Keep the roots plump and hydrated in the cooler drier air

They've been cold mornings for the past week or two-- low 50's. There hasn't been a pressing need to water the containers, though I've watched for wilting leaves. Keeping the vandas et al sprayed daily of course a must, put a few drops of SuperThrive in the sprayer, maybe pump up the roots to withstand the cooler, drier air.

Fish food

Sprayed all orchids and foliage of the rest with a seaweed / emulsified fish tea. I mixed and let them brew together overnight. This is the first time using fish emulsion on the Vandas. Very interested to see the results a few weeks down the line, hopefully some happy growth. The rhizomatous are sending up their late winter, early spring stalks. Yes, the days are getting longer quickly. Below, a family shot; b 'Selph's Mahogany' and b 'Big Mac'. They need the dappled shade and they need to be left alone once you've agreed upon a place-- I've said it before and I'm saying this to myself. LET THE PLANT BE once you've found the happy spot.

The boys. Selph's flowers are a beautiful light reddish pink. Big Mac's more of antique linen. 

Fort Lauderdale Orchid Show

Fort Lauderdale orchid show visit today.  The very finest Chinese silks do not have colors as intense some of these flowers.  Bought pots, clay pellets, and a great pot clip hanger. I forgot the clip hanger at the pot store. Piss me off. Bought 2 trichoglottis, not sure why as I already have 2 trichoglottis brachiata. I'll figure out something. 

Light green petals with cinnamon red printed on the lips

How long can this keep going on ..

We have had several cold nights dipping down into the upper 40's, No immediate casualties, though the renanthera is loosing it's bottom leaves. They are turning yellow and dropping off. Otherwise everyone looks fine. Even the burly marx usually quite cold sensitive didn't looked bothered, as Catherine Tate would say. I don't like going off topic, no matter how boring, but I worship Catherine Tate. What a fucking liberty!

Went to RF Orchids today. Was tempted by a huge pot of papilionanthe teres offered at $250. The Fort Lauderdale orchid show is going on, so I held off.

Like I said, I have to get out the sawzall and cut out the bamboo of my beautiful pot and get the sea grape going. The goal being to get a substantial bonsai'd tree for the vandas to be tied to. Might take the palm across the terrace down and have sea grapes on both sides..

Nylon sand bags have been suggested to block the drains.

I love orange flowers

Big swinging roots

A very grand hallway

Blah

Neighbors have complained and I will have to stop the run off from my watering. Need to get on my hands and knees and scrub the floor. Need to have some sort of containers for the pots. Boring stuff. Still need to saw up bamboo rhizomes and use that fabulous pot again.

Schomburgkia Thompsoniana, happy and gets sun on both sides all day (at least with the winter sun).

Ascocenda adisak blue-- the baby is growing up.

La parte antigua de San Juan, me encanta

Perfection.

BRB-- going on a boat trip south, not done here by a long shot.

The holiday season was very distracting. However I did find the time to pot the second of the Noriko Sumida semi-teretes into a 'rustic' hanging orchid pot. I really like the habit of the semi-teretes. As to the Sawzall, I found my own in storage-- they are great tools, though I haven't yet begun to clearing out the bamboo roots out of the beautiful pot that was it's home. I think that a sea grape might be the most appropriate tenant - sun, salt, wind tolerant, and they can be grown and kept manageable in a container. There is one in our gym that's been there for at least 3 years.  

The begonia have begun sending up flowering stalks. They are doing quite well which isn't as easy as it sounds on a breezy, briny, sunny terrace. I believe the secret to a happy plant, beyond simple, dedicated care is to allow them to acclimate to a particular spot -- allowed to stand their ground so to speak.

We're expecting a cold snap during the coming week when I'll be away. Tuesday night is forecasted to dip into the upper 40's. Our house-sitter nicely offered to bring in orchids as needed. I'm going to leave them where they are. If they can't take a little cold for a night, I'm not going to coddle them. The temp is scheduled to warm on Wednesday going back into the 70's during the day.

I need to borrow a Sawzall

I'll need a strong arm to assist cutting through the rhizomes of what was the Buddha belly bamboo. Need to find a reciprocal saw. It's pot, with only 20" mouth is waist high. I'm thinking of Carissa macrocarpa - Natal Plum; slow growing, sweet flowers, wind resistant, full sun. But is has serious spikes, though not quite as mean as a bougainvillea. Need to find a nursery that sells such shrub/trees. Flamingo road would probably be a good start.

Sprayed the orchids with Bayer Advanced Formula for Flowering Plants and Shrubs. Sprayed at 5p or so. No danger of fungus after this bath. Probably should have done a trial on a single plant. Letting them dry before the sun saved them from harm.

What about a tall column of chicken wire for as a perch for the vanda's. Sunk in a large pot of cement.. We'll see how the smaller science experiment with the teretes work.

The winter solstice is 5 days past and the sun is already setting 15 minutes late. Possible?
 

Bounden duty

I am a member of the American Orchid Society. The AOS 2014 Orchid Source Directory came as a supplemental to their monthly Orchid Magazine. I am going to rate some websites in the booklet. Starting in Hawaii;

1. www.hrorchids.com - They evidently have bought space in the Orchid Source Directory, however the downloadable color catalogue seems to date from 2006-2007.

2. www.kaleialoha.com - Orchids offered don't have any genus information appended to pics. More of a orchid florist than an interesting source of orchids.

3. www.kauaiorchids.com - website down for service..

4. www.kawamotoorchids.com - primarily an Ebay seller. I bought a small (but pricey) trichoglottis brachiate, healthy, shipped quick, carefully packed.

5. www.lehuaorchids.com - Paphiopedilum, Masdevallia, Agraecoid, Lycastenae, etc. Specialized grower.

 A neighbor complained that my bougainvillea bracts were blowing onto her terrace and her dogs were eating them and vomiting. I cut it down from the level from 15' to about 6' below the level of the wall. I had cut down the Buddha belly bamboo the day before. It's growth had become too irregular and some of the lower branches were dying. I need to come up with a tree for the pot; wind resistant, etc.

This is a sorry excuse for a blog.

A monopodial

Acclimated this girl within a month of acquisition from partial sun, to full mid to late afternoon sun. Seems to be quite happy so far. You can see that it's already loosing some of its legginess with this sunshine. 

renanthera storiei

Too much loving?

Mokara Sayam with Miss Joachim

It's been warm and sunny this past week. Very busy at work. My time on the terrace has been made up trying to re-hydrate the vanda velum and selectively watering pots with the 3 litre water can. I probably did a seaweed Super Thrive wash once during the week.

Today, I was up early, before the sunrise. Reading about pests and diseases on the St. Augustine Orchid society. It reminded me that it's preferable to spray in the early morning. So I did. With Organicide. Leaves and roots-- all of the vandas, strap leaf and terete, the renanthera storei, trichoglottis brachiatis. Oh nooo. Organicide is made up, among other things, of fish and sesame oil. I thought I had carefully put one ounce in one gallon. Absolutely no sun after spraying  Natural, oil-based insecticides like Organicide can attack insects, fungus, rot. 3 in 1.  Wonderful. But I haven't had luck-- with them unfortunately. I don't think they're advisable in zone 10b.

I have tied 2 of the Mokara Sayam to the teretes that are themselves affixed securely against chicken wire in one instance and a branch of hardwood. Having a bunch of vandas hanging around is not really natural looking, so why not bundle up some different types of vandas-- if the strap leaves can take the sun, the different types leaves, rates of growth, flowers could be quite the center piece.




Vandas - strap leaf and 2 types of terete (same as above), it might make an interesting mass

Splurge day

 

We are on a diet; for 6 days one can eat proteins, greens and beans as the only carb. 1 day of the week can be a train wreck of macaroni and cheese followed by wild blueberry scones, donuts. I haven't lost much weight on this diet.

Now, yesterday I put 2 Noriko Sumida together in a pot interspersing orchid bark around the roots very loosely to help keep maintain a little moisture. The pot is unglazed and we have a hot sun, so I think the assistance is warranted. How did you secure the orchids in the pot you may asking? Please see below:




 

It's gotten up to about 85 degrees (F) today, sunny and dry. I Jacked (Jack's 20-20-20 All Purpose) everyone up today full strength with some sea weed emulsion-- a popular cocktail. The teretes especially 'Miss Joachim' seem to be responding well to this bright, hot, winter sunshine. Miss Joachim is tied to a nice straight arm of hardwood and is sending out rootlets feeling things out. The Mokara Sayan (x2) have a black stickiness on the stem (on base of strap leaves). Probably a bug that eats and leaves sticky droppings (white flies will do this when they eat the fronds of the coconut palms over my car). Need to get on the case here asap.

http://www.tohgarden.com/orchid-care/common-orchid-pathogens/

Looks like my Mokara might have some black mold due to too much water sitting on the leaves, right at the. joint between leave and stem. Soap and water. Need to focus on the roots in daily watering. A pesticidal spray might be in order for thrips .

Tropical Orchid Farm, Inc., Haiku, Maui, HI 96708



Here is a good online source for orchids.These handsome semi-teretes were just 15$ ea. I saw a Noriko Sumida approx. same size as below sell for $30 on Ebay recently.. I would buy from TOF again if I should ever buy another orchid. Great selection.Very professional. Shipped quickly, wrapped carefully-- and just as cheap as my going to RF Orchids in Homestead, FL.and buying them there (1 hour away). R.F. does have great tables running down the hot houses with cuttings and smaller plants for 8-15$. I bought a nice 12-15" sprig of trichoglottis brachiate for cheap, they tied it into a pretty clay orchid pot. I feel a growing affinity toward monopodial orchids. I wonder if I can find an untreated fence post I could sink into a bucket of concrete to tie vanda's on? A  10' pole would be fantastic covered with rowdy vandas climbing over each other.



Had to have a v 'Noriko Sumida', but they had a $45 min so I ordered a pair @ $15per. Beautiful plants!

2 peas in a pod. The Noriko brothers tucked in. I think plants like a mate when possible.

 

Also ordered a fairly priced vanda denisoniana, healthy in empty pot 15$

 

Received a healthy looking Catleya skinneri f. delicate 'teresita de Pizz. x self as a gift. Can't find a pic online for this particular variety.

 

Very pleased with my purchases. Worth every penny.

 

My Selph-ishness

 

b. 'Selph's Mahogany' blooms in early spring. A very fine erect rhizomatous begonia with a lot of character (pic from a few years back.. but I still have some Selph on the terrace-- looking forward to its flowering).

 and a little off topic..

Getting close to the Winter Solstice, happy holidays! (Fairchild Botanic Garden)

In your garden

 Papillionanthe teres var aureolablum securely weighted in. A cutting of vanda 'Miss Joachim' dropped down the interior against a hardwood branch, good for food and moisture. The placement's southerly exposure gives this sun-lover at least 8 bright hours of the winter sun. Nice schomburgkia has found a perfect home (hopefully)  on palm. The label on this handsome boy is illegible. The bloom will point us in the right direction.

 I've ordered 2 Vanda Noriko Sumida and 1 Vanda Denisoniana  both in empty 3.5" baskets, this order coming from Tropical Orchid Farms in Maui, HI-- and the Fort Lauderdale orchid show is yet to come (beginning of 2014). See below for pics nicked off the web.

V. Denisoniana  

V. (semi-terete) Noriko Sumida