Filed under: Cymbidium Orchids
Question:
I used the staples to to put 40%shadecloth on the top of my slathouse. No problems, so far. The slat house is under some trees that give light shade already–and the sides have lattice to cut down on the light. no sunburn, so far. Last year this time, I had problems with sunburn–so shadecloth it is! How should I attach my shade cloth? I bought some stainless steel staples but am not sure that is the best way to go. If I use the staples, how closely should I place them? It can get pretty windy here on the Intracoastal in Central Florida. Also, I LOVE this newsgroup. It’s is so helpful to such a newbie as myself and I love that you put up pictures of your orchids in bloom They are incredibly beautiful! Thanks for all who gave me such great help with my shade cloth question! Regards, June
–Alynne http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Jungle/2947
Response:
I’m in the north end of Cocoa on the Indian River. I grow Plumeria, Mango, etc. which are higher zoned plants that usual for this area; but I did cover them during two frost scares this winter. Regards, June
Response:
My neighbor keeps all his orchards outside except for when there are frost scares. Then the whole family starts a mad rush to bring them all into the house. One of the orchid growers I buy from told me that he only brings his in when it gets to 40 degrees F. His My neighbor hangs his orchids from his south facing trees and they do beautifully. Unfortunately, I don’t have trees big enough to hang mine on; but both my neighbors and my house have a lot of tall trees south of our properties which shade the early afternoon sun. His orchids do beautifully and I’m hoping with the shade cloth on the arbor, mine will do the same. I can control the light a bit because the arbor is close to the west side of my studio so those that need less light can go there and the others can go on the other side of the arbor where they’ll get the light a bit earlier. I need to find out what medium my neighbor is using for his orchids because they’re out there during the rainy season and he’s not having an overwatering problem. He has them all in the wooden boxes, which is what I’m using as well. I repotted all my plants a couple of weeks ago and replaced the medium with bark because I noticed that some of the orchids I had in an inner atrium with and open roof, were staying too wet in the mossy mixture they were in . Since I repotted them, they have perked up and the two that lost their leaves are sending out new shoots :-) Regards, June
Response:
Everybody covered everthing this past winter, right down to Miami. My orchids went into the garage. Diana
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m in the north end of Cocoa on the Indian River. I grow Plumeria, Mango, etc. which are higher zoned plants that usual for this area; but I did cover them during two frost scares this winter. Regards, June
Response:
Except for the Phals, all my orchids grow in the sun on the lanai. They get about 10-15% shading from the screening around the birdcage. The Phals hang on pillars at the edge of the patio overhang, sheltered from burning sun. We’re planning an addition to the lanai that will be *all orchids, all the time* (my husband got tired of cleaning the patio), and the area will get only slightly less than the plants get now. Diana
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi June. Diana gave you some good advice. Go to a local vendor and see what jumps out and grabs you and says "take me home!" Then ask the vendor what growing conditions suit that orchid the best. Just to let you know though, in the winter I have to schlep my orchids all onto my enclosed lanai when the temperature drops down to 55F. There is no way that I can heat my latice house. I have also decided to remove most of the shade cloth from the roof of the shade house, as most of my cattleyas didn’t bloom last year, and I suspect that they weren’t recieving enough light. Instead I’m stapling some translucent plastic drop cloth to the roof. With all the evening rains, I lost a couple of orchids to crown rot and feel that I need to control the amount of water that they receive, and the plastic will give some additional shade, but not as much as the shade cloth. You just need to experiment to see what will work in your area. Good luck!
Response:
Bless you! It’s raining at the moment, so this shade cloth job will have to wait for another day! LOL Since you are also a Florida resident, can you tell me what orchids do best and what to avoid? I know we can’t grow cymbidiums here, but that’s the extent of my knowledge in this area! LOL Regards, June
Oh but we CAN grow (and bloom!) cymbidiums here. There is a cymbidium nursery just east of Tampa and he has tens of thousands of them. triff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
Response:
My local orchid grower told me it was too hot here for cymbidiums. The two growers I buy from here in Brevard county don’t carry them and none of the nurseries have them either. I love cymbidiums! Do you have the name of the Tampa nursery? We’re doing on overnight on the west coast later this month and I might be able to stop by the nursery. Thanks! Regards, June
Response:
My local orchid grower told me it was too hot here for cymbidiums. The two growers I buy from here in Brevard county don’t carry them and none of the nurseries have them either. I love cymbidiums! Do you have the name of the Tampa nursery? We’re doing on overnight on the west coast later this month and I might be able to stop by the nursery. Thanks! Regards, June His name is Larry Bussell and he is on Pearson Road near Bloomingdale FL . He
is not set up to have people wandering in all day – you would need an appointment. Please email me for more details, June, and make sure I can email you back. You are set up not to accept email from anyone. triff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
Response:
Important to remember that anyone *can* grow anything anywhere if one has the means to create the proper conditions. For example, a GH grower can modulate the environment to accomodate Cyms or many other cool/intermediate varieties, but the average home/outside grower (which includes me) would be hard put to duplicate that effort. I’m all for pushing the envelope, but I’ve learned not to push it into the Atlantic. Diana
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My local orchid grower told me it was too hot here for cymbidiums. The two growers I buy from here in Brevard county don’t carry them and none of the nurseries have them either. I love cymbidiums! Do you have the name of the Tampa nursery? We’re doing on overnight on the west coast later this month and I might be able to stop by the nursery. Thanks! Regards, June His name is Larry Bussell and he is on Pearson Road near Bloomingdale FL . He is not set up to have people wandering in all day – you would need an appointment. Please email me for more details, June, and make sure I can email you back. You are set up not to accept email from anyone. triff
Response:
Milton Carpenter of Everglades Orchida has hybridized cymbidiuns that are warmth tolerant. I am in SE Florida (20 min. N. of Miami) and have had gtreat luck blooming them. I also have some from Santa Barbara Estates that bloom regularly for me. Last Sunmer was a freak summer for me–I had cymbidiums blooming all through the hottest months.
Response:
Can you give me the names of the heat tolerant cymbidums? I’d be able to do a web search and maybe order some. Thanks! Regards, June
Response:
Hi June. Diana gave you some good advice. Go to a local vendor and see what jumps out and grabs you and says "take me home!" Then ask the vendor what growing conditions suit that orchid the best. Just to let you know though, in the winter I have to schlep my orchids all onto my enclosed lanai when the temperature drops down to 55F. There is no way that I can heat my latice house. I have also decided to remove most of the shade cloth from the roof of the shade house, as most of my cattleyas didn’t bloom last year, and I suspect that they weren’t recieving enough light. Instead I’m stapling some translucent plastic drop cloth to the roof. With all the evening rains, I lost a couple of orchids to crown rot and feel that I need to control the amount of water that they receive, and the plastic will give some additional shade, but not as much as the shade cloth. You just need to experiment to see what will work in your area. Good luck!
Response:
Hi, June, Where exactly are you? Central FL takes in a lot of ground. We are in Port St. Lucie, which is considered south FL. Most Miltonias don’t do well here, though there are now Mitoniopsis that are warm-tolerant. You need to ask the vendor about the conditions the plant needs. Zygopetallum is another cool grower, though there is research in progress to see if a warm tolerant strain can be developed. Most Catts, Dens and Phals do well here, as do most Oncidiums and their crosses, but the list is really endless. The key is to talk to the vendor or someone you trust before adding a plant. Local nurseries tend to have plants that are appropriate for the area. Also, there are vendors in the ng, and they are very good about informing as to what is appropriate. First Ray’s Orchids is a good jumping off point. Best, Diana
Response:
Bless you! It’s raining at the moment, so this shade cloth job will have to wait for another day! LOL Since you are also a Florida resident, can you tell me what orchids do best and what to avoid? I know we can’t grow cymbidiums here, but that’s the extent of my knowledge in this area! LOL Regards, June
Response:
How should I attach my shade cloth? I bought some stainless steel staples but am not sure that is the best way to go. If I use the staples, how closely should I place them? It can get pretty windy here on the Intracoastal in Central Florida. Also, I LOVE this newsgroup. It’s is so helpful to such a newbie as myself and I love that you put up pictures of your orchids in bloom They are incredibly beautiful! Thanks for all who gave me such great help with my shade cloth question! Regards, June
Response:
How should I attach my shade cloth? I bought some stainless steel staples but
Hi June. I live in SW Florida and have a latice shade house which I used the stainless steel staples to attach shade clothe to the sides and part of the roof. I just rolled the edge of the clothe so that the staples had a little more to anchor into, and stapled about every six inches or so. You can always use more staples if you need to. Just see what works for you.
Response:
Question:
I went to opening night at the San Diego County Orchid Society show, running this St. Patrick’s weekend. Some thoughts: ***Bad year for catts***; which of course I already knew from my own decimated collection. The display area had fewer cattleyas (and their relatives) on the judging benches than I can remember. And a good number of the plants I recognized from last year (yes, same plant!) It seems few member show catts, and it is usually the same folk. For me, I have plenty of plants starting to show buds, and I suspect that is true of other outdoor growers here too, and if the show would be held a few weeks later we’d see more catts on the benches. IMO the most impressive view on the bench was Lc. Mildred Rives, both the ‘Orchidglade’ clone plus an unamed clone, next to Mildred’s child Lc. Orglade’s Grand (the highly awared clone whose name I can’t remember.) It was interesting to compare the flowers side by side and see what I could notice as differences. Plus the blooms were in good shape. Someone was showing a (firstbloom ?) B. digbyana x Enc. adenocaula with a couple of interesting blooms, big white lip with lavender tepals. This cross is by Sandro Cusi down in Mexico. To me the most interesting novel cross shown. This show is dominated by cymbidiums (of course), but there is a decent representation from most alliances. Seems standard phals are on the out, and small species are in, even more so than last year. Odonts are rare as ever down here (too hot in summer except for the beach side growers or the really dedicated.) Dendrobiums are increasing in number, it seems to me. ***Displays***: In the displays the catts were unexceptional too, except for one important exception (see below.) The displays are highly dominated by C. aurantiaca hybrids, plus a suprising number of L. Santa Barbara Sunset ‘Showtime.’ Gone are the days when Stewart Orchids would be showing examples of their latest hybrids, or when Ridgeway would bring in gigantic specimens of big lavenders. Sigh. A few displays that stood out to me: Sunset Valley Orchids (Fred Clarke): He is breeding some find cattleya alliance plants, and at the judging he got an AM/AOS on a L. anceps hybrid (but not bred by him) that was amazing! About as good as I’ve seen, with very round segments and lavender picotee on them (creamy white background.) He also got an HCC on a plant (I forget which.) His display included a superior L. Mizoguchi which had many more flowers than one would expect from an anceps hybrid, and was more floriferous than what I’ve seen elsewhere. One of his own crosses (I believe) on display was an Iwan. Olympic Gold (I think that is the name…) that was also very impressive, a bright floriferous yellow. He had another Dialc. the name of which I don’t remember but I thought about trying to get a piece of…. Overall my favorite display. Oh, and he has neat paphs too for those into those little critters. Blossoming Orchids Nursery: Impressive miltonias on display; like *really* impressive. Casa de los Orquideas: Had some of their latest hybrids from clean yellows to incredibly dark gray/burgundies. These are not your grandfathers’ cymbidiums! ***Vendors*** I miss Dr. Hull, not that I knew him but I always liked visiting his booth and I even bought a plant from him once. Sunset Valley was selling quite a few mini and compact plants, including some of the crosses mentioned above. Someone was selling the standard catts, the latest yellow/orange/burgundy big guys (e.g., Blc. Chia Lin) that I love but have a hard time growing (as they tend to be mostly C. dowiana, which really doesn’t like to be frosted.) Beautiful, and of course he was getting $40 and $50 for plants that one can get from Carmela’s for $12.50 if one is willing to grow on for the one season it takes to reach his selling size! Sigh. Sad thing is, I bet most people will kill these beauties, as if they try to grow outdoors here, as is often advertised, they will find the cold rains (like tonight) will wreck havoc on these plants. And for those folk who know how to grow these well, they buy them for $12.50…… Other than a couple of species specialists with common forms of the Mexican species, and a couple of local hobby growers with old plants (from the defunct cut flower growers like Ridgeway??) there wasn’t much else for us catt lovers. Marty’s was there, but because they don’t get much space they couldn’t bring much. Cymbidium lovers of course had Casa de los Orquideas, which appear to be the first, last, and maybe only word in cyms these days. I bought a plant from them once, at the show many years ago. Still my only cymbidium, I’ve never repotted it! I try to ignore it. Put out 5 spikes this year to spite me. Oh, you Phaius lovers would be glad to know several vendors had them. Total of 34 vendors so I sure most bases were covered. ***Summary*** I, like others, have always wished they would move the show to a larger facility so they could handle more vendors and displays, but for some reason they stick to the same place (which really isn’t a bad facility.) If you are in SoCal drive on down to the Scottish Rites Center in Mission Valley and pay your $5 and get any eyeful! Last ticket sales are 4PM Sunday. -dan
Response:
Kathy, He sold at the Costa Mesa Show. — Matthew Swift Swift’s Orchids www.swiftsorchids.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Marveous report Dan, I didn’t know Fred Clarke sold orchids too. I have drooled over his mormodes awards in teh AQ for quite some time. Maybe one of these days I’ll get up enough gumption to get down there and see if he’ll open the GH by appointment for me. K Barrett I went to opening night at the San Diego County Orchid Society show, running this St. Patrick’s weekend. Some thoughts: ***Bad year for catts***; which of course I already knew from my own decimated collection. The display area had fewer cattleyas (and their relatives) on the judging benches than I can remember. And a good number of the plants I recognized from last year (yes, same plant!) It seems few member show catts, and it is usually the same folk. For me, I have plenty of plants starting to show buds, and I suspect that is true of other outdoor growers here too, and if the show would be held a few weeks later we’d see more catts on the benches. IMO the most impressive view on the bench was Lc. Mildred Rives, both the ‘Orchidglade’ clone plus an unamed clone, next to Mildred’s child Lc. Orglade’s Grand (the highly awared clone whose name I can’t remember.) It was interesting to compare the flowers side by side and see what I could notice as differences. Plus the blooms were in good shape. Someone was showing a (firstbloom ?) B. digbyana x Enc. adenocaula with a couple of interesting blooms, big white lip with lavender tepals. This cross is by Sandro Cusi down in Mexico. To me the most interesting novel cross shown. This show is dominated by cymbidiums (of course), but there is a decent representation from most alliances. Seems standard phals are on the out, and small species are in, even more so than last year. Odonts are rare as ever down here (too hot in summer except for the beach side growers or the really dedicated.) Dendrobiums are increasing in number, it seems to me. ***Displays***: In the displays the catts were unexceptional too, except for one important exception (see below.) The displays are highly dominated by C. aurantiaca hybrids, plus a suprising number of L. Santa Barbara Sunset ‘Showtime.’ Gone are the days when Stewart Orchids would be showing examples of their latest hybrids, or when Ridgeway would bring in gigantic specimens of big lavenders. Sigh. A few displays that stood out to me: Sunset Valley Orchids (Fred Clarke): He is breeding some find cattleya alliance plants, and at the judging he got an AM/AOS on a L. anceps hybrid (but not bred by him) that was amazing! About as good as I’ve seen, with very round segments and lavender picotee on them (creamy white background.) He also got an HCC on a plant (I forget which.) His display included a superior L. Mizoguchi which had many more flowers than one would expect from an anceps hybrid, and was more floriferous than what I’ve seen elsewhere. One of his own crosses (I believe) on display was an Iwan. Olympic Gold (I think that is the name…) that was also very impressive, a bright floriferous yellow. He had another Dialc. the name of which I don’t remember but I thought about trying to get a piece of…. Overall my favorite display. Oh, and he has neat paphs too for those into those little critters. Blossoming Orchids Nursery: Impressive miltonias on display; like *really* impressive. Casa de los Orquideas: Had some of their latest hybrids from clean yellows to incredibly dark gray/burgundies. These are not your grandfathers’ cymbidiums! ***Vendors*** I miss Dr. Hull, not that I knew him but I always liked visiting his booth and I even bought a plant from him once. Sunset Valley was selling quite a few mini and compact plants, including some of the crosses mentioned above. Someone was selling the standard catts, the latest
yellow/orange/burgundy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – big guys (e.g., Blc. Chia Lin) that I love but have a hard time growing (as they tend to be mostly C. dowiana, which really doesn’t like to be frosted.) Beautiful, and of course he was getting $40 and $50 for plants that one can get from Carmela’s for $12.50 if one is willing to grow on for the one season it takes to reach his selling size! Sigh. Sad thing is, I bet most people will kill these beauties, as if they try to grow outdoors here, as is often advertised, they will find the cold rains (like tonight) will wreck havoc on these plants. And for those folk who know how to grow these well, they buy them for $12.50…… Other than a couple of species specialists with common forms of the Mexican species, and a couple of local hobby growers with old plants (from the defunct cut flower growers like Ridgeway??) there wasn’t much else for us catt lovers. Marty’s was there, but because they don’t get much space they couldn’t bring much. Cymbidium lovers of course had Casa de los Orquideas, which appear to be the first, last, and maybe only word in cyms these days. I bought a plant from them once, at the show many years ago. Still my only cymbidium, I’ve never repotted it! I try to ignore it. Put out 5 spikes this year to spite me. Oh, you Phaius lovers would be glad to know several vendors had them. Total of 34 vendors so I sure most bases were covered. ***Summary*** I, like others, have always wished they would move the show to a larger facility so they could handle more vendors and displays, but for some reason they stick to the same place (which really isn’t a bad facility.) If you are in SoCal drive on down to the Scottish Rites Center in Mission Valley and pay your $5 and get any eyeful! Last ticket sales are 4PM Sunday. -dan
Response:
Thanks Dan and Pam for your info about Fred Clarke’s GH. I sat down to write him an email to see if he offerd a list or catalog of his plants for sale via mail, but couldn’t figure out how to ask without sounding like a total wacko. I get so used to writing on the web and our informal way of talking. Just to come out of the blue and say "I’ve drooled over your collection in the AQ and wondered if you have a sales list" sounded just too weird to my ears. LOL!! I suppose I should just get over my shyness and write the man! K Barrett – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – K, Fred Clarke’s greenhouse is only open to the public on weekends. I have bought several mormodes, cycnodes, and catanodes from him. (He does not usually have the mormodes with him at shows either.) I don’t think that one can purchase from him via mail order; however, you can write him and verify this – . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html Marveous report Dan, I didn’t know Fred Clarke sold orchids too. I have drooled over his mormodes awards in teh AQ for quite some time. Maybe one of these days I’ll get up enough gumption to get down there and see if he’ll open the GH by appointment for me. [snip] Fred (Sunset Valley Orchids of Vista, CA) does the southern california shows. He does keep hours at the greenhouse I believe. Seems he is the most active catt breeder out here now, most being in HI or on the east coast somewhere. Too bad he does mostly mini and small compact catts, not my favorites, but he is also has interest in getting as much out of D. bicornutum hybrids as possible. -dan
Response:
K, Fred Clarke’s greenhouse is only open to the public on weekends. I have bought several mormodes, cycnodes, and catanodes from him. (He does not usually have the mormodes with him at shows either.) I don’t think that one can purchase from him via mail order; however, you can write him and verify this – . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Marveous report Dan, I didn’t know Fred Clarke sold orchids too. I have drooled over his mormodes awards in teh AQ for quite some time. Maybe one of these days I’ll get up enough gumption to get down there and see if he’ll open the GH by appointment for me. [snip] Fred (Sunset Valley Orchids of Vista, CA) does the southern california shows. He does keep hours at the greenhouse I believe. Seems he is the most active catt breeder out here now, most being in HI or on the east coast somewhere. Too bad he does mostly mini and small compact catts, not my favorites, but he is also has interest in getting as much out of D. bicornutum hybrids as possible. -dan
Response:
Your write-up of the SDCOS show is very interesting and well-done.
Thanks. I, too, am curious about the bad cattleya year. Is it a bad year for California cattleyas, or has it been a bad year throughout the states?
For us out here, it has been the cold, to very cold, temps, at least when compared to normal, that have been going on month after month…. And, although I have heard a few growers complain about their cattleyas not doing well (prior to this), I am wondering what ill-effects or symptoms? I personally have lost some yellowing leaves on about a half-dozen cattleyas in various stages of growth, including a favorite of mine;so, I am wondering the cause.
[snip] Well, one sympton is death! I’ve lost some to rot. Others have been set back. Flowers are too slow to open so they are deformed or dropped off. But I grow outdoors. -dan
Response:
Marveous report Dan, I didn’t know Fred Clarke sold orchids too. I have drooled over his mormodes awards in teh AQ for quite some time. Maybe one of these days I’ll get up enough gumption to get down there and see if he’ll open the GH by appointment for me.
[snip] Fred (Sunset Valley Orchids of Vista, CA) does the southern california shows. He does keep hours at the greenhouse I believe. Seems he is the most active catt breeder out here now, most being in HI or on the east coast somewhere. Too bad he does mostly mini and small compact catts, not my favorites, but he is also has interest in getting as much out of D. bicornutum hybrids as possible. -dan
Response:
Thanks ever so, for the scoop & thoughts on the SD show Dan, Looks like I won’t be going to this one either, too busy!!! What do you suppose caused the bad year for Catts? I get a kick out of hearing about plants at shows especially when I have them. Cheers Wendy
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I went to opening night at the San Diego County Orchid Society show, running this St. Patrick’s weekend. Some thoughts: ***Bad year for catts***; which of course I already knew from my own decimated collection. The display area had fewer cattleyas (and their relatives) on the judging benches than I can remember. And a good number of the plants I recognized from last year (yes, same plant!) It seems few member show catts, and it is usually the same folk. For me, I have plenty of plants starting to show buds, and I suspect that is true of other outdoor growers here too, and if the show would be held a few weeks later we’d see more catts on the benches. IMO the most impressive view on the bench was Lc. Mildred Rives, both the ‘Orchidglade’ clone plus an unamed clone, next to Mildred’s child Lc. Orglade’s Grand (the highly awared clone whose name I can’t remember.) It was interesting to compare the flowers side by side and see what I could notice as differences. Plus the blooms were in good shape. Someone was showing a (firstbloom ?) B. digbyana x Enc. adenocaula with a couple of interesting blooms, big white lip with lavender tepals. This cross is by Sandro Cusi down in Mexico. To me the most interesting novel cross shown. This show is dominated by cymbidiums (of course), but there is a decent representation from most alliances. Seems standard phals are on the out, and small species are in, even more so than last year. Odonts are rare as ever down here (too hot in summer except for the beach side growers or the really dedicated.) Dendrobiums are increasing in number, it seems to me. ***Displays***: In the displays the catts were unexceptional too, except for one important exception (see below.) The displays are highly dominated by C. aurantiaca hybrids, plus a suprising number of L. Santa Barbara Sunset ‘Showtime.’ Gone are the days when Stewart Orchids would be showing examples of their latest hybrids, or when Ridgeway would bring in gigantic specimens of big lavenders. Sigh. A few displays that stood out to me: Sunset Valley Orchids (Fred Clarke): He is breeding some find cattleya alliance plants, and at the judging he got an AM/AOS on a L. anceps hybrid (but not bred by him) that was amazing! About as good as I’ve seen, with very round segments and lavender picotee on them (creamy white background.) He also got an HCC on a plant (I forget which.) His display included a superior L. Mizoguchi which had many more flowers than one would expect from an anceps hybrid, and was more floriferous than what I’ve seen elsewhere. One of his own crosses (I believe) on display was an Iwan. Olympic Gold (I think that is the name…) that was also very impressive, a bright floriferous yellow. He had another Dialc. the name of which I don’t remember but I thought about trying to get a piece of…. Overall my favorite display. Oh, and he has neat paphs too for those into those little critters. Blossoming Orchids Nursery: Impressive miltonias on display; like *really* impressive. Casa de los Orquideas: Had some of their latest hybrids from clean yellows to incredibly dark gray/burgundies. These are not your grandfathers’ cymbidiums! ***Vendors*** I miss Dr. Hull, not that I knew him but I always liked visiting his booth and I even bought a plant from him once. Sunset Valley was selling quite a few mini and compact plants, including some of the crosses mentioned above. Someone was selling the standard catts, the latest yellow/orange/burgundy big guys (e.g., Blc. Chia Lin) that I love but have a hard time growing (as they tend to be mostly C. dowiana, which really doesn’t like to be frosted.) Beautiful, and of course he was getting $40 and $50 for plants that one can get from Carmela’s for $12.50 if one is willing to grow on for the one season it takes to reach his selling size! Sigh. Sad thing is, I bet most people will kill these beauties, as if they try to grow outdoors here, as is often advertised, they will find the cold rains (like tonight) will wreck havoc on these plants. And for those folk who know how to grow these well, they buy them for $12.50…… Other than a couple of species specialists with common forms of the Mexican species, and a couple of local hobby growers with old plants (from the defunct cut flower growers like Ridgeway??) there wasn’t much else for us catt lovers. Marty’s was there, but because they don’t get much space they couldn’t bring much. Cymbidium lovers of course had Casa de los Orquideas, which appear to be the first, last, and maybe only word in cyms these days. I bought a plant from them once, at the show many years ago. Still my only cymbidium, I’ve never repotted it! I try to ignore it. Put out 5 spikes this year to spite me. Oh, you Phaius lovers would be glad to know several vendors had them. Total of 34 vendors so I sure most bases were covered. ***Summary*** I, like others, have always wished they would move the show to a larger facility so they could handle more vendors and displays, but for some reason they stick to the same place (which really isn’t a bad facility.) If you are in SoCal drive on down to the Scottish Rites Center in Mission Valley and pay your $5 and get any eyeful! Last ticket sales are 4PM Sunday. -dan
Response:
Well, I’m in N Calif and while my catts aren;t doing poorly, the blooming season was definetly off this year. Things bloomed either just around Xmas time, or the weekend right AFTER the San Francisco show.. Bah Humbug! I chalk that up to the cool summer we had. It never really got warm here at all. And it would seem that this year is shaping up to be similar. They are still skiing at Heavenly. The farmers are complaining already about crop loss (like the lettuce, almond and winegrape growers – but you never know if they really are doing bad or if they are only lining up for govermental programs). Today I sit in my office with socks, a sweater and the heat on because the windchill today is so cold that it keeps me out of the yard. Last year many of the members of OrchidSafari who lived in upstate New York or Michigan were warmer than we were in Calif. However the lavendar and yellow catts are blooming right now. The whites went around Xmas. I have a couple of Stanhopeas starting to bud, and the dendrochilums have finished. The Catasetums and mormodes are starting to grow new leads and the Gongoras are about to open. My paphs are thumbing their noses at me, but that’s nothing new. I rarely visit those benches. Last time I did a Magic Lantern threatened me with a switchblade, so I figure if they have that sort of an attitude I’d better just leave them alone. Algea is creeping over the twinwall, so its time to bleach. Repotting up next. Anyone know where I can buy so extra get up and go? K Barrett – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Your write-up of the SDCOS show is very interesting and well-done. I, too, am curious about the bad cattleya year. Is it a bad year for California cattleyas, or has it been a bad year throughout the states? And, although I have heard a few growers complain about their cattleyas not doing well (prior to this), I am wondering what ill-effects or symptoms? I personally have lost some yellowing leaves on about a half-dozen cattleyas in various stages of growth, including a favorite of mine;so, I am wondering the cause. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html (New version w/greenhouse management) Thanks ever so, for the scoop & thoughts on the SD show Dan, Looks like I won’t be going to this one either, too busy!!! What do you suppose caused the bad year for Catts? I get a kick out of hearing about plants at shows especially when I have them. Cheers Wendy I went to opening night at the San Diego County Orchid Society show, running this St. Patrick’s weekend. Some thoughts: ***Bad year for catts***; which of course I already knew from my own decimated collection. The display area had fewer cattleyas (and their relatives) on the judging benches than I can remember. And a good number of the plants I recognized from last year (yes, same plant!) It seems few member show catts, and it is usually the same folk. For me, I have plenty of plants starting to show buds, and I suspect that is true of other outdoor growers here too, and if the show would be held a few weeks later we’d see more catts on the benches. IMO the most impressive view on the bench was Lc. Mildred Rives, both the ‘Orchidglade’ clone plus an unamed clone, next to Mildred’s child Lc. Orglade’s Grand (the highly awared clone whose name I can’t remember.) It was interesting to compare the flowers side by side and see what I could notice as differences. Plus the blooms were in good shape. Someone was showing a (firstbloom ?) B. digbyana x Enc. adenocaula with a couple of interesting blooms, big white lip with lavender tepals. This cross is by Sandro Cusi down in Mexico. To me the most interesting novel cross shown. This show is dominated by cymbidiums (of course), but there is a decent representation from most alliances. Seems standard phals are on the out, and small species are in, even more so than last year. Odonts are rare as ever down here (too hot in summer except for the beach side growers or the really dedicated.) Dendrobiums are increasing in number, it seems to me. ***Displays***: In the displays the catts were unexceptional too, except for one important exception (see below.) The displays are highly dominated by C. aurantiaca hybrids, plus a suprising number of L. Santa Barbara Sunset ‘Showtime.’ Gone are the days when Stewart Orchids would be showing examples of their latest hybrids, or when Ridgeway would bring in gigantic specimens of big lavenders. Sigh. A few displays that stood out to me: Sunset Valley Orchids (Fred Clarke): He is breeding some find cattleya alliance plants, and at the judging he got an AM/AOS on a L. anceps hybrid (but not bred by him) that was amazing! About as good as I’ve seen, with very round segments and lavender picotee on them (creamy white background.) He also got an HCC on a plant (I forget which.) His display included a superior L. Mizoguchi which had many more flowers than one would expect from an anceps hybrid, and was more floriferous than what I’ve seen elsewhere. One of his own crosses (I believe) on display was an Iwan. Olympic Gold (I think that is the name…) that was also very impressive, a bright floriferous yellow. He had another Dialc. the name of which I don’t remember but I thought about trying to get a piece of…. Overall my favorite display. Oh, and he has neat paphs too for those into those little critters. Blossoming Orchids Nursery: Impressive miltonias on display; like *really* impressive. Casa de los Orquideas: Had some of their latest hybrids from clean yellows to incredibly dark gray/burgundies. These are not your grandfathers’ cymbidiums! ***Vendors*** I miss Dr. Hull, not that I knew him but I always liked visiting his booth and I even bought a plant from him once. Sunset Valley was selling quite a few mini and compact plants, including some of the crosses mentioned above. Someone was selling the standard catts, the latest yellow/orange/burgundy big guys (e.g., Blc. Chia Lin) that I love but have a hard time growing (as they tend to be mostly C. dowiana, which really doesn’t like to be frosted.) Beautiful, and of course he was getting $40 and $50 for plants that one can get from Carmela’s for $12.50 if one is willing to grow on for the one season it takes to reach his selling size! Sigh. Sad thing is, I bet most people will kill these beauties, as if they try to grow outdoors here, as is often advertised, they will find the cold rains (like tonight) will wreck havoc on these plants. And for those folk who know how to grow these well, they buy them for $12.50…… Other than a couple of species specialists with common forms of the Mexican species, and a couple of local hobby growers with old plants (from the defunct cut flower growers like Ridgeway??) there wasn’t much else for us catt lovers. Marty’s was there, but because they don’t get much space they couldn’t bring much. Cymbidium lovers of course had Casa de los Orquideas, which appear to be the first, last, and maybe only word in cyms these days. I bought a plant from them once, at the show many years ago. Still my only cymbidium, I’ve never repotted it! I try to ignore it. Put out 5 spikes this year to spite me. Oh, you Phaius lovers would be glad to know several vendors had them. Total of 34 vendors so I sure most bases were covered. ***Summary*** I, like others, have always wished they would move the show to a larger facility so they could handle more vendors and displays, but for some reason they stick to the same place (which really isn’t a bad facility.) If you are in SoCal drive on down to the Scottish Rites Center in Mission Valley and pay your $5 and get any eyeful! Last ticket sales are 4PM Sunday. -dan
Response:
Marveous report Dan, I didn’t know Fred Clarke sold orchids too. I have drooled over his mormodes awards in teh AQ for quite some time. Maybe one of these days I’ll get up enough gumption to get down there and see if he’ll open the GH by appointment for me. K Barrett – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I went to opening night at the San Diego County Orchid Society show, running this St. Patrick’s weekend. Some thoughts: ***Bad year for catts***; which of course I already knew from my own decimated collection. The display area had fewer cattleyas (and their relatives) on the judging benches than I can remember. And a good number of the plants I recognized from last year (yes, same plant!) It seems few member show catts, and it is usually the same folk. For me, I have plenty of plants starting to show buds, and I suspect that is true of other outdoor growers here too, and if the show would be held a few weeks later we’d see more catts on the benches. IMO the most impressive view on the bench was Lc. Mildred Rives, both the ‘Orchidglade’ clone plus an unamed clone, next to Mildred’s child Lc. Orglade’s Grand (the highly awared clone whose name I can’t remember.) It was interesting to compare the flowers side by side and see what I could notice as differences. Plus the blooms were in good shape. Someone was showing a (firstbloom ?) B. digbyana x Enc. adenocaula with a couple of interesting blooms, big white lip with lavender tepals. This cross is by Sandro Cusi down in Mexico. To me the most interesting novel cross shown. This show is dominated by cymbidiums (of course), but there is a decent representation from most alliances. Seems standard phals are on the out, and small species are in, even more so than last year. Odonts are rare as ever down here (too hot in summer except for the beach side growers or the really dedicated.) Dendrobiums are increasing in number, it seems to me. ***Displays***: In the displays the catts were unexceptional too, except for one important exception (see below.) The displays are highly dominated by C. aurantiaca hybrids, plus a suprising number of L. Santa Barbara Sunset ‘Showtime.’ Gone are the days when Stewart Orchids would be showing examples of their latest hybrids, or when Ridgeway would bring in gigantic specimens of big lavenders. Sigh. A few displays that stood out to me: Sunset Valley Orchids (Fred Clarke): He is breeding some find cattleya alliance plants, and at the judging he got an AM/AOS on a L. anceps hybrid (but not bred by him) that was amazing! About as good as I’ve seen, with very round segments and lavender picotee on them (creamy white background.) He also got an HCC on a plant (I forget which.) His display included a superior L. Mizoguchi which had many more flowers than one would expect from an anceps hybrid, and was more floriferous than what I’ve seen elsewhere. One of his own crosses (I believe) on display was an Iwan. Olympic Gold (I think that is the name…) that was also very impressive, a bright floriferous yellow. He had another Dialc. the name of which I don’t remember but I thought about trying to get a piece of…. Overall my favorite display. Oh, and he has neat paphs too for those into those little critters. Blossoming Orchids Nursery: Impressive miltonias on display; like *really* impressive. Casa de los Orquideas: Had some of their latest hybrids from clean yellows to incredibly dark gray/burgundies. These are not your grandfathers’ cymbidiums! ***Vendors*** I miss Dr. Hull, not that I knew him but I always liked visiting his booth and I even bought a plant from him once. Sunset Valley was selling quite a few mini and compact plants, including some of the crosses mentioned above. Someone was selling the standard catts, the latest yellow/orange/burgundy big guys (e.g., Blc. Chia Lin) that I love but have a hard time growing (as they tend to be mostly C. dowiana, which really doesn’t like to be frosted.) Beautiful, and of course he was getting $40 and $50 for plants that one can get from Carmela’s for $12.50 if one is willing to grow on for the one season it takes to reach his selling size! Sigh. Sad thing is, I bet most people will kill these beauties, as if they try to grow outdoors here, as is often advertised, they will find the cold rains (like tonight) will wreck havoc on these plants. And for those folk who know how to grow these well, they buy them for $12.50…… Other than a couple of species specialists with common forms of the Mexican species, and a couple of local hobby growers with old plants (from the defunct cut flower growers like Ridgeway??) there wasn’t much else for us catt lovers. Marty’s was there, but because they don’t get much space they couldn’t bring much. Cymbidium lovers of course had Casa de los Orquideas, which appear to be the first, last, and maybe only word in cyms these days. I bought a plant from them once, at the show many years ago. Still my only cymbidium, I’ve never repotted it! I try to ignore it. Put out 5 spikes this year to spite me. Oh, you Phaius lovers would be glad to know several vendors had them. Total of 34 vendors so I sure most bases were covered. ***Summary*** I, like others, have always wished they would move the show to a larger facility so they could handle more vendors and displays, but for some reason they stick to the same place (which really isn’t a bad facility.) If you are in SoCal drive on down to the Scottish Rites Center in Mission Valley and pay your $5 and get any eyeful! Last ticket sales are 4PM Sunday. -dan
Response:
Your write-up of the SDCOS show is very interesting and well-done. I, too, am curious about the bad cattleya year. Is it a bad year for California cattleyas, or has it been a bad year throughout the states? And, although I have heard a few growers complain about their cattleyas not doing well (prior to this), I am wondering what ill-effects or symptoms? I personally have lost some yellowing leaves on about a half-dozen cattleyas in various stages of growth, including a favorite of mine;so, I am wondering the cause. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html (New version w/greenhouse management) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks ever so, for the scoop & thoughts on the SD show Dan, Looks like I won’t be going to this one either, too busy!!! What do you suppose caused the bad year for Catts? I get a kick out of hearing about plants at shows especially when I have them. Cheers Wendy I went to opening night at the San Diego County Orchid Society show, running this St. Patrick’s weekend. Some thoughts: ***Bad year for catts***; which of course I already knew from my own decimated collection. The display area had fewer cattleyas (and their relatives) on the judging benches than I can remember. And a good number of the plants I recognized from last year (yes, same plant!) It seems few member show catts, and it is usually the same folk. For me, I have plenty of plants starting to show buds, and I suspect that is true of other outdoor growers here too, and if the show would be held a few weeks later we’d see more catts on the benches. IMO the most impressive view on the bench was Lc. Mildred Rives, both the ‘Orchidglade’ clone plus an unamed clone, next to Mildred’s child Lc. Orglade’s Grand (the highly awared clone whose name I can’t remember.) It was interesting to compare the flowers side by side and see what I could notice as differences. Plus the blooms were in good shape. Someone was showing a (firstbloom ?) B. digbyana x Enc. adenocaula with a couple of interesting blooms, big white lip with lavender tepals. This cross is by Sandro Cusi down in Mexico. To me the most interesting novel cross shown. This show is dominated by cymbidiums (of course), but there is a decent representation from most alliances. Seems standard phals are on the out, and small species are in, even more so than last year. Odonts are rare as ever down here (too hot in summer except for the beach side growers or the really dedicated.) Dendrobiums are increasing in number, it seems to me. ***Displays***: In the displays the catts were unexceptional too, except for one important exception (see below.) The displays are highly dominated by C. aurantiaca hybrids, plus a suprising number of L. Santa Barbara Sunset ‘Showtime.’ Gone are the days when Stewart Orchids would be showing examples of their latest hybrids, or when Ridgeway would bring in gigantic specimens of big lavenders. Sigh. A few displays that stood out to me: Sunset Valley Orchids (Fred Clarke): He is breeding some find cattleya alliance plants, and at the judging he got an AM/AOS on a L. anceps hybrid (but not bred by him) that was amazing! About as good as I’ve seen, with very round segments and lavender picotee on them (creamy white background.) He also got an HCC on a plant (I forget which.) His display included a superior L. Mizoguchi which had many more flowers than one would expect from an anceps hybrid, and was more floriferous than what I’ve seen elsewhere. One of his own crosses (I believe) on display was an Iwan. Olympic Gold (I think that is the name…) that was also very impressive, a bright floriferous yellow. He had another Dialc. the name of which I don’t remember but I thought about trying to get a piece of…. Overall my favorite display. Oh, and he has neat paphs too for those into those little critters. Blossoming Orchids Nursery: Impressive miltonias on display; like *really* impressive. Casa de los Orquideas: Had some of their latest hybrids from clean yellows to incredibly dark gray/burgundies. These are not your grandfathers’ cymbidiums! ***Vendors*** I miss Dr. Hull, not that I knew him but I always liked visiting his booth and I even bought a plant from him once. Sunset Valley was selling quite a few mini and compact plants, including some of the crosses mentioned above. Someone was selling the standard catts, the latest yellow/orange/burgundy big guys (e.g., Blc. Chia Lin) that I love but have a hard time growing (as they tend to be mostly C. dowiana, which really doesn’t like to be frosted.) Beautiful, and of course he was getting $40 and $50 for plants that one can get from Carmela’s for $12.50 if one is willing to grow on for the one season it takes to reach his selling size! Sigh. Sad thing is, I bet most people will kill these beauties, as if they try to grow outdoors here, as is often advertised, they will find the cold rains (like tonight) will wreck havoc on these plants. And for those folk who know how to grow these well, they buy them for $12.50…… Other than a couple of species specialists with common forms of the Mexican species, and a couple of local hobby growers with old plants (from the defunct cut flower growers like Ridgeway??) there wasn’t much else for us catt lovers. Marty’s was there, but because they don’t get much space they couldn’t bring much. Cymbidium lovers of course had Casa de los Orquideas, which appear to be the first, last, and maybe only word in cyms these days. I bought a plant from them once, at the show many years ago. Still my only cymbidium, I’ve never repotted it! I try to ignore it. Put out 5 spikes this year to spite me. Oh, you Phaius lovers would be glad to know several vendors had them. Total of 34 vendors so I sure most bases were covered. ***Summary*** I, like others, have always wished they would move the show to a larger facility so they could handle more vendors and displays, but for some reason they stick to the same place (which really isn’t a bad facility.) If you are in SoCal drive on down to the Scottish Rites Center in Mission Valley and pay your $5 and get any eyeful! Last ticket sales are 4PM Sunday. -dan
Response:
Question:
Hello & welcome ! The #1 killer of orchids is overwatering. Do not treat it like your other house plants & don’t let it sit in water. For other culture info, we need to know what type it is. Does it have a name tag? Cheers Wendy
: We just received a beautiful indoor orchid plant from my sister. Just : wondering if the roots need a lot of space (i.e. a larger planter) or do : better kinda crowded together in the current pot. Also any other advice for : its proper care would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. : :
Response:
It is a white Cymbidium. Hope that helps. Mike
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does the plant have a tag in it revealing to us the name of your acquisition??? Kye. We just received a beautiful indoor orchid plant from my sister. Just wondering if the roots need a lot of space (i.e. a larger planter) or do better kinda crowded together in the current pot. Also any other advice for its proper care would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Response:
We just received a beautiful indoor orchid plant from my sister. Just wondering if the roots need a lot of space (i.e. a larger planter) or do better kinda crowded together in the current pot. Also any other advice for its proper care would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Response:
Does the plant have a tag in it revealing to us the name of your acquisition??? Kye.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We just received a beautiful indoor orchid plant from my sister. Just wondering if the roots need a lot of space (i.e. a larger planter) or do better kinda crowded together in the current pot. Also any other advice for its proper care would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Response:
Question:
I have a really nice Cym that is happy living with me. It grew three spikes this year and had lots of lovely, fragrant, long-lasting flowers. I was happy thinking that I maybe had a handle on Cyms until today when I walked by a florist’s shop and noticed a cut Cym stem in water. The flowers were HUGE. I guess what I have is a "mini" and I never knew that little detail until today. I had no idea Cym flowers could be so enormous. They are wonderful! Now I want a "full-sized" Cym. – Sandy — Bacchae at telusplanet dot net "Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us." – Donna Tartt
Response:
Now I want a "full-sized" Cym. – Sandy
You’re right, the full-sized ones are magnificent. So is the amount of space they take. Cyms are not the cutest plants. My is kind of stuck behind the sofa until it’s once a year blooming. It is comparable in looks and size to a day lily. But when the cats come to visit, they sure like those long floppy leaves. — Barb Coon Rapids, MN http://chuck-barb.virtualave.net/african.htm
Response:
Barb, The small compact Cymbidiums, known as Chinese Cymbidiums, have aesthetic qualities. In the Orient, they are partly judged for their leaves, which are small, some varigated, and blade-like or grass-like. On the other hand, the standard cymbidiums usually have large flowers and long leaves that sometimes drag on the ground. Right now I have two large spikes on the (humongous)standard Cymbidium California; however, the plant looks a little ragged with some leaves handing close to the ground. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Now I want a "full-sized" Cym. – Sandy You’re right, the full-sized ones are magnificent. So is the amount of space they take. Cyms are not the cutest plants. My is kind of stuck behind the sofa until it’s once a year blooming. It is comparable in looks and size to a day lily. But when the cats come to visit, they sure like those long floppy leaves. — Barb Coon Rapids, MN http://chuck-barb.virtualave.net/african.htm
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a really nice Cym that is happy living with me. It grew three spikes this year and had lots of lovely, fragrant, long-lasting flowers. I was happy thinking that I maybe had a handle on Cyms until today when I walked by a florist’s shop and noticed a cut Cym stem in water. The flowers were HUGE. I guess what I have is a "mini" and I never knew that little detail until today. I had no idea Cym flowers could be so enormous. They are wonderful! Now I want a "full-sized" Cym. – Sandy — Bacchae at telusplanet dot net "Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us." – Donna Tartt
Run Fast…… Karen (50 orchids and the Northeastern Wisconsin orchid show is this weekend)
Response:
Question:
Thanks, everyone! Now there are even more plants on my list. :-) Sarah — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Susan, I tend to agree that the Chinese Cymbidium Golden Elf will trive either outdoors or in a greenhouse. I have one in both locations. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html If you want an easier plant to live with and bloom, try a chinese cym. Cym. Golden Elf. Blooms easily with a little less light than Cattleya conditions. But I think you would need a bit more than your Phal wants. I grow mine semi-hydroponicly. If you have not read about it go to Ray’s web site. (firstrays.com) It bloomed twice early in the summer and about October. I can not bloom standard Cym. They are not really house plants. They do beautifully if you can grow them outdoors. SuE Hi Pam! I’ve always wanted to grow cyms but have never tried it because I’ve heard that they can be difficult. How do their growing conditions compare to those of phalenopsis? Do you have any hints for the newbie? Thanks! Sarah
Response:
Hello Sandy & welcome.
Thank you, it’s nice to be here. You mention a ceramic pot? The pot must have lots of holes for good drainage??
Yes, it is one of the "special" pots marked "orchid" from the garden centre. It has holes all over the darned place. I’m actually a little concerned it has too many holes for the Cym. Also don’t water it for about two weeks, at least this is what I was told. Somewhere on this internet is a fantastic site with step by step instructions with pictures, but I can’t find it in my files so maybe someone will read this.
Oh, that would be lovely. I have one of the Rittershausen books that shows them repotting and dropping on Cyms which is why I sort of bought the book in the first place. Thanks for your help. I’ll keep an eye on this thread in case someone finds that website. – Sandy
Response:
If you want an easier plant to live with and bloom, try a chinese cym. Cym. Golden Elf. Blooms easily with a little less light than Cattleya conditions. But I think you would need a bit more than your Phal wants. I grow mine semi-hydroponicly. If you have not read about it go to Ray’s web site. (firstrays.com) It bloomed twice early in the summer and about October. I can not bloom standard Cym. They are not really house plants. They do beautifully if you can grow them outdoors. SuE – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi Pam! I’ve always wanted to grow cyms but have never tried it because I’ve heard that they can be difficult. How do their growing conditions compare to those of phalenopsis? Do you have any hints for the newbie? Thanks! Sarah
Response:
I removed two not-in-leaf pseudobulbs (well, one has a single broken leaf still attached) and read yesterday that I can plant these pseudobulbs and maybe they’ll root. Does anyone have experience with that?
Yes, unless they are rather soft they will sprout new pseudobulbs. I found that it was it useful to put them in less direct sunlight till the roots sprouted (2 to 4 hours a day). Too much light seemed to dry out the pseudobulbs before the successfully sprouted. Don’t expect the new bulbs to grow to full size quickly. It requires patience. But it’s faster than growing them from seed and they are all virtual clones of the parent plant so that the best qualities of your variety will continue. What is the question? Gertrude Stein’s last words No one mouth is big enough to utter the whole thing. Alan Watts On Display in the UK http://www.web-gallery.co.uk
Response:
Some time ago, I saved some nursery trays that succulents came in and now use them for the cymbidium backbulbs. These are in semi-shade. I refill the trays yearly with 1 part sand, 1 part peat, and 1 part perlite and a little bit of fine orchid mix. I then place the bulbs with their labels at 3 inch intervals. In a matter of months they develop plants and within a year or so they are big enough to pot. These are the larger, standard cymbidiums as the Chinese types are a bit more difficult to develop from backbulbs. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I removed two not-in-leaf pseudobulbs (well, one has a single broken leaf still attached) and read yesterday that I can plant these pseudobulbs and maybe they’ll root. Does anyone have experience with that?
Response:
Hello Sandy & welcome. You mention a ceramic pot? The pot must have lots of holes for good drainage?? Also don’t water it for about two weeks, at least this is what I was told. Somewhere on this internet is a fantastic site with step by step instructions with pictures, but I can’t find it in my files so maybe someone will read this. Good luck & good growing, Cheers Wendy
: My Cym just finished blooming (3 flowering stalks, yea!). It : has been slowly squishing up out of its pot for a while now so : I decided I’d better try to repot it. Many orchid books later : I decided to tackle the task, daunting as it is to a newbie : owner. It was difficult as blue blazes to get it out of the : pot. We ended up using hospital scissors to cut the pot off : the plant. Gods only knows what I will do next time I repot it : because I put it into a ceramic pot this time. : : I bought a "terrestrial mix" of medium, soaked it (it didn’t : say how long to soak it for though) and put some styrofoam : peanuts in the bottom of the pot. I am worried now that : because I didn’t cone the medium under the existing rootball : that I have done something horrible. Although the pot I put it : into is bigger in diameter it isn’t as deep a pot as what the : plant was in previously. I hope I’ve done the right thing. : : I removed two not-in-leaf pseudobulbs (well, one has a single : broken leaf still attached) and read yesterday that I can plant : these pseudobulbs and maybe they’ll root. Does anyone have : experience with that? : : : – Sandy : — : Bacchae at cadvision dot com : "Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver : before it. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves : in that fire which refines us." : – Donna Tartt : :
Response:
Hi Pam! I’ve always wanted to grow cyms but have never tried it because I’ve heard that they can be difficult. How do their growing conditions compare to those of phalenopsis? Do you have any hints for the newbie? Thanks! Sarah — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sandy, Buy the special scissors that splice a plastic pot. Cymbidiums tend to become root-bound. And, placing it in a larger pot is the right idea. I have grown these orchids for over twenty-five years successfully. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html My Cym just finished blooming (3 flowering stalks, yea!). It has been slowly squishing up out of its pot for a while now so I decided I’d better try to repot it. Many orchid books later I decided to tackle the task, daunting as it is to a newbie owner. It was difficult as blue blazes to get it out of the pot. We ended up using hospital scissors to cut the pot off the plant. Gods only knows what I will do next time I repot it because I put it into a ceramic pot this time. I bought a "terrestrial mix" of medium, soaked it (it didn’t say how long to soak it for though) and put some styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of the pot. I am worried now that because I didn’t cone the medium under the existing rootball that I have done something horrible. Although the pot I put it into is bigger in diameter it isn’t as deep a pot as what the plant was in previously. I hope I’ve done the right thing. I removed two not-in-leaf pseudobulbs (well, one has a single broken leaf still attached) and read yesterday that I can plant these pseudobulbs and maybe they’ll root. Does anyone have experience with that? – Sandy — Bacchae at cadvision dot com "Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us." – Donna Tartt
Response:
Susan, I tend to agree that the Chinese Cymbidium Golden Elf will trive either outdoors or in a greenhouse. I have one in both locations. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you want an easier plant to live with and bloom, try a chinese cym. Cym. Golden Elf. Blooms easily with a little less light than Cattleya conditions. But I think you would need a bit more than your Phal wants. I grow mine semi-hydroponicly. If you have not read about it go to Ray’s web site. (firstrays.com) It bloomed twice early in the summer and about October. I can not bloom standard Cym. They are not really house plants. They do beautifully if you can grow them outdoors. SuE Hi Pam! I’ve always wanted to grow cyms but have never tried it because I’ve heard that they can be difficult. How do their growing conditions compare to those of phalenopsis? Do you have any hints for the newbie? Thanks! Sarah
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Hi, Sarah, Cymbidiums don’t seem to grow well in the house. I grow the regular cymbidiums against the house outdoors in morning sun. Some of the species and Chinese cymbidiums I grow in the greenhouse where temperature is a bit more constant. They require more light than phals and are easier to grow, depending upon climate and temperature. Cymbidiums can take temperatures down into twenties, if covered with cloth and into the hundreds if kept shaded and misted. For the newbie, I would try a standard (one of the large leafed) cymbidiums and a hybrid as species are a little more difficult. Cymbidium California (a SBOE yellow) is an easy-to-grow cymbidium. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Pam! I’ve always wanted to grow cyms but have never tried it because I’ve heard that they can be difficult. How do their growing conditions compare to those of phalenopsis? Do you have any hints for the newbie? Thanks! Sarah
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I have been growing a cymbidium by our patio sliding door (eastern exposure) for several years now. It is always indoors and grows far more than I would like. It does get a bit cooler there because it is next to the window which ices up when it is really cold. It has bloomed each late winter for the past four years and is ready to now. When I first bought the bulbs at a home and garden show, I had no idea what to do with them. Consequently, they were potted in my good old African violet mix and have done quite well. I always feel that I am doing such terrible sinful things to my orchids; but I’m a firm believer in "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it". It’s happy and when I repot it this summer (it mine is also overflowing its pot) it will again the the same potting mix. B Hi Pam! I’ve always wanted to grow cyms but have never tried it because I’ve heard that they can be difficult.
– Barb Coon Rapids, MN http://chuck-barb.virtualave.net/african.htm
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Sarah, If you stick with miniatures, especially those that are very close hybrids with Chinese species, or those species themselves, you will find they do great in the home. The Chinese species, for example, are tolerant of a wide range of temperatures, and need to be heavily shaded in the heat of summer, while enjoying a bright space in the winter when it’s cooler. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! Hi Pam! I’ve always wanted to grow cyms but have never tried it because I’ve heard that they can be difficult. How do their growing conditions compare to those of phalenopsis? Do you have any hints for the newbie? Thanks! Sarah —
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sandy, Buy the special scissors that splice a plastic pot. Cymbidiums tend to become root-bound. And, placing it in a larger pot is the right idea. I have grown these orchids for over twenty-five years successfully. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html My Cym just finished blooming (3 flowering stalks, yea!). It has been slowly squishing up out of its pot for a while now so I decided I’d better try to repot it. Many orchid books later I decided to tackle the task, daunting as it is to a newbie owner. It was difficult as blue blazes to get it out of the pot. We ended up using hospital scissors to cut the pot off the plant. Gods only knows what I will do next time I repot it because I put it into a ceramic pot this time. I bought a "terrestrial mix" of medium, soaked it (it didn’t say how long to soak it for though) and put some styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of the pot. I am worried now that because I didn’t cone the medium under the existing rootball that I have done something horrible. Although the pot I put it into is bigger in diameter it isn’t as deep a pot as what the plant was in previously. I hope I’ve done the right thing. I removed two not-in-leaf pseudobulbs (well, one has a single broken leaf still attached) and read yesterday that I can plant these pseudobulbs and maybe they’ll root. Does anyone have experience with that? – Sandy — Bacchae at cadvision dot com "Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us." – Donna Tartt
Response:
My Cym just finished blooming (3 flowering stalks, yea!). It has been slowly squishing up out of its pot for a while now so I decided I’d better try to repot it. Many orchid books later I decided to tackle the task, daunting as it is to a newbie owner. It was difficult as blue blazes to get it out of the pot. We ended up using hospital scissors to cut the pot off the plant. Gods only knows what I will do next time I repot it because I put it into a ceramic pot this time. I bought a "terrestrial mix" of medium, soaked it (it didn’t say how long to soak it for though) and put some styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of the pot. I am worried now that because I didn’t cone the medium under the existing rootball that I have done something horrible. Although the pot I put it into is bigger in diameter it isn’t as deep a pot as what the plant was in previously. I hope I’ve done the right thing. I removed two not-in-leaf pseudobulbs (well, one has a single broken leaf still attached) and read yesterday that I can plant these pseudobulbs and maybe they’ll root. Does anyone have experience with that? – Sandy — Bacchae at cadvision dot com "Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us." – Donna Tartt
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Sandy, Buy the special scissors that splice a plastic pot. Cymbidiums tend to become root-bound. And, placing it in a larger pot is the right idea. I have grown these orchids for over twenty-five years successfully. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My Cym just finished blooming (3 flowering stalks, yea!). It has been slowly squishing up out of its pot for a while now so I decided I’d better try to repot it. Many orchid books later I decided to tackle the task, daunting as it is to a newbie owner. It was difficult as blue blazes to get it out of the pot. We ended up using hospital scissors to cut the pot off the plant. Gods only knows what I will do next time I repot it because I put it into a ceramic pot this time. I bought a "terrestrial mix" of medium, soaked it (it didn’t say how long to soak it for though) and put some styrofoam peanuts in the bottom of the pot. I am worried now that because I didn’t cone the medium under the existing rootball that I have done something horrible. Although the pot I put it into is bigger in diameter it isn’t as deep a pot as what the plant was in previously. I hope I’ve done the right thing. I removed two not-in-leaf pseudobulbs (well, one has a single broken leaf still attached) and read yesterday that I can plant these pseudobulbs and maybe they’ll root. Does anyone have experience with that? – Sandy — Bacchae at cadvision dot com "Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us." – Donna Tartt
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Question:
Matt Swift, age 32 Rancho Cucamonga, California (40 miles east of Los Angeles) Have lived in Southern California all my life My father was growing orchids and had a greenhouse before I was born so I have been around them all my life. I have had an interest in them the whole time but more so for the past 10 years. Prefer equitant oncidiums and cattleyas but always have a soft spot for anything eye-catching. Briefly went through a Masdevallia phase but learned my lesson quickly. Worked at Mervyn’s department store for 9 years until March 1998 Stewart Orchids until November 1998 Santa Barbara Orchid Estate until end of January 2000 Currently co-owner Swift’s Orchids Past President (two terms) Riverside-San Bernardino Counties Orchid Society 1996-1998 Currently Early Bird program chair Have one more month as Newsletter Editor then Marty Shipps takes over the helm. Membership Secretary of the Cymbidium Society of America www.cymbidium.org Member of about 10 Southern California orchid societies but usually only attend about 3 to 4. American Orchid Society Cymbidium Society of America Orchid Digest www.orchiddigest.com
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Hi, Name is Barb and I’m on the back side of 50. Live in Coon Rapids, MN, as northern suburb of Minneapolis. My sister was visiting from Anchorage and got me started on orchids about 6 years ago with a trip to Orchids Limited. Most of my orchids have been gifts from sister, Pat, or purchased at Orchids Limited. Another vendor I like is H&R Nurseries. I like anything small or mini. My 120 orchids share space with my 500/600 African violets. Actually, I’m looking to decrease my collection of some of the larger plants. What my daughter does not want may soon be available to anyone near enough to pick them up. Accomplishment – each time my Paph. Prince Edward of York blooms. Still waiting on Paph. Sanderianum. — Barb Coon Rapids, MN
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Barb, from Coon Rapids, MN, again. Forgot to mention that 90% of my orchids grow in natural light. I have a solarium and they are on a top or near top shelf. Several of the smaller ones (about 10%) are in an orchidarium. — Barb Coon Rapids, MN
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I’m Ken Woodward, English teacher by day, orchid grower by night. I’m nearing 60 and wish that I had tried growing orchids when I was much younger, but I waited until I was nearly fifty to start. I still have my first orchid, a stanhopea, which has now joined about a hundred others inside the house. I grow in every space that I can find and that my wife will allow, the main areas being a garden window in the kitchen, a south-facing livingroom window in the winter, and under lights in a humidity room built in the basement. I grow orchids from A to Z: aerangis to zygopetalum. New England winters are not easy conditions for orchid growing, but I love the challenge of growing in a hostile environment. Ken Woodward Newton, MA http:/kwoodward.net
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That is an amazing story, I find it interesting how many of us can tie orchids into the very special days of our lives. If you are looking at getting rid of any snippets of your Zygopetalum mackayii gimme a yell, Im in Bundy, QLD.
I’ve got a backbulb that has already flowered that I could send you. Are there any problems with sending plants interstate as far as the authorities? I guess if I packed it in spaghnum and sent it in one of those Australia Post plastic overnight bags it should arrive O.K. Email me your address and we’ll figure something out.
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So here we go: Kenneth Bruyninckx, male Ekeren (north of Antwerp), Belgium grow ??? not much, see the info part age: 30 info: Well, if you really count MY collection then only a few terrestrial orchids can be found in it. Although I really have experience with lots and lots more. As my parents started and run their nursery Akerne Orchids in Belgium I guess I’m very lucky to have grown up surrounded by orchids (of course when I look at my younger brother things could have turned out differently as well: he doesn’t like them at all 
). Actually I beat the first orchid by one year, he of course was not so lucky…. So for the moment my plants are still happily growing in my parents large greenhouse, although plans exist to build a greenhouse as soon as possible in my backyard (just as soon as I get the more important (?) things like a bathroom, heating etc fixed in my new house for my girlfriend). What do I like ? Well, have you got a couple of hours ??? Almost anything species, but a few favourite genera: Stanhopea, Gongora, Coryanthes, Catasetum, Sobralia, Elleanthus, Cymbidium, Pterostylis, lots and lots of terrestrial orchids (from all over the world in fact)…. I’m a trainee judge in the English judging system and have visited orchid habitats in Mexico, Venezeula and New Caledonia in the past. Oh yes, I’m the webmaster behind orchidguide.com, so a couple of you will know me from the OGD as well.
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Phalaenopsis don’t like me, so we are discontinuing trying to grow them.
BTW, have I mentioned that I have started a new charitable organization, "Orchids for the Needy"? Any orchids no longer needed can be sent to my address where they will be sorted, brought up to par and offered to lower income families who have no orchids yet… — Reka <BEG www.rolbox.it/hukari/index.html "I hate flowers-I paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move." –Georgia O’Keefe
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Are you interested in lurk… ehm, readers too? Who am I and What Is My Gender???
Anna Maria Canepa, female Where am I???
I’m an Italian living in Sweden, near Stockholm. What do I grow???
Now I’m ashamed, i can’t call my five babies a collection! Anyway they are all so grateful to you and your advices that I decided to write for thanking you all. The decade of my age??? I’m in my late 30s. How long have I been growing orchids???
I tried to grow some in Italy with no so big success. Here in Sweden I found that the conditions in the apartments are better than in Italy for orchids (and not only for them) )) My biggest orchid accomplishment???
Buying a dying oncidium for pennies and making it flower again )) Plants can be grateful and they know how to demonstrate it! Miscellanious Info…
I’ve got a master degree in Slavonic Philology at Pisa University and worked mainly as a translator from Russian into Italian. Now I’m studying Swedish at the local school for adults hoping to use all my languages for a job. I’m married to a wonderful man since 1993. Bye, Anna Maria
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I am Doris Salzmann living across the border from Augusta Ga. for the past 34 years. I have had orchids since 1979 when a friend introduced me to Carter and Holmes. I promptly killed both plants that I bought within 2 years. In 83 I went to a southern living show in Charlotte and returned with 1 orchids,which is still thriving and has been divided several times.It was a cattleya golden girl. After that I got phals and dendrobiums since those was the only varieties available locally. I have only had a computer since the beginning of 2000 and have not found this NG until this summer. I have learned an awful lot in the meantime. My plants are flourishing since I put most of them into semihydro. But I digress. I am pushing 60 am a homemaker, grow in windows, have no room for a gh.and have to stop bying more plants.They total about 50 by now, mostly phals, cattleya tribe, oncidiums and 2 cymbidiums. I have all my orchids on view at http://community.webshots.com/user/hodosal1
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Kye asked: Who am I and What Is My Gender??? I will answer for both my husband, John and myself, Sue Erickson. Where am I??? We got infected in Chicago, Illinois, but currently live in Longmont Colorado. What do I grow??? I like Epi and Encyclia, for some reason they are not as happy with me. So I grow Oncidium, intergeneric’s, Dendrobiums, Pyschopsis, Vandaceous, Angraecum and misc. genera. Currently 410 different plants. Phalaenopsis don’t like me, so we are discontinuing trying to grow them. John grows Paphs and Phrags. He also photographs each plant as it blooms so we have a photo database as well as the Access database ported to the Palm Pilot to take shopping. The decade of my age??? We are typical empty nesters in the mid 50’s. How long have I been growing orchids??? In Chicago John was scouting antenna sites with a fellow from Motorola. As they drove passed ‘Orchids by Hausermann’ (http://www.orchidsbyhausermann.com/) the fellow said "if your wife likes flowers, you ought to take her there sometime." I got one plant. Joined the Illinois Orchid Society just in time for a large show, a Mid-America or AOS trustees meeting. By the time the show was over I was hooked and hog tied. I also thought all shows were that size and complexity. I keep meaning to look up the year.. about ‘74. My biggest orchid accomplishment??? Keeping a few alive since then. In 1983 we moved to Colorado. We moved 300 plants, mostly large hybrid Catts. We had been growing in windows and under lights. We kept them under lights here until the lean-to greenhouse was built. About 6 years ago the thermostat in the gh failed during the winter. The resulting freeze redefined the collection. Now there are few large catts. Several made it thru the freeze and the depression that followed. I would empty 6′ of hanging space with out finding a living thing. I would be too sad to do more for several days, weeks, or months. When we finally finished cleaning the gh 3 years ago. we found 50 plants alive. It has been a miracle seeing these long neglected plants react to fertilizer and attention with big growths and lovely blooms. Miscellanious Info…
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Kye asked: Who am I and What Is My Gender???
I will answer for both my husband, John and myself, Sue Erickson. Where am I???
We got infected in Chicago, Illinois, but currently live in Longmont Colorado. What do I grow???
I like Epi and Encyclia, for some reason they are not as happy with me. So I grow Oncidium, intergeneric’s, Dendrobiums, Pyschopsis, Vandaceous, Angraecum and misc. genera. Currently 410 different plants. Phalaenopsis don’t like me, so we are discontinuing trying to grow them. John grows Paphs and Phrags. He also photographs each plant as it blooms so we have a photo database as well as the Access database ported to the Palm Pilot to take shopping. The decade of my age???
We are typical empty nesters in the mid 50’s. How long have I been growing orchids???
In Chicago John was scouting antenna sites with a fellow from Motorola. As they drove passed ‘Orchids by Hausermann’ (http://www.orchidsbyhausermann.com/) the fellow said "if your wife likes flowers, you ought to take her there sometime." I got one plant. Joined the Illinois Orchid Society just in time for a large show, a Mid-America or AOS trustees meeting. By the time the show was over I was hooked and hog tied. I also thought all shows were that size and complexity. I keep meaning to look up the year.. about ‘74. My biggest orchid accomplishment???
Keeping a few alive since then. In 1983 we moved to Colorado. We moved 300 plants, mostly large hybrid Catts. We had been growing in windows and under lights. We kept them under lights here until the lean-to greenhouse was built. About 6 years ago the thermostat in the gh failed during the winter. The resulting freeze redefined the collection. Now there are few large catts. Several made it thru the freeze and the depression that followed. I would empty 6′ of hanging space with out finding a living thing. I would be too sad to do more for several days, weeks, or months. When we finally finished cleaning the gh 3 years ago. we found 50 plants alive. It has been a miracle seeing these long neglected plants react to fertilizer and attention with big growths and lovely blooms. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Miscellanious Info…
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OK, I sign in as K Barrett. Hopefully by now you all should know my first name is Kathy. I’m in the high 40’s fast approaching 50 in circuits around the sun. I live in Northern California, near San Fransisco, in a more dry climate similar to the Great Central Valley. I’m a confirmed generalist in my orchid collection. I have a little bit of everything except terrestrials. Like Kenneth I like the very unusual species, coryanthes, stanhopeas, lycastes, bulbophyllum, mormodes, catasetums, as well as the more mundane, cattleyas and paphs. I’ve gotten out of oncidiums and phals because I just don’t have the room. Plus they tend to stay in bloom too long. I like plants that strut and fret their hour upon the stage and then have the good grace to know when to exit. 2-3 weeks is perfect, IMHO. I’ve been growing since 1994 or was it 1995?? And have been online here since 12/1995 when I got my computer. Well, actually I took over the computer. Its was a bloodless coup. My boyfriend had been yammering on and on about how wonderful computers are. But only talking about hardware. (boring) One Christmas vacation I said ‘if these computers are so great find me something about orchids.’ We found the AOS website, and from there a link to rgo, and he never got his computer back. I am now the Den Mother of OrchidSafari, the Wed/Sat chatgroup. Sorry OS has taken such a dive in interest recently. I just ran out of steam. But there may be life in the old girl yet. We are moving the webapge away from Geocities, and my push will be to make the archives a better resource. maybe even searchable. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we’ll see how that really progresses. Time is the ultimate commodity. K Barrett
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This questionnaire has been circulated many times in the last half decade. But I will answer again. Some of my answers have changed and it is time to update the form.
Who am I and What Is My Gender???
I am Al. Where am I???
It appears to be the planet earth. Leesburg Virginia USA to be specific. What do I grow???
Lots of things. Phals species are my biggest love. I have Big Plans for breedings them. Big Plans. The decade of my age???
The birth certificate puts me in my early 40s. But that refers only to physical age. In mind and spirit there is conciderable vasscilation and I would have a hard time pinning it down. How long have I been growing orchids???
Since I was 16. My biggest orchid accomplishment???
Two or so years ago I got the BIG greenhouse I have always wished for and learned definitivly that it is true what they say: Be careful what you wish for. Miscellanious Info…
It makes me nervous to know that physcologists read what we write here. I have a website/web business that supports my orchids but not me: http://www.orchidexchange.com I like to garden. I have been stuck in this newsgroup for about 5 years now and still can’t find the door. On occasion I have claimed to be an Alien from Outer Space. Strictly speaking, this is true. I have also claimed to play the fool but I think of this role as being more like ‘court jester’ and don’t mind at all when others vie for the roles of village idiot or Supreme Monarch. It’s fun to watch. I always have appreciated the good advice people offer on orchids and their culture to all the other stuff I find here. But I also know I am a significant contributor of ‘other stuff’. I have issues to work out. Basically, this is a good group and the people who use it are good people. Late at night when I can’t sleep I like to re-read my posts to this newsgroup and count the number of times I use the word "I". I find it amusing.
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Hmmmm, no females? Guess I’ll brave this and be the first. I’m Cindy, 38, and now live in Herndon, VA, and am currently unemployed thanks to layoffs in Austin, Texas. I have a 19 y.o. son who is fully dependent upon myself and my family. I found RGO in July/August and have already learned alot. I’ve had orchids since 1997, but only became an addict this past year. When I moved up here I was also able to meet Al, who is a very nice individual. I also have 3 furbabies (cats) who are the loves of my life. Now, does anybody have a lead on a job so I can continue to afford this hobby? :o) Cindy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I think this is worthwhile. I learned more about Eric in 30 seconds than I did in 7 years Rod C. Venger. 45. Born in Los Angeles were I learned more than the basics of Orchid culture from my parents. I was in Cardiology until 1993. My wife and I went commerical in the Orchid Biz in 1992. We were possibly the first commercial Orchid site to succeed on the net. Certainly the first to survive RGO Everything was going great until I got cancer in 1998. Had radical surgery on my face in early 1999. I’ve since retired, work as a volunteer counselor to head and neck cancer patients and am producing a documentary on the same at the present. We have 13 Siamese cats -Rod- Rod C. Venger – T4N0M0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma Facial Reconstructions 2-5-99, 3-13-00 http://www.vengers.com/model.jpg
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BTW, Venger’s Orchids is alive and doing very well under Sue’s leadership. And I, like Eric, am also a reefkeeper -Rod- – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I think this is worthwhile. I learned more about Eric in 30 seconds than I did in 7 years Rod C. Venger. 45. Born in Los Angeles were I learned more than the basics of Orchid culture from my parents. I was in Cardiology until 1993. My wife and I went commerical in the Orchid Biz in 1992. We were possibly the first commercial Orchid site to succeed on the net. Certainly the first to survive RGO Everything was going great until I got cancer in 1998. Had radical surgery on my face in early 1999. I’ve since retired, work as a volunteer counselor to head and neck cancer patients and am producing a documentary on the same at the present. We have 13 Siamese cats -Rod- Rod C. Venger – T4N0M0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma Facial Reconstructions 2-5-99, 3-13-00 http://www.vengers.com/model.jpg
– Rod C. Venger – T4N0M0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma Facial Reconstructions 2-5-99, 3-13-00 http://www.vengers.com/model.jpg
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Who am I and What Is My Gender???
Reka, female Where am I???
Northern Italy What do I grow???
A bit of everything, but if you had to pin me down to any one thing, I guess I would say I like Phal species best. (And maybe Catts; we’ll see after my most recent purchases bloom!) The decade of my age???
I recently joined the 40-and-over club. How long have I been growing orchids???
I got my first orchid, a Phal hybrid, about fifteen years ago (just gave it away last year) but had little success due to a cold, dark apartment and limited budget. Now I have southern and northern exposure and a winter garden plus two balconies for summering and things are looking up! (Why is it that the orchids always seem to take up more room when moved back inside after summer? Did I really buy that many new ones??) My biggest orchid accomplishment???
Killing a Zygo in very short time as well as not killing a Tolumnia AND reblooming it too! Miscellanious Info…
My husband threatens with divorce if I continue to increase my collection at the present rate. However, he promises in the same breath to build a leanto greenhouse when we build our house. (Ha! I was thinking more of building a leanto house onto our new greenhouse…) I have recently become a member of the Tyrolean Orchid Society and am looking forward to going to the orchid market in Munich in spring! — Reka www.rolbox.it/hukari/index.html "I hate flowers-I paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move." –Georgia O’Keeffe
Response:
Great idea Kye, will get back later, have to get to work. Cheers Wendy
: Hi everyone. : : This is only vaguely orchid related, but I have been hanging out in this : group for almost a year now, and I realised the other day that I dont really : know anybody here. So todays post is just a general " Who are you, Where are : you, What do you grow, the decade of your age ( optional of course ), how : long have you been growing orchids and your biggest orchid accomplishment. : : I’ll go first. : : Who am I and What Is My Gender??? : : Kye Tanson, Male : : Where am I??? : : Queensland, Australia : : What do I grow??? : : Dendrobiums and Bulbophyllums mainly. I am a strict species grower, and : those hybrids I do obtain usually become gifts within a few weeks. : : The decade of my age??? : : I am in my early 20’s. ( Call me 24 and i’ll think your nasty, but call : me 22 and I’ll think your a sweety. ) : : How long have I been growing orchids??? : : Well I am a real newbie at this past time, having just notched up my : first year of growing, and killed my second cheque book on the hobby. : : My biggest orchid accomplishment??? : : Probably still having the first orchid I was ever given going strong and : looking well after I have tried to kill it every way imaginable. By the way, : ,y first orchid was a Bulbophyllum schillerianum. : : Miscellanious Info… : : I am a professional Web Developer / Computer Technician who is currently : working as a carer for my housemates aged mother. The first orchid I ever : seen was a terrestrial orchid which looked a LOT like a miniature pink : cypripedium growing at the base of a Eucalyptus tree in Binalong, NSW. Since : then I have never seen another even vaguely like it, but I have never : forgotten the magic of sitting there watching it glisten in the sun while my : parents fixed the flat tyre. : : Hopefully some other people will write about themselves as well, so that I : am not standing out on a limb here all by me self. : : Kye. : : — : Never be afraid to try something new. : Remember, amateurs built the ark. : Professionals built the Titanic. : : – Unknown : :
Response:
That is an amazing story, I find it interesting how many of us can tie orchids into the very special days of our lives. If you are looking at getting rid of any snippets of your Zygopetalum mackayii gimme a yell, Im in Bundy, QLD. Kye. — Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – Unknown
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is only vaguely orchid related, but I have been hanging out in this group for almost a year now, and I realised the other day that I dont really know anybody here. So todays post is just a general " I’m more of a lurker than a poster on this group but I’ll have a go because I notice not many women or non-USAns have responded. Who are you Alina, an academic psychologist Where are you, Victoria, Australia What do you grow, Just started in the last two years but I’m already on the committee of the Maroondah Orchid Society. Mainly grow easy to grow cymbidiums, zygopetalums and sarcochilus outside – just started to branch out into the trickier ones (for my climate) and am nurturing a cattleya and a paph. the decade of your age ( optional of course ) I’m 42. how long have you been growing orchids and your biggest orchid accomplishment. I bought my first orchid about 2 years ago. There’s a bit of a story to my first orchid purchase. I’d always loved orchids but never considered growing them (even though I am a very keen gardener) because I’d always believed that they were fussy. My father had had what was suspected to be a terminal illness and after many operations and months in hospital he was given the all clear. On the day I picked him up to take him home from hospital I had to go out and get a "bed wedge", which is a piece of foam to be inserted in the bed so a person can sleep slightly elevated. The shop that I got the bed wedge from was right next door to a community craft shop and I went in to have a browse. They had a zygopetalum mackayii for sale. I had never seen anything like it – the markings were so amazing and I couldn’t believe that it was perfumed – I didn’t know that there were perfumed orchids. So I bought it for myself to celebrate my dad’s coming home from hospital and I thought "no matter what conditions this plant needs I’ll look after it and its beauty will be a constant reminder to me of the happiness I felt on the day I brought dad home from hospital". This orchid has turned into a monster, flowers often, and I’ve got lots of new plants from it. But probably my best orchid accomplishment is that the paph I bought earlier in the year that I keep in the kitchen has put on lots of new growth and is obviously very happy. It’s an accomplishment for a newbie. I did win first prize in the novice section of a show with one of my cymbidiums and I was extremely pleased with myself but I mainly grow orchids to appreciate their beauty for myself. I have sprays of cymbidium lowianum looking fantastic in a vase in the loungeroom that have lasted two months.
Response:
This is only vaguely orchid related, but I have been hanging out in this group for almost a year now, and I realised the other day that I dont really know anybody here. So todays post is just a general "
I’m more of a lurker than a poster on this group but I’ll have a go because I notice not many women or non-USAns have responded. Who are you
Alina, an academic psychologist Where are you,
Victoria, Australia What do you grow,
Just started in the last two years but I’m already on the committee of the Maroondah Orchid Society. Mainly grow easy to grow cymbidiums, zygopetalums and sarcochilus outside – just started to branch out into the trickier ones (for my climate) and am nurturing a cattleya and a paph. the decade of your age ( optional of course )
I’m 42. how long have you been growing orchids and your biggest orchid accomplishment.
I bought my first orchid about 2 years ago. There’s a bit of a story to my first orchid purchase. I’d always loved orchids but never considered growing them (even though I am a very keen gardener) because I’d always believed that they were fussy. My father had had what was suspected to be a terminal illness and after many operations and months in hospital he was given the all clear. On the day I picked him up to take him home from hospital I had to go out and get a "bed wedge", which is a piece of foam to be inserted in the bed so a person can sleep slightly elevated. The shop that I got the bed wedge from was right next door to a community craft shop and I went in to have a browse. They had a zygopetalum mackayii for sale. I had never seen anything like it – the markings were so amazing and I couldn’t believe that it was perfumed – I didn’t know that there were perfumed orchids. So I bought it for myself to celebrate my dad’s coming home from hospital and I thought "no matter what conditions this plant needs I’ll look after it and its beauty will be a constant reminder to me of the happiness I felt on the day I brought dad home from hospital". This orchid has turned into a monster, flowers often, and I’ve got lots of new plants from it. But probably my best orchid accomplishment is that the paph I bought earlier in the year that I keep in the kitchen has put on lots of new growth and is obviously very happy. It’s an accomplishment for a newbie. I did win first prize in the novice section of a show with one of my cymbidiums and I was extremely pleased with myself but I mainly grow orchids to appreciate their beauty for myself. I have sprays of cymbidium lowianum looking fantastic in a vase in the loungeroom that have lasted two months.
Response:
I think this is worthwhile. I learned more about Eric in 30 seconds than I did in 7 years Rod C. Venger. 45. Born in Los Angeles were I learned more than the basics of Orchid culture from my parents. I was in Cardiology until 1993. My wife and I went commerical in the Orchid Biz in 1992. We were possibly the first commercial Orchid site to succeed on the net. Certainly the first to survive RGO Everything was going great until I got cancer in 1998. Had radical surgery on my face in early 1999. I’ve since retired, work as a volunteer counselor to head and neck cancer patients and am producing a documentary on the same at the present. We have 13 Siamese cats -Rod- Rod C. Venger – T4N0M0 Squamous Cell Carcinoma Facial Reconstructions 2-5-99, 3-13-00 http://www.vengers.com/model.jpg
Response:
You really want to know???? Well, I’m mid-40’s with 4 kids, ranging from 9 to 19 who are all smarter than I am, as is my wife who teaches evolution and biology labs at Queens College. I teach biology and earth science in the (gasp) NYC public school system, with an after school job teaching biology at a private school (a yeshiva…) and of course, I can’t afford orchids…worse, I’m also a reefkeeper….leaving me pretty broke most of the time in regard to my favorite hobbies! Take care, Eric Muehlbauer who just put his last orchids indoors today, in Queens
Response:
This is a good Idea. Staten Island, New York 40 years old married for 15+ years I am an under (HID) light grower. For all intensive purposes I have a greenhouse in my basement but instead of God I pay for the lighting bill. I grow 131 different Genera for a total of over 500 plants mainly species. 25% of which are Bulbophyllums or related genera. I’ve been growing Orchids for about 7 or 8 years. I’m a student judge in the AOS program with the North East Judging Center. My Orchid Addiction started the day I was told I couldn’t grow certain types of orchids. From that day on I have more or less proved I could. My basement is full of Micro micro climates and I use them to their full potential. I hold the position of president of the Staten Island Orchid Society for about 4 years now. I am also a member of the Deepcut Orchid Society and The Greater New York Orchid Society.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everyone. This is only vaguely orchid related, but I have been hanging out in this group for almost a year now, and I realised the other day that I dont really know anybody here. So todays post is just a general " Who are you, Where are you, What do you grow, the decade of your age ( optional of course ), how long have you been growing orchids and your biggest orchid accomplishment. I’ll go first. Who am I and What Is My Gender??? Kye Tanson, Male Where am I??? Queensland, Australia What do I grow??? Dendrobiums and Bulbophyllums mainly. I am a strict species grower, and those hybrids I do obtain usually become gifts within a few weeks. The decade of my age??? I am in my early 20’s. ( Call me 24 and i’ll think your nasty, but call me 22 and I’ll think your a sweety. ) How long have I been growing orchids??? Well I am a real newbie at this past time, having just notched up my first year of growing, and killed my second cheque book on the hobby. My biggest orchid accomplishment??? Probably still having the first orchid I was ever given going strong and looking well after I have tried to kill it every way imaginable. By the way, ,y first orchid was a Bulbophyllum schillerianum. Miscellanious Info… I am a professional Web Developer / Computer Technician who is currently working as a carer for my housemates aged mother. The first orchid I ever seen was a terrestrial orchid which looked a LOT like a miniature pink cypripedium growing at the base of a Eucalyptus tree in Binalong, NSW. Since then I have never seen another even vaguely like it, but I have never forgotten the magic of sitting there watching it glisten in the sun while my parents fixed the flat tyre. Hopefully some other people will write about themselves as well, so that I am not standing out on a limb here all by me self. Kye. — Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – Unknown
Response:
I’m Bob Childers and live in New Orleans, LA. I’m 50 (8/30/51), retired from the navy in 1994 and now spend most of my time as a stay at home dad with my 2 1/2 year old triplet boys and a small business I have. I also have my first orchid (E. Cochleata, 1993) and some of about everything else… up to several hundered varieties now, though I specialize in slippers and Enc/Epi. Bob C. http://vchilder.home.netcom.com
Response:
Great idea! Let’s hear from all the regulars… RJ in Raleigh, NC, USA. Late 30’s and with a family. Indoor grower. 100 genera or so, mostly species, under lights. Been growing 2-3 years depending on whether you count my 10 cent mini-dendrobium responsible for the infection though I grew Catts as a kid in the tropics. Member, Triangle Orchid Society. Graduate degree but not plant related. Love the tropics and anything related to them.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everyone. This is only vaguely orchid related, but I have been hanging out in this group for almost a year now, and I realised the other day that I dont really know anybody here. So todays post is just a general " Who are you, Where are you, What do you grow, the decade of your age ( optional of course ), how long have you been growing orchids and your biggest orchid accomplishment. I’ll go first. Who am I and What Is My Gender??? Kye Tanson, Male Where am I??? Queensland, Australia What do I grow??? Dendrobiums and Bulbophyllums mainly. I am a strict species grower, and those hybrids I do obtain usually become gifts within a few weeks. The decade of my age??? I am in my early 20’s. ( Call me 24 and i’ll think your nasty, but call me 22 and I’ll think your a sweety. ) How long have I been growing orchids??? Well I am a real newbie at this past time, having just notched up my first year of growing, and killed my second cheque book on the hobby. My biggest orchid accomplishment??? Probably still having the first orchid I was ever given going strong and looking well after I have tried to kill it every way imaginable. By the way, ,y first orchid was a Bulbophyllum schillerianum. Miscellanious Info… I am a professional Web Developer / Computer Technician who is currently working as a carer for my housemates aged mother. The first orchid I ever seen was a terrestrial orchid which looked a LOT like a miniature pink cypripedium growing at the base of a Eucalyptus tree in Binalong, NSW. Since then I have never seen another even vaguely like it, but I have never forgotten the magic of sitting there watching it glisten in the sun while my parents fixed the flat tyre. Hopefully some other people will write about themselves as well, so that I am not standing out on a limb here all by me self. Kye. — Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – Unknown
Response:
my grammer is really up the creek right now, I meant to say by MY self not by ME self. My apologies everyone. Kye. — Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – Unknown
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi everyone. This is only vaguely orchid related, but I have been hanging out in this group for almost a year now, and I realised the other day that I dont really know anybody here. So todays post is just a general " Who are you, Where are you, What do you grow, the decade of your age ( optional of course ), how long have you been growing orchids and your biggest orchid accomplishment. I’ll go first. Who am I and What Is My Gender??? Kye Tanson, Male Where am I??? Queensland, Australia What do I grow??? Dendrobiums and Bulbophyllums mainly. I am a strict species grower, and those hybrids I do obtain usually become gifts within a few weeks. The decade of my age??? I am in my early 20’s. ( Call me 24 and i’ll think your nasty, but call me 22 and I’ll think your a sweety. ) How long have I been growing orchids??? Well I am a real newbie at this past time, having just notched up my first year of growing, and killed my second cheque book on the hobby. My biggest orchid accomplishment??? Probably still having the first orchid I was ever given going strong and looking well after I have tried to kill it every way imaginable. By the way, ,y first orchid was a Bulbophyllum schillerianum. Miscellanious Info… I am a professional Web Developer / Computer Technician who is currently working as a carer for my housemates aged mother. The first orchid I ever seen was a terrestrial orchid which looked a LOT like a miniature pink cypripedium growing at the base of a Eucalyptus tree in Binalong, NSW. Since then I have never seen another even vaguely like it, but I have never forgotten the magic of sitting there watching it glisten in the sun while my parents fixed the flat tyre. Hopefully some other people will write about themselves as well, so that I am not standing out on a limb here all by me self. Kye. — Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – Unknown
Response:
Hi everyone. This is only vaguely orchid related, but I have been hanging out in this group for almost a year now, and I realised the other day that I dont really know anybody here. So todays post is just a general " Who are you, Where are you, What do you grow, the decade of your age ( optional of course ), how long have you been growing orchids and your biggest orchid accomplishment. I’ll go first. Who am I and What Is My Gender??? Kye Tanson, Male Where am I??? Queensland, Australia What do I grow??? Dendrobiums and Bulbophyllums mainly. I am a strict species grower, and those hybrids I do obtain usually become gifts within a few weeks. The decade of my age??? I am in my early 20’s. ( Call me 24 and i’ll think your nasty, but call me 22 and I’ll think your a sweety. ) How long have I been growing orchids??? Well I am a real newbie at this past time, having just notched up my first year of growing, and killed my second cheque book on the hobby. My biggest orchid accomplishment??? Probably still having the first orchid I was ever given going strong and looking well after I have tried to kill it every way imaginable. By the way, ,y first orchid was a Bulbophyllum schillerianum. Miscellanious Info… I am a professional Web Developer / Computer Technician who is currently working as a carer for my housemates aged mother. The first orchid I ever seen was a terrestrial orchid which looked a LOT like a miniature pink cypripedium growing at the base of a Eucalyptus tree in Binalong, NSW. Since then I have never seen another even vaguely like it, but I have never forgotten the magic of sitting there watching it glisten in the sun while my parents fixed the flat tyre. Hopefully some other people will write about themselves as well, so that I am not standing out on a limb here all by me self. Kye. — Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – Unknown
Response:
Question:
How about posting a picture on alt.binaries.pictures.gardens ? I would like to see this. SuE – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We’ve been talking about black orchids and, shocks and surprises, I just bloomed a seedling which has turned out — well, from about 10′ away, the flowers appear to be black in daylight. When you get up close, they are a very, very dark red/purple, the exact color of grape juice in a glass. It’s a Rhync gigantea x Rhv Sri-Siam ‘Dumrong Red’. Has about 30 concolor flowers on the spike, about 4cm in diameter, and they are so thick and leathery and shiny they look like they are made of plastic or wax. I have grown many vandaceous orchids, but these are the weirdest flowers I have ever seen, am not sure I find them attractive. Over the last couple months, I had lost two or three young spikes until I tried putting the plant in the shade while the spike was forming. That worked. Does anyone else have one of these crosses which has turned out this color? CJWatson
Response:
We’ve been talking about black orchids and, shocks and surprises, I just bloomed a seedling which has turned out — well, from about 10′ away, the flowers appear to be black in daylight. When you get up close, they are a very, very dark red/purple, the exact color of grape juice in a glass. It’s a Rhync gigantea x Rhv Sri-Siam ‘Dumrong Red’. Has about 30 concolor flowers on the spike, about 4cm in diameter, and they are so thick and leathery and shiny they look like they are made of plastic or wax. I have grown many vandaceous orchids, but these are the weirdest flowers I have ever seen, am not sure I find them attractive. Over the last couple months, I had lost two or three young spikes until I tried putting the plant in the shade while the spike was forming. That worked. Does anyone else have one of these crosses which has turned out this color? CJWatson
Response:
The warts are a real turn off, otherwise it would be nice. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yucch! The warty surface sure detracts from the appearance, doesn’t it!?! — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! http://www.takahashiorchids.com/Dtps.Black%20Butterfly%20117.JPG Here is a blackish Phal that Matt mentioned in his reply. They may have it all black one of these days but if it is all worty, I don’t know how attractive it would be. Stephen Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
Hi, Kenni, Coelogyne pandurata is also known as black orchid; however, Enc. cochleata is usually the first to meet that description. I did see some Enc cochleatas in Belize that were a very deep purple in the center. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html —– – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There are a couple of different orchids that are called, in different areas, "black orchids." In Belize, for example, Enc. cochleata bears that nickname. None that I have seen are really black. — Kenni Judd Juno Beach Orchids http://www.jborchids.com Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
If I am not mistaken many of these dark blotchy Phals like this are the results of intentional somaclonal mutations…or seed produced from cultivars that were originally created during the cloning process. Also, this ‘breeding line’ always look so flat in pictures but every time I come across one in real live they have very reflexed petals. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yucch! The warty surface sure detracts from the appearance, doesn’t it!?! — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! http://www.takahashiorchids.com/Dtps.Black%20Butterfly%20117.JPG Here is a blackish Phal that Matt mentioned in his reply. They may have it all black one of these days but if it is all worty, I don’t know how attractive it would be. Stephen Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
http://www.takahashiorchids.com/Dtps.Black%20Butterfly%20117.JPG Here is a blackish Phal that Matt mentioned in his reply. They may have it all black one of these days but if it is all worty, I don’t know how attractive it would be. Stephen
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
Yucch! The warty surface sure detracts from the appearance, doesn’t it!?! — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – http://www.takahashiorchids.com/Dtps.Black%20Butterfly%20117.JPG Here is a blackish Phal that Matt mentioned in his reply. They may have it all black one of these days but if it is all worty, I don’t know how attractive it would be. Stephen Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
The only one I have ever heard of being called the Black Orchid is Coelogyne pandurata because of its mostly-black lip. However, I feel that this is stretching the point since the rest of the flower and lip are green. But that’s what its common name is; and who am I to argue with history? Have you tried asking your girlfriend what the scientific name is? CJWatson
Response:
In the comic strip Brenda Starr, Brenda’s always absent boyfreind, Basil, was never able to leave the jungles of Somewhere because he was dependant on the serum he derived from black orchids. Or something like that.
I had forgotten about the black orchid in the Brenda Starr comic strip until recently when I discovered the following excerpt reprinted from the Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean (published by Random House, Inc.) in their book The Sweet Breathing of Plants, Women Writing on the Green World by Linda Hogan and Brenda Peterson (Editors) (Published by North Point Press) "There are white orchids, but there is no such thing as a black orchid, even though people have been wanting a black orchid forever. It was black-orchid extract that Basil St. John, the comic-book character who was the boyfriend of comic-book character Brenda Starr, needed in order to control his rare and mysterious blood disease. I once asked Bob Fuchs, the owner of R.F. Orchids in Homestead, Florida, if he thought a black orchid would ever be discovered or be produced by hybridizing. "No. Never in real life," he said. "Only in Brenda Starr"
Response:
Some orchids appear black in regular indoor light but when you take them out into full sun it is obvious that it is an intensely dark burgundy. I’m sure this is true for any flower. Some of the orchid examples include those that are completely "black" not just part of the flower. Paphiopedilum – vini-colored type hybrids Maxillaria variabils or tenuifolia Cymbidium canalicultatum and some of its hybrids Some recent phalaenopsis hybrids are approaching black. A few phaenopsis-type dendrobiums are close to being black such as http://www.geocities.com/brassia.geo/Den_merl.jpg which is Den. Merle Sado – lots of hybrids from this have been made to appear near black. Matthew Swift Swift’s Orchids www.swiftsorchids.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
In the comic strip Brenda Starr, Brenda’s always absent boyfreind, Basil, was never able to leave the jungles of Somewhere because he was dependant on the serum he derived from black orchids. Or something like that. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
Seems to be a local eastern name for a Tacca Chantrieri or "Bat Flower" (apparently not an orchid). Which seem fairly abundant. — Phil Standen
Response:
Well if that is all it takes to please her, lucky you, you are getting off easy!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Seems to be a local eastern name for a Tacca Chantrieri or "Bat Flower" (apparently not an orchid). Which seem fairly abundant. — Phil Standen
Response:
There are a couple of different orchids that are called, in different areas, "black orchids." In Belize, for example, Enc. cochleata bears that nickname. None that I have seen are really black. — Kenni Judd Juno Beach Orchids http://www.jborchids.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
Is there such a flower are a black orchid? As my girlfriend says that they are her favourite, but doesn’t think they exist (don’t ask, I didn’t). If so would anyone know as to where to get one. Preferably in London. — Phil Standen
Response:
Question:
Elinor is right, it is fix or repair daily.
Thats a relief. The only anagram I could come up with utilised a defferent f word than fix……. Kye.
Response:
I would be wary of lilies in an orchid greenhouse…many lilies I have bought turn out to be virused…in fact, I have heard that this is a major problem with Dutch grown lilies. In fact, virus may be the reason your lilies don’t make it more than one season. Healthy lilies thrive outdoors, getting larger each year. Virused lilies get smaller each year and rarely bloom. Take care, Eric Muehlbauer
Response:
I had written you a book and hit the send button when my F.O.R.D. computer crashed. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to save. No worries, it wasn’t a best seller. In a nutshell, Lilies(Lilium) are miserable pot plants. They don’t do a thing for you when you smoke them. If you were to ask most commercial growers which plants they dislike growing, lilies would be at or near the top. Bulbous plants as well as those that come from corms or tubers have developed this feature for a reason. It enables them to get through periods of cold, dry, heat, etc., etc. When conditions are favorable once more, they resume growth . They are also food storage organs. Lilies grow, bloom, renew the bulb and die back. After being vernalized(winter cold period) they start the cycle over. If you can duplicate their requirements, you may have some success. They can be beset by many problems. Read a book or search the web for lily pot culture. My suggestion is to buy vernalized bulbs, force them into bloom, enjoy them, and then throw them out or plant to the garden. The reblooming is where you will run into the headaches. A good location and Mother Nature will do a far better job than you or I. I have never heard of anyone rooting lily cuttings. I have heard of people rotting them though. Lilies do produce bulbils in the axils of the leaves which can be grown on into flowering sized bulbs after a few years. They also produce offsets below ground which can be dug up and transplanted. The scales of the bulb can be broken off to produce a new plant. If you were to score the basal plate, each section would produce a bulb. Good luck in whatever you decide. Stephen
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m thinking about growing these in a greenhouse, under lamps. I’ve noticed that you buy bulbs, they grow for the season, and that’s it. Can you take cuttings from them, and root them, and keep them alive under HPS lighting? Thx "Put it down Heavy, Pick it up Lean; Ya gotta lay it down dirty and play it back clean" GD
Response:
Hi Eric, You are spot on there… virus infection in lilies is a nightmare, especially the Dutch grown export stock. It is not the case for some growers. Always thought it curious and interesting if you go round the Dutch commercial trade shows – you do not see any symptoms….I am sure you can guess why! You are right to warn John you never want to bring them anywhere near or inside an orchid house. The major reason for a problem with Dutch stock is their cutting techniques before they export bulbs for sale. It is quicker to cut the blooms (to sell or debud) with one knife than stop, exchange, sterilize, or flame the blade….many growers adopt this technique. One grower told me it was all down to speed and economics. Later they can rougue out symptom expressing plants or not! Alstromeria … they are groaning under the infections. The same is also true for many Cymbidium growers!! Grow the plant for cut flowers for a few years, cutting madly, then when the yield goes down, cut them up, repot and sell them next year cheap as a housplant to unsuspecting public – as you do not want them in your own growing houses. Buying in new tc produced material for the next crop. I wonder about the debudding and cutting spikes on Phal crops too, as a means to get the plants upto size!! Can be worrying stuff. Regards Alan L Winthrop http://www.tissuequickplantlabs.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would be wary of lilies in an orchid greenhouse…many lilies I have bought turn out to be virused…in fact, I have heard that this is a major problem with Dutch grown lilies. In fact, virus may be the reason your lilies don’t make it more than one season. Healthy lilies thrive outdoors, getting larger each year. Virused lilies get smaller each year and rarely bloom. Take care, Eric Muehlbauer
Response:
Reka- that is likely to be Fix Or Repair Daily- A good name for computers these days. …..Elinor
Response:
Elinor is right, it is fix or repair daily. Years ago when cars were fairly easy to work on, people wrote derogatory anagrams(?) to the major manufacturers automobiles. Somewhere I have a list but the only one I remember is Ford. Cause it is not my computer that is at fault, it is the software on it. The more software, the more problems. I am one of those fools who is always downloading little programs that amuse me or that I think might be handy. Invariably, something goes wrong and I tell myself I will never do that again until the next one comes along that might temporarily abate my endless quest for amusement. Trying to solve the problems does give one’s mind a small workout. Small is all my mind can handle. Stephen
Okay, Stephen, I’ll bite…what’s F.O.R.D.?? Nothing to do with Gerald, I hope–though he crashed down a couple of times…<grin. Reka Stephen schrieb: I had written you a book and hit the send button when my F.O.R.D. computer crashed.
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I’m thinking about growing these in a greenhouse, under lamps. I’ve noticed that you buy bulbs, they grow for the season, and that’s it. Can you take cuttings from them, and root them, and keep them alive under HPS lighting? Thx "Put it down Heavy, Pick it up Lean; Ya gotta lay it down dirty and play it back clean" GD
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I remember bringing my first orchid to the office where I used to work. I had finally moved to one with a window and even though it was a tiny one, it gave the plant enough light to sustain growth and even bloom. Just having an orchid plant in my office did so much to lighten up an otherwise dreary atmosphere. Blooming or not, it gave my co-workers and me something to share and it renewed my awe of orchids as I watched my friends’ eyes light up when they got to see their first orchid flower open. Whether you grow at home and bring in plants ready to burst in bloom or set up shop there at work, there is nothing I can think of to make work a more welcome and enjoyable place to be… Well, almost nothing… Good luck whatever you decide to do. Barbara – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Are there any orchid varieties that would do well and bloom in an office environment? Temperature controlled (though it might get warm over the weekends), some natural light from windows and skylights, but mostly flourescent lighting, less frequent watering (the lunchroom is a few hundred feet away), etc. Thanks for any suggestions, JOhn. — ______ / | "The Pledge of Allegiance says ‘..with liberty and justice for all’. / __What part of ‘all’ don’t you understand?" –Rep. Pat Schroeder (D) CO__ /
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The alternative is to grow mainly at home, and bring in the plants when they bloom. Cheating? Sure!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You can grow under a mini-hid light (get the MH kind as the light is more pleasant for your office) such as those in the 100W-250W category made by Hydrofarm and Sunlight Supply. I’d start by checking a place lice http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/ or http://www.igcusa.com/ and calling them up to check your needs. Also, don’t forget pebble trays to help with humidity. RJ
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I have been growing orchids in my office for a couple of years now, but I am lucky enough to have an East window so that they get some morning sun. In my old office, I was able to bloom a dendrob, a paph, oncids, etc. We moved to a new building in June, so I am trying to adjust to the new environment. One problem I have had in the new office is with overly quick drying. I just put some air deflectors on the supply register so that it does not blow directly on the plants, so hopefully that will help. They have plenty of light, still decent air movement. The one climate characteristic that I cannot control is temperature, which tends to be controlled within a very narrow band. I have my orchids close to the window, so hopefully they will heat more during the day and cool more at night than the general inside air temp, which will give them enough diurnal temp difference to support gas exchange and simulate a reasonable outdoor environment. I have my orchids on humidity trays, but not pebbles (which I find to be mold breeders). I use the tops off plastic storage containers to hold the water and plastic grids (sold as light diffusers for large fluorescent ights) to support the plants above the water. These hold a gallon of water each and hopefully will provide some decent humidity, even when I travel for a week at a time. At any rate, don’t be scared off. It can be done if your office is right. Good luck, Buzz
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Are there any orchid varieties that would do well and bloom in an office environment? Temperature controlled (though it might get warm over the weekends), some natural light from windows and skylights, but mostly flourescent lighting, less frequent watering (the lunchroom is a few hundred feet away), etc.
I grow all my orchids at the office now, except for a few very small ones which live over the kitchen sink. However, mine live on windowsills. We have that energy-saving film on the windows which has the felicitous effect of preventing leaf burns. I water them Mondays and Fridays. Everything grows like a weed. I limit myself to phals and various cattleya alliance hybrids and species. C. Wingate
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You can grow under a mini-hid light (get the MH kind as the light is more pleasant for your office) such as those in the 100W-250W category made by Hydrofarm and Sunlight Supply. I’d start by checking a place lice http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/ or http://www.igcusa.com/ and calling them up to check your needs. Also, don’t forget pebble trays to help with humidity. RJ
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I think you would have better luck growing the plants elsewhere, and then bringing them into the office to display when they’re in bloom. — Kenni Judd Juno Beach Orchids http://www.jborchids.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Are there any orchid varieties that would do well and bloom in an office environment? Temperature controlled (though it might get warm over the weekends), some natural light from windows and skylights, but mostly flourescent lighting, less frequent watering (the lunchroom is a few hundred feet away), etc. Thanks for any suggestions, JOhn. — ______ / | "The Pledge of Allegiance says ‘..with liberty and justice for all’. / __What part of ‘all’ don’t you understand?" –Rep. Pat Schroeder (D) CO__
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Phalaenopsis are probably the best choice, but you’ll have to realize that standard 40W fluorescents – even 4 or 8 of them – at a distance of 5′-6′ are providing the plant with very little light. I hope that wind is bright! — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Are there any orchid varieties that would do well and bloom in an office environment? Temperature controlled (though it might get warm over the weekends), some natural light from windows and skylights, but mostly flourescent lighting, less frequent watering (the lunchroom is a few hundred feet away), etc. Thanks for any suggestions, JOhn. — ______ / | "The Pledge of Allegiance says ‘..with liberty and justice for all’. / __What part of ‘all’ don’t you understand?" –Rep. Pat Schroeder (D) CO__
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I’ve heard that Phalaenopsis do well in offices, as long as they are out of draughts (drafts?? Isn’t that what the Selective Service does, and the other is what an air current is?? Or am I mixing up my American and my English again??) But I think just about any of the standards would do well in an office, Phals, paphs, and oncids, even a few of the phal type dendrobiums. But since phals stay in bloom for so long I’d go with phals. Come to think of it a friend of mine runs a plant rental business (like placing plants in big office buildings, taking care of them, and taking them away when they start doing poorly) Anyway, he only places Phals. Maybe a cymbidium or two in large beds. And come to think about it I remember seeing only phals and phal type dendrobiums inside some of the bars in Las Vegas (before losing eyesight, that is). Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. K Barrett – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Are there any orchid varieties that would do well and bloom in an office environment? Temperature controlled (though it might get warm over the weekends), some natural light from windows and skylights, but mostly flourescent lighting, less frequent watering (the lunchroom is a few hundred feet away), etc. Thanks for any suggestions, JOhn. — | "The Pledge of Allegiance says ‘..with liberty and justice for all’. / __What part of ‘all’ don’t you understand?" –Rep. Pat Schroeder (D) CO__ /
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Are there any orchid varieties that would do well and bloom in an office environment? Temperature controlled (though it might get warm over the weekends), some natural light from windows and skylights, but mostly flourescent lighting, less frequent watering (the lunchroom is a few hundred feet away), etc. Thanks for any suggestions, JOhn. — | "The Pledge of Allegiance says ‘..with liberty and justice for all’. / __What part of ‘all’ don’t you understand?" –Rep. Pat Schroeder (D) CO__ /
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I tried posting this once already, but haven’t seen it show up in the last week so I’m trying again. Hopefully this isn’t a repeat. I recently received a Mtssa. Royal Robe "Jerry’s Pick" (Erache x Milt. Seminole). I have questions both about potting and media. The plant arrived in a 2" pot, one back bulb and 2 growths. The growths are 18" tall. Roots are crawling out of the pot all over and the media looks like a combination of little rocks and dirt. The plant looks very happy. 1st question is about the size of the pot. Does this plant like to be root bound or is it badly in need of repotting? 2nd question is about the media. What kind of media is appropriate for this plant? I’m using prime agra (semi-hydro) for most other things. Will that work with this one? Thanks in advance for your help! – Michael
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I saw you post this is what I said. ****** Well I’ll tell you what I do and you can do exactly the opposite because I’m doing poorly with mine LOL!!! Actually I think I gave mine away. I think you can treat it like any other oncidium. I fixated on the Miltonia in the background and kept thinking it was miltoniopsis not the Brazilian miltonia, so I kept mine cool. WRONG!! It went nowhere fast. So like I say, intermediate conditions, evenly moist but not wet. I’d err on the side of potbound for oncids. Wilford did better with his than I did. I’ll bet if you did a google groups search on Wilford’s posts you’d come up with his comments to me. Or maybe he’ll read this and add in his 2 cents. K Barrett Matt Swift then said: Milt. Seminole is a Brazilian type Miltonia and likes to be pot bound because it doesn’t like it’s roots disturbed. Their roots are also very prone to rot so they must be potted in small pots and then allowed to grow over the side of the pot. In your case, I would wait until early spring or just after you see a new growth forming.before you repot it. You will have to water it more often than your other plants because it is in such a small pot. Matthew Swift Membership Secretary Cymbidium Society of America www.cymbidium.org Swift’s Orchids www.swiftsorchids.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I tried posting this once already, but haven’t seen it show up in the last week so I’m trying again. Hopefully this isn’t a repeat. I recently received a Mtssa. Royal Robe "Jerry’s Pick" (Erache x Milt. Seminole). I have questions both about potting and media. The plant arrived in a 2" pot, one back bulb and 2 growths. The growths are 18" tall. Roots are crawling out of the pot all over and the media looks like a combination of little rocks and dirt. The plant looks very happy. 1st question is about the size of the pot. Does this plant like to be root bound or is it badly in need of repotting? 2nd question is about the media. What kind of media is appropriate for this plant? I’m using prime agra (semi-hydro) for most other things. Will that work with this one? Thanks in advance for your help! – Michael
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Michael, Most plants prefer to be tighter rather than looser when potted. PrimeAgra will work great for the miltassia. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I tried posting this once already, but haven’t seen it show up in the last week so I’m trying again. Hopefully this isn’t a repeat. I recently received a Mtssa. Royal Robe "Jerry’s Pick" (Erache x Milt. Seminole). I have questions both about potting and media. The plant arrived in a 2" pot, one back bulb and 2 growths. The growths are 18" tall. Roots are crawling out of the pot all over and the media looks like a combination of little rocks and dirt. The plant looks very happy. 1st question is about the size of the pot. Does this plant like to be root bound or is it badly in need of repotting? 2nd question is about the media. What kind of media is appropriate for this plant? I’m using prime agra (semi-hydro) for most other things. Will that work with this one? Thanks in advance for your help! – Michael
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