Why not grow orchids?

[piping plovers]

10 hours ago, Tracy said:

This Laelia gouldiana (Greta Garbo" has almost fully opened this spike before Christmas, with another spike in full bud that should open just in time for New Year's Day. 

Perfect timing for the holidays!  Such vibrant color on those blooms.

[WaianaeCrider]

Can't walk out of Lowes w/o one of their 50% discounted orchids.  Not the best photo but this is the last purchase for $10

[piping plovers]

6 hours ago, WaianaeCrider said:

Can't walk out of Lowes w/o one of their 50% discounted orchids.  Not the best photo but this is the last purchase for $10

Nice colors on that one! For the past several years for Mother’s Day and mom’s birthday i have been purchasing mom the phaleonopsis commonly sold at box stores and grocery stores; so much nicer than cut flowers that last a week.  She now has so many phals (like yours above) in her sunroom; they just bloom and bloom every year .  A delight in the winter months up north.

[realarch]

Vanilla orchids and cacao, a perfect match. I spent a few weeks pollinating the flowers and now have beans maturing. The process is far from over, but I thought I’d give it a go. 

Tim

[Cindy Adair]

Two of my favorite plants that I grew (in a greenhouse) long before I moved to the tropics.
 

Great job with the hand pollination!

[piping plovers]

On 12/25/2021 at 2:33 PM, WaianaeCrider said:

Can't walk out of Lowes w/o one of their 50% discounted orchids.  Not the best photo but this is the last purchase for $10

You inspired me to save another phaleonopsis from the commercial trash bin.  This one was on the mark down shelf at the grocery store; destined for the trash once blooms faded. Picked it up for $11.

Reminds me of the starfish story: you can’t save all the beached starfish but if you throw back into the sea even just one of them you’ve made a difference to the life of that one starfish.

[Darold Petty]

Here is my plant of Laelia gouldiana, this image taken today, after a week of cold rain, and daytime temperatures less than 50F.

This orchid is mounted on a cork bark slab, and has been outdoors 365 days per year for the last 20 years.  When I remember to fertilize the plant it can produce 6 or 7 flowers.

[WaianaeCrider]

10 hours ago, piping plovers said:

You inspired me to save another phaleonopsis from the commercial trash bin.  This one was on the mark down shelf at the grocery store; destined for the trash once blooms faded. Picked it up for $11.

Reminds me of the starfish story: you can’t save all the beached starfish but if you throw back into the sea even just one of them you’ve made a difference to the life of that one starfish.

That's a great buy for 11 bucks.  Today I  went to Lowes and DID NOT buy an orchid.  But I did buy some lacquer spray and some danish oil for a wood working project.  LOL.

[JasonD]

2 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

Here is my plant of Laelia gouldiana, this image taken today, after a week of cold rain, and daytime temperatures less than 50F.

This orchid is mounted on a cork bark slab, and has been outdoors 365 days per year for the last 20 years.  When I remember to fertilize the plant it can produce 6 or 7 flowers.

Darold's and my foggy side of San Francisco is a good place for epiphytes. The garlands of Tillandsia usneoides in my garden keep soaking up the fog and expanding. I'm the envy of my friends on the slightly sunnier east side of SF. And no chiggers!
My Laelia anceps has grown from its cork mount onto the wooden staircase it was hanging from and is finishing its bloom now, a bit battered from winter storms. Another cultivar of Laelia anceps that I mounted with glue onto my Chiranthodendron pentadactylon (mano de diablo / monkey-hand tree) in April, 2020, has aggressively embraced its new perch, sending healthy roots a couple feet up and down the trunk after throwing out two new pseudobulbs. It's now got a fat spike with buds still concealed on the newest.
Five years or so ago I bought some cheap random intergeneric Laeliinae hybrid seedlings at the San Francisco Orchid Show a few blocks from my house. In April, 2020. I finally mounted those little plants, too, onto my monkey-hand tree, along with an ailing established Laeliinae hybrid that I'd written off for dead. All the plants are still alive. The ailing orchid sat for almost a year doing nothing and then started sending out roots and a new lead with two flowers opening last fall! Of the tinies, one has produced new foliage in a deep red color and some roots, with the other is not really producing roots but still sending out new shoots.
We're at a moment in winter here in SF right before a bunch of plants start blooming and growing. The ubiquitous trees Acacia dealbata and Prunus cerasifera will start blooming by January 15. Our horticultural winter can be quite short. Depending on how you measure it, it seems to last for three to six weeks. 

[Tracy]

10 hours ago, JasonD said:

Five years or so ago I bought some cheap random intergeneric Laeliinae hybrid seedlings at the San Francisco Orchid Show a few blocks from my house. In April, 2020. I finally mounted those little plants, too, onto my monkey-hand tree, along with an ailing established Laeliinae hybrid that I'd written off for dead. All the plants are still alive. The ailing orchid sat for almost a year doing nothing and then started sending out roots and a new lead with two flowers opening last fall!

You will have to share a photo or two of the tree with all the orchids mounted in it, especially once they are established and start blooming.  Relative to the ailing orchid that sat for so long, I wonder if it is one of the species (or hybrid of a species) that just appears to go dormant for months at a time with no growth, then bursts back onto the scene with a vengeance culminating with a flower show.  I have a few that seem to do nothing for several months then start growing again. 

How do you do with Cymbidium orchids in the Sunset?  I would imagine they would do well there too and give you some nice late winter early spring color.

[realarch]

Always nice to see this palm trunk mounted Cypripedium blooming once again. Love the foliage on this little orchid almost as much as the bloom itself. 

Tim

[piping plovers]

14 minutes ago, realarch said:

Love the foliage on this little orchid almost as much as the bloom itself. 

An amazing specimen.  So luxurious and what a balmy setting that looks to be!

[Kevind]

22 hours ago, realarch said:

Always nice to see this palm trunk mounted Cypripedium blooming once again. Love the foliage on this little orchid almost as much as the bloom itself. 

Tim

Beautiful!  Where are you located?  

And it's a Paphiopedolum - not a Cypripedium.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Kevind

[Kevind]

On 7/20/2021 at 9:00 PM, SEVA said:

Dendrobium moniliforme on a snow day in January and later blooming in May.

Where is this?  How cold did it get?

[Kevind]

On 6/21/2021 at 1:19 AM, Rick Kelley said:

After a 17 month hibernation, the Hilo Orchid Society had its first in-person meeting last Saturday.  We were not ready to meet indoors, so we instead decided to start out slow and easy with an outdoor garden tour at my place.  That prompted me to dig up a couple of recent photos to post here.  Just to remind all the mainlander, East Hawaii is just about the most forgiving environment for most orchids.  Mild temperatures all year round, abundant rainfall, refreshing breezes, ideal humidity.  Orchids go nuts once they are tied onto a tree.  I never spray any pesticide and only occasionally get around to fertilizing.  Mostly, the orchids are on their own.  Because you never need to repot and divide a plant growing on a tree, it quickly develops into a large specimen size plant that puts on a wonderful show. First up is a Cattleya purpurata that started out about four years ago the size of John's plant shown at the top of this page. Notice all the unopened buds on the right side.

Next up is one of the few species I grow, Cattleya warneri. This was a freebie from an orchid society potting demonstration six years ago. It started out in a 2" pot, but this year produced 32 flowers.

Here is a very old hybrid using warneri as one of the parents. It is Cattleya Dupreana coerulea.  Sadly, this bloomed ten days before the orchid society visit, so they just got to see all the dead flowers.

Just to prove I grow more than Cattleyas, here is some random blue vanda. Vandas are my favorite because they last weeks even if there is nightly rain, and the colors are amazing.

Wonderful!  When I visited Maui, I wondered why more people and gardens don't do this. I saw a few, but not many.

[Kevind]

On 1/24/2021 at 11:24 PM, Tracy said:

I'm guessing based on the description that it was a hybrid of Schomburgkia halbingeriana and a Cattleya. 

 

This looks like Dendrobium moschatum.  I have one that has just been hanging on for the last 4-5 years but I just haven't found the right spot for it to rebloom in this garden.  It was very fragrant as I recall.  Nice selection you posted too!

Not moschatum.  That one has a pouch type lip.

[realarch]

Thanks for such incredible photos Rick, but seeing them in person takes it to another level. Mahalo for posting.

Here are a few more currently in bloom in my garden. 

These have all been gifted or purchased at one time or another and rather than having a hundred pots to take care of, I just tie them to palm trunks and let them do what they do. I really love them as they add depth to the garden, but at this point,  I’m not passionate enough to know or care what they are. Since palms are my focus, species of most other plants go in one ear and out the other. Maybe I should wear one earplug.

Tim

[realarch]

Found this growing on a Metroxylon trunk and I didn’t plant it. Beautiful blooms. 

Tim

[Kevind]

Where are you?  That looks like Epidendrum radicans.

[Silas_Sancona]

49 minutes ago, Kevind said:

Where are you?  That looks like Epidendrum radicans.

Tim is in Hilo, Hawaii.

[Kevind]

Thanks.  Curious where the plant came from if he didn't put it there.  Are there others around that seeded?  

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, Kevind said:

Thanks.  Curious where the plant came from if he didn't put it there.  Are there others around that seeded?  

A bit curious myself since i thought E. radicans / other " common " Reed Stems were terrestrial / grow on rocks.   Have seen plants here and in California form pods / seed.. Not sure what is pollinating them in either place. Don't think i have heard of anyone encountering random, seed- started plants out there either..  Wayy too dry / cold in winter  ..in what few " ideal " spots might exist here.

On the other hand, if there was a near perfect spot for random orchid seed blowing around in the wind to find a spot to germinate, wet parts of Hawaii would be real good..

[realarch]

Thanks guys for the comments. I’m about 600’( 183M) elevation and last year we had 185” ( 4700mm) of rainfall. You can imagine the amount of vegetation especially when you factor in the warm temps. There is stuff growing on stuff and the garden requires a lot of maintenance. I planted the Metroxylon from a one gallon 7 or 8 years ago, which has since grown into a monster and have noticed the orchid plant, but never the bloom before. Errant orchids are not uncommon, growing on Ti plants, old stumps, tree trunks, so I didn’t think too much about that particular plant until I saw the bloom. 

I’m going to scout around this morning and take a better look. 

Kevin, look at the avatar on a particular post which usually gives a location or click on the screen name which will usually give you more information.

Tim

[Tracy]

Whatever this hybrid orchid is, it seems to be pretty prolific in the blooming department.  This is the second inflorescence this year to open on it.  Each inflo is stacked with flowers like this, and they are long lasting flowers.  A plant that keeps giving.

[JasonD]

The Laelia anceps I mounted on my Chiranthodendron pentadactylon (mano de diablo / monkey-hand tree) during Covid spring (2020) is blooming again. I'm amazed at how aggressively it has embraced its perch.

 

[SEVA]

On 1/15/2022 at 11:36 AM, Kevind said:

Where is this?  How cold did it get?

VA, the low last winter was 24F.

[jimmyt]

19 minutes ago, SEVA said:

VA, the low last winter was 24F.

I find that amazing that your Dendrobium took full snow in January and then busted blooms in May.  Wow!  That was nice!

[SEVA]

On 2/2/2022 at 7:56 PM, jimmyt said:

I find that amazing that your Dendrobium took full snow in January and then busted blooms in May.  Wow!  That was nice!

I was pleasantly surprised myself. I read they were pretty hardy, but wasn’t sure to what temperature. They’ve been through 2 snow storms this year. And since I have a few now I’ve been curious about how low of a temperature they can handle. I’ve read varying reports of hardiness. I bring most indoors on the colder nights, but have left a few outside. The lowest it has dropped so far this winter is 15F. They look ok so far, but we’ll see come spring.

[Silas_Sancona]

23 minutes ago, SEVA said:

I was pleasantly surprised myself. I read they were pretty hardy, but wasn’t sure to what temperature. They’ve been through 2 snow storms this year. And since I have a few now I’ve been curious about how low of a temperature they can handle. I’ve read varying reports of hardiness. I bring most indoors on the colder nights, but have left a few outside. The lowest it has dropped so far this winter is 15F. They look ok so far, but we’ll see come spring.

Would be pretty impressive if these laughed off exposure to the mid / upper teens, let alone flowered even better than if not exposed to such cold .. Makes me wonder about what the cold temp. tolerance limit is of other sp. in the same group ( anosmum, parishii, loddigesii, falconeri, etc.. )  Know they're tough ( first 3 grew fine outdoors in California ), and won't bloom if not placed where temps drop to /  below 45F for a period of time during the winter while dormant,  but shrugging off any exposure ..below the upper 20s is a big deal.  Surviving Sub - 20's, ..that's even more significant.

[Kevind]

On 2/2/2022 at 6:33 PM, SEVA said:

VA, the low last winter was 24F.

What is VA?

[SEVA]

51 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Would be pretty impressive if these laughed off exposure to the mid / upper teens, let alone flowered even better than if not exposed to such cold .. Makes me wonder about what the cold temp. tolerance limit is of other sp. in the same group ( anosmum, parishii, loddigesii, falconeri, etc.. )  Know they're tough ( first 3 grew fine outdoors in California ), and won't bloom if not placed where temps drop to /  below 45F for a period of time during the winter while dormant,  but shrugging off any exposure ..below the upper 20s is a big deal.  Surviving Sub - 20's, ..that's even more significant.

Additionally, I wonder if Dendrobium moniliforme could hybridize with other species to create hardier specimens with more color/shape variety.
 

33 minutes ago, Kevind said:

What is VA?

VA = Virginia, a state in the southeast/mid-Atlantic region of USA

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, SEVA said:

Additionally, I wonder if Dendrobium moniliforme could hybridize with other species to create hardier specimens with more color/shape variety.
 

That's a good point..  I know some of the " Rock " Orchids from Australia, say D. kinganum, and speciosum / speciosum grandifolium  can and have, to my knowledge,  been crossed to expand the color palate ( Check out Sunset Valley Orchids ( in San Diego ) whenever you get a chance ) ..and i think some D. Nobile - type varieties may have some degree of either parishii and/ or anosmum genes in their make up.. so, i guess you'd have to see which species in the same group might cross w/ D.  moniliforme and go from there..



Going to try a couple of the Aussie- types here under a large Olive in my front yard to see how well they tolerate our summer heat / typical lack of much humidity.  May be too much for either sp.  but have heard both kinganum and speciosum can tolerate heat up to / over 100F ( read some info. about speciosum tolerating 117F heat, shaded of course un - harmed ) and low humidity ..so figure if the Olive provides enough shade to keep temperatures thru the worst of summer somewhere in the 100-108 range, and they get some water / raised humidity when the sprinklers go off, and during monsoon season, that might work.

Both sp. and their crosses / cultivars can also handle cold down to about 30F - upper 20s ( possibly lower ), ..which equals ..maybe 10 days' worth of winter here.. Typically anyway.  Dry more often than not as well, so issues from them getting too much water while winter- dormant wouldn't be much to worry about either.

Would love to grow D. falcorostrum,  but that one likes it cool / cold.. Supposedly has snow sitting on it at times in habitat where it grows in Australia.

A couple of the Mexican Laelia, and temperature- tolerant Cattleya - types  may be on the " to trial- in pots / baskets hanging from that tree " list  as well  later also.

 

[Kevind]

54 minutes ago, SEVA said:

Additionally, I wonder if Dendrobium moniliforme could hybridize with other species to create hardier specimens with more color/shape variety.
 

VA = Virginia, a state in the southeast/mid-Atlantic region of USA

You're growing Laelia anceps outside in Virginia??  What zone is that?  Have you ever tried Neofinetia falcata?

[Silas_Sancona]

7 minutes ago, Kevind said:

You're growing Laelia anceps outside in Virginia??  What zone is that?  Have you ever tried Neofinetia falcata?

If he has one, don't think he is growing Laelia anceps outdoors there in Virginia..  His USDA zone is 8a ( See the " Location " below his profile avatar ), Wayy too cold thru the winter even for that tough as nails Orchid. 

Where i am, the USDA zone is 9b / 10a, so i could get away w/ it outside.. if   i can keep it happy when temperatures are over 100F during our Summer / Fall.

[Kevind]

3 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

If he has one, don't think he is growing Laelia anceps outdoors there in Virginia..  His USDA zone is 8a ( See the " Location " below his profile avatar ), Wayy too cold thru the winter even for that tough as nails Orchid. 

Where i am, the USDA zone is 9b / 10a, so i could get away w/ it outside.. if   i can keep it happy when temperatures are over 100F during our Summer / Fall.

He said it was mounted on a tree, and talks about freezing Temps.  That led me to believe it is outside all year.

[Silas_Sancona]

Just now, Kevind said:

He said it was mounted on a tree, and talks about freezing Temps.  That led me to believe it is outside all year.

That would be his Dendrobium moniliformae  specimen..  Unless he'd mentioned growing Laelia there. 

[Kevind]

1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

That would be his Dendrobium moniliformae  specimen..  Unless he'd mentioned growing Laelia there. 

The picture is a Laelia anceps under the comment where he says it is mounted on the tree.  Am I missing something?

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, Kevind said:

The picture is a Laelia anceps under the comment where he says it is mounted on the tree.  Am I missing something?

Ah, think your talking about this post from Jason D...




Jason is in San Francisco, California.. is USDA Zone 10a  but rarely gets hot there, Often cool / cool and foggy on and off through the summer months.

[Kevind]

9 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Ah, think your talking about this post from Jason D...




Jason is in San Francisco, California.. is USDA Zone 10a  but rarely gets hot there, Often cool / cool and foggy on and off through the summer months.

Yes.  Thanks.  I commented right under it, but maybe I should have quoted it.  Now it makes sense.

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, Kevind said:

Yes.  Thanks.  I commented right under it, but maybe I should have quoted it.  Now it makes sense.

No worries, We've all done the same thing, haha