The Plant That Called Me A Liar

 I have always felt that no matter what I tell you about plants there will be one stubborn plant that will call me a liar.  If I tell you it likes the sun, your plant will tell you it likes only partial sun.  If I tell you that a plant should do one thing, it will do the opposite.  But I can explain that.  Plants are living, breathing entities.  Each plant is a little different.  Each has its own "personality".

Here is my newest independent thinker.  This is a Phalaenopsis Orchid.  For those of you who do not know what a Phalaenopsis is I have added a picture of the bloom so you will recognise it.  The plant is usually made up of large leaves near the pot and then flowers form on a long spike towering over them. After the blossoms fall I have always been taught to leave the long empty stalk on the plant until it grows brown because the green stalk is full of nutrients that the plant will continue to use for the next blooming.  Sometimes, though I have not seen it very often the stalk will send off a side stalk and will bloom again.  Usually, it just sits there looking ugly.  So what the heck, I cut it off and stuck it in the dirt of a large plant to see what would happen.

Well, I did do a little more than that.  I started with three stalks.  Cutting them just under a flower node, I dusted them with rooting hormone and then I stuck them in the dirt.  I did not expect anything.  I watched two of the stalks turn brown and waited for the third to follow suit.  You can imagine my delight when it did not turn brown but developed buds.   Phalaenopsis are not suppose to like dirt.  They like their roots to be able to breath in moss or bark or coconut fiber.  I am not sure how this will turn out.  It is not wise to disturb the roots of a flowering plant so I cannot tell you what is happening down there yet. But I will keep you posted.

Next week I will tell you about the care and feeding of the Phalaenopsis Orchid so stay tuned.  I hopefully will have an update on my buds. 

Please tell me about your plant and its unusual behaviour.  Send me photos that I can post here along with your story.  You can post them yourself on this blog or email me at joneskathee@gmail.com

Until next time,
k.k.jones