Well, 6:00 AM and I am wolfing down the last of my cereal. It rained off and on throughout the night but it is not raining now so I'm going to go to the gym. Company coming this afternoon from Virginia and I'm abit concerned about them. The news reports 12 to 15 inches of rain so far. My poor rain guage never stood a chance as it tops out at 6 inches. Lots of reports of damage in the area so it will be an interesting day.

Jim

You're hard core, Jim. Looks like we're under the "train" like you were yesterday. Huge, hard rain and wind over night. We have a break now, but more coming.

So far all my orchids seem to be pretty happy sheltering where they are. Score will come in once it dries out and warms up, I guess. Could have root rot looming from everybody staying wet for days. Next storm, the 'chids are going into the shop!

I managed to get to and from the gym with no rain although the wind has picked up. I even saw a little sun on my way home. All of the ditches along the roads are full to the top with water. There were a few tree branches down but nothing serious.. I walked around the garden and gathered lots of small branches, nothing major. Just as I'm typing this a rain band moved through but it was gone in less than a minute. The forcast calls for more rain but I'm expecting it to come in bands, not the steady downpour of yesterday. The lake is still raising. I just received a note from the Tampa Orchid Club cancelling the field trip set for tomorrow.

Jim

That's a lot of rain for all of you there..do take care! Have seen how horrible flooding is 4 years ago in Manila before..just terrible, started out bearably heavy but too much all at once will take its toll on any drainage system. Manila is used to having rain, similar to Florida, but the floods was just terrifying. Flood then reached waist level indoors, chest deep outdoors..take all the precaution you can!

Lots of wind today and a few brief showers but no where near the 6 inches they warned us about. It a good thing as we're about as soggy as soggy gets. I just drove down to a nursing home to sing hymns for the folks and there was no blockages or flooding. There is an advantage to living on sandy soil.

Jim

Stay safe guys!!!

We had a few good drenchers yesterday and the temperature dropped again a bit, but it is very nice today around here! Not a foot of rain...@-@

My Cirrhopetalum sikkimense is blooming again, I am glad I saw it, since the little umbels don't last that long.


Ascofinetia Lionstar has not stopped blooming since somewhere in the Winter!


Blc Hawaian Green Valley x Rhyncholaelia digbyana was hanging high up in the cage and the bloom got a bit stuck for several days in the emerging stage, during downpours and and 95 degr F Weather. I do hope that is the reason for the somewhat irregular pink coloration. I took it inside and the scent during the evening hours was wonderful!


Neofinetia falcata Shutenno


And there is the tiny Stenoglottis woodii with a first spike. The plant fits into the palm of my hand.

All are nice but the Blc Hawaian Green Valley x Rhyncholaelia digbyana is a knockout.

Jim

Me, I love Shutenno.

Love both of those, but Lionstar has my vote. Gorgeous color, and blooming for a long time!

Thanks
Elaine, many of these small Neofinetia hybrids are colorful and bloom several times a year, provided they get plenty light/ some sunshine during the Winter/indoor season. And they don't take up much room!!

I've been intending to make a trip to a local nursery that has some Neofinetias, but I think probably I need to save up a little more in the orchid piggy bank before I go there.

Not too much, Elaine.
More common Neos like Shutenno, Benisuzume are very pretty and you don't need to start out with large clumps. One or two fans is sufficient, they will grow quickly. I then started to look for some of the pretty variegations as in Gojo Fukurin. Again I would look for reasonably prized plants, they are out there. Btw a well grown plain Furan is no slouch either, my mounted Neofinetia falcata has a bunch of spikes opening right now, it is beautiful too. And those are usually cheap.

pouring here. Every few weeks we get this rain and when i finally think my orchids have had enough and cover my shade house with plastic it stops. Just started again today, might have to cover up tomorrow. No new flowers here bud some cool paph buds im waiting on.

It looks like the tropical storm is crossing Northern Flordia on its way out of here. We are now at 18.5 inches of rain for June, a new record. I've been out cleaning up between the squalls so the yard is in pretty good order.

I'll start out with Arundina graminifolia, a terrestrial sometimes called the bamboo orchid. It is grown out under the oak tree in a big pot and seems inspired by all the rain.


Rhynchovola Jimminey Cricket has put out another flower.


Last year I did a library presentation and the library coordinator was kind enough to give me a NOID Cattleya as a thank you gift. She said this Catt had been in her family for years and they had recently divided it. I was quite honored and this year it bloomed for me.

That Arundina is really a lovely graceful thing, and the little twisted petals on Jiminy Cricket give it a nice perk. And what a nice gift Catt - it looks very traditional.

Talk about inspired by the rain, I got tired of bending over to clean stuff up, and sat down at the patio table with my poor old Cymbidiums. Figured they were not going to be happy as wet as they've been the last few days so I re-potted two of them. All three have nice new growths coming, and only one had an earthworm in the pot, so the medium wasn't all that badly broken down. The worm didn't appreciate the dusting of cinnamon he got before I realized he was there, so I had to rescue him, give him a rinse and put him in another pot. Now I need to run out for another pot and more orchid mix. Oh, and what about fertilizer?

Now, these Cyms were potted in very coarse coco fiber chunks, but I was recalling that someone said they fertilize with Osmocote? Don't we need soil, and its company of bacteria for the plants to take up the urea-based fert in the Osmocote? Please advise - what does everyone use to fertilize their Cymbidiums?

My Cyms are potted in a mixture of potting soil, pearlite and bark. There is plenty of soil to breakdown urea and I do fertilize with Osmocote. That same potting mixture will work for bromiliads as well.

Jim

Very nice, Jim!

Elaine, do we measure the amount of broken down bark in Earthworm units/pots?

Elaine, My Cyms are in bark, and I use Osmocote. I do supplement with bloom food in the winter. They seem to do fine.

I dont use any dirt for any of my orchids (and i still get rot sometimes). I use liquid orchid fertilizers for all my orchids or the powder that you dissolve in water.