u/museumlad

Pictured: 6 of 8 orchids. The remaining two are also phals, still in their original container/potting medium. They're somehow the healthiest, with a new bright green leaf each.

Background: My boss buys orchids from Trader Joes for event centerpieces. I've asked her to pick something else, because she doesn't know how to care for orchids, nor does she want to learn. I have one phal at home still thriving after four years, and I hate to see beautiful phals go to waste, so I offered to take care of these. I'm obviously not doing amazing—leaves are browning and going limp, only one has grown a new spike in two years, and none have reflowered.

Current care: the ones I've repotted have been placed in Duspro Premium Orchid Potting Mix. They get misted liberally with water at least three times a week, plus spritzed with Miracle Gro plant food mist for orchids once a week (though sometimes I forget). The plants sit indoors with no sunlight as there are no outside windows anywhere near me with enough room on the sill for eight orchids.

Truthfully, I'm wondering if it's even worth it. I cannot devote a lot of time and money, even on the company dime, to get these guys looking good. My position is quite busy, especially this time of year, and it's clear that my boss is just going to keep buying orchids that she leaves to die after the event. She constantly makes snide comments about how horrible the orchids look. (For this and numerous other bigger issues, I am job searching; I recognize that I have a boss issue in addition to a plant issue.)

So, thoughts? TIA!

Update: I have been depriving them of water! They've been soaked now and I put a grow light and a proper container to soak them in on the company card. Thanks, all!

This spring I impulse bought a $20 covered planter at Lidl and decided to start a garden for the first time. My mom is an avid gardener and I grew up helping her, so I decided to see how far just that latent knowledge would get me this first year.

I started a handful of plants from seeds and transplanted into pots and the planter after a bit. Most seedlings didn't survive the transplanting (rip my carrots and chives 🥲) but I ended up with five zucchini seedlings, two green bean seedlings, and a bean (a Rancho Gordo King City Pink bean that I sprouted in a plastic bag like a science experiment).

Three zucchinis went into a (frankly too small) pot and two in the Lidl covered planter with some other stuff that didn't survive and y'all. The ones in the greenhouse-like environment grew. So. Big. One of the potted ones is a third of the size of these but flowered first. The lid stopped fitting over the planter ones about three weeks ago. Every day they get bigger. I am going to have so many zucchinis. Are they going to be huge, too?

Not really looking for advice—I'm still wanting to use that latent knowledge. Just please assure me they won't climb out of the planter and attack my dog??

I dreamt my mom had made a pie for a party consisting of a perfectly normal key lime pie topped with a round blob of a peanut butter mousse with a shiny finish (maybe a mirror glaze?) that had a layer of grape jelly/jam inside. I remember being very impressed by the patisserie-level quality of the blob, since I didn't think my mom had that skill level—it was visually flawless for such a delicate topper. I didn't try it in the dream since I don't like key lime pie, but even in the dream I thought it was a questionable combo.