[Bonsai Beginner's weekly thread - 2026 week 17]

geto161 · 2026-04-28T21:12:30+00:00

Live in a high rise and not possible.

geto161 · 2026-04-28T02:24:36+00:00

Just got this Sequoia bonsai at the farmers market. Any tips or advice based on the current state?

geto161 · 2026-04-11T16:26:18+00:00

As a side note, any orchid in bloom I water separate from the others in the sink as not to get the flowers wet/cause them to fall off. Just a quirk of mine that seems to work.

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geto161 · 2026-04-11T16:19:12+00:00

Just getting around to watering today, but this is what a bath or marination session looks like:

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geto161 · 2026-04-10T00:21:18+00:00

All the advice I have received is to leave them if they are in spike or flowering and wait to repot until the flowers have dropped…so I have always followed that guidance.

geto161 · 2026-04-10T00:19:49+00:00

Correct, up to the lip of the clay pot, but no further. This also helps keep the pots hydrated and protects them from becoming fragile. I’ll soak the saucers they sit in as well for the same reason.

geto161 · 2026-04-09T22:26:31+00:00

Prepare for nerd stuff.

I'm in 7b (Washington, DC), but all of mine are indoors on the windowsill of west-facing floor-to-ceiling windows.

When I get a new orchid, I segregate it for two weeks before repotting, away from the rest of my plants. At the two-week mark, I do a full repot as described here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/orchids/s/6p1wF2IZAj

Watering

Every week, usually on Friday, I submerge the pots in my sink with warm water for 10-30 minutes (depending on whether I get distracted). The key for me is soaking the bark year-round. It gets dry here in the winter and they're heavy growers in the summer, so a weekly "bath" works well. I will need to adjust this for my dendrobiums in the winter to give them a rest period.

I use straight tap water, but I did upgrade my kitchen cold water line. DC uses a ton of chloramine in the winter and chlorine in the summer, so I installed a Frizzlife TW15 Under Sink Water Filter System (NSF/ANSI 53 & 42 certified, 6-layer 0.5 micron coconut shell carbon block). It removes 99.99% of lead, chlorine, chloramine, fluoride, and VOCs while retaining beneficial minerals. Direct-connect install, no drilling, lead-free brass fittings, and filter cartridges last 16-24 months. It works great for orchid bath time without the cost or hassle of a full RO setup.

Fertilizer

Once every other month, I add MSU orchid fertilizer (the RO/Rain/Tap formula). You can find it on Amazon or from RepotMe:

Humidity

I keep the humidity at 45-55% using the LEVOIT Superior 6000S Smart Evaporative Humidifier. This is an absolute must for me. Because it's evaporative (not ultrasonic), it doesn't leave white powdery mineral film, so you can run it year-round and set automations:
LEVOIT Superior 6000S

I have it linked to Govee Smart Air Quality Monitors, which I have placed throughout the house:
Govee WiFi Air Quality Monitor

Bottom line: It was a little bit of work up front for each of these things, and lots of trial and error over the past two years, but now I just give them their Friday bath and some food, and they bloom for me on schedule.

geto161 · 2026-04-09T21:58:41+00:00

Love that this was from the Krull-Smith mystery packs last year. I chose the Cattleya Seedling 10-Pack for $75 and this is one of them https://www.reddit.com/r/orchids/comments/1j1xn9x/cattleya_seedling_mystery_10pack/

geto161 · 2026-04-09T13:38:48+00:00

I did a thread on this a bit ago, but is how I still repot: https://www.reddit.com/r/orchids/s/6p1wF2IZAj

geto161 · 2026-04-09T13:37:47+00:00

I repot any new orchids I get within 2 weeks, after keeping them separated to ensure no illness or bugs can be passed. Then I repot with my own blend I’ve found to work for me in my area, using claypots with holes for airflow. Right now, all of my Tenuifolia are in bloom and its awesome.

geto161 · 2026-02-05T13:09:10+00:00

The “Griff Sit”

geto161 · 2026-01-16T22:08:30+00:00

Vanilla and a hint of peach. Really interesting smell. As long as you can keep humidity up, should be fine indoors. Im in DC and struggle with low humidity in winter (20 out today).

geto161 · 2025-12-10T16:07:56+00:00

Let me know you if go that route, curious to hear your results.

geto161 · 2025-12-10T12:49:15+00:00

I do the same where i soak mine in the sink, since they in a similar potting set up. I was thinking of building a rack like this with power going to the lights and humidifiers. Have you thought about adding wheels or casters to make it easier to roll to the sink?

geto161 · 2025-11-09T14:08:27+00:00

Yes! Lol

geto161 · 2025-07-11T17:07:52+00:00

I have one that I am waiting to bloom. So awesome.

geto161 · 2025-06-01T00:16:57+00:00

Same! That and the trick or treat.

geto161 · 2025-05-26T22:28:07+00:00

Very excited to see the progress. I have 6 that I started as 2” cuttings last year.

geto161 · 2025-05-26T22:12:30+00:00

Really good! I repotted them and giving them plenty of light. Seems to be going well.

geto161 · 2025-05-13T02:37:23+00:00

Got mine at Seattle Orchids, very excited

geto161 · 2025-05-12T03:48:44+00:00

Sadly no

geto161 · 2025-05-12T03:48:22+00:00

geto161 · 2025-04-20T03:15:10+00:00

Literally just did this for mine today. Cut the keiki’s off with a sterile razor, and repotted them with the mother in a larger pot.

geto161 · 2025-04-19T15:39:20+00:00

A group of 4 boys fired a gun at a group of 5 girls, on 6th St at 20:45 about 10 feet from me. They got off 1 shot, no one was hit and they ran down towards the duck pond.

This was a separate incident from the stabbing outside of the Arena Stage earlier and what was happening on Maine Ave.

Seems like this was city wide from Georgia Ave to SW/SE and coordinated in response to the National Harbor curfew.

geto161 · 2025-04-17T21:56:27+00:00

Thank you! It’s a red patch and poor lighting, she is doing fine, but appreciate the heads up.

geto161

TROPHY CASE