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The thread "Happy New Year 🍾 Our Orchid blooms in January 2018" in Orchids forum

We had a wonderful start of the year and today is February 1. and with that we need a new thread!

My Laelia anceps had a hard time opening those glued-together buds and this year I lost a spike, the humidity in the greenhouse was probably too low at times. I flooded the plant and buds daily, which still may not have been enough for this one.

And I am happy to see a nice spike on my Coelogyne Jannine Banks 'Snow White'


Please all join in!

Very pretty Coelgyne! Took me years to remember how to spell that! Is the fragrance spicey?? They usually are.
My anceps always bloomed late September through early November! This one of yours is a bit reluctant to bloom. Could it be that she was just plain shy or did it realize that with so many other flowers around, there just wasn't room for a few more in your greenhouse?!?!
Probably a bit of both!

Bill, yes, the Coelogyne has a bit of a scent. Right now I smell a lot of Anise in the greenhouse as the Dendrochilum glumaceum opens and that drowns out most of the other stuff. (need to take some pics of that one)
About the anceps - reluctant was right this year! We had some really cold night temperatures, so the heat kicks in appropriately and so the humidity really drops. The plant had 4 spikes, but only 3 made it. Perhaps it would have helped if I not only had watered the buds daily, but had sprayed them a couple of times also with a bit of the Castile soap I keep around. Both Laelia anceps and autumnalis have this sticky "glue" around the buds, which need to soften for the buds to open properly.

Interesting, I wonder what helps them open in their natural setting? Environmental conditions or some substance like bird droppings?

Morning dews, fog and breezes help the buds open. They actually like cooler nights and can take a light frost.

I love your Laelia anceps, Ursula ...I never knew that about Castile soap. ( I was given a bottle by an orchid club friend and wasn't sure if it was for my hands or hair!). I am pretty sure that I couldn't spell 'Coelogyne' with out cut and paste... I HAVE learned how to pronounce it though.
When I had a greenhouse it had a layer of gravel on top of weed cloth and to add humidity , I just watered the gravel....how do you had humidity to your greenhouse Ursula?

A few of my eagerly anticipated buds are finally starting to open up , here's Rth. Eye Candy 'Mellow Yellow' with 2 pretty flowers this year. This is an absolutely perfect window sill sized plant.

This is indeed Eye Candy!

How do I add humidity?
I let the water run into large trays underneath the benches/racks and I water daily during the Winter. I use old towels to mop up the isles after watering and usually hang one of those soppy towels near a heat outlet.
I have used a dilution of the Castile soap, (Dr. Bronner's soap) in a spray bottle to combat any bugs until the Orchids can go outside.

Nice shows to start the month. Back from meetings in West Palm Beach. WAY too much humidity for me. And then windy spells and highs in the upper 60's. We were meeting at a Hilton right on the beach. When the sun was out it wasn't too bad. But when a cloud rolled in!!!. Also, I double checked and the ocean on the right of the country looks just like the one on the left. Maybe a little more surf on the left on any given day.

You WERE here at an especially windy time Ted.. everyone was complaining about their orchids being blown over!
This is one I got last year at tamiami ,
Blooming for the first time.
Ctt. War paint

Oh WOW,

How come Ken and Ted visited FL during at the worst possible weather?

These photos are of Oncidium maculatum, one of the easiest plants to grow on planet Earth.








This species has two inch psuedobulbs flattened vertically topped by 3-4 leaves. Leaves are roughly and inch wide and average 4" in length. I grow mine mounted where they look better to me than in a pot. Growers who pot them produce bigger plants with larger flowers due to the fact that they can give them more water.
I have them on cork and tree fern, they get 1-2 hours of sun, then get some shade for the remainder of the day. I water these guys once a week during the dry season and about the same during the rainy season as Mother Nature assists me. Oncidiums have very slender roots and need water. I know people who water them well in small baskets. If you do not grow this species, get it!! It is a reliable late winter bloomer.

Bill, I will look for one at the upcoming Deep Cut OS show next weekend, I like it very much!

Lindsey, your War Paint is stunning! I ❤️ that red!!

Thanks Ursula, it's funny that I suddenly have a bunch of red plants in bloom ( cherry suisse, the Tutankhamen pop x and ''this war paint) I wonder if they are all related?

It's a cloudy overcast day here in Tampa...perfect for taking photos...



Bc. Glorious May...suddenly on the top of my 'favorites ' list.

I can see why! It is very nice!

That's beautiful, Lindsey!

Jim

My Dendrochilum glumaceum is filling the greenhouse with the scent of Anise and a bit of Vanilla. I love it!


Caulaelia Mizoguchi 'Princess Kiko' opens 3 spikes


And perhaps you might remember the Liparis condylobulbon at the North Jersey OS Show the other day, my Liparis longipes tries to look like a miniature version of that. The individual blooms are in the mm
range.

Nice ones Ursula!
I may have to give Dendrochilum another try, it has such a pretty habit , even when not in bloom. Princess Kiko is quite tall, isn't she? ...and the markings in the lip are beautiful!

Lindsey, the Mizoguchi is very much like a Laelia anceps in habit ( Caulaelia Snowflake x Laelia anceps), with long dangling spikes.

This is Cattleya walkeriana variety rubra 'Dayane'. She is a rich, deep lavender color with a wonderful fragrance. Flower is about four inches across.


She is growing in a four inch plastic net pot using my aliflor mix. Psuedobulbs are a little shorter than is typical and they are rounder giving a more robust stance to the plant. Bulbs are generally three inches tall topped by a single 1 1/2 " wide by three inch long leaf. It too is a bit more round then normal. Pseudobulbs show more anthocyanin pigment supporting this rubra or red form of the species!