Last year I bought a really nice looking Jewel Orchid, my first terrestrial, to see if I could grow it in a tiny glass terrarium. It was an experiment that went well... perhaps too well.
In no time the little guy was blooming and I was so captivated by the little white flowers that I did not heed the grower's advice to cut the flower stalk before the blooms opened. Well, the chid put so much energy into supporting the flowers that the whole orchid nearly died off. I finally admitted defeat and cut the flower stalks, but alas, it was too late. I was only able to rescue the rag tag group of pitiful bits of leaves that you see in the picture below. I gave it about six months to grow new leaves that might replace the beaten up looking leaves from the picture - but it didn't do anything. No growth, no sign of improvement, no sign of decline - stasis. I had given up on the orchid and resigned myself to replacing it once I came across a suitable Jewel Orchid that would fit the space.
I was watering it this weekend and I saw the coolest thing - if you look at the foreground of the first photo you will see a tiny, new jewel orchid growing all by itself on the far side of the terrarium! Also, one is sneaking in horizontally from under the lip of the terrarium on the left side of the photo. How cool is that! Do Jewel Orchids creep underground like this? Is this normal? Will the older growths grow new leaves after all or should I expect only new growths like this?
Any info you can give will be helpful as I have only anecdotal knowledge of Jewel Orchids.
Thanks!
- J
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I'm naming this Jewel Orchid "Lazareth"
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