Show your orchids!

[dw1305]

Hi all,

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.

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.

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

 

[Edvet]

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

 

[parotet]

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

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

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.

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

 

[parotet]

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

 

[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

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

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

 

[Mick.Dk]

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

 

[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.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

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

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

"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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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 🙁

 

[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 Dendrobiums 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

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[parotet]

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

 

[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 .......