3 Phragmipedium tips and a sick Phalaenopisis solution

Last weekend I attended the Orchid Society of Greater Kansas City’s exhibit at the KC Lawn and Garden Show. The OSGKC invited several regional societies and national orchid vendors to join our local group for this big event.

Attending a show like this is a great opportunity to learn from some of the best growers in the country. Here are three tips I learned about raising Phragmipediums. The first tip is from Russ Vernon of New Vision Orchids in Indiana and the last two are from Sandy Wells of Hilltop Orchids, also in Indiana.

1. To enhance the brightness of the red blossoms on a besseae phrag, keep the spiking plant cool – around 50 degrees.

2. For more vigorous and blooming phrags, add Epsom Salts once a month when watering: two tablespoons of Epsom Salts per one gallon of water.

3. Also, work a dolomite lime dressing into phrags’ growing medium every four months.

I received a comment on the last post about the damaged phal leaves. A member of the St. Augustine Orchid Society mentions using a regime that calls for Phyton. [Read about Tom Nassar’s suggestions in the SAOS newsletter.]

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8 new greenhouse blooms…and a friend’s windowsill bloom

Nine new blooms appear on the “Photos” page…eight from the greenhouse and one from a friend, Mark Prout.

The greenhouse Pleurothallis ornata (formerly shiedei) is one of the oldest Pleurothallid Alliance plants still in my collection. Often in spring the plant is covered with the thin-as-hair inflorescences and the tiny, spotted flowers. 

A long branching inflorescence of Phal. stuartiana blooms is shown. These are the first blooms on the young plant.

Paphina Majestic is a workhorse. It has rarely been out of bloom since I bought it about two years ago. Last summer it had as many as eight pendent inflorescences. The trick, I think, is maintaining a moist medium.

My Ludisia discolor sits on a pedestal in the coolest part of the greenhouse — next to the door. In the photo’s background, note the louvered window that is covered on the outside with a sheet of ice. The green towel, seen in the lower left corner of the photo, protects the plant from blasts of frigid air when the door opens.

The Mexipedium xerophyticum oaxaca CBR/AOS bloom is a wonderful, diminutive slipper orchid. In a few months, I’ll repot this plant and will post a video with more information about its culture.

This Cyc. JEM Black Dragon is a troubled plant. Its first inflorescence rotted, and most of its leaves turned yellow and dropped off. I thought the entire plant was a goner. But a few weeks ago, I noticed the nub of another inflorescence. Although the leaf loss subsided, the nub only produced one blossom…shown in the photo.

Catasetum ochraceum is my Star Trek orchid. It’s weird and other-worldly. The thick walls of the cup-shaped blooms never open more than the photo reveals. If you back light the bloom and peer inside the greenish cup, you’ll see a lovely brown and yellow striped interior.

Cattleya Forbador is a reliable bloomer with interesting coloring: yellow petals/sepals, often splattered in purple, with a striped and tubular purple lip.

Mark Prout sent a photo of one his December blooms, the gorgeous Lyc. Eightysixth Kiss, also included on the “Photos” page.

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Favorites from the Collection, Part 3 of 4

Of my 32 Top Favorite orchids, these 11 earn four out five points (See the Nov. 3 post for the ranking criteria). (Again note the ones with an asterisk *. In a few days, I’ll do a special post about these.): 

• Brassia Rex (reliable and profuse bloomer, knockout bloom, and durable plant)
• Cirropetalum Elizabeth Ann ‘Jean’* (reliable and profuse bloomer, knockout bloom, and durable plant)
• Cycnoches Jean E. Monnier* (reliable and profuse bloomer, knockout bloom, and durable plant)
• Maxillaria tenuifolia* (reliable and profuse bloomer, fabulous scent, and durable plant)
• Makara Salaya Red (reliable and profuse bloomer, knockout bloom, and durable plant)
• Mexipedium xerophyticum ‘Oaxaca’ CBR/AOS* (reliable and profuse bloomer, knockout bloom, and durable plant) [This knockout blossom is diminutive.]
• Onc. Sharry Baby* (reliable and profuse bloomer, fabulous scent, and durable plant)
• Paphinia Majestic (reliable and profuse bloomer, knockout bloom, and durable plant)
• Psychopsis Mendenhall* (reliable and profuse bloomer, knockout bloom, and durable plant)
  

  3 blooms on Psychopsis Mendenhall

• Slc. George Hausermann ‘Carl’* (reliable bloomer, knockout bloom, mildly scented and durable plant)
• Vanda sensei blue* (reliable and profuse bloomer, knockout bloom, and durable plant)

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Favorites from the Collection, Part 2 of 4

Still using the five-point system mentioned in the last post to rank the 32 Top Favorites in my Collection, these 13 orchids received three points (Note the ones with an asterisk *. In a few days, I’ll do a special post about these.): 

• Aerides houlletiana (durable plant, scented and profuse bloomer)
• Barkeria “Cherry moon” (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Brassavola nodosa (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant – some nodosa owners have scented plants – mine isn’t one)
• Dendrobium discolor (knockout and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Encyclia tampensis ‘alba’ * (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Enc. bractescens (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Epi. porpax (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
  

  Phal. Fred's Precocious

• Howeara Lava Burst ‘Puanani’ AM/AOS (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Ludisia discolor (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Phal Be Tris (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Phal Fred’s Precocious * (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Phrag. Ecua-Bess * (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)
• Sc. “Crystella Smith” * (reliable and profuse bloomer, durable plant)

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