Shelley’s Plant Stories: Meet Peppu – My baby Jewel Orchid Macodes Petola!

The Jewel Orchid Macodes Petola is definitely my favourite of all jewel orchid types. Its foliage is absolutely unbelievable. Deep green with golden, glittery veins tearing through them like lightning across the sky. It is one of the plants I catch myself staring at the most.

Lighting

Bright, indirect light is the best for Jewel Orchids. They already grow quite slowly in bright light, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend anything less for these beauties. What I definitely recommend is that you do not keep these plants in hot, direct sun, because the leaves will burn very easily (trust me, I speak from experience!).

Watering 

I let my jewel orchids dry out between watering’s. The leaves tend to start drooping when they’re getting thirsty, so that’s a great tell-tale sign! These plants won’t tolerate very dry soil for too long, and will easily collapse if extremely thirsty. Luckily, they’ll bounce back pretty quickly once watered.

Humidity

This plant THRIVES in humid environments. They’re perfect for terrariums. I keep mine in a little humidity dome. A humidifier or pebble tray next to a jewel orchid is also ideal, if you don’t have a dome you can put over it. In general, I find that most indoor plants will definitely appreciate not being in rooms where there’s AC or heaters, where the air becomes too dry and not humid. It’s a good thing to keep in mind.

February 2021

In February I decided it was high time I repotted my 2 jewel orchids into one large pot. I removed them from their previous medium and cleaned out all the roots. Peppu was a little offshoot growing out of the main plant. During the repotting, little Peppu broke off the mother plant!

February 2021

In February I decided it was high time I repotted my 2 jewel orchids into one large pot. I removed them from their previous medium and cleaned out all the roots. Peppu was a little offshoot growing out of the main plant. During the repotting, little Peppu broke off the mother plant!

When Peppu broke off, he had one single tiny root coming out. He was so very small and, although I knew the chances of him making it were very slim, I just could not bring myself to throw him out, without at least trying to save him.

The root he had was so tiny, and I didn’t think he’d make it if I put him in a normal pot, for fear of the little root rotting surrounded by too much soil, which would remain wet for too long when watered…

 …so I planted him in the smallest vessel I could find. A bottle cap! As a mix, I used my usual one: universal compost, perlite, orchid bark and coco coir…obviously there is only a pinch of potting mix in that tiny bottle cap!

Soil mixture

I use a very well-draining mixture consisting of approximately equal amounts of universal compost, perlite, coco coir and orchid bark. When repotting plants, I do like to clean out the old, exhausted soil, so the roots have a fresh batch. I do sometimes mix some of the old soil with the new soil, so the environment still feels familiar for the roots. If you don’t feel comfortable removing the old soil, you don’t have to. Personally, I found that plants tend to prefer it and grow faster, after I do remove the old soil and untangle the roots. Make sure to put plants in a soil mixture that’s well-draining, as above, so that the soil doesn’t retain too much moisture. Otherwise, the roots will practically suffocate in the muddy soil, rot and eventually the plant will die.

Since the bottle cap doesn’t have a drainage hole, I simply mist little Peppu and the soil, to slightly moisten it, and not overwater. I left Peppu in a humidity dome, on a west-facing windowsill and hoped he’d settle into his new, tiny home. I only watered him when I saw the soil was completely dry. The humidity in the dome helps him to not dry out too much.

March 2021 

Over the next few weeks, I knew Peppu was in fact managing to settle in his new bottle cap, because, not only did he not decline…one of the newer leaves actually unfurled! For me, that was a great sign that the plant is getting the energy it needs to grow.

April 2021

Being the pest that I am, I got up close and personal with Peppu, and found that there’s a tiny tip of a new leaf starting to push out.

Not only that…he’s grown quite a bit straighter and taller too!

Super thrilled that little Peppu beat all odds and is actually growing. Let’s hope he becomes a fully-fledged plant one day. I have to admit, it will definitely feel bittersweet, if a day comes where I have to give him a pot upgrade and move him out of his little bottle cap.


Some extra information:

Fun fact: “Peppu” means “butt” in Finnish or Estonian, as I later found out after naming this cutie. I only named him “Peppu” cause I thought it sounded cute!

Growth rate: One thing that I find potentially a bit negative about jewel orchids: They grow at an achingly slow pace. Leaves can take up to two months to unfurl. They are extremely slow growers and not the best plant if you’re a bit impatient and like to see constant new growth. Luckily, with the foliage being as beautiful as it is, at least they’re worth the wait!

Pests: I personally never found any sort of pest on my jewel orchids, so I’m not quite sure how susceptible to pests they are. But do check the foliage (of all plants you own!) from time to time and give them a wipe down, to remove any dust blocking the sunlight and any potential pests.

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