The Orchid Garden

Hobby flasks

Question:

Mick have you ever sent a message without saying someting stupid or evil about someone…just a question… Mathieu – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Al, Your reference below to the TOUCH got me to thinking last night about the magic transmitted in a person’s TOUCH on orchids.  You may recall my reference in an earlier post to someone else in which I said he did not have the TOUCH… orchid book learning yes, but the orchid raising TOUCH… no. Certain people have the touch on dice in a casino.  A professional racing car driver has the touch on the race track. Some men have the touch that sends a shiver down a woman’s spine with one embrace.  Some women can grow a man up with only slightest touching puff of winsome breath in his ear.  (ref Snoopy) I too believe that certain orchid growers have the TOUCH.  Something in their physical chemistry (or perhaps mentally) is transmitted to the orchids establishing the nurturing trusting bond between the two elements.  Over the years (for reasons I will explain below) I have sought out orchid people who have the TOUCH at certain phases in an orchid’s life to help raise my own collection. I think the TOUCH comes into play in 7 distinct orchid raising areas. A.  Resurrection of nearly dead orchid plants (eg from Home Depot’s discount table). B.  Orchids in flask. C.  Compotting baby orchids. D.  Juvenile orchids less than 3 years old. E.   Mature orchids. F.   Orchids in bloom. G.  Orchids producing a pod over several months. I will be the first to admit that I do not have the TOUCH on items C and D. I like to think I can make orchids sing & dance and grow inside a flask like gangbusters.  And I feel like I can take a flowering orchid through fertilization and pod production with the best of ‘em.  But, for compotting and raising juveniles I have to turn everything over to some associate friends.  I just don’t have the TOUCH for it. I wonder if the chemicals we release in our hands send some important signals to the orchids to make the TOUCH work.. or is the touch our normal body odor that the orchids come to recognize… or is the TOUCH our voice that the orchids can actually feel the vibrations on? Are we born with the TOUCH?  Do we perfect the TOUCH over time? In raising orchids I do believe having the TOUCH (probably something physical) is very important.  A simple litmus paper type test or an orchid TOUCH-o-meter if ever invented would be a very good device to have at the sales check out counter in an orchid selling shop/orchid show… especially at 25 cents a test. Mick Hobby flasks, I.e. small flasks of 5 or so plants are one of the first steps I took down this obsessive path.  I now have thousands of plants…  At first, I used those that survived and grew to trade for other plants I wanted.  You can learn a lot about flaskling care by going this route and you can learn a lot about good and bad flasking techniques and habits by trying to raise what comes out of them…  I still can’t put my finger on it but some vendors have a magic touch and no matter what I get from them survives.  Other flasks from other vendors no matter what I do to the young plants they tend to fail.  Patients is one big fact to learn.  Growth is a slow process at first.  Sometimes I have learned that the failure is my fault,   that I am doing something wrong.  Sometimes I have come to the conclusion that it is not me at all.  Quality of seed, the quality, care and timing used in the sterilization, flasking, replating and deflasking process and the type of media used all seem to play a part in the future of the seedlings.  One the other hand, I have heard people praise the very vendors whose flasked seedlings I always seem to watch die. That was a terrible answer.  I am sorry.  I must say, (no matter what I say), Go for it!  You will have a good time and learn a lot. Al I have noticed some growers offer hobby sized flasks. In the past I have wanted to learn to flask and propagate from tissue culture but have never gone to the trouble to built the equipment. However, I was wondering if it is practical to go to the next step and try raising some plants by buying small flasks from growers. Any advice? I like species orchids especially Dendrobium and Enc. Thanks, Dave dpayne at pacifier dot com

Response:

I have noticed some growers offer hobby sized flasks. In the past I have wanted to learn to flask and propagate from tissue culture but have never gone to the trouble to built the equipment. However, I was wondering if it is practical to go to the next step and try raising some plants by buying small flasks from growers. Any advice? I like species orchids especially Dendrobium and Enc. Thanks, Dave dpayne at pacifier dot com

Response:

Hobby flasks, I.e. small flasks of 5 or so plants are one of the first steps I took down this obsessive path.  I now have thousands of plants…  At first, I used those that survived and grew to trade for other plants I wanted.  You can learn a lot about flaskling care by going this route and you can learn a lot about good and bad flasking techniques and habits by trying to raise what comes out of them…  I still can’t put my finger on it but some vendors have a magic touch and no matter what I get from them survives.  Other flasks from other vendors no matter what I do to the young plants they tend to fail.  Patients is one big fact to learn.  Growth is a slow process at first.  Sometimes I have learned that the failure is my fault,   that I am doing something wrong.  Sometimes I have come to the conclusion that it is not me at all.  Quality of seed, the quality, care and timing used in the sterilization, flasking, replating and deflasking process and the type of media used all seem to play a part in the future of the seedlings.  One the other hand, I have heard people praise the very vendors whose flasked seedlings I always seem to watch die. That was a terrible answer.  I am sorry.  I must say, (no matter what I say), Go for it!  You will have a good time and learn a lot. Al – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have noticed some growers offer hobby sized flasks. In the past I have wanted to learn to flask and propagate from tissue culture but have never gone to the trouble to built the equipment. However, I was wondering if it is practical to go to the next step and try raising some plants by buying small flasks from growers. Any advice? I like species orchids especially Dendrobium and Enc. Thanks, Dave dpayne at pacifier dot com

Response:

In my opinion, it’s the single, best way to learn how to grow orchids. You won’t spend much, compared to buying mature plants, and as you have the inevitable failures, you won’t lose nearly as much $ as you would by buying mature plants. It will require great patience and the ability to observe how your plants are responding to your care. Of course, you need to buy a few, hardy mature plants to give you some flowers and keep your interest up while all those babies are growing up.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have noticed some growers offer hobby sized flasks. In the past I have wanted to learn to flask and propagate from tissue culture but have never gone to the trouble to built the equipment. However, I was wondering if it is practical to go to the next step and try raising some plants by buying small flasks from growers. Any advice? I like species orchids especially Dendrobium and Enc. Thanks, Dave dpayne at pacifier dot com

Response:

Al, Your reference below to the TOUCH got me to thinking last night about the magic transmitted in a person’s TOUCH on orchids.  You may recall my reference in an earlier post to someone else in which I said he did not have the TOUCH… orchid book learning yes, but the orchid raising TOUCH… no. Certain people have the touch on dice in a casino.  A professional racing car driver has the touch on the race track. Some men have the touch that sends a shiver down a woman’s spine with one embrace.  Some women can grow a man up with only slightest touching puff of winsome breath in his ear.  (ref Snoopy) I too believe that certain orchid growers have the TOUCH.  Something in their physical chemistry (or perhaps mentally) is transmitted to the orchids establishing the nurturing trusting bond between the two elements.  Over the years (for reasons I will explain below) I have sought out orchid people who have the TOUCH at certain phases in an orchid’s life to help raise my own collection. I think the TOUCH comes into play in 7 distinct orchid raising areas. A.  Resurrection of nearly dead orchid plants (eg from Home Depot’s discount table). B.  Orchids in flask. C.  Compotting baby orchids. D.  Juvenile orchids less than 3 years old. E.   Mature orchids. F.   Orchids in bloom. G.  Orchids producing a pod over several months. I will be the first to admit that I do not have the TOUCH on items C and D. I like to think I can make orchids sing & dance and grow inside a flask like gangbusters.  And I feel like I can take a flowering orchid through fertilization and pod production with the best of ‘em.  But, for compotting and raising juveniles I have to turn everything over to some associate friends.  I just don’t have the TOUCH for it. I wonder if the chemicals we release in our hands send some important signals to the orchids to make the TOUCH work.. or is the touch our normal body odor that the orchids come to recognize… or is the TOUCH our voice that the orchids can actually feel the vibrations on? Are we born with the TOUCH?  Do we perfect the TOUCH over time? In raising orchids I do believe having the TOUCH (probably something physical) is very important.  A simple litmus paper type test or an orchid TOUCH-o-meter if ever invented would be a very good device to have at the sales check out counter in an orchid selling shop/orchid show… especially at 25 cents a test. Mick

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hobby flasks, I.e. small flasks of 5 or so plants are one of the first steps I took down this obsessive path.  I now have thousands of plants…  At first, I used those that survived and grew to trade for other plants I wanted.  You can learn a lot about flaskling care by going this route and you can learn a lot about good and bad flasking techniques and habits by trying to raise what comes out of them…  I still can’t put my finger on it but some vendors have a magic touch and no matter what I get from them survives.  Other flasks from other vendors no matter what I do to the young plants they tend to fail.  Patients is one big fact to learn.  Growth is a slow process at first.  Sometimes I have learned that the failure is my fault,   that I am doing something wrong.  Sometimes I have come to the conclusion that it is not me at all.  Quality of seed, the quality, care and timing used in the sterilization, flasking, replating and deflasking process and the type of media used all seem to play a part in the future of the seedlings.  One the other hand, I have heard people praise the very vendors whose flasked seedlings I always seem to watch die. That was a terrible answer.  I am sorry.  I must say, (no matter what I say), Go for it!  You will have a good time and learn a lot. Al I have noticed some growers offer hobby sized flasks. In the past I have wanted to learn to flask and propagate from tissue culture but have never gone to the trouble to built the equipment. However, I was wondering if it is practical to go to the next step and try raising some plants by buying small flasks from growers. Any advice? I like species orchids especially Dendrobium and Enc. Thanks, Dave dpayne at pacifier dot com

Response:

Well said, Mick. Sometimes I think that orchids should come with a rating system similar to those they have on model rockets ( which I build with the kids in my science classes). The system would have some letter or number to indicate it is a beginner, anyone could grow orchid and a higher number to indicate very special growing conditions which might need a greenhouse or special care. I remember how much money I wasted at my first few orchid shows buying orchids that I did not have the proper conditions to grow. For example, much as I like vandas, they require more care, humidity and light than this once a week waterer can give. Maybe it is something that growers could agree to on a voluntary basis. Just a thought. Diane

Response:

Diane, The fly in the ointment is that each commercial grower’s conditions are different. Vandas may get a "1" rating from a florida grower as they’ll grow like weeds there. But I’d have to give them an "8" in Colorado. The light intensity is just so much higher here that if you can successfully grow Vandas, you’ve probably also cooked your Catts and Oncidiums. The best system I know of is for the buyer to tell the seller what his or her growing conditions are and whether or not the seller thinks the plant would be a good choice for those conditions. -Rod- Well said, Mick. Sometimes I think that orchids should come with a rating system similar to those they have on model rockets ( which I build with the kids in my science classes). The system would have some letter or number to indicate it is a beginner, anyone could grow orchid and a higher number to indicate very special growing conditions which might need a greenhouse or special care. I remember how much money I wasted at my first few orchid shows buying orchids that I did not have the proper conditions to grow. For example, much as I like vandas, they require more care, humidity and light than this once a week waterer can give. Maybe it is something that growers could agree to on a voluntary basis. Just a thought. Diane

– Rod & Susan Venger, Venger’s Orchids http://www.vengers.com/ ICQ # 54828117 T4N0M0 Our IRC (Chat info) http://www.vengers.com/page.htm

Response:

Do this–     http://ladyslipper.com/compot2.html Works like a charm.  I got 40 plants out of a flask of Dor. Pulcherima that was advertised as having 10-15 plantlets.  Even the tinest plants survived using this method. -Ken – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have noticed some growers offer hobby sized flasks. In the past I have wanted to learn to flask and propagate from tissue culture but have never gone to the trouble to built the equipment. However, I was wondering if it is practical to go to the next step and try raising some plants by buying small flasks from growers. Any advice? I like species orchids especially Dendrobium and Enc. Thanks, Dave dpayne at pacifier dot com

Response:

I mean something constructive…but anyway…this is my last "off topic" commentary and I strongly encourage anyone to do the same this discusion group will be much more helpfull for all those who have some real orchid questions. Mathieu – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Much as I hate to support Mick’s tirades, his "Yes" was a perfect example. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids         Secure Online Ordering        http://www.firstrays.com Mick, When? Mathieu. Frederic, Yes. Mick

Response:

Frederic, Yes. Mick

Response:

Mick, When? Mathieu. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Frederic, Yes. Mick

Response:

Much as I hate to support Mick’s tirades, his "Yes" was a perfect example. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids         Secure Online Ordering        http://www.firstrays.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Mick, When? Mathieu. Frederic, Yes. Mick

Response:

Filed under: Dendrobium Orchid

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