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.

Orchid Progress Report. Removing and potting a Keikei. Dendrobium in bloom. 1.21.14

keikei before removal

keikei with original stem removed

 This Yamamoto dendrobium had one keikei.  I've been meaning to cut it off and plant it.

Today I did.  It's larger than most of the keikeis I've started.

I cut below and above the attachment site.  I left a small piece of stem, rather than being perfectionist and possibly damaging the keikei.  I let it dry several hours.

Then planted in orchid bark.  Watered it in.  Now back into the window.

This is so easy.  This orchid is about as tough as a cactus.  It does not need a humidity chamber.

I tried not to damage roots but did damage a couple.  I think it will be OK.

Planted in orchid bark

Dendrobium in bloom

It needed to be propped up.  The rubber bands and clothes pin were all I had on hand.

The blooming dendrobium was pure white, with green center, when it bloomed before.  I think.  This time there is a pink blush.

I leave the old stems in the plant.  It looks more artistic that way.  It shows I've had the plant a while, not bought yesterday at the store.

This one survived a few months when I was sick.  Almost no care.. Left it outside, east side of house.  Brought it in before frost.  Tough plant.  I like it.

Oncidium hybrid

Orchid started blooming. Oncidium hybrid.

Orchid Blogging

During the summer there is so much going on, I tend to neglect the orchids. They give me so much pleasure during the winter, but sometimes they surprise me in Summer too. This one is probaby "Apollon" but was not labeled.  No special care - just tried to avoid completely drying out.  While cropping the pics I noted a visitor.

These are both Dendrobium nobile hybrids.

A closer view without kitty cat.

Cats are strange.

Orchid Blogging

This was albeled "Brown Oncidium". I had it in my window at work for the past 2 years. It was fed with "Shulz's Houseplant Food" weekly weekly. Strange how the color came out. It was originally a tiny plant from a big box store, and I kept it due to the unique color. Now it's quite lovely, but a completely different color.  Strange I can't get the yellow oncidium to bloom, but these bloom very nicely.

This is the Miltoniopsis that I rescued from myself last summer.  It's been getting a Miracle-Gro Tomato food at 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of rainwater.  Strange, even with the initial abuse, it's come back with beautiful flowers.

The orchids are given mineral foods due to being in entirely artifical environment, inside, getting rainwater.  It's not the same as plants in the soil outside.

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.

Orchid Report

During all of the destruction, construction, work and chaos, I've tried to keep the orchids properly placed, watered and fed. There may be a few casualties, but I think most have come through it. One concern was the fumes from floor finishing - it may be a while before the effects show up, but there does not appear to be any immediate death due to that exposure.

A new addition, Brassada Orange Delight "Hilo Sunrise". It was in spike and is now blooming. Bright and cheerful, compact size. If it stays small, and grows new, blooming pseudobulbs next year, that will be great.

Yamamoto Dendrobium Spring Dream "Apollon". These are the first blossoms on growth in my hands. It's interesting that so many of the Yamamoto Dendrobiums bloom in summer and again in winter.

Another view of Spring Dream "Apollon". The central eye is greener than shows up on the digital photo.  It has a single keiki, which is cool. If there were a lot of keikis, it would be a sign over too much nitrogen, but this one is on old non-blooming growth, and is a single keiki.  I will let it grow in place for a while.  There is also a new growth from the base.  Once the plant is done blooming, I will change back to a higher nitrogen orchid food to encourage the new growth to develop.

Yamamoto Dendrobium Yellow Song "Canary".

Another Miltoniopsis

This is Miltoniopsis Breathless "From Love". I can't take credit for blooming it. It was in spike already. That's what happens - I discover that I can grow something, so I think "let's try more". This one has awesome markings. No scent that I can tell.

The flowers are much smaller than the "NOID" that I bloomed and is still blooming - but I like them.

Miltoniopsis hybrid blooms

Miltoniopsis hybrid. It's always nice when an orchid blooms on growth that occured entirely in my care. Makes me think I can grow orchids. This one was easy, because I didn't expect it to bloom so I kept in out of the way. Mostly it was in either a shaded west window, or an east window. Now that it's in bloom, I like it.

Now in full bloom. I didn't remember the flowers being so big. Very colorful and lush. Now I know I can rebloom Miltoniopsis!

Orchid. An intergeneric oncidium hybrid

I bought this as a throw-away last year. After it bloomed I thought, why not keep it. I repotted, and moved it to my workplace window. After a bit under one year, it bloomed. Interesting how that happens.

Repotting a Miltoniopsis hybrid

I bought this Miltoniopsis hybrid a couple of months ago, intending to throw it away when it finished blooming. I sat it on the deck when it was done. It sat there dry and exposed for more than a month.  Yesterday I noted that my only other Miltoniopsis is producing what looks like a flower shoot. That development inspired me to try to rescue this one.

It's not in too bad shape considering what I did to it.

I soaked the roots in rain water for 20 minutes.

The pot is too deep. The manufacture of shards to fill space in the bottom is a precision method. It takes years of experience, a graduate degree, and a hammer.

All done. Planted in orchid bark-based potting mix. It's a little close to the top, but might settle. Then again I might take it back out and remove some medium before it gets too settled.  I watered it in nicely, and now it's in a East facing window.

I'm an odd person.  I like leaving on the old stems.  If the dead flowers stay on, I like that too.  It gives the orchid a "natural" or "botanical" look, like it would be on the tree branch if no humans were around.  Plus, it reminds me that this plant once bloomed, so might again.  I do remove dead leaves.  They can be a source of infection, and generally fall off anyway.

Oncidium progress report.

This is an Oncidium "Gower Ramsey" that I started from a backbulb in 2009. Neither it nor its parent has bloomed since then. Bummer. Plus, I gave away one of the other starts, and the 3rd I accidentally left outside and it froze. The parent is in the sun and got some sunburn, but is growing new sections. I repotted this start yesterday into a larger squat clay pot. I have moved it now to a south window. I think I will just give it bloom food now, low nitrogen.

This is an oncidium-type that I bought as a throw-away last year. After it bloomed, I potted it into a small clay pot and took it to work, where it was in a bright window. I gave it house-plant food as a weak solution roughly weekly. Then I brought it home this Spring, and moved it into a south bathroom window. It bloomed. I was surprised. It's cool! Strange, I thought this was a brown flower... Still, it's cool! Now it's starting a new growth, which is a little wrinkled due to missing some watering, but I think it will be OK.

Oncidium "Twinkle". I didn't think I would buy one of these, but I did. It's been blooming for about 4 months. This flower spike started after the earlier one finished. I potted it into what's become my usual small squat clay pot. It's in a south bathroom window. It's growing a number of new growths so I'm giving it growth food.

I tentatively identified this one as "Stefan Isler". It's been blooming for months. The first 2 spikes are gone, and these are starting to drop flowers. This Oncidium hybrid has been amazing. Really a start performer.

Yamamoto Dendrobiums progress report

These are most of the Yamamoto dendrobiums, out for the summer. I've been gradually moving them from the shaded part of the grape arbor to the full sun area. No sun burn to speak of. I've been watering them every couple of days. The weather is mostly overcast and warm but not hot. I've been giving them high nitrogen growth-food in a weak 1/4 strength solution. We still have rain water so I am not worried yet about salts.

This is the one that I identified as "Love Memory Fizz". I was surprised that it provided a few flowers in early summer. As I was taking the photo, I noted the fragrance. I did not recall it being fragrant. It has 3 new canes. They started slightly above the bark level so I added some fresh bark to the top to give the roots a place to grow. With some TLC and sunshine it should make a nice show next winter.

I stuck this cane section from "Yellow Song Canary" in bark medium this winter, just to see if it would grow. At this stage, the answer is "maybe". It will be slow. I like these little experiments.

The other keiki starts, one from "Love Memory Fizz" from July 2010 and the other from "Yellow Song Canary" this spring. Yesterday I potted them up a little into small, squat, clay pots. The heavier pots are less likely to fall over.

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.

Iwanagaara Appleblossom "fantasy"

I'm a bit pleased with myself for blooming this again.

Intergeneric orchid Stefan Isler

Really lovely. There are 4 spikes. Im proud of myself, getting this to bloom. These are the first flowers to open - I expect many.

Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden

This weekend I paid a visit to my ill mom in the midwest. On the trip back, I stayed overnight in St. Louis. My choice of dates was interesting - this was just after one of the greatest blizzards in recent history. Still, Saturday the snow stopped and the roads cleared and I had a chance to visit the Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden. This is something I was looking forward to, a lot.


My photos don't do it justice. It was amazing. The orchids were huge, the room was filled with fragrance, and the displays were awesome. I would make the trip just for this alone.

This Phaius may be recognizable from a recent posting, under an entirely different name. From the illustrations from the "Temple of Flora". Interesting coincidence.

Love the Cymbidiums.

The displays dwarf the visitors.

There are various Mayan-inspired displays. Makes me wonder if Bateman's "The Orchids of Mexico and Guatemala" was the inspiration. Too much coincidence not to be the case.

The orchid show was not in the climatron, but afterwards I walked around the botanical garden, and this was a nice scene of that massive tropical "flying saucer". Much of the garden was almost abandoned - it was serenely beautiful.



Oh, that's me.