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Over the holidays, I placed my orchid on the hearth, a chair was moved in front of it...........and I forgot about it.

The stem dried right up, but the top 8 inches or so are vibrant green and very much still alive. I snipped this part off, wrapped the raw end in a paper napkin, soaked it in distilled water and placed it in a baggie.

My experience with orchids is limited to say the least. The original plant was living well in a pot of wood chips and bark before my festivity induced absentmindedness.

Now that I have this raw end, what would be the proper triage to get it to root, or will it root at all?

I have sphagnum moss, should I poke the raw end into some moistened moss and put it back in the baggie?

Thanks for any information, I'm not sure what to do with this, but I see alot of folks on here know what they're talking about!

Back on Santa's Naughty List

Um, Oh never mind.

I can't help with the orchid. I thought the saying below should say.

"Soil - The Holy Grail." dirt is just dirt

I don't grow orchids, so I can only guess. The type of orchid you have may determine whether it can be rooted, and the steps to follow to get it to do so. Do you know what kind of orchid it is? If you don't know for sure, can you post a picture of it for us?

[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724]How to Post Pictures & Photos on Forums[/url]

The fact that your orchid was growing in bark implies to me that it probably wouldn't do well if planted in soil. Some species of orchids will root in water, but it might be best if you just planted it in more bark.

I recommend that you keep watching for responses to your question. We have several members who are experienced with orchids, and I'm sure one or more of them will stop by soon to help you.

DoubleDogFarm wrote:

Back on Santa's Naughty List

Um, Oh never mind.

I can't help with the orchid. I thought the saying below should say.

"Soil - The Holy Grail." dirt is just dirt

I was once told that soil is what we grow our plants in while dirt is what gets tracked into the house.

Norm

From what I understand about orchids, if your species doesn't like bathing in water directly then it wouldn't take very well to being stuck directly into the wet sphagnum moss.

I snipped this part off, wrapped the raw end in a paper napkin, soaked it in distilled water and placed it in a baggie.

You'll want to remove the end of the orchid from the water as quickly as you can. Overnight may be too long to recover it but who knows... again, I don't know your species.

Gather together a few things and you could hopefully encourage your little orchid back.

-Gallon ziploc bag
-Rubber band or thick twine for tying
-Sphagnum moss
-Your poor little orchid!

Dry your orchid completely where it has been sitting in the water. If it has sat too long it will begin to rot and really you can't save it after that.

Wet down your moss, damp but not dripping wet. You want to encourage moisture in the air, not a sweat bath. Place the moss in the bottom of the gallon bag, position your orchid so that the cut end doesn't touch the wet moss but all the branches are above the bag.

Now, blow some air into the bag and seal up. This is tricky but you'll get it. It doesn't have to be perfect, just so there's enough air in the bag to support the orchid upright(-ish) and keep it from touching the moss or the sides of the bag where moisture tends to collect. You'll probably get seriously creative trying to keep your orchid upright anyways (I leaned mine against various cans of vegetables and a ziploc bag of sugar...).

Now, place your orchid and her new contraption in indirect sunlight and away from drafts or heaters. The rule of thumb about indirect sunlight that I follow is this: if you can see a fuzzy shadow when you put your hand in the location, this is good; if you see a sharp shadow, this is direct sunlight and not good.

Once a day or every other day, mix up a weak orchid fertilizer batch and soak the end in it for 30 min to an hour. Dry thoroughly and re-wrap with the plastic bag/moss contraption.

This method has worked exactly once in the five times I have accidentally killed an orchid. :/ I read about it in a book somewhere about raising orchids but really should have been called, "How to Perform Orchid CPR". Sometimes I think a harsh word and a loud bang will kill an orchid.

These plants are just too high-maintenance and sensitive for me but it sounds like you have an attachment to your little fella... best of luck!!

I like to get dirty.....not soily hahahahahahahaha

I'm attempting to post links to the pictures of the orchid.

It was given to me by a most generous individual and I'd feel horrible if I didn't try my best to save it. Not to mention I'd be thrilled if I could witness it blooming!

[img]https://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/shelleyn_2006/House%20plants/orchid2.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/shelleyn_2006/House%20plants/orchid1.jpg[/img]

I like to get dirty.....not soily hahahahahahahaha

I'm attempting to post links to the pictures of the orchid

Eric

I know back to my room.

The end scabbed over in a most attractive way!

[img]https://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g66/shelleyn_2006/IMG_0009-1.jpg[/img]

Eric, it's ok. You can come out of your room. I'm not THAT scary