Cymbidium Orchids. 1.22.18

 These Cymbidiums have done amazingly well this winter.  The yellow one started blooming in November.

These are all no-name varieties, bought over the years at the grocery store.  I kept them outside in the vegetable garden all summer, on the edge of a raised bed in full sun.  These are not really organic - I used regular plant growth Miracle Grow, 1/4 strength, when watering them about once weekly.  The rest of the time they got well water.

In October or November, I moved them inside.  I started watering again when flower buds appeared, using 1/4 strength Miracle Grow Bloom Food.

Progress Report. Cymbidiums. 11.9.18

This unnamed (NoID) Cymbidium is opening new flowers while maintaining the first. It's looking nicer and nicer. Plus, there are new buds emerging from the base of the plant. I think it will bloom for one or two months. Which makes for a brighter winter.

 I think this is evidence that the summer care really did make a big difference. I did not give such good care in previous years. And it didn't bloom nearly so well. All it took was:

(1)  Adequate room for roots. I repotted this one in a bigger container, and used orchid bark as the growth medium.
(2)  Water once a week during hot weather, with diluted Miracle Grow - not a special orchid fertilizer, just the blue stuff. I used it at 1/4 strength compared to the label instruction. In fall, I changed to the Miracle Bloom Booster, at 1/4 strength.
(3)  If I wasn't up to mixing the fertilizer, I just used water.
(4)  This plant was in full sun, sitting on the edge of a raised bed for less slug problem. Deer didn't bother it.
(5)  When fall came and buds emerged, I brought it into the sunroom, although I think any bright room would do.

I'm sure the choice of cultivar makes a big difference too.  These were unnamed, I bought at Fred Meyer over the years.  The other three plants are behind this one, so there will be a long period of bloom this winter.

NoID Cymbidium. 11.9.18

Cymbidium Orchids. Easy Care and Beautiful Flowers for Fall. 11.1.18

NOID Cymbidium.  11.1.18

NOID Cymbidium.  11.1.18

These Cymbidiums are tough and beautiful.  This year, I finally decided to treat them right.  That didn't take much.  I repotted in fresh orchid bark, the standard stuff at the big box store.  I watered them once or twice a week, kept them in full sun, and about every other watering, gave  them diluted miracle grow - 1/4 the strength on the label.  I kept them in the vegetable garden on a stand so slugs wouldn't attack.  I was a hot, dry summer.  The leaves didn't look great, but the "Chocolate leopard" (my name) Cymbidium must have a doen flower stalks, with up to 10 flower buds each.  The "Lemon leopard" (my name) Cymbidium has about 3 stalks, bigger flowers.   I have two others.  Each is sending up one flower stalk.  They are much smaller plants.

I've had these for possibly 10 years.  Many years, I left them sitting under a tree all summer with no water.  This year I gave them just a little better care, and they are beautiful.

They are still outside.  The nights drop into the 40s.  I will bring them inside soon.

Sunroom Orchids. 3.9.18

Cymbidium Orchid.  3.9.18

 This is a good time for the sunroom orchids.  These get little care, just outside under a tree with occasional water, in the spring, summer, and fall, and into the sunroom for the winter.  I might fertilize with a very dilute general purpose plant food, but usually forget.  The orchid flowers last for a few months.  

Yamamoto Dendrobium.  3.9.18

Yamamoto Dendrobium.  3.9.18

Sunroom Orchids. 3.24.16

Here are some of the sunroom orchids. I don't do much to take care of them. Once in a while I repot in some arborist woodchips. Once in a while I give them very dilute tomato fertilizer.  This year I do not have the burden of corporate life, and might give them more attention.

Dendrobium nobile.  3.24.16

Cymbidium.  3.24.16

Dendrobium nobile.  3.24.16

Dendrobium nobile.  3.24.16

Twinkle type oncidium.  3.24.16

Orchids. Progress Report. 2.12.14

Green Cymbidium

Dendrobium nobile

Some nice orchid flowers now.  This is the first rebloom for this green flowered Cymbidium.  Pale green with white center.

The Yamamoto Dendrobium nobile is equally nice.

These make February more tolerable.

These had little pampering this year.  I had them outside, east side of the house in Battleground, for the summer and early fall.  I brought them inside as it started to cool off.

I rarely watered them.  When buds started to form, I watered using dilute general purpose plant food.

Orchids. 12.21.13

Cymbidium hybrid

Oncidium hybrid

Some of the orchids are blooming nicely.  This is a great thing to have on the gloomy winter days.

Today is Solstice, the day when the Northern Hemisphere starts facing the sun again, bathing us in the star's radiation.  Longer days will follow, then warmer and ultimately Spring will come.

Meanwhile, it's nice to have some flowers blooming in my room.

Each plant summered outside with minimal attention.  They are so beautiful, this year I should give them some TLC.  They are all several years old.  So that means I can grow orchids.  Cool.

Indoor Garden. Orchids Blooming.

Cymbidium hybrid

Plant window in home office.  Cymbidium, Dendrobiums, and Oncidium.

Sanseveria and twinkle Oncidium orchids

Cold day.   Appreciate indoor garden.

The cymbidium hybrid was outside west of the house, out of full sun, all summer.  It did not get much water.  Brought inside in October.  Now blooming.  Watering with a diluted balanced mineral supplement.

Similar for the Oncidium hybrids.

The Sanseveria was left to languish in dry area on north porch, no water all summer.  I brought it inside and left it in garage, in October.  It's been there until today.  I cut off the dead  leaves.  It should regenerate by Spring.  Gives me something to appreciate growing.

Repotted the Yamamoto dendrobiums.  They had similar treatment.  I don't know what they'll do.  The look good considering how much they dried out.

I wondered how orchids and other plants survived the months-long journeys by ship in the Victorian era, and before that.  Many can handle extended period of dry, minimal light, and general neglect, for months.  Then regenerate when conditions are better.

There are other Cymbidiums.  One looks like it might also bloom.  The main issue with them - aphids.  The buds are covered with aphids when they are about to bloom.  A couple of sprayings with neem oil, and they look great.

It's nice to have plants that were dormant, or at least required minimal effort, in the summer, regenerate in the winter.

Orchid Blogging for January

I can't take much credit for this Phalaenopsis - it was in bud when I bought it. This keeps blooming and blooming and blooming. The last Harlequin that i had bloomed for a year, but then when I was nurturing it back to the next bloom, I think I overwatered it, and it died. That doesn't happen much to my orchids, but it proves I am not the "orchid whisperer" yet.

This Cymbidium hybrid is the only one from last year that is blooming this year. I don't know why - if it is that it is more suited for my circumstances, or just a random difference. They are nice and fragrant, and I like these flowers more than the ones it had last year.

Oncidium "twinkle".  This must be the easiest Oncidium hybrid to rebloom.  This is the second rebloom this year.  I have been growing this with dilute Miracle Grow Tomato food - 1/4 teaspoon per gallon.  Not organic for the orchids, their situation is too artificial as it is, and miracle grow is mineral based, not a petrochemical.

I've had this Oncidium hybrid for 2 years. It was a tiny plant, beige / brown flower. I bought it as a "disposable" but then kept it anyway. Glad I did - now it's starting a spike. I'm starting to think I can grow Oncidiums - although I still can't get the yellow ones to bloom. I have another one in spike too, but one pic of a small early spike is enough.

Miltoniopsis hybrid.  Or possibly, Miltonia.  This is another plant I thought I would just keep while in bloom, left it on the deck for a month or two without any care at all, then another Miltoniopsis bloomed so I reconsidered and repotted it.  That was last summer.  And now...  the beginning of a flower spike.  Actually, 2 flower spikes.  Amazing!

Cymbidium spikes

This NOID cymbidium is the only one producing spikes now. I'll hold on to some hope for the others. One that bloomed last year is not making spikes yet. If they don't bloom, I will have an excuse to buy a new one.

Saturday homework

Just homework today.
Goals tomorrow:
Get through homework backlog (yeah, right)
Inflate bike tires. Leave them for a few days to see if they deflate.
Bake pie.
Make lunches for Monday

I'm keeping the birds well fed. There were very few insects around this summer. Maybe the birds helped.

It's hard to get a good pic of the birds. I don't want to sit waiting for them. There are birds at the feeder almost constantly.

My buddy Charlie.

He stays by my side while I'm doing homework.  I couldn't survive without him.

My home office window.  The orchids are in an in-between stage.  Not growing much, not blooming.  The holiday cacti are blooming like crazy.  One cymbidium has started sending out spikes.  I haven't decided if I should leave the others outside.  It's starting to become chilly.

Cymbidiums (cymbidia?) are growing nicely in full sun now. Currently feeding with 30:10:10 and occasional Epson salts, both at about 1/2 teaspoon per 1.5 gallon. This is less than 1/4 strength for the orchid food. It's weakly but more like every-other-daily instead of weekly, for the ones in full sun. The leaves are that nice light green that websites talk about being ideal for cymbidium and some other orchids.

Miltassia or something similar, I think. It's interesting, most of the oncidium intergerics have similar pseudobulbs and leaves, just different flowers. Miltassia is intergeneric Miltonium or Miltoniopsis, with Brassia. Other than the flower, the plant looks like Oncidium or Odontoglossum - completely different genera.

7/16/11 From an orchidtalk discussion, this is a Banfieldara.  From a RHS forum, some Balfieldara are:

BANFIELDARA = ADA x BRASSIA X ODONTOGLOSSUM x
> ONCIDIUM
>
> BANFIELDARA Gilded Tower =
> = Adaglossum Summit (Odontoglossum x Ada) x
> Brassidium Gilded Urchin (Brassia x Oncidium)
>
> BANFIELDARA = ADA x BRASSIA X ODONTOGLOSSUM
>
> BANFIELDARA Gold Star =
> Brassada Memoria Bert Field (Ada x Brassia) x
> Odontoglossum Yellowstone Basin

Nice looking plant, view of the plant as well as the flowers. I like looking at the entire plant. Photos with just the flowers don't tell me as much.

Yellow Oncidium. It grows so easily. It bloomed once, and never since. It's now in full sun, resulting in sunburn, but also the new growth is that light apple-green that is sought for many orchids. Maybe that's what's needed to get it to bloom. Better get sun while it can, it's already July.

On Epson Salts - It's not clear that they are helpful. Some people think they help the plants grow faster, assuming there is no other source of Magnesium. "in an experiment the use of Epsom salts brought seedlings to maturity and flowering faster than those which were not provided with magnesium sulfate in the form of Epsom salts". The amount is given as ranging from one teaspoon per gallon with every watering, to 1 tablespoon per gallon, 4 times per year. I've rarely been using them, and at the low rate of one half teaspoon per gallon.

Cymbidium progress report.

These are the cymbidiums, out for the summer. I moved them from the shaded grape arbor to the full sun on the front deck. Not much sunburn. They are getting water every couple of days, with weak concentration of orchid growth food. Orchid growth food is high nitrogen, to help with leaf production.

Cymbidium in full bloom

People who grow orchids might be a little crazy. I'm very pleased about this Cymbidium now in full bloom, so here's another pair of pictures.

My First Home Grown Cymbidium Flower

At long last, I've re bloomed a Cymbidium. This is on growth that occurred in my care, starting from new growth last winter, and that I re potted at that time. I kept it mostly in full sun for the summer, fall, and early winter. I let it stay outside until freezing seemed imminent, then brought it inside. The flowers last year were darker, almost brown, with a Burgundy accent on the lip. I don't know if this lighter is due to the flowers just being one day old; less sun; or some other aspect of my care. Doesn't matter, I'm excited to have raised one to the point of blooming.

So to celebrate, I get another one? What's up with that? Still, it's more compact, one of the most compact I've seen here. The flower colors are great. Unfortunately, when I removed it from the plastic-lined, basket cache-pot, there was about an inch of water in the pot. Will that mean loss of roots? Early demise? Loss of flowers? So far it looks fine, but I won't really know until the flowers fall off and it's time to re pot.

Really love the coloration. Quite beautiful.

Orchids in January: Promises

A couple of hours with an ice pack on my back, and 600mg of ibuprofen, and I was up to walking around with the camera and looking at the "promises" of orchid blooms. They are gradual, but they always bring hope. A bit over one year ago, I didn't know if I could bring orchids into bloom, or if they would even survive. Now the windows are full of orchids, many with buds or spikes. Most are in South windows unless otherwise stated.

This Cymbidium continues to lengthen its spike. I try to be patient. Actually, there is no other choice! It's my first attempt at a Cymbidium, and I'm happy it's come this far. The flowers are brownish with magenta spotted lip, difficult for me to describe. If I've indexed it right, it can be found by clicking on the Cymbidium label.

As I was walking around taking photos, I noticed a new spike on this Burrageara Stefan Isler "Lava Flow". I am SO EXCITED! COOL! I was ready to give up hope for reblooming Oncidium alliance orchids. This one really grew nicely last year, several new pseudobulbs, a full specimen plant. I've been noticing the newer pseudobulbs swelling, and looked as recently as this week without seeing the any new spikes. I was starting to think about whether I wanted to keep it.

So like a proud parent with a camera, here is the spike! Did it grow from almost nothing to 3 inches overnight? Or did I just not notice it? Still quite some growth to happen before it blooms, but I think that the biggest hurdle is getting it to decide to make a spike. This is so cool!

Like the good child in the family, this Yamamoto Dendrobium Fancy Angel "Lycee" continues to behave and impress, without much encouragement, out performing everyone else and not getting a lot of credit for it because it is so reliable. Starting to spike again after a beautiful performance 2 months ago. A very reliable and beautiful flower.

This Trader Joe's Yamamoto Dendrobium "NOID Purple" (my name) is also a strong performer, but hasn't bloomed before this winter. Here we see new buds swelling. I also bloomed last winter and again during the summer. (Added later - I forgot I had decided this is Yamamoto Dendrobium Love Memory "Fizz". Looks just like it, and with that name I must have it.)

Here is the keiki that I started from above Trade Joe's Yamamoto Dendrobium "Purple", sharing a supplemental light source in the South window. The light is mainly there for the two Dendrobium phalaenopsis - type hybrids, that I suspect need more light in the winter. They are "Anching Lubag" and "Genting", for the record. Whether they will grow and rebloom is a question I hope is answered this year. The Yamamoto keiki, now a plant on it's own, is fattening up nicely and is maturing. It would be cool if it bloomed at a small size, but regardless, it's fun to have started an orchid plant "from the beginning".

Here is the Trader Joe's Epidendrum "NOID Red" (again, my name. Creative....) but it needs to be called something. These are said to be very easy, but you never know until you grow them yourself. It's making several new spikes on growth that happened in 2010 so it's another case of "I did it!" It's in a South window.

Iwanagaara Appleblossom "Fantasy" appears to have a nice spike on one of the new, larger-fatter pseudobulbs that grew last year. It's in a South window. I understand that these can give up while there is still a sheath, but have some hope. Holding it to the light, there appears to be a flower bud inside that sheath. Same is true for unpictured Potinara Achung Yoyo "Little Goldfish" which, if only because of the name, I would love to see it bloom.

A beautifully burgundy-leafed Phalenopsis (or is it Doritonopsis?) which has had a slowly growing flower spike for about 6 months. Inch by inch..... It's in a North window.

This rebloom-on-old-spike Phaenenopsis is another case of reliability to the point of taking for granted. Of course, I haven't had it bloom from a de novo new spike yet, but it's been in bloom for months and months. The photo doesn't do it justice, it's darker than the photo shows. It's in a West window.

Another Phalaenopsis about to rebloom on existing spikes. This one is white with pink polka-dots. Quite pretty. It also has a de novo spike. It's in a South window. In my area, even South windows are gloomy this time of year.