# Show your orchids!



## Michael W

Hi everyone,

One of my other hobbies outside of fish keeping is collecting orchids. While this hobby came about quite recently around the start of this year, I have held quite an admiration for these plants for a very long time. My mother had always kept orchids around while I was growing up so I guess that was where this had started. I would love to share and see some of your orchids too! So here are mine:

First up are Phalaenopsis orchids:














Next up is a Dendrobium Phalaenopsis 'Polar Fire' I really like the purple and whites on this one:





Here it is in full bloom





The blooms from the Dendrobium Phalaenopsis had lasted for around 4 months until the final one dropped which is very long as far as I am aware for most orchids.

This is my Cambria Nelly Isler, it has a very nice fragrance to it, similar to that of a lemon.









Next up, one of my most favourite orchids, it is the Miltoniposis Herr Alexandre. This one is also fragrant too although, I don't think it is for everyone's taste. The smell is somewhat artificial, perhaps something you may find in a soap?









Miltoniopsis Orchids are also referred to as Pansy Orchids due to their resemblance to Pansies. (who would have guessed?).

Next up, the Paphiopedilum Orchid also known as the slipper orchid, this one is a Paphiopedilum King Arthur. Now I'll admit I first got this purely due to the fact that it was my local garden centre's first time stocking this and that I've always been meaning to get one, not due to its colour as there are paphs in my opinion with colour which out shines this one. However, this one has started to grow on me. I do think that I will look out for one that is more catchy in terms of flowers though.





In my opinion, it is very hard finding a lot of different varieties of orchids in general in large chain stores in the UK, but I'm lucky enough to live near a local garden centre who readily stocks different types of exotic plants, especially orchids. If I had a more flexible budget and room in the house, I would have definitely got more than the orchids shown here from that garden centre!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures,

Michael.


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## X3NiTH

They look lovely!


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## Jose

Wow man I really like them. I think weve got quite a variety here in uk in garden centres. When I lived in spain I had only seen phalaenopsis ones. Ill post a photo of my phalaenopsis which has had flowers for more than 5 months. Is this normal? It grows really well and I think its because of my watering and the high temps at my home. I really like this thread and hopefully people will share their nice orchids with the rest.

do you know how long will the last orchids flower last for? Is it hard to care for?. I really like it. Where are your garden centres located out of curiosity?


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## drodgers

Very nice collection its something i would like to do myself .


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## Michael W

Thanks everyone!

Jose Phalaenopsis are reliable bloomers and in all honesty I'm not surprise flowers could last 5 months into bloom as there are usually side shoots from the spike producing more flowers or cutting the spike after the initial blooms near a node to further produce more flowers. 

As for the Paphiopedilum, the flowers can last for 12 weeks or slightly longer depending on the type and the way you culture. One thing to take in mind is that many Paphs will bloom only once from one plant (a fan) then the fan will produce offsets to the side and once they are matured they themselves, they will flower. A few years down the line the mother fan will eventually die but by then you should have a more than you started with. It is no common for multiple fans to flower at the same time too.There are also Paphs that are sequential which means that once a flower has dropped, if the spike is still healthy, it will form another bud at the end, this will likely to repeat a few more times! You can also find Paph which are multifloral which has multiple flowers on a spike.

Paphs in general can tolerate most temps in the house but does not necessarily like strong sun. An east window should do for this orchid with a little shade during summer. Paphs prefer to be on the more water loving side as they are semi terrestrial growing next to the ground in leaf litters etc. A potting mix which has some water retentive abilities should be used eg Bark + coconut bark chips or bark and sphagnum moss. While it likes to be on the moist side, do allow the mix to approach dryness before watering or it will rot the root. Bury the plant as close to the base as possible as roots don't like the air too much, it won't send Ariel roots. This is about as much as I can think of right now.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 
Snap, I've got x_Cambria_ "Nelly Isler" flowering in the kitchen at the moment. Other than that the normal mix of _Phalaenopsis, Cymbidium & Dendrobium (_and_ Pleione "Vesuvius" _in the porch)_. _I bought nearly all of mine remaindered for less than £5 from super-markets etc. so they are not very exciting. 

I'm really tempted to get a _Vanda, _I just need to find a suitable translucent vase to grow it in.

My favourite orchid is _Coelogyne cristata,_ it is a great house-plant for a cooler room and it flowers in January. This is the one that lives in the our dining room (NW facing), although normally on the window-sill not the table. Last year it had about ~80 flowers



 

PM me if you want a bit, this was a few years ago and it now needs re-potting and division. The divisions will flower this year, but they won't grow new roots or pseudo-bulbs until late summer. 

cheers Darrel


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## Michael W

Lovely orchid Darrel, I'd love to have some of that orchid, shall send you a pm.


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## JayZH

Do you use the aquarium water to water orchid? I use my EI aquarium water for the orchid every sunday. The leaves get really thick and broad. But bloom gets less often. Probably due to winter, the lighting gets less intense. Do you see any side effect?


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## drodgers

Sorry to derail this thread , but how do guys manage with the high light requirements?


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## dw1305

Hi all,





JayZH said:


> Do you use the aquarium water to water orchid? I use my EI aquarium water for the orchid every sunday. The leaves get really thick and broad. But bloom gets less often. Probably due to winter, the lighting gets less intense. Do you see any side effect?


 Yes I use old tank water to water all the house-plants. I run my aquariums nutrient deprived, so if it is liquid feeding it is pretty dilute. High nitrogen definitely encourages leaf growth. I let most of the house-plants have a cooler, drier winter rest. 

I'd probably try upping the light a bit, the orchids that flower best are often the ones where the leaf growth is a bit stunted by higher light. You could also try letting  any orchids with fleshy pseudo-bulbs dry out a bit in the winter. 

I'd be more cautious in trying higher light, or drying out for _Phalaenopsis, _because they don't have any pseudobulbs_. _

Cheers Darrel


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## foxfish




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## Jose




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## Jose

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## Michael W

Very lovely orchids everyone!



JayZH said:


> Do you use the aquarium water to water orchid? I use my EI aquarium water for the orchid every sunday. The leaves get really thick and broad. But bloom gets less often. Probably due to winter, the lighting gets less intense. Do you see any side effect?



I don't water my orchids with aquarium water mainly because it was only recently that I started dosing dry salts more often etc so I had used the 'Orchid Focus' brand of ferts. Even so I don't feed them very often as I don't believe they need, in the wild they are mainly growing on trees, so they will likely rely on rotting leaves that they 'catch' so nutrients may be available through small amounts over a long period of time. I think Darrel hit the nail on the head with his explanation. 
Orchids with Pseudo bulbs in my opinion are much more forgiving that that of Phalaenopsis simply because their bulbs allow them to store water and in good condition will readily send out more bulb. They lets them to be relatively reliable during holidays too. Phalaenopsis likes to be watered often due to their monopodial growth (no bulbs to hold water). It is often a misconception that you should not water Phals often as it can cause root rot, while root rot can be caused due to water, it is often the potting media and the lack of ventilation in pots which hold on to moisture leading to the rot. As long as you make sure the potting mixture is dry or approaching dryness and the pot has ventilation holes then you can water. 



drodgers said:


> Sorry to derail this thread , but how do guys manage with the high light requirements?



I honestly don't give them a lot of of light, they are on the window which receives morning light which slowly decreases as the day goes. I'd we wary of the heat when giving too much sunlight too, some of the orchids can get burnt quite easily or dry out too fast.

Michael.


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## ourmanflint

Used to have lots of types but have given up trying to keep Vandas and Cattleyas, they just seem to perish after a while, can never get the humidity right with those. My favourites are Oncidiums or Odontoglossum I think they are called now, just love the huge sprays of flowers you get from them. I now have a few Phalaenopsis and I have a fantastic Dendrobium kingianum which is super scented when it flowers.


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## Michael W

Vandas and Cattleyas are lovely orchids. For Vandas I have seen a lot of people keep them in net pots stuffed with sphagnum moss hanging on bright windowsills. They simply dip the whole pot before the base of the plants for a few minutes when the moss starts to look dry.


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## Edvet

From my Cattleya days"


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## Jose

Wow nice edvet. They remind me of an orchid I had in my backyard when I lived in Cuba. It had very big flowers with that sort of shape.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 
Quality, I'm enjoying this thread.





Jose said:


> Wow nice edvet. They remind me of an orchid I had in my backyard when I lived in Cuba. It had very big flowers with that sort of shape.


 Likely to be a _Cattleya._ If it was terrestrial rather than epiphytic? and the flowers didn't last long? it may have been a _Sobralia. 
_
cheers Darrel


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## Jose

It lived in the old bark of a very big tree. Flowers were somewhat violet. It sent out a flower every now and then and they were the size of a hand.


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## tim

Really good thread, anecdotally my wife had a few orchids given to her as gifts which never produced new flower spikes untill I've taken to dipping the pots weekly or fortnightly in tank water after water change, since this at least 5 have produced new spikes, this could also be due to moving home recently and they are happier in their new environment, I'll grab some pics tomorrow.


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## Jose

This could be a combination of the watering and maybe a chqange in temperature that triggered the new growth. Interestingly enough when I used to dip  the whole pot in water my orchids would loose a flowjer or two in the following days to come. Now I just pour a little water when I think it needs it and its doing better than ever. Someone else encountered this?


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## Michael W

I've never experienced the loss of flower like that. The way I water my orchids is to place its pot into their decorative pot then pour water into the into it, leaving the plant to soak for around 5-10 minutes before taking it out to drain. I've never experienced any flower dropping from this.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 





Jose said:


> It lived in the old bark of a very big tree. Flowers were somewhat violet. It sent out a flower every now and then and they were the size of a hand.


 Sounds like a _Cattleya, _they are often mauve flowered, grow as epiphytes and have large flowers.

cheers Darrel


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## Jose

Alright thanks Darrel. Ill see if my mom takes some photos now thta she is going over there for a few days.


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## Edvet




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## Edvet




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## Michael W

Stunning pictures Edvet!!! They look so lovely!


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## tim

Michael W said:


> Stunning pictures Edvet!!! They look so lovely!


+1 superb edvet.


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## Edvet

I had a small greenhouse with almost all the cattleya spp. It was heated with an electric heater, sadly one frosty night it broke and all where frozen.
I still want to build a larger one (when i am pensioned) with a large aqiarium incorporated.


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## Jose

Edvet said:


> I had a small greenhouse with almost all the cattleya spp. It was heated with an electric heater, sadly one frosty night it broke and all where frozen.
> I still want to build a larger one (when i am pensioned) with a large aqiarium incorporated.


Yea h very nice edvet. You are the king of orchids of the forum.
Electric heating must have been expensive right? I would maybe do it with vapour from gas or solar panels. What do you think?

AAhaa I just realized your last image is exactly the orchids I had in my backyard as a child. Soooo cool!


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## Edvet

That's a C. warscewiczii, a Colombian species.


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## Jose

Edvet said:


> That's a C. warscewiczii, a Colombian species.


Thanks a lot. It makes a bunch of sense.


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## tim

New spikes now in bloom 






Quite pleased to be honest, no flower spikes on these two for 3 years, my wife wanted to bin them but I convinced her we shouldn't


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## Michael W

Sweet looking flowers tim! As long as the plant is still alive there will always be flowers somewhere along the line.  

I recently rescued a Cattleya orchid, I have no idea what kind of flowers they have, only that it is a unifoliate Cattleya so I can't wait to see it bloom. Unfortunately, as I was repotting it, I noticed it had no roots which is likely going to set it back for some time, perhaps no blooms this coming year. However, I've noticed two new 'eyes' and they are growing next years pseudobulbs. Also, there are some nubs on the rhizome which are signs of the new roots, so hopefully the Cattleya will recover and I will get a nice surprise from what ever flower this one may have.


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## RichardJW

Keeping Orchids is a bit like a Planted Tank - all about correct light, ferts and loving the end result .

A good guy for unusual stuff ( espec. Rooted clones ) at fantastic prices is Ray Creek - his mailing list is more up to date than website . He's quite happy for you to phone up and ask what's in spike ( ie ready to flower ) and build you an order to suit you .


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## UllavL

http://imageshack.com/a/img633/2242/573uKl.jpg


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## dw1305

Hi all, 
I've got a couple more "rescue orchids", this _Phalaenopsis_ was reduced to £2 when I bought it  and wasn't sure it would survive. 

It has flowered continually for the last 2 years, and it probably  needs a rest now. 


 

cheers Darrel


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## Jose

Very Nice Darrel! Although Im not a fan of the girly colours. Where do you keep this one? On a table? Caus if so then they sure dont need much light.


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## Jose

Also I noticed that my orchids have quite weak leaves. It doesnt stop growing and sending out flowers but Im uncertain about the leaves. Could it be iron defficiency? The leaves are clear and a bit soft but not too much. Roots look very healthy.


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## dw1305

Hi all,





Jose said:


> Very Nice Darrel! Although Im not a fan of the girly colours


I probably wouldn't have bought it if I'd known what colour it was.

I've got another rescue _Phalaenopsis_ that turned out a lot more interesting. I'll get a photo and post that later.  





Jose said:


> Where do you keep this one? On a table?


 No, it lives on my dining room window-sill, with the _Coelogyne cristata (_from earlier in the thread, also photographed on the table_),_ a _Hoya carnosa_ and a  couple of Bromeliads. The window is NW facing and gets very little sunlight. 





Jose said:


> Also I noticed that my orchids have quite weak leaves. It doesnt stop growing and sending out flowers but Im uncertain about the leaves. Could it be iron defficiency? The leaves are clear and a bit soft but not too much. Roots look very healthy.


Should be all right, when the _Phalaenopsis plants _get below 4 healthy leaves I cut the flower scape off (near the base) and give them a bit of dilute liquid feed (through a sprayer misted over the leaves and aerial roots).

cheers Darrel


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## Edvet

Using old tank water while using the EI method is very good too. I did use RO water for misting though.


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## parotet

Edvet said:


> Using old tank water while using the EI method is very good too. I did use RO water for misting though.


Unless you have liquid rock coming from your tap...  I'm only successful with orchids, moss setups, Tillandsia and carnivorous plants when using DI water misted over the plants. My small collection of delicate plants and setups drink 5 liters every two weeks!

Jordi


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## dw1305

Hi all,





Edvet said:


> Using old tank water while using the EI method is very good too. I did use RO water for misting though.


 Same here, I water all the house-plants with the water change water (so rain-water that has been in the tanks for a while).

Because my tank water is fairly nutrient poor I feed the plants occasionally, basically using the same approach as the "Duckweed Index", if they aren't growing and look a bit yellow, give them a feed.


parotet said:


> Unless you have liquid rock coming from your tap...  I'm only successful with orchids, moss setups, Tillandsia and carnivorous plants when using DI water misted over the plants. My small collection of delicate plants and setups drink 5 liters every two weeks!


 I think we are "lucky" in that we get a fair bit more rain in the UK.

cheers Darrel


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## parotet

dw1305 said:


> I think we are "lucky" in that we get a fair bit more rain in the UK.
> cheers Darrel


Yes, it is hard to keep you water footprint low here when you have so much water-consuming hobbies! At least my other plants have water enough from water changes and from shower recycled water

Jordi


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## Jose

I read some papers on feeding orchids. It seems they do best with No3 at around 100-200ppm, po4 at around 50 if I recall correctly. So maybe complementing our tank water with some orchid fert might be a good idea? I myself use the pink fert theysell everywhere in uk whick works a charm


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## dw1305

Hi all,


Jose said:


> I read some papers on feeding orchids. It seems they do best with No3 at around 100-200ppm, po4 at around 50 if I recall correctly. So maybe complementing our tank water with some orchid fert might be a good idea? I myself use the pink fert theysell everywhere in uk whick works a charm


 I think that is about what they use commercially, for long term care I'd use about 1/4 of that (50ppm NO3).

I've taken a couple more photo's, the _Dendrobium_ lives in our bedroom (also NW facing) and the _Phalaenopsis_ in an E. facing window at work. Neither has been re-potted for some time.




 

I was given the _Phalaenopsis_ by a former colleague when she retired. It was flowering, but the apical tip had died, and I told her it was doomed, so she gave it to me.

The old leaves stayed green (and I nearly binned it a couple of times), but after 3 years it eventually grew a new leaf rosette from further back along the caudex.


 

cheers Darrel


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## Mick.Dk

Nice - isn't tbat my old friend D. kingianum, Darrel ??  (Used to have some in the Rainforest Zoo, where I worked.)


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## Jose

"I think that is about what they use commercially, for long term care I'd use about 1/4 of that (50ppm NO3)."

Any reasons for this Darrel? Are they sensitive? I think they might be sensitive to ammonia but not really the rest of ferts.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 





Mick.Dk said:


> Nice - isn't tbat my old friend D. kingianum, Darrel ??  (Used to have some in the Rainforest Zoo, where I worked.)


Could be, and definitely close to _Dendrobium kingianum_. 

I think it is a _kingianum_ hybrid (or cultivar?), bred for shorter canes and more compact  flower racemes.  Someone Identified it as "_Dendrobium kingianum_ "Betty", but I never got any further with a definitive ID. 

I've got a couple more similar orchids, which I think are _Dendrobium x delicatum (_pale pink, scented_)_, and the type of _D. kingianum_. They are very similar in growth to one another, but with much longer canes than the plant pictured, and they only flower once a year in February. 

Not mine, but my "_D. kingianum_" looks like this.

 

I'll get a picture of the _D. x delicatum_ I've got at home (in a SE facing bathroom) it is a huge triffid with great aerial roots and "triple decker" keikis, but it doesn't flower very well (too warm and humid?).

They are pretty indestructible orchids and survive low temperatures and erratic watering without any problem. 

I think I possibly sent "Michael W" all canes of all 3?

cheers Darrel


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## dw1305

Hi all,





Jose said:


> "I think that is about what they use commercially, for long term care I'd use about 1/4 of that (50ppm NO3)." Any reasons for this Darrel? Are they sensitive? I think they might be sensitive to ammonia but not really the rest of ferts.


 Yes, it is the salts build up in the compost. 

It is all right if you pot them on fairly frequently, or soak the plants in a bucket of  RO every couple of months. I used to re-pot mine every year, but now I tend to leave them several years between re-potting.

cheers Darrel


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## Michael W

Indeed you have Darrel. Those D. x delicatum canes are very very long, I'd say they are around the same height as my Dendrobium Nobile Hybrids.


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## ourmanflint

I have the same Dendrobium Darrel, but have not had any flowers for a couple of years, its currently overgrown with keikae? Not sure if I should cut them all off though.


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## Michael W

Do you give the Dendrobium Kingianum a winter rest? As in water less frequently in a cooler room? I often hear that helps with flowering as over watering during the winter months can cause keikis to form instead of flowers. The keikis on the pseudobulbs shouldn't present any problems unless the pseudobulbs supporting the keiks look stressed, keikis on the canes will still flower as do the mother canes so they will look awesome. You can remove them and pot them up separately though.


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## Mick.Dk

That D. kingianum look more like I recall, yes
- I had the species delicatum, too - and a wonderfull D. crumenatum. 
The crumenatum could allways tell me, when climate-computer had made an error (usually at night) lowering temp. sudeenly and shortly.
 Being a monsoon climate species, this would induce pre-formed invisible flowers within the week. I usually discovered the huge, but rather hidden, plant flowering by the heavy scent..........allways a nice surprise.
Never had it's offspring (yes; I stole a baby!!) thrive anywhere near as well here at home, though


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## dw1305

Hi all,
The flowering pink _Dendrobium_ I don't give a rest too, but our bedroom is fairly cool and we have really heavy black-out curtains, so it would get a cooler winter.  

I've had a few other _Dendrobium_s over the years, but I've managed to kill them all off. Possibly because I've kept them too sunny and they've suffered with Red Spider mite. 

Most have slowly dwindled over 2 - 3 years. I'm really keen on the pink, dark blotched forms of _Dendrobium nobile, _but so far I've resisted.

Cheers Darrel


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## Mick.Dk

I tie most of my epiphytic ochids to small pieces of "fern-wood" (Dicksonia, I suppose), hung by string in the windows. Occasionally I then dip the whole thing in an aquarium for a short time and re-hang them. This way salts never build up, and they dry fast after watering (like in nature).
The trick is, to attach species with same needs to same piece, ofcourse. Adding smaller species of Bromeliads (ex. Tillandsias) will improve appearance.

I developed this technique, to create pre-grown communities of rainforest orchids, bromeliads and rhipsalis (cactus) to be attached to the trees in the exibition of the Rainforest Zoo. This way noone can tell (ex. by visible strings) that the "decoration" was introduced only yesterday. It look established immidiately. Free-roaming animals (ex. monkeys and birds) are less likely, to destroy grown plants, too.

Feel free to dublicate


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## Michael W

I do like setups where people have tied their orchids on barks and woods, it makes watering so easy, the only problem is when I go away on holiday. 

I've seen people use spanish moss _Tillandsia usneoides_ in their hanging orchid setups with Vandas, it makes quite nice looking display since the Vandas grow tall and the moss grows downwards so they won't clash with each other. I do believe 'Brads Greenhouse' on youtube uses this way in growing his Vandas.


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## parotet

Mick.Dk said:


> I tie most of my epiphytic ochids to small pieces of "fern-wood" (Dicksonia, I suppose), hung by string in the windows. Occasionally I then dip the whole thing in an aquarium for a short time and re-hang them. This way salts never build up, and they dry fast after watering (like in nature).
> The trick is, to attach species with same needs to same piece, ofcourse. Adding smaller species of Bromeliads (ex. Tillandsias) will improve appearance.
> 
> I developed this technique, to create pre-grown communities of rainforest orchids, bromeliads and rhipsalis (cactus) to be attached to the trees in the exibition of the Rainforest Zoo. This way noone can tell (ex. by visible strings) that the "decoration" was introduced only yesterday. It look established immidiately. Free-roaming animals (ex. monkeys and birds) are less likely, to destroy grown plants, too.
> 
> Feel free to dublicate


Mmm, I like this idea. I was wondering if it will work attaching the plants to cork pieces (I have plenty of them picked up from a forest near home). Can you give some more details about the conditions needed (temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc.) and the most suitable species?

Additionally I want to try my first epiphytic and more demanding orchids in terms of humidity. Small ones if possible., to be attached to small moss setups (covered with glass or plastic part of the year, with (low) additional lighting and daily hand misting). They look quite expensive even in local clubs. Can you suggest a species for newbies?

Jordi


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## Mick.Dk

Jordi - it is a loooong time back, since I used this knowledge. Honestly I've forgotten most.....
Eria, Encyclia, Coelogyne and Dendrobium were generally quite easy, as I recall.
- I still have Dendrobium 'Phueng Lek' (or aggregatum) and Dendrobium anosmum (pink/white variety) thriving, and flowering,  though very litle care.
Some Encyclia and Coelogyne are still thriving, but not flowering - and all my Cattleyas, Erias and "Brazil-nut-orchid" (can't remember genera) slowly died.
The advantage of "fern-wood" is, that it is extreemely porous and will allow for quick dryout from all angles - very important, since rainforest orchids will rot if wet for more than a couple of hours. This quality is probaply not in the cork.......
- I suggest a serious www-research, starting "general" and then going "specific" into species found in general search. If you can find climatic conditions of home for species, it will help you a lot to exclude those, that you cannot copy needs fore.
That's what I did, years back. Info must have grown by now .......


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## Mick.Dk

P.S.
- for the nicer appearance, I really recommend doing a mix of species, incorporating ex. Tillandsia cyanea and ionantha, Neoregelia, Gusmania and some of the smaller leaf-cacti ( Rhipsalis )that are mostly hanging.....you'll then have same effect as in your Wabi Cusas - a lot more natural and nice to look at !!


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## ourmanflint

Michael W said:


> Do you give the Dendrobium Kingianum a winter rest? As in water less frequently in a cooler room? I often hear that helps with flowering as over watering during the winter months can cause keikis to form instead of flowers. The keikis on the pseudobulbs shouldn't present any problems unless the pseudobulbs supporting the keiks look stressed, keikis on the canes will still flower as do the mother canes so they will look awesome. You can remove them and pot them up separately though.


Thanks for the tip Michael, i didnt realise they needed a rest from watering. How long should you refrain from watering for?


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## Michael W

Well I wouldn't refrain from watering totally but I'd suggest maybe water it once a week or two, I don't have a lot of experience with this plant as I have not had it for a long time from Darrel. You want to observe the canes and if they start to shrivel then give it a light watering. In my opinion, the cooler temperature is more important than watering less.

I mist my Den. Kingianum roots once a week since they do not have roots growing in the medium but they have a lot of air roots.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 
Michael's sounds like a viable approach. I've actually found that _Dendrobium kingianum_ types are incredibly tolerant of drought, you can not water them for weeks at time (even in the summer) without any damage. 

I usually check all the house plants on Saturdays mornings (after I've changes the tank water). I just lift each pot up, if its light I give the plants a water, if its heavy I don't. 

I think most orchids with pseudobulbs are much more likely to be damaged by over-watering, rather than under-watering. The problem with Orchids is that because they grow slowly, and have long  lived leaves, often by the time they show signs of distress it is too late to do anything about it.

The only orchid I don't water at all in the winter is a deciduous _Pleione_ (grex "Vesuvius"), that lives in our porch (just about frost free and NW facing). This doesn't get any water from November through to March. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## UllavL

My Paphiopedilum delenatii finally started to bloom!!  http://imageshack.com/a/img537/5910/OWtRde.jpg


----------



## Mick.Dk

Nice one, Ulla
I've  got pure white,  chocolate striped and dark rosy Paphiophedilum's .......but no idea of species or type, unfortunately.
- Quite easy orchids to grow and flowering like a clockwork !
I used to have some named species (ex. liemianum), but they've not accepted neglect as well as the three survivors.


----------



## UllavL

I agree, also have two in my viv but they have refused to bloom yet. Maybe too dark :/


Skickas från min iPad via Tapatalk


----------



## Mick.Dk

Mine doesn't tolerate too much light - and defenite not direct sun. They live in a westfacing window in winter and move to a northfacing one in summer. They all tend to bloom here in very late december or during january, this way.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 
A few more that I took yesterday while I was trying to work out what was wrong with an IPAD. 

This is a small flowered pink _Cymbidium. _I had a huge plant that I hacked into bits about 4 years ago this was the central section and it was mainly very old pseudobulbs.

The plant next to it is _Dendrobium x delicatum, _it doesn't flower very well now, but it does produce a lot of keikis, possibly because we use this shower more now than we used to.



 

This one isn't an orchid, it is a <"_Eucharis">_, but it lives in the same bathroom. I'll find it had 4 flower scapes in the autumn, but even if it didn't have a great flower it is worth its place as a foliage plant. It is over a metre across. I bought it remaindered for £5 a few years ago, and it hovered between life and death for about 6 months before growing.


 

This one is the _Coelogyne cristata_ from earlier in the thread. I'll divide it later in the year (and re-pot the _Phalaenopsis_)


 

Last one is also cheating, because the flower is a double white "Florist's" Azalea, but the orchid is in the pot next to it. I'll take the same photo later in the spring, and hopefully things will look a lot different.


 

cheers Darrel


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,
I'll have another go at posting the _Dendrobium x delicatum_ picture. 


 

cheers Darrel


----------



## Michael W

Hi all,

Its been a while since I've been online due to uni. I've not got any pictures but I should have some coming up this week. My Coelogyne Cristata and Dendrobium Kingianum from Darrel has started to produce a new growth which I'm very looking forward to. The rescue Cattleya is also starting to send out new growth and roots, I'm really looking forward for this one as I have no idea what the blooms look like. I am also expecting a new plant this week, it will be a Maxillaria Rufescens, I believe it has been renamed but I forgot what it is.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,
I've found a smaller plant of _Dendrobium x delicatum_ in the glasshouse at work.  It is definitely a cold hardy orchid because the power went off over Xmas and we had several nights at, or just below, freezing. 

Since it  has been in the computer room I've noticed it has a really sweet scent, presumably mainly at night.





cheers Darrel


----------



## Mick.Dk

Ever wondered why it's named "delicatum", Darrel ??


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Mick.Dk said:


> Ever wondered why it's named "delicatum", Darrel ??


I'd assumed it was the colour, but it could just as easily be the scent.

I don't think _D. kingianum_ is scented, so presumably the scent comes from the other parent _D. speciosum (D. tarberi_)?Because it is white and scented at night I'd assume that _D. speciosum_ is moth pollinated.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Jose

Id like to get  a small orchid with a nice smell. Do you guys recommend something? Remember it has to be small preferably.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





Jose said:


> Id like to get  a small orchid with a nice smell. Do you guys recommend something? Remember it has to be small preferably.


 _Oncidium_ (_Cambria_) "Twinkle" is fragrant, easy to obtain, good houseplant and fairly small. "Twinkle" is a "grex", so they come in a range of colours.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Jose

Thanks Darrel. Ill see if I can find it somewhere near.


----------



## Edvet

Sadly i find the fragrancy of "comercial" orchids often lacking, compared to the wild ones. Entering the greenhouse when a Stanhopea started flowering is quite overwhelming.


----------



## Michael W

I don't own one but I do believe the Encyclia/Prosthechea Lancifolia has an amazing fragrance. I was going to get the Max. Rufescens but I've decided on getting the Max. Tenuifolia which smells of coconut. I'll wait till after next week before placing an order as there will be an orchid show in Durham which I'll attend to see if I can get one there first(delivery is nearly as costly as the orchid itself).


----------



## Michael W

The orchid show at Durham was stunning, it was the first show I've been to, hopefully there will be more around me that I can attend to when it's not on a day where I have to go to uni. Here are some photos, I don't have the names at hand but I have taken pictures of their tags, I you're interested in a particular plant and its name I'll try and find it.

First up are some Papiopedilums and Phragmipediums













Now some Masdevallias









Here is an orchid with an amazing scent, Prosthechea Cochleata





Here is group of Pleiones 





The Pleione displays were amazing, there are some more pictures of them, I really do need to get some, although flowering season is probably over soon. I do have more pictures of them and other orchids that I have yet to upload but here are some so far. I'll upload more later once I pick some good ones out.

I did buy 2 orchids and they are Neofinetia Falcata and Coelogynes Fimbriata. However, there seem to be some problems with the N. Falcata since I got it, some leaves are turning yellow and brown which is rather worrying. Good job I have both plants in one of the bathrooms since I got them home. I'll have to observe both of them as I am scared that it is a virus, in which case it is incurable. It will be a real shame as I spent over 30 quid for the two, the N. Falcata was 25 .
There won't be a sure way to know if it is a virus or not without testing. Fingers crossed.

More picture to follow!


----------



## Michael W

Nearly forgot this one:


----------



## Edvet

I had that cochleata, but i had a different name back then, can't remember.


----------



## Mick.Dk

Used to be Encyclia cochleata (didn't even know it changed!) 
 - I've still got one, and it's really easy and reliable to flower every year !! I think it was popular called "octopus orchid" because of the appearance of the "upside-down" oriented flower, looking like that.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Michael W said:


> The Pleione displays were amazing, there are some more pictures of them, I really do need to get some, although flowering season is probably over soon


They aren't really houseplants,  some of them are hardy in the UK, but they don't like warm, wet winters. Paul Christian is probably your best bet <"http://rareplants.co.uk/prodtype.asp?s=e4oa9t1121144&strParents=&CAT_ID=690&numRecordPosition=1">.

I've killed plenty of them, but the one I still have (from earlier in the thread) is just about to come into flower.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Edvet

I always wanted to try jewel orchids in a vivarium setting, that should be possible.
In my garden i have a marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis, planted from a gardencentre)
and a _Epipactis helleborine (wild , sown from seedpods collected on the golfcourse)._


----------



## Michael W

dw1305 said:


> They aren't really houseplants, some of them are hardy in the UK, but they don't like warm, wet winters. Paul Christian is probably your best bet <"http://rareplants.co.uk/prodtype.asp?s=e4oa9t1121144&strParents=&CAT_ID=690&numRecordPosition=1">.



Thanks for that link Darrel! Just the thing I need. I don't think I'll get them anytime soon due to trying to rescue my new purchases. But I'll definitely aim to get some pleiones at some point.




Mick.Dk said:


> Used to be Encyclia cochleata (didn't even know it changed!)



Your right Mick, the names seem to be constantly changing over the recent years which I have noticed from researching certain species as they have multiple names.

Here are 10 more photos:









































Enjoy!


----------



## Greenfinger2

Great thread. Stunning Plants Fab flowers and photos Congratulations to all


----------



## Michael W

Time for a small text update on some orchids (hopefully pictures will follow tomorrow). The D. Kingianum and its cultivator from Darrel are putting out new growths. The cultivator's new growth is also sending out a new one, quite strange to me since it's not even a 2-3cm tall and it has a new growth of its own, but I'll take it. The D. Delicatum is still around but no new growths yet. 

The C. Cristata has a new rhizome/growth coming but I can't take a picture now, since the old root is developing some new root tips which are peeking out of the pot, and the new growth is at the underside of the existing pseudo-bulbs. That is not something I think it will benefit as the kitchen's humidity is not the best for aerial roots of a coelogyne. I'll likely order some dried sphagnum moss for a top dressing. 

The new growths on the rescue Cattelyas are very promising, there are also lots of new roots. It has come a long way since it had no roots when I got it. I can't wait to see what the flowers look like. 

The new Coelogyne Fimbriata is looking good also, the new growths are coming along, one of the new rhizome is start to show signs of developing into a pseudo-bulb at the end of it, it will be interesting to see the stages of its development. 

The Neofinetia Falcata which I thought had a virus has showed no signs of leaf deterioration after I removed the affected leaves and used cinnamon powder to seal the wounds. However, the other leaves show signs of dark green patches when the lights hit them. It is sort of like green spot algae but bigger. I have no idea what it is but there are no leaf loss anymore. 

Now for some depressing stuff, I've found my first pest infestation on the window in the living room. There are mealy bugs! Now from looking around, there are two plants with them, a phal and a paph. There are not a lot of the bugs from a quick look around, but I don't doubt that there are some inside the pots. I've done some reading and found that the 70%  isopropyl rubbing alcohol should be effective in killing them and also neem oil as a helpful deterrent. I'll be ordering them and in the mean time manually removing any I can see. It is also probably worth me using the same treatment on the surround plant and the windowsill just in case. Any other tips will be appreciated.


----------



## Greenfinger2

Some info on here about Mealy bugs


----------



## dougstar




----------



## Edvet

I used to have some mealy and scale bugs in my time, i used to clean the plant in water, just rub and brush everything of under running water, and then i used some Malathion  which i bought in Wisley ( of all places).


----------



## dougstar

dougstar said:


>


I have several orchids in my garden not boffin do know it's a cattelya


----------



## Edvet

Cattleya in your garden , where do you live?


----------



## dougstar

South Africa  eastern coast it is a sub tropical climate


----------



## Edvet

Oh wow, nice


----------



## dougstar

here are some others that are flowering at the moment. the first ones a vanda and next up is a dendrobiun


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,
Another _Dendrobium kingianum_ type. It is also out of the glasshouse so pretty cold and neglect tolerant.





cheers Darrel


----------



## dougstar

i have similar dendrobium has pea sized flowers sadly not in bloom though


----------



## zanguli-ya-zamba

Hi all can some explain me this and id this orchids. 




I ll try to take pictures of the orchids we have in our garden out of town. 

Cheers



Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk


----------



## dougstar

its a phalaenopsis they come in loads of colors. id guess it be white or light pink or any combination of light colors


----------



## dougstar

here are some oncidiums. thought i could add a shot of my garden from were the oncidiums are


----------



## Edvet




----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





dw1305 said:


> Last one is also cheating, because the flower is a double white "Florist's" Azalea, but the orchid is in the pot next to it. I'll take the same photo later in the spring, and hopefully things will look a lot different.


Here is the updated _Pleione _picture. The Azalea is still flowering and I haven't watered the _Pleione_ yet since the Autumn, I'll start to water it as the flower dies, and then it will get a lot of water all the time it is in leaf.


 



 

cheers Darrel


----------



## dougstar

Looks brilliant such a rich colour


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





dougstar said:


> Looks brilliant such a rich colour


They are nice, but they don't flower for very long.

I originally had 2 non-flowering size pseudobulbs given to me by some-one who had grown them from seed. It is a "grex" and there are better selected forms like _Pleione_ Vesuvius "Leopard"

I'd told them that I'd killed plenty, and he told me they were "easy" if you kept them really dry until the leaf (really the new roots) were in growth. I'd always kept mine just damp through the winter, and the new shoot had rotted off when I start watering them more freely in early spring.

They grow a new pseudobulb every year, so damage to the new shoot is nearly always fatal.

cheers Darrel


----------



## zozo

Not much yet, but here is my little baby Bulbophylum on a little trunk and a bed of Sphagnum and some other moss. They should be easy to grow, but this one is still very young, tiny and still strugling a bit to gather strenght. Don't know if she's willing to flower this year.


----------



## Vinkenoog1977

No idea as to specific species. Worth noting, that these are the first two orchids ever that I've been able to keep going. These are also the first orchids I've watered/ misted with (EI) aquarium water.


----------



## Edvet

Both are phaleanopsis , one of many many many manmade varieties.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Nothing very exotic just another phaleanopsis, but nice nonetheless...


----------



## zozo

Troi said:


> Nothing very exotic just another phaleanopsis, but nice nonetheless...



Sure a very nice color! Fits the background as well.


----------



## tim

Weekly dip in tank water and mine have been blooming well


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 
The _Eucharis_ (Amazon Lily) in my bathroom is flowering.  

With flowers 


 





cheers Darrel


----------



## Tim Harrison

very nice...even tho' I had to tilt my head on its side to view it properly


----------



## parotet

Darrel, it looks like they don't receive too much light, isn't it?

Jordi


----------



## zozo

Very nice!! Never seen it before.. Usualy you see spathyfillums in this size.. But this!? realy stunning flower.. Thanks for sharing..


----------



## Edvet

parotet said:


> don't receive too much light


Plenty CO2 though


----------



## Jose

Edvet said:


> Plenty CO2 though


Not if dosing EI.


----------



## Greenfinger2

Hi DW Stunning


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Troi said:


> even tho' I had to tilt my head on its side to view it properly


I don't know why it is sideways, it is the right way up in photobucket. 





parotet said:


> it looks like they don't receive too much light?


The bathroom is SE facing, but it is well back from the window. The scapes have grown towards the light and the plant is now too big to turn around.





zozo said:


> Usualy you see spathyfillums in this size..


It is a substantial plant, the flower scapes are about 80cm tall, and each flower is small tea cup sized.

I've probably reached time to divide it, but I'm a bit reluctant because it is evergreen and never goes dormant.

cheers Darrel


----------



## zozo

dw1305 said:


> I've probably reached time to divide it, but I'm a bit reluctant because it is evergreen and never goes dormant.



i can imagine, dividing such a big one is tricky.. even more if it is in the pot shown and no second plastick pot inside. Sometimes its better to sacrifice the pot and smash it with a hamer. Fidling such a big beauty out of the pot will almost always damage it, already before it's diveded.. No idea actualy if it is realy necesary. I got 1 plant already for 14 years in the same pot, once every several years i take a spoon and scratch of the surface as deep as i can and refill it with new soil.. Works already 12 years like a charm..


----------



## Edvet

I used to smash the pot, i needed pieces to cover the botomhole for other pots anyway


----------



## zozo

Me too..  The problem is realy nice glaced crockery is getting expensive these days.. when is see the price lables sometimes makes me think twice before i take the hammer. 15 years ago it was different, you could make a hobby with smashing pots.. .. Plants grow, pots don't.... it's a matter of ... But with a beauty like this i would smash..


----------



## tim

Another one given to mrs Tim, not in great condition when she got it but weekly dip in tank water and its started to bloom,
[URL='https://flic.kr/p/zVXU8A']Taken with Cortex by timyapp, on Flickr[/URL]
not sure if or how to go about removing the battered old leaves, tips gretfully recieved guys'
cheers Tim.


----------



## Tim Harrison

I'd let it shed naturally...that is if you can put up with the battered leaves for a while. If not perhaps this will help http://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=100


----------



## tim

Troi said:


> I'd let it shed naturally...that is if you can put up with the battered leaves for a while. If not perhaps this will help http://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=100


Thanks Troi.


----------



## pondweed

Wow, great thread! Lots of lovely photos. 

I started acquiring (and killing a few) houseplants a few years ago, and now seem to be getting the knack of it. I mainly stick to succulents, but in the last year have branched out to a few foliage species, and a month or so ago finally bit my tongue and brought a mystery phalaenopsis that was on sale because it had dropped its flowers. I figured if I could get it to bloom again, I'd be doing well. Been researching tips and so forth. 

My difficulty at the moment is finding a good spot for it. My bedroom has nice diffused light and good shade, but I tend to have the window open (even in the depths of winter) and I imagine it'll not like draughts and chills.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





tim said:


> Another one given to mrs Tim,


That looks fine, I agree with "Troi". Just ignore the tatty leaf.  

If it really annoys you, you can trim back the dead tip with nail scissors. You need to leave a very thin strip of dead leaf, it only need to be a couple of millimetres. 

It looks like the _<"Cambria_ "Nelly Isler""> from "Michael W''s, first post in this thread.

I've got a plant as well, and it is a good grower.

cheers Darrel


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





pondweed said:


> My difficulty at the moment is finding a good spot for it. My bedroom has nice diffused light and good shade, but I tend to have the window open (even in the depths of winter) and I imagine it'll not like draughts and chills.


They don't like cool nights. Have you got a suitable bathroom it could go in?

A lot of orchids actually need a cooler night to flower. You can have some of the _Coelogyne cristata or Dendrobium _from earlier in the thread if you would like them? They both do much better with a cool night, and are hardy down to just above freezing.

cheers Darrel


----------



## pondweed

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, They don't like cool nights. Have you got a suitable bathroom it could go in?
> 
> A lot of orchids actually need a cooler night to flower. You can have some of the _Coelogyne cristata or Dendrobium _from earlier in the thread if you would like them? They both do much better with a cool night, and are hardy down to just above freezing.
> 
> cheers Darrel



I could wriggle round some things on the bathroom windowsill! I've got some ferns there at the moment, but it needs a tidy! Also, the window there is rarely open.

I'll have a look at those!


----------



## Cor

as requested: here some more pics.  (I'm working inside greenhouses full with orchids)


----------



## pondweed

That's amazing, Cor!


----------



## Dylan

pondweed said:


> That's amazing, Cor!


I second you...Cor's is outstanding


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





dw1305 said:


> Here is the updated _Pleione _picture.


Spring has worked it annual miracle, my plants managed seven flowers this year. 



 

cheers Darrel


----------



## Greenfinger2

Hi DW,  Stunning flower


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





dw1305 said:


> This one is the _Coelogyne cristata_ from earlier in the thread. I'll divide it later in the year (and re-pot the _Phalaenopsis_)


I still haven't re-potted the _Coelogyne. _This is how it looks in 2017.

You can also see the fern (_Dryopteris filix-mas_ on left of image) that has "seeded" itself into the pot.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Million

Lovely pics in here. Does anyone have recommendations of an orchid that I might be able to grow on a branch emerging from my aquarium? It will get some light from the luminarie, and with some moss would be high humidity


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





Million said:


> Does anyone have recommendations of an orchid that I might be able to grow on a branch emerging from my aquarium? It will get some light from the luminarie, and with some moss would be high humidity


You could try one of the smaller _Vanda_ hybrids. They are quite expensive, so I'd probably only go down that route if you are already happy caring for orchids as pot plants etc.

_Phalaenopsis _are cheap to buy, and may be OK, but they might struggle if there is a lot of PAR.  I might be tempted to buy whatever small flowered _Cambria (_like "Nelly Isler" from earlier in the thread_)_ etc are remaindered after Valentines day.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Rich Lewis

I made an orchid planter from cork tubes (reptile shop). I placed a 2 inch pvc pipe in a pot, ziptied bricks around the base to keep it stable, and slotted the the tubes over it to make a 'tree'.

I used bits of cork to make cups or branches, ziptied to the tree and filled with sphagnum moss, in which orchids are planted. There's an automatic watering system; a bottle in the top of the tree with airline tubes running through the centre of the tree to each orchid cup. airline clamps are used to alter the flow to ensure each orchid gets enough water. It's about 4 foot high including pot. 

I plan to grow some climbing plants up the side, just waiting for them to grow!


----------



## zozo

Million said:


> Lovely pics in here. Does anyone have recommendations of an orchid that I might be able to grow on a branch emerging from my aquarium? It will get some light from the luminarie, and with some moss would be high humidity



Some Bulbophyllum sp. are very small and not all are that difficult.. These are typical small epiphytes, recomended to tie to a piece of cork or bark on a bed of Sphagnum. But than you need quite a nice bed to keep it wet and under artificial light this dries out rather fast.. I gave it a try and i failed because i used to little moss on a to little piece of wood and it dried out to soon so the orchid died on me after beeing away and not able to spray it for 2 days. 

This was my Bulbophyllum Taiwanense, it's dead now, the root is still on there, but i never got it to come back. 


 

So the idea of high humidity above an open top tank is a bit of a misconception, i monitored it for a while and only in the summer it had 65% top 4 cm above the water line and regularly dropped to 45%. That aint so humid at all. If you want to have succes you need to spray very often, maybe 2 to 3 times a day. 

I like to try again one day..


----------



## Million

Thank you for the replies. I was inspired by this guy featured on PFK: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/readers-tanks/articles/2016/8/18/your-tanks-kris-oddy






Anyone recognize the species?


----------



## zozo

Million said:


> Thank you for the replies. I was inspired by this guy featured on PFK: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/readers-tanks/articles/2016/8/18/your-tanks-kris-oddy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone recognize the species?



Nice picture.. I guess he also has the same isue and is strugling with this plant.. The purple coloration of the leaves is for many orchides a sign of getting to much light and air to dry. If to long in this condition it will turn necrotic (yellow and black) and the leaf will die. I think this picture was taking rather very short after planting it and i wonder if he could keep it long term.  

That's why i decided to go with a small Bulbophyllum, they are among the smallest. To keep it as close as possible to the humid bed its tied uppon.. But i still failed..


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


dw1305 said:


> Spring has worked it annual miracle, my plants managed seven flowers this year.


This is 2017 offering, only five flowers and in two distinct flushes. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,
Re-potted the _Pleione_ today, it was still dormant,so I don't think it will flower until April this year.

I have _Hippeastrum_ "Exotic Star" in the kitchen at home, it has needed re-potting for a while (it has two fairly large side shoots and has split its pot), usually it has four flowers on the scape, but I actually like it better with two.



cheers Darrel


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





dw1305 said:


> Re-potted the _Pleione_ today, it was still dormant,so I don't think it will flower until April this year.


This is the 2018 offering.

I'm hoping there are another couple of flowers still to appear (on the other side of the pot).





The Azalea is looking a <"bit better too">, partially because it had quite a drastic prune and re-pot.

This was because it wasn't watered while I was away last spring and I assumed it had died. I pruned off all the dead wood (which left really short stumps) and waited for a couple of weeks. I was just about to compost it when decided to choose life and re-sprouted.

I re-potted it and gave it a feed, the Azalea has re-grown well since but the fertiliser has burnt all the moss.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Cor

Just wanted to share: one flower orchids


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





dw1305 said:


> The _Eucharis_ (Amazon Lily) in my bathroom is flowering.


This is the 2018 incarnation. I've hacked it into two since 2015, but the "bathroom half" is now enormous again, with six flower spikes, and needs dividing and re-potting again. The other half is in a corridor at work, where it is a lot less luxuriant, but has better foliage. 





This one lives in our shower room (NW) facing, it is _Streptocarpella_ "Boysenberry Delight". The individual plants don't live all that long (they always eventually rot off at the root), but it is incredibly easy as a cutting. This one is about 18 months old, and should be good for another year at least. 




I have _Streptocarpella saxorum_ as well, which also needs fairly frequent propagation, and is a leafier, more rangy plant with fewer flowers.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Siege

My wife has literally a hundred orchids. I’ll seek out the ones in flower and take a few pics.


----------



## mort

We have a homebase near us that heavily discounts their orchids when they think they are done flowering (half the time its got a new flowering spike coming and its the first flower slightly going). I've picked up dozens for my mum as she loves them and never paid more than £2, normally only a pound. Had a couple really nice brown and yellow flowering ones which I think might be Oncidium (or similar to Google pics). They all seem to thrive on neglect, they get watered with our hard norfolk water, left in a cold conservatory in the winter and come back flowering year after year.


----------



## gex23

I have a small selection in my vivarium, I choose miniature varieties to keep a sense of scale against the small inhabitants.

Orchids in such a humid environment are challenging, some are doing well, some surviving and some regressing - but the challenge is worth it 

I've tried to keep it mostly contained to south american species but there are a few others in there also (some un-named) :

Macodes petola
Masdevallia andreetana
Masdevallia bulbophyllopsis
Masdevallia mendozae
Maxillaria pumilia
Pleurothallis aveniformis
Pleurothallis corniculata
Pleurothallis grobyi
Pleurothallis Jantae
Pleurothallis Luctuoasa
Pleurothallis sp.
Pleurothallis sp.
Pleurothallis Tripterantha
Restrepia mohrii
Restrepi trichoglossa
Scaphosepalum rapax
Sophrontis cernua

Some of the above are on order, a couple in the vivarium are about to come into flower so will get some photos on this thread when I get chance 

Here are a few random photos i've already added to my build thread :



Planting 5 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



Pleurothallis by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



20180906_130531 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



20180830_124221 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr


----------



## Cheltster

Apologies for being I the shot. These were taken back in February. Nothing special, just rescues from a supermarket.


----------



## Hendre

My leomesezia "lava burst" that I recently acquired. My first dabble in orchids


----------



## Cor

I love this color


----------



## Hendre

Cor said:


> I love this color
> View attachment 119256


Agreed! I see you have plenty more hidden back there


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





mort said:


> heavily discounts their orchids when they think they are done flowering (half the time its got a new flowering spike coming and its the first flower slightly going).


That is where I got most of mine from.





mort said:


> nice brown and yellow flowering ones which I think might be Oncidium


It is more likely to be a <"_Cambria">, _a genus of complex multi-genera hybrids that have been selected for their suitability as house plants. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## mort

dw1305 said:


> It is more likely to be a <"_Cambria">, _



I'll defer to your far greater knowledge as usual The few I bought her have done really well and there are a couple of different varieties. I'm quite partial to the brown and yellow flowers as they are subtle and interesting.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





mort said:


> I'm quite partial to the brown and yellow flowers as they are subtle and interesting.


I like them as well, I used to have a nice yellow and brown x_Cambria, _name unknown, and I also used to have "Nelly Isler" (from earlier in the thread). Unfortunately I don't have either of them now, but I will try and pick up some more remaindered ones when I get a chance.





gex23 said:


> Restrepia trichoglossa


Flowering above, would be a lot more tricky to keep.

cheers Darrel


----------



## gex23

dw1305 said:


> Flowering above, would be a lot more tricky to keep.
> 
> cheers Darrel



What do you mean?


----------



## Iain Sutherland

So maybe you could answer Darrel, is orchid feed just very weak generic feed?
Ie... can I dilute tropica specialised ferts to feed orchids? 
Baby bio orchid feed is NPK 5.3 -2.2-0.85

Will micros cause any issue with orchids? 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


----------



## Edvet

Last orchid ferts i bought ( at Wisley)


----------



## gex23

My only fertiliser is frog waste


----------



## Siege

Iain Sutherland said:


> So maybe you could answer Darrel, is orchid feed just very weak generic feed?
> Ie... can I dilute tropica specialised ferts to feed orchids?
> Baby bio orchid feed is NPK 5.3 -2.2-0.85
> 
> Will micros cause any issue with orchids?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk



Very good question Iain,

I’ve looked everywhere for the answer, thinking I make my own ferts for the tanks but is there a receipe for diy orchid food. Partner currently uses a propriety brand of orchard food to mix in rain water plus ‘Orchid Myst’ spray (steroids for orchids I think).

Haven’t found any on the internet. Met an expert who advised that the orchid food is much stronger than our aquarium plant food. That’s all I know. Would appreciate any advice as to if it is worthwhile to make our own.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Siege said:


> Met an expert who advised that the orchid food is much stronger than our aquarium plant food. That’s all I know.





Edvet said:


> Last orchid ferts i bought (at Wisley)


The fertilizer Ed bought is a concentrated complete high nitrogen food, just used fairly dilute. It has low levels of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), if you did it as N: P: K, it is 35:4.4:8. I think that was probably @Siege's expert meant. The RHS is a prettty good source of information, so I would be tempted to replicate something near their recipe.

The nitrogen content is mainly as urea, which is much safer as a foliar feed (epiphytic orchids take in their nutrients via their leaves and aerial roots, they don't have conventional roots), than ammonia or nitrate, both of which can cause <"fertiliser burn">.





Iain Sutherland said:


> Baby bio orchid feed is NPK 5.3 -2.2-0.85


So in that case the N: P: K are quoted as P2O5 and K2O, so you have ~5.3:1:0.7  





Iain Sutherland said:


> is orchid feed just very weak generic feed?


Yes it is, but with more nitrogen and less potassium, or phosphorus, than we would use for aquatic plants. All nutrients are ions when the plant takes them up, so that all that changes with different fertilisers is amounts, source is irrelevant when they are in solution. Urea isn't an ion, it has to be converted to ammonia via the urease enzyme (in plants and some micro-organisms). Becausse it isn't an ion it doesn't have an osmotic potential and doesn't casue fertiliser burn (the rapid loss of water via osmosis)  





Siege said:


> Would appreciate any advice as to if it is worthwhile to make our own


Raising the nitrogen level on its own would mean that you would need to use ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) or urea (CO(NH2)2). Ammonium nitrate is very likely to cause burn, and urea isn't easy to obtain in small amounts, ("Diesel Exhaust Fluid") is probably your best bet.

Urea is really cheap to buy in industrial amounts, so it is often the nitrogen source in <"cheaper foliar feeds">. You could use that as a base.

cheers Darrel


----------



## gex23

I have plenty of orchids either in bloom or ready to bloom, i'll grab some photos later 

I'm almost as addicted to the orchids as I am to the inhabitants, will be placing another large order with tropiscape and bens jungle, have my eye on a Lepanthes telipogoniflora


----------



## gex23

20181215_190600 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



20181215_190453 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



20181215_190439 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



20181215_190421 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



20181215_190302 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr



20181215_190229 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr

(Begonia Schulzei)



20181215_190326 by DEAF N1NJA, on Flickr


----------



## Hendre

Hendre said:


> My leomesezia "lava burst" that I recently acquired. My first dabble in orchids View attachment 118915


This orchid is growing!


----------



## Ady34

Hi, I’m not green fingered at all, my wife got this ‘supermarket’ orchid as a gift and it nearly died from over watering I think. Anyway, all the flowers fell off and the stems went brown. We have resurrected it and it has several new flower buds and some flowers beginning to open thankfully. 
The question I have is can I just cut the dead stalks off above where the new flower stalks are or is there a special technique. I don’t want to kill it 
Thanks
Ady.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Looks like it's recovering well.
I think if they are still green they will likely carry more flowers sometime in the future.
If the flower stalks are brown and wrinkly, like the top half of the one on the right, I think it's okay to cut the dead bit off.
I always cut mine back to just above where the dead part begins and leave the green stalk intact.


----------



## Siege

I understand from my wife that you can either cut the stalks off after flowering or just leave them. Either is ok, but the ‘correct’ way is to leave the stalks and it’ll flower more from them.

Of course cut off any brown dead bits.


----------



## Ady34

Thanks for the replies, I’ll just snip the brown bits, and leave the green stems.
Cheers
Ady


----------



## Keith GH

Ady

I have 13 growing on our kitchen window ledge facing north that means in the winter it actually gets natural light for several hrs per day.

I only remove any of the dead growth.  All are growing in damp (NOT WET) Sphagnum Moss.
Watering about 1tsp per week.   Once they establish themselves they grow like weeds.

Keith


----------



## Cor

Ady34 said:


> The question I have is can I just cut the dead stalks off above where the new flower stalks are or is there a special technique. I don’t want to kill it
> Thanks


Just cut the stems as low as possible
The phalaenopsis makes new shoots in time. Just keep it in a light spot en no direct sunlight.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Cor said:


> Just cut the stems as low as possible


They will <"re-flower from the same scape">, you can often get three flushes from the same one.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Cor

Yes they will,
but the overall quality will be a lot better when the stems are cut. If you don't like cutting the stem you can use 'keiki paste' so it will create new side shoots on the stem.


----------



## Ady34

Thanks for the tips and links.


Cor said:


> Just cut the stems as low as possible
> The phalaenopsis makes new shoots in time. Just keep it in a light spot en no direct sunlight.


I cut them.
The plant has recovered well and now has several new flowers, even more than this picture which was taken several weeks ago.
It sits on a window ledge in the kitchen which is bright but doesn’t get any direct sunlight. I spray leaves and substrate with an orchid mist fertiliser occasionally.









Reading the link I may have to look at repotting soon also.

Lovely plants, I quite fancy more in something like the hanging glass planters that ‘scaped nature’ have in their new store (picture taken from their Facebook page)




 


Cheerio
Ady


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Cor said:


> but the overall quality will be a lot better when the stems are cut


They will, you definitely get a better, more symmetrical, scape from the first flowering. 

I tend to ill treat mine, so they don't grow anything as quickly as they would if I fed them and tend only to have one scape at any time.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Tim Harrison

Iain Sutherland said:


> is orchid feed just very weak generic feed?


I noticed that the composition of Baby Bio Orchid food is exactly half of that of Baby Bio, respectively...

NPK 5.3-2.2-0.85
NPK 10.6-4.4-1.7
And that Baby Bio is £0.50 cheaper. Just add half the recommended dose for orchids...


----------



## Ady34

Tim Harrison said:


> I noticed that the composition of Baby Bio Orchid food is exactly half of that of Baby Bio, respectively...
> 
> NPK 5.3-2.2-0.85
> NPK 10.6-4.4-1.7
> And that Baby Bio is £0.50 cheaper. Just add half the recommended dose for orchids...


Less for more....good business sense 
I like the little orchid food spray bottle, it’s pink 
Now I have it though I will just dilute the baby bio i also have and decant it into my nice pink baby bio orchid spray bottle.......sometime in the next decade when I’ve used it up 

Keeping aquatic plants again seems to have inspired a more prevelant desire to keep all plants, I just bought a Kentia palm to go beside my fish tank.....hopefully it will make good use of the water that evaporates from my tank every week,  and a bit of the water that would go down the drain during water changes.....it’ll already be fertilised too so the baby bio will never get used up.


----------



## Hendre

Ady34 said:


> Less for more....good business sense
> I like the little orchid food spray bottle, it’s pink
> Now I have it though I will just dilute the baby bio i also have and decant it into my nice pink baby bio orchid spray bottle.......sometime in the next decade when I’ve used it up
> 
> Keeping aquatic plants again seems to have inspired a more prevelant desire to keep all plants, I just bought a Kentia palm to go beside my fish tank.....hopefully it will make good use of the water that evaporates from my tank every week,  and a bit of the water that would go down the drain during water changes.....it’ll already be fertilised too so the baby bio will never get used up.


I have found this too... Now have a 40l with my emersed plants, an orchid posted higher up and an attempted wabi-kusa type thing with garden moss. Time will tell if that works. Now I want a drosera and more orchids. Weird huh


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





gex23 said:


> What do you mean?


I just meant that your _Restrepia trihoglossa_ was similarly coloured, but would be more problematic to keep outside of a terrarium.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Hendre

Flowers are coming!!


----------



## tayloss

Mine have come out with some beautiful purple flowers... it just seems to go on forever!








Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Urtil

Here are mine


 

It is in Greece. Unfortunately I will move to another place soon and put my apartment for sale in Greece but for sure will take all my plants with me. Hope to take a place with a bigger balcony )))


----------



## Hendre

3 flower stalks! Only had two last time


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





dw1305 said:


> I have _Hippeastrum_ "Exotic Star" in the kitchen at home


Not an orchid, but another strange _Hippeastrum.
_


 

_Hippeastrum cybister_ "Sumatra".

cheers Darrel


----------



## sciencefiction

What substrate is best for orchids guys?

I've been torturing one in my fish tank for possibly 9 months now. It's growing but it won't flower on me. It is in better condition than when it was given to me but I am guessing it's a bit too wet for it in there? I don't even know what species it is.


----------



## Edvet

Phalaenopsis.
To wet indeed.


----------



## sciencefiction

Edvet said:


> Phalaenopsis.
> To wet indeed.



I hope its not pink.


----------



## Edvet

Choose:


----------



## sciencefiction

Edvet said:


> Choose:



I did program my plant to look like the above but all I got is the below. There must be something wrong with my camera


----------



## Hendre

My leomesezia is flowering very nicely!! A fourth stalk also started emerging... I'm very impressed


----------



## Keith GH

sciencefiction,

This is from the American Orchid Society and is certainly worth taking a hard copy.
I can assure you there is no magical one mix for orchids.  

The medium used is only one part of growing Orchids successfully.

http://www.aos.org/orchids/additional-resources/potting-media-reviewed.aspx

Keith


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





dw1305 said:


> .......another strange _Hippeastrum._


Another one, this one lives in the kitchen and the flowers only last about four days in good condition. It doesn't really show on the photo, but the tepals are really thick and substantial/ 

I don't know what variety it is, it was a remaindered bulb, bought after christmas in the supermarket. I've had it for ~10 years, and it has had to put up with a fair bit of neglect (and being eaten by Large Narcissus Bulb fly).



 

cheers Darrel


----------



## Cor

Just wanna share


----------



## Hendre

That marbling is stunning!


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Hendre said:


> That marbling is stunning!


Paint job.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Cor

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,Paint job.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Yes, they add color pigment through water in the nursery. Just like the blue Phalaenopsis.


----------



## Keith GH

Cor

Being a Show Manager for a very large Orchid Society for many years I must have seen 100s of beautiful Orchids and never any thing like those.   I can assure you they would never be allowed  to be either on show or Judged.

Sorry I would never have them in our home, the wife was looking over my shoulder and said the same thing.

Keith


----------



## Hendre

Ah. I stand corrected 

Here's my Leomesezia going nuts!


----------



## Bon MotMot

Dendrobium aggregatum


----------



## Tim Harrison

Wow...simply beautiful


----------



## Hendre

That's giant! How old is this plant?


----------



## Majsa

Hi experts, you have such beautiful orchids!

Yesterday I found out that one of my phals has crown rot, all its leaves fell off  A moment later I saw this on another, healthy phal. Is this a keiki?? Or just new leaves on a weird spot?


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





Majsa said:


> Is this a keiki?? Or just new leaves on a weird spot?


Although they are monopodial, they do occasionally branch. You need to let the new stem get quite large (at least three leaves) before you divide it into two. 





Majsa said:


> Yesterday I found out that one of my phals has crown rot, all its leaves fell off


It may grow back from a dormant bud.





dw1305 said:


> The old leaves stayed green (and I nearly binned it a couple of times), but after 3 years it eventually grew a new leaf rosette from further back along the caudex.


cheers Darrel


----------



## Edvet

Orchid lovers might drool a bit:


----------



## DeepMetropolis

New member of the house.


----------



## Tim Harrison

Our's have recently been moved to a sunnier location and seem to be doing much better...



by Tim Harrison, on Flickr


----------



## Hanuman

These are not mine but last week I was in Chiang and it just so happens that I visited an orchid farm.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





Hanuman said:


> and it just so happens that I visited an orchid farm.


I like _Vanda_ type orchids.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Edvet

Now that's the way to keep orchids!


----------



## Hanuman

Edvet said:


> Now that's the way to keep orchids!


Yes. That one looks nice because it's more of a tourist attraction. Here is how a more authentic farm looks like. I was there a few weeks ago. This is west of Bangkok where a lot of the orchid farms are located.


----------



## Edvet

I am guessing mostly hybrids and almost no species


----------



## Hanuman

And here some of my the orchids I had in my previous apartment 8 years ago. Unfortunately they all died. Orchids are high maintenance and need to be taken care off like dolls.


----------



## Hanuman

Edvet said:


> I am guessing mostly hybrids and almost no species


Can't say. I know little about orchids other than they are beautiful and mysterious.


----------



## Majsa

I visited a Phalaenopsis nursery last weekend and bought these beauties. Fresh plants straight from the greenhouse, hope they'll manage in my care.


----------



## MJQMJQ

They certainly like moisture and shade.Too bad we cant get phalaenopsis to flower again without air con here in sg.


----------



## Hanuman

And here is a new year gift from a friend:


----------



## PARAGUAY

Stunning. We never have much luck with orchids. Is it true you completely let them dry out then generously water?Maybe incorrect feeding or lack of humidity in our case


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





PARAGUAY said:


> Is it true you completely let them dry out then generously water?


You never want to let them get dust dry. I water most of mine weekly even in the winter, I just don't give them as much water. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## PARAGUAY

Thanks Darrel. Definitely give them another go


----------



## Hanuman

Orchids basically need constant decent amounts of humidity but cannot be damped in water for long time. They also need proper ventillation for fungul infections not to occur. Of course not all species are the same and some are more sensitive than others and need specific conditions but in my experience they need misting every day if kept outdoors. Looking how orchid farm operate, the floor/ground under which the orchids are located is always flooded with water to create a high humidity environment for the plants which are hung to the ceilling.


----------



## Oldguy

Bought the wife a very nice orchid yesterday, £9.99 reduced to £3.00, I know how to spoil her . (We were shopping for half price Christmas lights for next year).
Interesting the mark up on stuff.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





PARAGUAY said:


> Definitely give them another go





Oldguy said:


> Bought the wife a very nice orchid yesterday, £9.99 reduced to £3.00


Now is the time. 

If you aren't sure about watering, weight is very useful. Some people write the weights down, but I just pick the pot up. If it feels *really *light, I soak the plant for 1/2 an hour in water, and then let it drain.  If it still feels really light it is because coarse bark composts are very good for _Phalaenopsis_ etc., but they are difficult to re-wet once they've got dust dry.Give it a bit more of a soak, once the plant feels heavy, let it drain and then just pick it up every week before you water it. You'll have to judge how light it gets before you re-water.  





Hanuman said:


> Looking how orchid farm operate, the floor/ground under which the orchids are located is always flooded with water to create a high humidity environment for the plants which are hung to the ceiling.


I also put a couple of wine corks in the decorative outer container (if the plant has one), that means you don't have to be quite as careful watering, when there is water in the pot the plant sits above it on the corks. Open saucers I have hydroleca in and the plant sits on that.

cheers Darrel


----------



## PlantsCase07

Awesome! What a beautiful orchids you got! Unfortunately, I have only one which is losing his flowers. I have to cut withered sticks. To be honest, it is my first orchid so I take a special care for him. I have never been interested in this kind of plants but I really like them, they are very satisfying.


----------



## Thomas Cranham

Some amazing orchids on her. Unfortunately I don't have room in the house for large plants, so I have mainly been concentrating on miniature orchids that I can fit in terrarium like this lepanthes calodictyon!


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,
Another non-orchid, this also lives in our shower room. It is another Gesneriad, a “Goldfish  plant” (_Columnea_), but I don’t know which one.

I inherited it about 30 years ago.





Cheers Darrel


----------



## mort

I've seen "goldfish plant" cuttings a few times on ebay but didn't know they looked that nice in flower. My nan loved african violets so nice to see other members of the family.

I have a couple of aeschynanthus which look similar to their cousins but are less hairy.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,





mort said:


> I've seen "goldfish plant" cuttings a few times on ebay but didn't know they looked that nice in flower


Another Gesnerid, _Nematanthus_ is also known as the "Goldfish plant", that doesn't have flowers anything like as good, but it is a good house plant. 

Pretty much all the Gesnerids are easy as cuttings (most will grow from a leaf, as well as a softwood stem), but a lot of them are more tricky to keep long term in the house.





mort said:


> I have a couple of aeschynanthus which look similar to their cousins but are less hairy.


I've got an <"_Aeschynanthus_ in that pot as well">. There is another one at work. The teaching lab. one has flowered really well recently (<"must be the Miracle-Gro">), but I failed to take a photo.

Apparently Columnea need a cool period to iniate flowering, so it might be the same for _Aeschynanthus_ ("Lipstick plant").

Some of the other _Columnea_ spp. have glossy leaves, I have a "shiny one", that might be _C. x banksii_.

cheers Darrel


----------



## mort

I've had my aeschynanthus for a few years and it has kept flowering a few times a year with no real effort. It's a south facing room so gets a lot of light but it's happily been flowering in both summer or winter. I took two cuttings which are now biggish plants and they both flower regularly as well but out of sync with the others, so perhaps I'm just lucky.


----------



## Tim Harrison

One of our kitchen residents in flower...


----------



## hypnogogia

dw1305 said:


> I inherited it about 30 years ago


That’s good going.  How old was it when you inherited it?


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 





hypnogogia said:


> That’s good going. How old was it when you inherited it?


It is the same plant, but not the same plant at the same time, because I've propagated it from cuttings (cloned it) numerous times during that time period, if that makes sense?

cheers Darrel


----------



## Wolf6

Had this for 3 years now, flowers every year this far  I've both given it too much water and too little water in the past, but this is a tough orchid thankfully.


----------



## hypnogogia

Problem I have with my orchids is that the leaves have become slightly shrivelled and leathery, but they still flower once or twice a year.  Can’t seem to get the leaves back to a normal state, and I don’t really know what’s causing it.


----------



## Tim Harrison

I have one that's exactly the same, not sure what that's about either but would love to know. All the rest are thriving.


----------



## LondonDragon

Mine did not flower this year


----------



## mort

hypnogogia said:


> Problem I have with my orchids is that the leaves have become slightly shrivelled and leathery, but they still flower once or twice a year.  Can’t seem to get the leaves back to a normal state, and I don’t really know what’s causing it.



My mum has a few like that as well and I just assumed that it was a lack of water because it tends to affect the ones in brighter sunlight (so could be humidity to) that might need more frequent watering but I think its just a sign of a less than happy plant. I think if you are over watering enough to cause root rot then the same effects are seen.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,
Not an orchid, but our Christmas Cacti were looking very flowery this morning. They nearly all originally belonged to (now dead) relatives, so I've been taking a bit more care of them recently.





Cheers Darrel


----------



## Tim Harrison

Looking spectacular. Reminds me of my farther. He had them growing in several rooms of the family home and in his greenhouse.


----------



## Wolf6

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> Not an orchid, but our Christmas Cacti were looking very flowery this morning. They nearly all originally belonged to (now dead) relatives, so I've been taking a bit more care of them recently.
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers Darrel


I should get one of those. One of the few nicely flowering indoor plants in the right colours (white/pink/blue/purple allowed )


----------



## foxfish

I have one that is at least 35 years old, it has given hundreds of plantlets to my family and friends over they years But.... this year it looks sick!
The leaves seem to be shrivelling but  conditions are the same as it has been for the last decade?
Something is wrong!
I fear for its life!


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


Wolf6 said:


> I should get one of those. One of the few nicely flowering indoor plants in the right colours
> 
> 
> foxfish said:
> 
> 
> 
> it has given hundreds of plantlets to my family and friends over they years
Click to expand...

If your saw one you liked, and a bit of stem was to fall off into your pocket, it would be very easy to root it.


foxfish said:


> Something is wrong!


My guess is that some of the lower stem has died and that is why the stems ("leaves") are shrivelling.  Knock it out of the pot and see what you've got, it might be vine weevils.

cheers Darrel


----------



## foxfish

It is a worry, i will have a root check tomorrow ....


----------



## not called Bob

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> If your saw one you liked, and a bit of stem was to fall off into your pocket, it would be very easy to root it.
> 
> My guess is that some of the lower stem has died and that is why the stems ("leaves") are shrivelling.  Knock it out of the pot and see what you've got, it might be vine weevils.
> 
> cheers Darrel


sound like my gran, she would have a knife and a poly bag in her pocket, only had a tiny garden outdid her flat, but the amount of cuttings from places like the Isabella in Richmond park and Kew she popped in her pocket over the years was impressive 

though having listened to the Kew podcast, they have big issues with this and also removal of rare plants from the collections,


----------



## Wolf6

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> If your saw one you liked, and a bit of stem was to fall off into your pocket, it would be very easy to root it.
> 
> My guess is that some of the lower stem has died and that is why the stems ("leaves") are shrivelling.  Knock it out of the pot and see what you've got, it might be vine weevils.
> 
> cheers Darrel


My son found a piece of plant in a garden center once he really liked. I told him he could take it in his pocket and we'd see if we could get it to root. He was so proud when it worked  Lots of plants are easy like that luckily. I'll keep an eye out next time we're in a garden center


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## dino21

Hi,

Newbie to the forum and just been looking around a bit more and saw this thread.

Like the OP  @Michael W  we used to have a good garden center nearby that had a good selection orchids but also a section for those plants and orchids that had lost their flowers and were being sold off for literally a £1 or so.
Sadly, not the case today!

Thought you might like to see some of the ones we rescued and were able to bring back into flower for several years.


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## foxfish

Yesterday I inherited  these two pots of orchids, what I know is the original single plant  was  purchased at least 40 years ago but possibly more like 60 years ago.
The pot was placed in a cold green house and eventually filled 6 pots but the lady has now died taking any futher information with her....
Apparently they dont like to much sun or heat and should be stood outside in the shade  for 6 months  and in a cold house in the winter, there is a sauser under the pots that must always have some water in it.
A lovely gift to me from a lovely old ladies son who has the other four pots.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 


foxfish said:


> The pot was placed in a cold green house and eventually filled 6 pots but the lady has now died taking any futher information with her....
> Apparently they dont like to much sun or heat and should be stood outside in the shade for 6 months and in a cold house in the winter,


Now that is a lovely gift. 

I'd probably stick with those growing conditions, it is a _Paphiopedilum sp., _but I don't know which one. They come from a wide altitude range so that there are warm, intermediate and cool growing species. 

They need humidity, so keeping them cooler helps with that and also gives them a drier winter rest. 

cheers Darrel


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## foxfish

Thanks Darrel, I think they might need dividing into four pots as they seem very crowded, I might just split one pot in a few weeks time and leave the other for the time being?
I was shown exactly where they were kept in the summer and winter so I feel ok about where to place them in my garden.
I can’t actually  see any type of soil in the pots just a mass of roots.


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## LondonDragon

foxfish said:


> what I know is the original single plant was purchased at least 40 years ago but possibly more like 60 years ago.


WOW that is crazy, lovely plants and cannot imagine keeping a plant for that long  I am sure you will do them justice


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## dw1305

Hi all, 


foxfish said:


> Thanks Darrel, I think they might need dividing into four pots as they seem very crowded, I might just split one pot in a few weeks time and leave the other for the time being?


I'd go for that, one pot at a time and probably as soon as they've finished flowering.  A little bit of searching found a name <"_Paphiopedilum insigne__">._


foxfish said:


> I can’t actually see any type of soil in the pots just a mass of roots.


This looks some <"good advice">.


LondonDragon said:


> and cannot imagine keeping a plant for that long


I've had this plant of <"_Coelogyne cristata">_ since 1986.

cheers Darrel


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## foxfish

Thank you Darrel, well found and appreciated.


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## dw1305

Hi all,


foxfish said:


> well found


"Cool growing _Paphiopedilum_", as a search term, pretty quickly took me to _P. insigne. _

cheers Darrel


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## dw1305

Hi all, 
Another non-orchid, and a horrible photo, but this is 2021 version of <"_Hippeastrum_ "Exotic Star">. 






cheers Darrel


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## Hanuman

New addition. Gift from a friend selling orchids. This is an Anoectochilus more commonly called marbled jewel orchid.


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## Cor




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## MirandaB

In keeping with my love of all things nano,be prepared to be underwhelmed!
Little finger for scale......Platystele misera aka the insignificant Platystele,can't for the life of me think why they named it that


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## Wolf6

My 'boring' old orchid has flowered again from the same stem the last flowers came from. Its quite early too this year, usually it flowers later in the year. Normally  the stem shrivels once all flowers are spend, but this time it remained green so I let it be. If it keeps doing this I'll need a very long stick to support it 



 🤣


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## dw1305

Hi all,
Another non-orchid (and a <"serial appearer"> in this thread), but our bathroom "Amazon Lily" (_Eucharis "grandiflora"_) has decided that autumn has come early in 2021.





cheers Darrel


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## dougbraz

Catasetum fimbriatum being pollinated.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Female version of above




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wolf6

Full bloom now


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## Tyko_N

First one for the season over here, if you don't count a _Phalaenopsis _that just wont stop flowering. Some kind of _Cattleya_ hybrid is as far as I have got to identifying it, the local flower shops don't tend to bother with such mundane things as correct names, but it's growing well which is enough for me.


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## The_storm

Nice thread.

I always struggled with orchids until I did a weekly 10 minute soak in the dirty water discarded from my aquarium filter.
No more! They always seem to be in flower and the flowers last for months.


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## dw1305

Hi all,


Tyko_N said:


> Some kind of _Cattleya_ hybrid is as far as I have got to identifying it


It might be <"_Brassolaeliocattleya_ Greenwich "Elmhurst">.

cheers Darrel


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## Tyko_N

dw1305 said:


> It might be <"_Brassolaeliocattleya_ Greenwich "Elmhurst">.


That one looks very similar, thanks Darrel! Did a bit more digging on the site you sent and found another good candidate: Brassolaeliocattleya Alma Kee 'Tipmalee'.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 


Tyko_N said:


> Did a bit more digging on the site you sent and found another good candidate: Brassolaeliocattleya Alma Kee 'Tipmalee'.


That one looks nearer, with ruffled upper petals. 

cheers Darrel


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## dw1305

Hi all,


Tyko_N said:


> Some kind of _Cattleya_ hybrid is as far as I have got to identifying it


I should have said that it is absolutely gorgeous, whatever it might be.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Tyko_N

The "Cattleya" is starting to fade now, but the next one up already has two flower stalks in full bloom, I like it when they take turns 
_Oncidium _('Twinkle' hybrid maybe?):


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## mort

Looks like a tropical daffodil against the snowy trees


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## Tyko_N

Yes it's quite a contrast. It was -13C outside this morning and we have had those kind of temperatures for the past week, but indoors the orchids are happily putting on a good show, makes winter a bit more bearable


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


Tyko_N said:


> _Oncidium _'Twinkle'


Yes, that looks a <"likely ID">. I really like these x_ Cambria_ type orchids.

cheers Darrel


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## Tyko_N

dw1305 said:


> I really like these x_ Cambria_ type orchids.


Me too, great combination of hardy, pretty, and staying a manageable size  Shame that they are not more common in shops, I would rather take one of these any day over an artificially coloured Phalaenopsis...


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## kayjo

This little orchid (Dryadella Simula) 

just started blooming for the first time since planting it 2 years ago.  It's planted on a drip wall over an aquarium.  The miniature oak leaf ficus gives an idea of the orchid's size.


----------



## Tyko_N

The _Cymbidium_ don't seem bothered by being moved out into the greenhouse, not a single flower bud was dropped and it's putting out new shoots. The flower pattern has even improved compared to last year when it had to spend the winter indoors (second picture).


----------



## zozo

Forgotten the name but I got these from Darrel - @dw1305  a few years ago. It's the first time it flowers, didn't expect it in the winter.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 


zozo said:


> Forgotten the name but I got these from Darrel


The purple flowering one is a <"_Dendrobium kingianum_"> cultivar. They usually flower late Winter / Early Spring for me. The other one is the "Gooseberry Orchid" _Coelogyne cristata, _which should flower about the same time. I have eventually <"re-potted mine">, and it is still sulking.

cheers Darrel


----------



## foxfish

My Paphiopedilum are looking good this year, I did intend to split them up but never got around to it!


----------



## foxfish

@dw1305 , I have this funny cactus thing in flower too?


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## mort

I've got one of those in flower at the moment as well @foxfish , it flowers this time every year. It's a rhipsalis but I can't remember which one off the top of my head.

Edit, Rhipsalis pilocarpa  Rhipsalis pilocarpa | hairy-fruited wickerware cactus Conservatory Greenhouse/RHS Gardening


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## dw1305

Hi all,


foxfish said:


> I did intend to split them up but never got around to it!


They look absolutely phenomenal. It is always difficult to know with splitting and or repotting with orchids.


dw1305 said:


> The other one is the "Gooseberry Orchid" _Coelogyne cristata, _which should flower about the same time. I have eventually <"re-potted mine">, and it is still sulking.


I divided into four sections, one bit is doing well (flowering today) but the other three are still lingering somewhere  between life and death.





cheers Darrel


----------



## foxfish

Well what I plan to do this year is dived one pot  (as you suggested  last year) into four pots.
I cant actually see any form of soil in the pots but I will pack the the divided  plants with  sphagnum moss and hope for the best.
All I did last year was add a little liquid  seaweed a couple of times, once in April when they went outside and once in June. I did water the pots occasionally  but most of the time they just had water when it rained.


----------



## foxfish

mort said:


> I've got one of those in flower at the moment as well @foxfish , it flowers this time every year. It's a rhipsalis but I can't remember which one off the top of my head.
> 
> Edit, Rhipsalis pilocarpa  Rhipsalis pilocarpa | hairy-fruited wickerware cactus Conservatory Greenhouse/RHS Gardening


OK thanks, I bought a pot from B&Q last year and it has grown like a weed, the one in the picture is just a cutting that I hung up to see what would happen.
I have a feeling it will really take off this coming year, no heat just in my outdoor party house.


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## Ehcosbie

My hybrid brassia is my only orchid currently in flower.


----------



## mort

foxfish said:


> OK thanks, I bought a pot from B&Q last year and it has grown like a weed, the one in the picture is just a cutting that I hung up to see what would happen.
> I have a feeling it will really take off this coming year, no heat just in my outdoor party house.



I have 5-6 different rhipsalis, all grown from tiny cuttings and they all grow like weeds.


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## Ehcosbie

There is an orchid festival in Kew gardens that starts today,  if anyone lives up that way. Would be a great day out for anyone who likes orchids. 






						Orchids | Kew
					

Celebrate the richness of Costa Rica with Kew Gardens' annual orchid festival. Our stunning horticultural displays bring to life the incredible biodiversity of Central America through the culture and colours of a country home to 6% of the world's flora and fauna species.




					www.kew.org


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## Yugang

Singapore botanic gardens / orchid garden.


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## dw1305

Hi all, 


Yugang said:


> Singapore botanic gardens / orchid garden.


Now that is cheating.

cheers Darrel


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## MichaelJ

dw1305 said:


> Now that is cheating.


haha... well, not if its @Yugang's garden! ... in his neck of the woods it very well might be


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## Yugang

MichaelJ said:


> haha... well, not if its @Yugang's garden! ... in his neck of the woods it very well might be


Not exactly, but visited probably 20 times. Don't miss it when you're in SPore, it is an amazing garden to hang around and relax.


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## Rich Jackson

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## hypnogogia

Ehcosbie said:


> There is an orchid festival in Kew gardens that starts today,  if anyone lives up that way. Would be a great day out for anyone who likes orchids.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Orchids | Kew
> 
> 
> Celebrate the richness of Costa Rica with Kew Gardens' annual orchid festival. Our stunning horticultural displays bring to life the incredible biodiversity of Central America through the culture and colours of a country home to 6% of the world's flora and fauna species.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.kew.org


They have one every year.  It’s spectacular.


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## dw1305

Hi all,
This is a _Dendrobium x delicatum, _it has had a cold winter (in the glasshouse) and that has provoked into flowering.





cheers Darrel


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## dougbraz

Love this alien looking orchid!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Hendre

Don't grow any of these, but you can see orchids I find out in the wild here:


			https://capecarnivores.co.za/orchids/


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## dougbraz

I like alien looking orchids 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## dougbraz

I really do!


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## GHNelson

Hi Crew
Where can I purchase a red/burgundy orchid on-line?


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## dw1305

Hi all, 


GHNelson said:


> Where can I purchase a red/burgundy orchid on-line?


You should be able to get <"_xCambria_ "Nelly Isler"> fairly easily.





cheers Darrel


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## GHNelson

Thanks Darrel


----------



## mort

A couple that have done their thing lately


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## Hufsa

mort said:


> View attachment 193091


Oooh what a gorgeous pink color on this one 😍


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## mort

I must admit @Hufsa  i'm normally a fan of the more subtle flowers but that one did stand out to me. I remember buying my mum a, what i thought was interesting, more wild type mottled flower yellow and brown species and the first thing she did was chop off all the flowers because she assumed it had gone over.   

a few more from this year, all cheap bargain plants that needed tlc. Never paid more than a fiver for an orchid and the big flower one was cheaper than what i used for scale


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## dw1305

Hi all, 


mort said:


>


That one is _Ornithogalum dubium. _I had it for a while in the glasshouse, but it failed to re-appear one spring.

cheers Darrel


----------



## mort

I think we have had it for a few years now Darrel and perhaps the key is my ability to forget to water things and complete ignorance in how to care for it. Tbh I didn't know it was troublesome until you said (didn't mean to post it either but must've got carried away). Now I know I'll probably kill it.


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## dw1305

Hi all,
Apologies, because it is another couple of non-orchids, but these are "Scarborough "Lily"" (<"_Cyrtanthus elatus_"> formerly _Vallota  speciosa_), at present in the tea room at work.

The Scarborough Lily is fantastically inappropriately named, because it is both S. African and an Amaryllid, but it is great house plant for a sunny window and virtually impossible to kill.





And a <"Lipstick vine"> (_Aeschynanthus radicans_). The Lipstick Vine is actually my "cuttings pot" from earlier in the year, but I've failed to pot them on. These are a lot easier to kill, so it is worth having a spare.





cheers Darrel


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## zozo

dw1305 said:


> And a <"Lipstick vine"> (_Aeschynanthus radicans_). The Lipstick Vine is actually my "cuttings pot" from earlier in the year, but I've failed to pot them on. These are a lot easier to kill, so it is worth having a spare.



Shake my hand!... I had one very beautiful and rather large and lush for over a year... And then all of a sudden like the devil out of a box it died on me and I have no clue why. Well, I suspect it was because watering it with tap water still was too hard with Gh5 and caused salinization of the soil.


----------



## mort

I don't think they mind @zozo , we have very hard tap water here in Norfolk and our lipstick vines do really well (we haven't had any rain water to spare until this week and I'm to lazy to warm it up in the winter). I think the key is to not over water them and let them dry out in between watering.  I have A. marmoratus as well and it doesn't like to be to wet either.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


mort said:


> I think the key is to not over water them and let them dry out in between watering.


Definitely that is the key, but I think all these the plants have a <"finite life span"> and eventually the old plant will die. I've found this with all the tropical epiphytic Gesnerids.  Because they root so easily from cuttings (including leaves) I'm imagining that in the wild they will naturally root into accumulations of leaf litter in branch forks etc.

These are all still clones from the same plants <"I had in 2012">, and I've owned the _Columnea's_ since 1985. I've had a lot of  other Gesnerids, but they all need warmer more humid conditions than I can manage or have fallen victim to Vine Weevils and/or _laissez faire_ mangement.

They're some cracking _Petrocosmea_ and <"_Streptocarpus_"> / <"_Streptocarpella_"> species for a cool glasshouse, I just don't have anywhere to put them.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Tyko_N

Liparis condylobulbon (probably, bought as an unlabeled plant about a year ago), the flowers are barely half a centimeter across, but on the other hand this stem has produced almost 50 of them so far.


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 
This one has <"had an outing"> in this thread before, but it is doing a better at home than it did in my room at work. 






cheers Darrel


----------



## dougbraz

Whilst the more "normal" orchids are great fun (of which I have quite a few), it is also really interesting when you grow MICRO-orchids such as these which are flowering on a wine cork (the infamous "banana for scale" doesn't really work here...).
Probably hard to come by in the UK, but luckily I live in the tropics and these are not that rare at all..
Enjoy - 
Doug


----------



## dougbraz

Again, living in the tropics it is easier to acquire some lesser known orchids - which makes it all the more "fun" really. This one is Aeranthes arachnites which is fairly easy to grow and an interesting light green colour.


----------



## aquawoman99

dougbraz would you sell or ship some of these?

Last time I got screwed by trying some guy off of craigslist without any background information or criminal report. Tbh, idk if it's cool or sad I trust people on here more but my town just sucks in general


----------



## dw1305

Hi all, 
Still not an orchid, but this is 2022's incarnation of our <"dead relatives" Christmas Cacti">. 





cheers Darrel


----------



## foxfish

I have got a lipstick plant that is quite old, around 12 years I think.
It lives inside in the winter and I keep it trimed back every spring before it goes in my outside party house.
Also had some early cactus  flowers, almost finished now ….


----------



## foxfish

I have not re potted my Paphiopedilum as yet but they are back in flower….


----------



## Ehcosbie

foxfish said:


> I have not re potted my Paphiopedilum as yet but they are back in flower….
> 
> View attachment 198349


Amazing, what a display!


----------



## foxfish

Full bloom with over 30 flowers


----------



## dw1305

Hi all,


dw1305 said:


> .... Still not an orchid, but this is 2022's incarnation of our <"dead relatives" Christmas Cact">.


The last one, had this one for the last twenty years since my wife's grandma died. It gets a prune when you open the freezer door. I've also had this one for twenty years, _Haemanthus albiflos_.

Cheers Darrel


----------

