Episode 181: moth orchid rescue with Terry Richardson
Transcript
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Moth orchids looking miserable? Want to get your Phalaenopsis to rebloom? Terry Richardson aka The Black Thumb joins me to answer all your orchid rescue questions: plus I answer a question about plants that can hold their own in a loft space.
On The Ledge Sowalong update
If you haven’t sown anything yet, it’s not too late! You can listen to all the sowalong episodes here. Keep me up to date with what you’re up to by posting your pics and sowing progress on social media using #OTLsowalong so I can pick up on them.
Photograph: Terry Richardson.
This week’s guest
Terry Richardson is also known as the orchid Whisperer and The Black Thumb. He rescues orchids from dumpsters in his neighbourhood in California in the US, and revives them.
Terry is on Tiktok as @blackthumbtv and on Instagram as @orchidwhisperer19 and you’ll find his YouTube Channel here.
Check out Terry’s orchid rescue tips as you listen…
Terry’s orchid rescue ‘Chad’. Photograph: Terry Richardson.
Roots will gather nutrients whether inside or outside the substrate: it’s natural for some roots to be in the air, so do NOT cut these off!
It is sometimes possible to revive an orchid that has no leaves but a root system that’s still alive.
Healthy roots will feel firm and turgid whereas a dead rot will flimsy and sometimes hollow. When you water roots will turn silvery green to a brighter green.
Make sure the roots not in the substrate get wet when you water as well as the roots in the substrate.
Repot orchids typically every 12-18 months - upgrade the diameter by 1-2 inches (2.5-5cm).
When you rescue an orchid, quarantine it for a few weeks to make sure it is not suffering from pests such as mealy bugs.
Healthy leaves should have some bounce and not be wrinkly or limp.
If you have a dried-out orchid, try rehydrating it with a black tea and distilled water treatment. Check out Terry’s YouTube video for full advice on how to do this.
If you want a scientific way of making sure your orchid is watered right, weight your orchid when it’s dry (just before watering), then water it and put it back on the scale. Periodically re-weigh to see how it responds in terms of root and leaf health. This will help you gauge when it needs water.
When it comes to water, rainwater is ideal but tap water can be used too if you don’t have access to the former.
When it comes to potting mixes, sphagnum moss, bark media, leca, and coconut husk are all good choices: what you choose will impact how much you have to water. It’s easy to overwater orchids growing in moss, for instance.
Terry uses bark media as it encourages air flow around the roots, although this means that he needs to water more regularly than those in moss.
We hadn’t come across growing orchids in wine corks but thought it could well work!
When it comes to containers, plastic pots are fine provided you water carefully; terracotta pots are even better. The advantage of clear plastic pots is that they allow light to reach roots in the substrate, which means they can photosynthesise.
Intrigued by the idea of Bounce drier sheets repelling fungus gnats? Here’s the research paper, co-authored by friend of the show Raymond Cloyd, who appeared on the mealy bug episode.
Reblooming orchids is largely down to their environment: an east-facing window is ideal. They like temperate temperatures ie 60-85F/16-30C.
Creating a temperature difference of around 10F/5C between day and night conditions helps to spark reblooming.
Also make sure you are feeding with a specialist orchid feed, to provide the phosphorous the plant needs to flower.
Once your orchid has bloomed, what do you do with the flower spike? Terry lets the spike start to brown, and then he’ll cut back to there: spikes will often rebloom from the same spike. If spikes completely die, prune them back to the base. If you want to, you can cut the spike back to the base as soon as the flowers fade.
Question of the week
Fola, an upholsterer in Manchester, is looking for plants to fill a new studio based in an old mill: think lofty spaces and potential nighttime temperature drops.
The plants I suggest are:
Sparmannia africana, African hemp.
Monstera deliciosa, the swiss cheese plant. Here’s the picture of Monstera deliciosa in Matisse’s studio.
Dr Hessayon mentions growing bay trees (Laurus nobilis) indoors - this could work! I’d start out with a small plant and see how it goes.
A large jade tree (Crassula ovata) would do really well - look on Facebook Marketplace and the like to pick up a cheap one!
A massed planting of snake plants would look amazing. Here’s the pic of the trough of snake plants in Don Draper’s apartment I mention.
Want to ask me a question? Email ontheledgepodcast@gmail.com. The more information you can include, the better - pictures of your plant, details of your location and how long you have had the plant are always useful to help solve your issue!
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CREDITS
This week's show featured the tracks Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops, Quasi Motion by Kevin Macleod and Time To Move and Motivate by The Insider.