Hot take: the rare orchid I babied for 8 months died because I overwatered it in week 2

I got this rare Masdevallia orchid from a seller in Vermont back in March, read all the care guides, and still killed it by giving it too much water on day 14. Took me 8 months to realize the damage was already done by that one mistake. Anyone else find out their plant care routine was off from the very start?

3 comments

3 Comments

alicehernandez19d ago

Took me 8 months to realize the damage was already done" - are you sure it wasn't something else killing it over those 8 months? Plants are tough, could have bounced back from one overwatering.

ellis.susan19d ago

I killed a snake plant in 3 months doing exactly that... thought it was fine then one day the whole base was mush. Overwatering doesn't always show right away, especially if the soil stays wet too long and the roots rot slowly. Better to check the roots when you first suspect trouble, that's when you can still save it.

leodavis17d ago

@alicehernandez you said "the damage was already done" but what kind of damage are we talkin here? Like did the leaves just get sad and yellow or did the base actually turn to mush? Because those are two totally different things. A plant that's been slowly dying from root rot for 8 months isn't the same as a plant that got shocked once and then just stayed ugly. I've seen snake plants sit in wet dirt for ages before they finally give up, so I'm curious what yours looked like after that first overwatering.