Orange harvest

Tuesday, 26 Aug 08 (posted about 4 months ago) Rainy

The day after I wrote my first Winter Garden entry the original flowers on my orchid began to wilt and drop off and a new cluster of buds on the end of the stem opened.

Today I began to pick the oranges off my Calamondin Orange bush, only 2 for now but there are many more almost ready and I would like them to ripen so that I have enough to make a little marmalade. I counted 30 oranges on this small bush which is just 18" high.

orchid ripe_oranges

Want to comment?

Nax wrote:
Thanks for the orchid pix! Very timely, as one of mine was green and lovely this morning and completely dead when I got back home this afternoon. Weird. I’m soaking it now in hopes of reviving it. So these were a nice little pick-me-up.

Posted on 27 Aug 08 (about 4 months ago)
Rainymountain wrote:
I understood that orchids had to be kept quite dry so I have just been trickling a little water, and occasionally some fertilizer, onto its moss when it no longer feels damp.

Do you have some pix of your orchids?

Posted on 27 Aug 08 (about 4 months ago)
Nax wrote:
No pix of any of the inside plants; I can’t quite get the hang of indoor light. Working on it. I think orchids get most of their moisture from the air, so I don’t water them, but I give them a thorough soaking every 2-3 months, especially when it’s been really dry. Probably I just blew it and let it go too long.

I’m interested that you’re getting a second bloom right on top of the first; I know you can encourage more-or-less continuous blooming, but I didn’t know you could get them to bloom immediately like that. I went the one spectacular bloom per year route; my first orchid is 8 years old (!); it gets one bloom per year which lasts about 3 months. This new one is the second I’ve lost this year, but since it was okay this morning I’m hoping it will come back.

Geez, that turned into a journal entry! I should dip over to the orchid group!

Posted on 27 Aug 08 (about 4 months ago)
Rainymountain wrote:
I am a complete novice as far as orchids are concerned – this one was a gift. While the first lot of about 8 flowers were blooming the stem grew longer and developed buds, which opened once the first flowers had finished. I give it a little Miracle Grow (hate to admit it) when I am watering the rest of the plants, maybe once a month. I don’t know what they put in that stuff, especially as it is about 10 years old but it makes everything flower like crazy. I watch with interest to see what this plant does next.

There’s an orchid group? I should go look.

I don’t do anything special about photographing indoors, just point and snap, I assume my clever little camera sorts out light etc.

Posted on 27 Aug 08 (about 4 months ago)
Nax wrote:
I had three orchids, down to the one now. I took the dead one apart this morning and discovered that the roots were rotted. So it’s a goner. It looks like I packed the sponge too tightly. Live and learn. I’ve been “growing” orchids since I got that first one, but I grow them like everything else— put it in a pot or the ground and see what happens. Unfortunately for the plants, I learn from my mistakes! Now I’m debating if I should buy another orchid, because I always just keep the ones I get as gifts going. Buying one for oneself says “serious!”

Posted on 28 Aug 08 (about 4 months ago)