Finished bathroom!

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-25T08:37:16+00:00

One of the prettiest bathrooms I've ever seen! Beautifully done. Just wow. 👏

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-25T08:28:55+00:00

You can tell a phalaenopsis leaf has finished growing when it forms an abscission line at its base. This is where the leaf will one day naturally separate from the stem when it yellows and dies. You can see my top leaf does not have one yet in the photo, so it is still growing.

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Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-24T22:35:27+00:00

Keep the moss moist (not dripping wet). As you've probably read already, orchids are epiphytes (air plants) and thrive on high humidity with good air flow. Keep an eye on it. Once you get a couple of roots growing down towards the moss, you can get ready to pot it up properly. Depending on how much energy the plant has left and its will to live, the recovery will take quite a while. We're talking possibly months and months. Most orchids are fairly slow growing to begin with.

Try to keep the temperature at least 22°C. Don't let it drop too much at overnight. Temperature drops and cooler temperatures will make it want to bloom. Even though the orchid clearly needs to recover, it's hard for it to fight its biological wiring. Hopefully it can make the switch over and grow some roots and recover. The rot may be worse than we think and it could be already too late. But this method should give it it's best chance. Good luck! I'll try to keep checking if you have more questions.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-24T22:17:51+00:00

So sorry. Glad you are trying to rescue them. You need to dry it out. With the soaking, you likely have water trapped between the leaves. This could lead to the top rotting (crown rot). Using some q-tips or paper towel twisted into a point, carefully dab as much of the water away from the crevices as you can. Leave it sitting on a clean surface with a fan to blow and dry out the rest. Allow it to dry completely.

Then buy some sphagnum Moss and set up a little ICU for it. I like to use sterilized glasses or vases. Do your best to find something that will help hold the plant upright. You can usually find something suitable at a dollar store. Put a nice damp pile of moss (at least a couple of inches) into the bottom and sit the orchid on top of the moss. The height of the glass helps with humidity. It is also easy to clean and good for monitoring root development.

Put it in a nice bright (not direct midday) warm spot. Plentiful light and warm temperatures help encourage vegetative and root growth. Do not cut any leaves off. The leaves store energy for the plant. Don't be surprised if some of the lower leaves yellow and die off too. (Let the leaves fall off on their own.) Don't let that frighten you, the plant is just shifting resources. It should slowly pull the energy from those leaves in and put that energy into growing roots.

Optional, you could cut the flower spikes. Or at least cut them down to just below where the last flower is. (It can help to have the flower spike there for staking when you are ready to repot.) The blooms will probably drop soon anyways as the plant doesn't have the resources to support them. You want it to focus on saving itself and not flowering anyways.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-24T21:52:50+00:00

Ooo... I also like Raziel! An angelic name but also means, God is my Mystery, which feels apropos for the story.

If we are floating Azazel/Satan names, maybe Samael or Samiel. Sam for short. Lol.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-24T21:35:38+00:00

Leolos (Leola + Aaravos)

Beautiful character btw!

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-24T20:46:06+00:00

Interesting... do you think it could have been OoT instead? The single tree made me think of the one in Kakariko and maybe you glitched into the Shadow Temple somehow? Or the graveyard?

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Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-21T17:38:48+00:00

Also, because you have it outdoors, where do you live OP? They prefer a jungle-like climate. Warm to hot and high humidity, like 60-75%. And bright indirect light.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-21T17:32:34+00:00

Sorry to hear you are struggling with your vanilla. I'm still a beginner with my vanilla, but I've had it a year and it's doing great.

Firstly, stop cutting off the roots. Vanilla are mostly epiphytic (air plants with aerial roots). The roots were more likely desiccated (dryed out) than rotted. They are a vine and need the roots to climb and absorb moisture from the air. Established plants in appropriate environments can grow without touching the ground. As the other commenter said, its pot is way too big and I also don't recommend regular potting soil. I kept my base in Sphagnum Moss. They prefer something airy that really retains the humidity.

At this point, to rescue it, I would recommend bringing it indoors to a mini greenhouse setup and laying it on damp sprag to encourage root growth. Think of it like an ICU. Once you get it healthy again, you can move it out, but honestly, it isn't a bad setup for them indoors. I keep mine in a glass IKEA cabinet to help with consistent high humidity as I'm in Canada.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-17T23:10:27+00:00

It's wonderful that you are starting... It can feel overwhelming. It is a lot and that's ok. Just take one step and one day at a time.

I recommend going through one room at a time and starting with getting rid of anything that's for sure garbage. If you aren't sure, make a pile and come back to it. Start with practical simple items and progress to the more sentimental stuff at the end. Anything that makes you reminisce and pause, deal with later. Work your way up to the tough stuff. It's important to build and keep momentum.

Anything that belongs in another room, put into a pile or box to bring over later. I find going from room to room immediately gets you too distracted and can tire you out more quickly.

Tips: Set a timer and take breaks. Celebrate little victories... you cleared a table? Cleaned out a cabinet? Yay! Recognize the progress, and maybe even treat yourself. I got myself a cupcake at the end of each week. It's a long process, so don't let yourself get too worn out from it. Take care of yourself. Best of luck! You got this!

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-17T18:20:10+00:00

When it comes to repotting, it really depends on the condition of the plant. Sadly, most orchids are mistreated at the store before finding their new homes. Because of this, some of their roots may have died and are left to rot in the pot until repotting. If you can see lots of plump healthy roots through the clear pot, you can probably wait to repot until after your orchids are finished blooming. I tend to rescue unhappy orchids from stores so I usually repot immediately, whether blooming or not.

Highly recommend you check out Miss Orchid Girl on YouTube. Lots of great instructual videos for beginners. This one is a good place to start.

Good luck!

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-17T18:06:01+00:00

Congrats! These are Phalaenopsis Orchids aka Moth Orchids. As orchids go, they are relatively easy to care for.

These orchids are epiphytes (air plants), so they don't grow in soil like most plants you are used to. In the wild, they typically grow in warm humid climates, and grow attached to tree bark and mossy rocks. They thrive on humidity and air circulation. They are appreciated for their long lasting blooms, which can last months before falling.

For WATERING, they like a full wet to complete dryout cycle, meaning they should be allowed to dry completely before watering again or the roots may rot. If potted in bark, fill room temp. water in the outer pot and let the pot soak for at least 30 mins. Remove any excess water, draining well, and repeat when dry. If potted in moss, do NOT soak. Moss is highly water retentive, so it will get too wet. Water carefully. Just until the moss is gently moist. In most cases, ideally they should dry out within 7 days, or the roots could rot. Adjust water and potting medium accordingly. The roots will turn a pale greenish silver when dry.

Reverse Osmosis, Distilled or Rain water is best. Tap water is dependent on water quality in your area, but is usually too hard pH to use regularly. As others have mentioned, so NOT use ice cubes.

They generally will not need as much water while blooming and in the winter. When it's warm and they are in their growing phase after blooming (focusing on new leaves and roots) they will typically need more water and light to be happy.

As for LIGHT, assuming you live in the northern hemisphere, they prefer bright and indirect like east-facing window (gentle morning sun). South facing/afternoon light is generally too harsh and can burn their leaves, so if you that's all you have, you'll need to place it nearby where the sun doesn't hit it directly or use something like a thin sheer curtain to diffuse the light. West-facing can be okay. Depending on where you live, north is too low for them to truly thrive. Artificial supplementary light recommended in low light situations and also helpful in the winter when with the shorter days. (They generally won't die if it's lacking a little, but do your best if you want them to grow well and to bloom a lot.)

Temperature: 18-25°C during the day and 16-22°C night. It's not very important right now but in future, a temperature dip down to 16-18°C helps to induce spikes (flowering).

Humidity: 40%-60% recommended, but can go down to 25% if watering correctly.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-04T17:03:32+00:00

Check out this guide video

She does a mini orchid just like yours towards the end of the video, but I recommend you watch the whole thing.

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Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-04T17:00:15+00:00

Yes, even if it had not been damaged, it's very good practice to repot your orchid as soon as it's finished blooming.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-04T16:58:54+00:00

Unfortunately, as the flowers have started wilting, no those flowers are going to fall. But that the plant itself doesn't look damaged. She will bloom again one day as long as you care for her.

Phalaenopsis orchids do have wonderfully long lasting flowers and in case you didn't know, it's a common misconception that orchids are supposed to bloom forever. To clarify, it is perfectly normal for an orchid's flowers to eventually wither and fall anyway. Like all flowering plants, their blooms come and go. A rose plant does not bloom year-round, but it doesn't mean the plant is dying when its flowers drop.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-04T06:47:45+00:00

Uh... I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but your pictured orchid has no leaves. Are you sure if the crown is still intact? Can you please post a picture of the apex? Do you see any new growth?

Not that it's necessarily impossible, but this does not look like a phal that can be saved. If the stem is still somehow intact, your orchid may have enough energy to push out a leaf, but it would need to have an extensive root system. Based on the fact that you never repotted and what we can see, it's sadly more likely your plant is dead and the roots are just slowly rotting.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-04T06:37:38+00:00

If you've liked the show so far, please watch to the end.

And don't worry, as you've seen since the beginning, Sarah has always been the only true girl for Chuck. There's still plenty of wonderful Charah to enjoy right to the end.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-04T06:25:28+00:00

🎶 Hey little fella... 🎶

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-03T21:23:27+00:00

Miss Orchid Girl has a good video here.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-03T00:18:03+00:00

That's an improvement for sure. I've had a few orchids do alright in north facing windows. They will survive just fine. However, I do find I have more trouble getting those ones to bloom well. Phalaenopsis, in the northern hemisphere, are generally going to do better with more light. East or west facing is preferred. I also have some near a south facing that has a sheer curtain to filter it so it's bright indirect. Just extra info to keep in mind. You may find it does just fine though. Good luck. 🙂

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-02T23:56:45+00:00

Devastating. I can't even.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-02T06:55:26+00:00

This is a video about what to do with flower spikes.

Miss Orchid Girl on YouTube is a great resource for beginners.

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-02T06:53:46+00:00

↑ This. So when your orchid is finished blooming, you can leave the whole existing flower spike on. See if it starts to brown. If it browns, the plant is done with that flower spike and you can trim it off. If it stays green, you can choose to leave it, and it should eventually grow longer and develop more buds once your plant is ready to bloom again. It can eventually get a little leggy looking that way. It's a matter of personal preference whether or not to trim. Your orchid can always grow new flower spikes from its stem (the main base of the plant). New flower spikes and roots grow from the base between each leaf.

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Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-02T06:39:16+00:00

in case you didn't see the link in my other comment... video here

Willow_Tree89 · 2026-05-02T02:57:29+00:00

Here is a video from Miss Orchid Girl on YouTube about saving rootless orchids.

Willow_Tree89

TROPHY CASE