes .
Onwards and upwards !
You are right. Onwards and upwards. Most of us have lost precious plants at one time or another.
Thank you for updating us. I too had wondered why there weren't any new orchid videos. I am so sorry to hear about your scale problems, and I can totally understand how coming up unsuccessful would demotivate you almost to the point of depression. I am personally dealing with Fusarium in a few of my Odontoglossum types. I have used an array of systemic fungicides, have discarded two plants recently and am struggling to recover three which I have cut back to as little as a lead growth or a back bulb or two... I can't bring myself to discard these yet, as they are beautiful and difficult to replace. I am glad that you've rediscovered your joy in growing orchids, even at the cost of having to say goodbye to some much beloved plants. Your 'Serendipity' is beautiful. Much love
I understand your pain. Orchids are such martyrs for a variety of conditions and afflictions. But they are such beauties, how can we resist! We are like putty in their hands 😊
I hope you can bring yours back. You have my best wishes and fingers crossed.
I enjoyed your video. I think it’s important to show the good and the bad. I personally am new and feel a sense of “it’s not only me” when I’m get frustrated dealing with pests. So thank you for sharing. I thinks it helps others in many ways. ❤
You are welcome and happy growing 💖
Thanks for the update. I know the feeling of parting with our orchid collections😢, happened to me 3 times already. 1st loosing 90% of my plants due to orchid weevil infestation. 2 need to move to another country and had to sell or give almost all of my orchids. 3rd just recently when my mom died last year, no one took care of 2, 3 by 6 meters shade house full of orchids. Life goes on and I still love orchids and still have a small collections here at my work in the Canary Island😊
Greetings from Wexford to the Canary Islands and I am very sorry to hear of the devastation your orchids endured. It is very hard in times of crisis to find time for our plant collections. I have some experience of this too. That greenhouse of orchids sounds like a dream 😢 I hope,however that you are enjoying the orchids you now have and wish you all the best.
Rachel , may your collection rise to glory again! Sorry that you went through a time of trial. I dread the day I find scale in my collection. Your cattleya bloom is glorious! Also your transparency is commendable. If new growers think it's always going to be Sunshine, it could make them give up this wonderful hobby when they have difficulty within their collection. Thank you for sharing your beauties with us again.
Hello Holly and thank you for your kind words. I wish you a pest-free collection and happy growing for your plants and channel.
Thanks for sharing.
My heart goes out to you for the loss of old plant friends but I am so glad you are finding joy in your remaining plants ❤
Thank you so much!
Good for you, I had a similar experience with mealybug on my strep collection that just was resistant to systemic and everything and wouldn't go away, at least 6-8 months of struggle. I got disheartened and didn't keep up watering and lost a bunch because like you I put them off to the side so the mealy wouldn't spread.
I finally got the resolve to just toss everything I saw with mealy and I took some leaf cuttings and started over what I could and things are going now and I feel like I'm back on track. And they bloom so easy that I'm starting to see blooms again and why I fell in love with them to start with. I bet you feel the same with your orchids, one look at that beautiful giant peach flower would make anyone want to give it another go haha. You should treat yourself to a few more expensive mature sized orchids, maybe even ones in bloom so you get the instant gratification and a boost of motivation. I always try to get one orchid that is in bloom when I do a orchid order so I at least have some instant gratification when it comes lol.
I think you did the right thing with your streps. They are so easy from cuttings. I always feel streps are the perfect orchid companion plants as they populate the spaces orchids don't. Thanks for watching and commenting and have a great day
I had to abandon my😊 complete orchid/houseplant collection when I moved to Portugal. It was heartbreaking, but also a refreshing clean sweep. Having to deal with scale here, even outside!
That is a big step to have taken. Sorry to hear you even deal with scale outside. Often leaving plants our for the summer with rid them of a pest
Good Luck and please keep on, keeping on. Take care xx
Thank you, I will
Oh Rachel!!! I'm so sorry you had to go through that; we invest SO much time and energy into plants that when something so drastic happens it can be quite overwhelming! But I am glad you're feeling positive again and your orchid mojo has returned!!! I learned so much from your orchid videos and every time I look at my Coelogynes I think of you! MUCH love and best of luck beating the beast that is scale and gradually finding the plants you want to grow again. And weirdly, having failed SPECTACULARLY with Cattleya's, and the bud I had when we made our collab failing, I now have TWO plants in bloom! A bit scabby - but blooms none the less! I'll make a video about them and toast you! Mxxx
Thank you, Matthew. So glad to hear about your cattleya success and I look forward to that video.
I'm sorry for you going through the loss of many of your orchids. I've enjoyed your orchid videos for some time. I too have lost many of mine this year due to the dreaded scale. I still have a few infested plants I haven't given up on. I'm about to use stronger chemicals on them before cold weather in central Florida sets in and I have to bring them inside. Best of luck and enjoy your beautiful blooms. Sue Mc
So sorry to hear that you have also suffered from the dreaded scale in your collection. Many thanks for your supportive words and wishing us both the best outcome!
Rachel I am going through a similar situation. I’ve been growing for many years and have never experienced such a difficult season . Will take note from you and be a bit more radical . Wishing you well,💐✅👍
Sorry to hear you have similar problems. I hope you will find your way through
Thank you for sharing your trials and tribulations, Rachel. As you were talking about throwing plants away, you helped to toss two Phals. Never really liked them, and mealy magnets. Adios! Watering for the first time since bringing the plants in for the fall season, it's been three weeks. This might really help to further thin out the herd (sold a number at our local orchid show also). Quantity doesn't necessarily make for quality. It's all too easy to start to hoard. And if you can't keep up, it just helps the spiral down continue - you feel bad about the plants, you don't take care of them, you feel worse about the plants... Good for you on making the cull, and starting on the road to orchid enjoyment again.
I think you are right. Many of us have this propensity to hoard. I know I did with my orchids. A new start for us both ☺️
Thanks for the update, Rachel. I was wondering what happened to your orchids. It must have been hard but it was surely the right decision. I have been lucky so far, just some mealys every now and then. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed, not only for my collection but also for your collection. Enjoy what's left and most of all, enjoy every bloom.
Thank you so much. These things happen but fingers crossed for both of us!
I understand. Some of my plants are like family members and losing them is almost traumatic, but I tell myself that I can always make another plant a happy home
Well, I do love my plants but maybe not as much as you but, even so, it is so gut-wrenching to lose them. Thanks for watching and have a great day.
You are so right! The expectation of blooms is such a joy. My orchids are spiking, but I am in the tropics. I face many pests all the time. That George King is beautiful.
So true and hoping for a great flowering season for you!
Beautiful video, don’t give up💪
Thank you for this important video and for showing that pests can aggravate the most accomplished growers. I had a collection of 30 plants when I started growing Catts in the late 90s that was decimated by scale (in spite my best efforts) by 2004. It took me 15 years to re-gain the enthusiasm to return to orchid growing and now I have 40+ Catts and Phals and blooms throughout the house. Sometimes you need a break from the hobby to mourn the loss of a collection and wait for the 'spark' and enthusiasm to return. Good luck and thank you again for a wonderful video and many terrific videos over the years chock full of helpful advice!
I'm sorry to learn of your orchid loss but these things do happen. I am happy to hear your collection is thriving once again. Wishing you all the best and happy growing 💗
I don't think it is a downbeat video at all... the reality of growing plants and gardening is that we are going to have things like this happen. I've dealt with scale, mealybugs, thrips etc on my indoor plants and oh my gosh.... nightmares! Especially when we've got big collections, it is especially easy to have an infestation really be impossible and overwhelming to maintain, ruining the joy we got into the plants for. Anyone who hasn't just hasn't grown or gardened long enough yet or isn't being honest for the sake of creating content that doesn't reflect reality. Letting go of the plants can be super hard, I know I felt the same consigning some of mine to the great garden in the sky! But as you say it can really let you feel lighter, work through all the different things it can evoke feelings wise, how we can work through it, decide if it is worth it to us or not and find ways to reengage or choose to move forward.
For whatever its worth I don't just watch videos to cheer me up, I enjoy the journey and following other people's experiences and journey, the ups and the downs. I really appreciate gardeners and growers who share both sides of things. (IE Matthew's recent orchids that didn't survive the winter or similar ones in the cacti and succulents and hybridizing videos I follow!)
Well, I'm glad my video didn't bring you down and yeah, for Matthew. He is always such a pleasure to watch. A great manner. I suppose the bigger our collections get, the more susceptible they are to pests and afflictions. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, I wish you a great day.
How distressing for you Rachel. I’m so sorry. ❤
Worse things happen at sea 😉
Scale are one of the most tenacious pests I’ve encountered. Touch wood I haven’t had any inside yet. But one of my first garden acquisitions ever was a dwarf pear tree. It caught scale 7 years ago and I e never been able to rid it of them. I’ve moved house 4 times, I’ve dug that tree up and moved it and it’s never been free of them since. Luckily it’s outside , and a tree . So entirely easier to forget about than my precious orchids.
To have those little blighters in the house wicking the life out of my collection would certainly suck the energy from Me .
I hope that you will be rid of them entirely soon, the decision to say goodbye to so many plants is a wise one. Not an easy one I am sure.
So here’s to the rainbow coming along now after the rain and some joy back into your passion .
That pear tree must be very precious to you to be moved 4 times. I'm sure the scale isn't too much of an issue for it. thank you for your voice of support and have a great day.
King George Serendipity is a survivor in my collection. It never disappoints, and it’s fitting that you have it yet!
You are in mourning for your orchid collection. So you are in a recovery period and likely make the right decision for you. Starting over or not, you have left us with so much information and happiness for you despite the difficulties you have faced.
Thank you
Hello Rachel, I don't usually comment on videos, but I hope this can give you some incentive to keep growing. I am going through the same thing but at a different issue. My mother lost her home a year ago this month, and I had to find her another home and move all her stuff by myself. ( I am disabled with a spinal injury and live with chronic pain) I lost over 300 orchids in the process and got soo down. Come to find out my mother was diagnosed with dementia and I am still having to look out for her. My husband and I went out of town for 3 days and I had someone tend to my orchids and pets, came back and lost almost all my miniature orchids and a few of my oncidiums. I think that was the straw that broke the camels back, as they say. I am trying to enjoy what I have left as it is my only stress relief. Of course my favorite ones were the first ones to go😢 Alot of them, I can't get anymore. I am still struggling with caring for my mother, but I am trying not to lose what I have left and enjoy that I atleast have some to look after and be rewarded with blooms. Take care and I hope this helps you to keep your spirits up. 😊👍
Dear Valerie, I am so sorry to hear what you have been through. It has been a painful ordeal and does not compare with my minor trials. I send you all my best wishes and wish you much strength. Hugs, Rachel
I'm so sorry to hear about your loss but Im glad you are getting your passion back. You deserve good things Rachel . I wish you only the very best luck in the future 🙂
Ah, thank you so much. 🌸🌷🌼🌻
That is pretty colored. I have been only to find a 3 year old plant. It has a new growth. Enjoy the show. Thank you!
Thank you for being brave enough to keep growing orchids & sharing your experiences. It can be depressing to see your beloved plants suffering!
thanks
Hi Rachel!!! Congratulations on King George and the Guarianthe, they have stunning blooms. I really enjoyed this video despite the bad news. I can understand your dilemma and why you felt sort of relieved when you finally tossed the infected orchids. They were not adding to your happiness and despite all reasoning we have this crazy feeling that orchids should be preserved at all costs, which is not healthy 🥴 Pests have been crazy lately and I never had as many scale as this year, although I have managed to keep them in control. But even if I don't see them, I know that they are there, just waiting patiently for a break. Amazingly, meally bugs seem to have vanished. Using calcium nitrate has been a great help as it makes structures harder and less tasty 😅
Thank you, Fernanda. I think you're right about orchids wheedling their way unnaturally into our affections and making us so reluctant to discard them. Good evolutionary trick 😉😊
Onwards and upwards!
Oh Rachel! I’m sorry about what has happened but glad that you are healing. Our orchids become a part of us and it’s devastating when we lose them. I can see where throwing out those affected orchids have been cathartic for you.
I look forward to seeing your orchid videos once again.
Thank you. Orchids do wheedle their way into our hearts 🥰 Take care
I am so sorry about your orchid losses. I hope you can persevere and replace some of them and have the joy of growing new ones. I'll look forward to seeing what you do.
Thank you for watching and happy growing to us both.
So so sorry
I'm so sorry to hear this, Scale can be devastating, I hope you can replace your favorite Orchids and Continue to enjoy the Hobby of growing Orchids
Thank you, Denise. I am sure I will manage to seek them out eventually. Take care.
Thank you for your kind honesty. I too experienced a gradual decline in interest in my collection because of some very difficult personal issues with my husband. I almost stopped growing orchids entirely. But I slowly pushed through it and I am back loving them again and grateful for what they bring to my life. But… I have mealybugs currently and they can be very difficult to eradicate and sometimes the best answer is to get rid of the plant. I have found that often aggressive treatment weakens the plant greatly. So I am trying black tea and baking soda as a foliar spray and to flush the plant pot. Best wishes to you.
I am glad to hear that you have come back to orchids and I wish you a speedy outcome to your mealie problem. I agree that too many treatments weaken plants. Fingers crossed for us both.
Hello! The first thing that came to my mind was to take all the orchids outside in the summer, cover them with a large piece of polyethylene and heavily treat them several times in such a closed form, and the kitchen either needs to be thoroughly washed or repaired - perhaps insects are sitting somewhere there too - I have almost the same situation it was a year ago, but now we have moved and my orchids live in a garden orchid garden, although I treat them with neem oil every week - there were several with scale insects, but I see that all the insects have died - Hurray! For 1 liter of water add 1-2 tablespoon neem oil and 1 tablespoon kitchen detergent.
Thanks for your comment
appreciate your honesty. I can't believe you had to throw out your orchids. Hope you can get your mojo back again. I can really relate and I'm glad you have brought a video out explaining it so well. When you mentioned your different plans, buying new plant to sustain your channel, that is literally what some youtubers do. I was just taking about this negative side of the hobby which hits so many people. Like someone said once there are two types of orchid growers, those that have pests and those that need new glasses. Then again I have had certain pests I have never ever seen in several years but I've spotted the damage they leave behind. It's a shame you didn't mention this sooner because scale is a pest I can handle. After all the mites and thrips and mealy bug infestations I have endured, scale would have been a welcome change at mine. I know you say you had a super strain of scale but scale would have had no chance against me. I could have saved some of these plants. Wish I had had the opportunity. When it comes to bugs, I feel more experienced than a professional exterminator. So although it is a negative aspect of the hobby which nobody wants to talk about, they do when it hits them and by then it's too late. But then again there isn't that much to say apart from how frustrating the battle against them can be. I always feel like on forums the care of orchids is vastly exaggerated, they are plants, they grow by themseleves in the right conditions. They need a well draining media, enough light, the right temperates, can tolerate a wide range of humidity and then they literally take care of themselves. You were even able to get your husband to look after them who has no green thumb by the sounds of it. So it's all fairly easy and straightforward and anyone can be a theoretical orchid expert in less than 2 weeks - this is all the tips you mention that people feel they need to share on youtube in the first 2 years. Mainly to reassure themselves they are doing a good job. Which is all fine and great but getting tips from experienced growers like you who have the experience of all the bad things that can happen instead of just having read about them and what to do to avoid them, that is scarce. Many youtubers give out misleading information on youtube. Keep orchids dry. Roots are meant to go dormant (this is actually the main sign of pest activity which most inexperienced growers often never realize their entire orchid growing time) Orchids need a cool down period to bloom. Many many myths that I do not believe in. I have disproved so many myths that get copied and pasted in orchid literature. Rarely do orchid books get updated with new information. It's the same regurgitated care guides copied and pasted, never written by a true expert with many years experience. When you point out anything that is not mentioned in an orchid book yu can forget about convincing anyone. It often feels like people grow orchids for 5 years and then give up. High heating costs in winter, not having a green thumb, not keeping up with watering and pests have got to be the main reasons people usually give up. So where are the people that grow for more than 10 years and I don't mean the average window sill grower. I mean someone who has gotten at least 100 different species to flower for them in that time. I feel that is a good benchmark which many will probably never reach and I haven't yet either but getting close. Anyway you were a very experienced grower, I liked your cheerful video's which like you said gave me a boost, you convinced me to get get my 2 cymbidiums which are spectacular and you were far more experienced than other youtubers giving out the same old same old bad advice that got spread from one person to the next. I hope you can get a grip on the problem, can replace the lost plants and carry on making videos. I appreciate them.
Thank you for your detailed and insightful comment. I do agree with you on most points. I guess one of the down sides of the increase in orchid popularity is that so many people drift in and out of the hobby. It is the same for many houseplants. I guess we are fickle and easily-distracted as a species 😊 I still love my cattleyas though 😉 Thanks for sharing and take care.
What really helped me to get rid of mealie scale is a leaf shine. Every time I see any white fluf or scale, I spray the whole plant. And it kills off scale really well. Sometimes it comes back I spray plant again and I don't see it coming again. So order yourself large bottles of leaf shine and you will be sorted.
I am very glad that worked for you.
My heart goes out to you! I hope you can find some small joys this autumn with your remaining collection and look forward to seeing how things progress for you once the pests have been overcome! As a new grower, this is very heartening to see as I have tried very hard for a year with my (very little) home collection and sometimes feel like I must be a little masacistic to love these plants so much! It makes me feel I have comradory to know that even serious orchid growers like you struggle sometimes! ❤
Well, I am glad my video has brought you some solace. Thanks for your good wishes and happy growing.
Aw Rachel, my heart goes out to you and your wonderful Cattleyas. So sorry to hear. I know it’s so disappointing as I’ve had similar with Streptocarpus being too close together and touching giving a bridge for nasties to crawl from one plant to another. The sight of those two really beautiful Csttleyas must now still create enthusiasm for these lovely plants and with time make you want to continue to grow and flower them again especially when you can do it so well xx😊
Hi Ken and thank you for your kind words. I guess we have all suffered plant losses. Sorry to hear about your beautiful strep collection. Take care and happy growing.
This was most unfortunate. The same has happened to me but on a much smaller scale. I lost a bay laurel tree and a twenty nine year old lemon tree and a few orchids. I really feel for you on your loss of all the orchids. I have been watching your videos for many years. And they have brought much pleasure. So happy to know that you will be carrying on.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your lemon tree and laurel. Gardening is a whole journey of success and failure. Thanks for watching and taking the time to show your support. I wish you good things.
I can tell how hard it is for you to talk about this and I completely feel and understand! I went through something similar about 3 years ago and I also stopped making videos and loving my orchids. We moved from our old house to a new one which does not have any really good South facing windows so I purchased some shelving and some plant lights. My collection started getting pitted leaves, and dropping their leaves. New growths turned black and fell off. I tried so many things, and couldn't figure out what was wrong. They started dyeing one by one, I went through waves of throwing away orchids that I loved so much. Many which I hand picked on vacation trips and carried home on the plane. I started to HATE to go into my orchid room. It gave me massive anxiety every time I even thought about my collection. I picked out about 10 that I loved the most and brought them into the kitchen where I continued to grow them even though they still had ugly pitted leaves. I just went through the motions of watering them when needed, those 10 are starting to recover. Its taken 3 years! I have not started rebuilding my collection because of the fear and anxiety of this happening again. We went to Ireland this summer and I thought about reaching out to see if we would be anywhere near you to see your collection and beautiful gardens but I was so ashamed of my orchid collection I didn't. I had no idea you were going through something similar. Its so hard to watch things you love start to fail. But letting go of the ones that are beyond hope does indeed lift you up and reduce the anxiety! I hope you are able to find love in orchids again. Sometimes time is all we need to heal. Sending love!
I'm so sorry to hear of the terrible journey you have been on. Hopefully the future holds orchids for us both.
I am so sorry! Sometimes discarding the plant is the only way, the constant treating and repotting is not something that can be kept up on a long term basis for a large number or plants for one person! But it is always sad…you and Ed are where I learned the bleach treatment, which I have used on scale in the past, with some success, but they do nest in the media, and it is so much work to constantly treat and repot, and who has room for isolation! Plus some orchids are just really susceptible to scale,and die easily, and some just seem to be scale magnets. Best of luck with your remaining collection! Your flowers are beautiful and remain an inspiration!
I think you have hit the important points on the head there, Tracy. The bleach treatment is quite successful - the most successful thing I tried - but you do need to unpot, divide larger plants, use a toothbrush (as I see Ed doing) and repeat. It's quite hard with a large collection. And, oh yes, those martyrs! Some orchids are just like that. Thanks for watching and commenting and take care.
Thanks for sharing your journey with scale. That had to be heartbreaking to trash those beauties. Good luck with your remaining babies.
Thank you, I will. That King George has really lifted my spirits. Take care and happy growing.
I appreciate you talking about scale. I recently lost all of my African violets to a cyclamen mite infestation. It was devastating and I'd only had them for a few years. I can't imagine how heartbreaking it would be to lose an established collection like yours. I'm glad you all have 52 orchids and I hope your battle with scale is over.
Thank you for your kind words and I am sorry to hear of your African violets. I bet you aren't keen on cyclamen any more! Wishing you all the best and happy growing 💗
Ahh, I'm so glad you made this video... I can see becoming disheartened after bug issues like that... I for the first time have had flower thrip issues and they ruined one of the blooms on one of my favorite orchids! But I was wondering why you weren't making orchid videos anymore. I have just gotten back into my orchids after a year or two of thinking it was the end... so, if you've seen an uptick in your re-potting videos, it's me :D You and a just few others were and still are, my go to channels for orchid growing... I love your orchids and hope you continue to feel the good energy about them, and if we're lucky, feel you'd like to make videos with them too.
Thank you so much for such lovely words and how nice that I am among your go-to orchid channels. Disertement is the worst affliction that can hit us orchid-growers and I do how you will round the corner completely soon. Sending you all good wishes.
Oh, Rachel, I'm so sorry! I'm sure you did everything you could and I'm sure I would never be able to do enough if my orchids were attacked by scale. I would probably throw my hands up and chuck them all. I do hope your passion for growing orchids returns!
Thank you so much, Eileen. It is all part of the orchid ourney, I guess. I am feeling positive now though and that King George really does lift my spirits. Wishing you all the best and happy growing.
Scale really is awful to deal with. We have access to much different chemicals in the US and I still have trouble controlling it on certain plants. Sorry that you had to get rid of so many plants, especially the purpurata, but I understand it. I went through and chucked quite a few orchids myself in the past week, not because of disease but they just weren't performing. I have two orchids that constantly get scale and I'm just not prepared to get rid of them, Dendrobium Frosty Dawn which I have had for many years and it isn't readily available anymore; the other is Oncidium Tiger Crow which was given to me as a gift when I had given up even trying to find the plant. Both of them sit right next to two other orchids and the scale never jump onto those, just the two mentioned. Go figure, the two I could easily replace don't have problems, the two I treasure do.
Frosty Dawn is a true beauty so I can understand your reluctance to let it go. And, yes, it's always the precious ones that succumb. I hope you overcome your scale problem, Micahel. Take care.
Oh no, that's really sad...
Thank you for sharing your story. ❤
I can totally relate.
Lost 3/4 of my collection many years ago because of scale, too 😔.
Lost joy of growing them as you do and stopped collecting new ones.
Some survived over those years, and only because I lost my garden (had to move house) I bought some new ones.
I was so careful this time, quaratained every new one. That was the time I found your chanel. 😊
Now my excitement and joy is back. 😃
Those two cattleyas on your table are so beautiful! 😍
Hopefully they stay scale-free and keep growing and flowering for you.
And hopefully you get rid of scale alltogether, so that you can enlarge your collection again and share it with us. 🙏🍀🤗❤
I loved your comment .
Yes , strict quarantining is definitely the way to go .
Good to know you have regained your excitement & joy .
I am happy to read how you regained your passion for orchids and are replacing your collection. I wish you years of flowering fulfillment.
@@GardeningatDouentza thank you! ❤
Hello Rachel. I had to sell 3/4 of my orchids due to the move to another country. It was very painful so I can relate. So sad to hear about your wonderfull purpurata. Your videos have inspired me to buy one for myself...Looking back (after 1,5 years) I see that I owned too many plants. I had to find myself replacements though so that my focus is shifted from loosing to enjoing what I had. Hope your scale problem will be resoleved.
Thank you for your comment of support and sorry about your collection. Like you, I too think that I had been growing too many orchids. Next time round I will be more selective and discerning but a purpurata will definitely be on my list. Take care and have a nice day.
I’ve been struggling with spider mites and thrips for years and I fully understand the demotivation.
It’s still amazing to see flowers, but the hobby feels like work sometimes because of all the pest control and worry about potential spreading viruses.
I’ve decreased the size of my collection due to this as well.
I would love to see those “depressing”videos as well since I can definitely relate to them.
In a way, seeing blooms and growth while struggling can be a motivator as well.
So it’s a at struggle, and downsizing your collection to a more manageable size makes sense, but it’s still worth it to continue.
You speak words of wisdom. I am sorry for your struggles with spider mites and thrips. It is not fun when the hobby feels like work. I hope you find your way through.
So sorry Rachel that you are having so many problem and that you soon will be back in orchid mood. It is hard to stay motivated when having difficulties with anything. As you say it does demotivate you.
For those who are new - some tips. You might try the qtip and alcohol or something like Orthene which is a systemic. Or a shampoo of insecticidal soap. It won’t do much for the scale but can help with other opportunistic bugs. When plants get weak, they are prey to everything. I have done both sorta attacking from inside and outside. Or just cut the leaves affected like the one sitting next to you I would cut off the affected leaves there is one there almost black. I treat and get rid of leaves.
I will divide the plant keeping the good parts and discard the rest. That way I get to keep the plant. Using something like Kelpak and QUANTUM on them to help them recover. An aspirin or antibiotic can help perk them. Just don’t throw everything at once. And realize all these home remedies just waste time you can really be treating your plants. Some things just need some serious products. On those with sooty mold I would use a baby shampoo and scrub the sooty mold off which is a fungus with a tooth brush. And then use Physan 20 which is an algaecide,fungicide, virusecide, bactericide which you don’t rinse off. I use it every 2 weeks on the entire collection and luckily I don’t get too much issues and when I see a leaf with a dark spot and a yellow halo, I spray it back and front with hydrogen peroxide. Sometimes I just cut it out with a disinfected and flamed exacto knife or single edge new razor blade. Then throw it in a jar for disposal when the jar is full. Only use the blade once and use true cinnamon ie Ceylon cinnamon mixed with a little white school glue all around the cut edges. It doesn’t look good but it’s better than losing the leaf or plant. And put a little cinnamon in a bottle cap etc, don’t use from the jar and contaminate it. Throw out the excess with the bottle cap.
But really I feel too many people don’t practice good hygiene in their collections leaving dead and dying leaves lying around, bad roots, or leaving on the plants. Then gnats, spiders, thrips, etc can just trapse around spreading disease. In greenhouses, they need to be cleaned several times a year or at least swept and sprayed down completely with Physan 20. Or if not in your country, then it’s rent a steamer and some soap and scrub it down. Treat the plants with what you have closest to the products I mention and put back in. I use Banrot for serious root (like the very serious fusarium, and water molds) and leaf, stem fungus and Orthene for pests both if these are systemic. But topical are the Mancozeb and the Subdue is a good systemic too. On chemicals you have to rotate and mix up your classes of chemicals or you get resistant issues. I haven’t tried on orchids but the OMRI organic system here in US you have sulfur for fungal issues, etc. I find keeping your plants clean,stripped of any bad places and the greenhouse or your porch or house spotless will take you a long way to preventing. I guess I’m saying, you have to tend to the plants daily. Each day pick up 3-5 plants and go over them with a fine tooth comb. Or 1 if that’s all you can do. Just go down the line. But if you don’t diseases and pest get away from you. Some of the things I mentioned you will only be able to use outdoors in the summer. Really attack them all year when outside and then you may make it through the winter without too much issues. Too many of us try to grow more plants than we have room for and some get put where we forget them and also we try to grow plants our environments aren’t suited for. I blame the vendors for this. It is so difficult to buy plants where they give you the adequate information. We see a bug pretty bloom and we are like I really want that one. But it won’t grow well for us. They should tell us the temperatures it needs day and night, winter vs summer, the months it blooms in in different areas as to where it’s been grown before shipping to you, does it need mid ir high humidity ir maybe it likes low 40-50% or does it need 75-80%. Also we need to know about it’s dormant season, does it need a dry winter, or to be kept slightly dry or is it a constant grower and should be water and fed as long as it stays in active growth and has plenty of light, ventilation, circulation (two different things), and humidity. Also maintain the 10-15 degree night temp difference. Many do. The Vanda experts I have read is they don’t need a shut down and can be grown strong all winter.
Again so sorry, look forward to see you on orchids again. But if you don’t come back, we will be fine you just get you in a better spot so that old enthusiasm comes back. Sometimes we just get worn down and need to take a break.
Best of luck and blessings to you.❤️🙃🙂☺️
I'm sure many will find your in-depth advice useful. Thank you and have a great day.
I feel your Pain Rachel This past January was hospitalized requiring a stint in rehab. Was away from my collection for almost 6 months. During that period no one watered, Orchids were severely stressed, developed severe Scale etc. Upon returning home I had 70+ 😵 Orchids. Yes, I 'had' a George King Serendipity & a Southern Cross too ... Also lost All 3 varieties of purpuratas The $$ lost / devastating. Currently have a Total of 16 orchids. some replacements... but more selective. }{ugs
Very sad to hear this and get a bit more detail on the story you touched on in Instagram. It can be hard to accept such loss but, in the end, I remind myself that there is so much more to life than orchids. We are here and we are talking and the future brings possibilities. Take care.
I'm sorry to hear the bad news. You were so close to your orchids.
Thanks, Patrick. It is a blow but in the end they are just plants. Hope you are keeping well.
Love your videos! So sorry about the scale. I dont think I would recognise them on a plant????
You can use this as an opportunity to curate your collection! Now you know what you have left are probably scale resistant.
Well, I'm not sure what I have left is scale-resistant at all - just lucky. But I will be discerning when I re-buy. Thanks and have a great day.
Oh Rachel.i have been watching your channel for years. You and Danni were my staple! Both of you ignited my passion for orchids. Such a shame about your orchids! Heartbreaking!
Thank you so much for your kind words and your support
❤
Sometimes, I just want some of my sick orchids to just die so I could move on with my life. 😂
😂 I relate 😅
Oh poor you! Best of luck for the rebirth of the collection
Thank you so much. Could be worse, eh 😉
Wow, what an ordeal! So sorry!❤❤
So it goes...
Did you scrub and sterilize the pots? Add new soil and cut off most infested leaves.?
Also using a toothbrush brush with oil and soap can help.
Removing the worst parts and saving a part of the orchid which is less infested ciuld have carried on your collection.
Dont be put off.....you obviously have a real love for them.
Hope things improve, Jo😊
Did all the obvious stuff 🥲
I have been fighting scale for a year and a half. They are so hard to get rid of.
Very sorry to hear that and I hope you overcome those blighters!
Haste ye back !!
?
I feel so sorry that your orchids were so infested! What happened to the Coastal Sunrise? Do you still have it? Did it survive? That was your most beautiful one I think!
Coastal Sunrise is no more.
@@GardeningatDouentza 😢😢😢
I’ve lost so many orchids in the past two years from scale. Just this past winter I lost over 15 plants from them.
So sorry, Danni
Have you submerged them underwater for like 30 minutes? (makes sure to dry after)
Do you want my orchids? Orchids were a faze for me when i lived an area that was suitable for them. Niw im in z 5 and i dont have that much space for them and been busy with work. I now focus my money on david austin roses and peonies.
That is really very kind of you but, no thanks. I won't be replacing orchids for a bit. David Austin roses are a great investment 😍
What a sad story. Raising plants is fraught with all kinds of dangers! Not for the faint of heart.
It sounds funny, but it is so true. Not for the faint of heart! I couldn't have said it any better!
What do orchids like as far as food? And how often during growing time?😊
There are several orchid feeding videos on my channel. Search for 'Douentza Orchid Fertiliser'
I was wondering what happened to your videos. I asked Roger about you. Do you have a video on how to care for cattleyas?
I have lots of videos on caring for cattleyas but everything is written in this ebook-let, which you can buy here...
www.lulu.com/shop/rachel-darlington/my-windowsill-monsters/ebook/product-78r5vy.html?page=1&pageSize=4
I am sorry to hear about your orchid infestation. ENSTAR® AQ INSECT GROWTH REGULATOR is very effective in dealing with scale and mealybugs. It is used to prevent the eggs and immature scale to grow. You will use this in parallel with an insecticide such as Malathion. Different insecticides should be rotated. Never consistently use only one product. the scale will become resistant to just one product. Enstar should thoroughly saturate the orchid medium. Enstar can be applied in the home. The insecticides cannot be.
Thank you for your feedback and tips. Much appreciated. Wishing you a happy Christmas.
So sad about your collection. Sometimes you have to be brutal if plants fail. Maybe a fresh start.
So true!
❤