Hope you got most of the 'chids indoors before the storm hit, Ursula.

Flight time tomorrow is 6:00 AM so it is out the door here at 4:00. I don't know if it is worth going to bed. We'll be back home Wednesday evening. You all be good.

Jim

Oh no, everything is outside. I hope nothing got damaged!! Even if I would have been home today, I couldn't have done anything on such short notice.
I am going to start in a couple of days bringing everything in, and this whole process usually takes about 2 weeks!! It's a lot of stuff.

Jim, 4 am!!! Yikes! Anyway - have fun!

I flew to TX last week & packed a small potted Sharry Baby in a shoebox in my checked luggage. I had nicely secured a plastic bag around the base of the pot to hold all the bark in.
When I got to TX & opened my suitcase I had 1 of those TSA "we opened your luggage" forms. Well not only did they open the luggage, but obviously took the orchid out of the plastic & box. My luggage was strewn with bark chips. Luckily only the drier upper layer came lose & I still had clean clothes.

The plant itself was no worse for the unpacking and was sitting pretty on the windowsill thr following day.

Watered all the orchids wedged in the palm tree trunk yesterday so of course it then rained. They are all so happy out there I'm tempted to fashion a clear plastic tent to keep over them so they can stay out there other than the coldest nites.

I feel so much safer now..... I am glad your Sharry Baby is fine.

And on a quick look around this morning, no damage from the wild thunderstorms we had yesterday, as I can see so far. Everything got scrubbed! The Pond got a good water change.

Ursula, you sound like me, you just start earlier. I will begin the process of "putting my plumeria to sleep" in mid-October. Unless we get some unusually cold weather, or a forecast for same, I will begin moving my 100+ tropical plants that are outside into my two greenhouses or on to my porch, which I enclose from November until March/April. Orchids go in the "orchid" greenhouse and everything else goes into the "tropical plant" greenhouse or on the porch. The plumeria ultimately go into large, 3-mil plastic contractor bags and are stored in two closets to over-winter. It takes me a couple of weeks to get everything moved in. Orchids first and then a pecking-order, depending on hardiness. I also have to get all the heaters in place and remove the shade-clothes from the greenhouses.

Yes, very similar! Right now I am also looking at the Paradise Fish which need to come in within this week.

Sorry for the repeats, but not much new for another week or two here. Last gasp of my nice NOID catt, B.nodosa has opened a second spike, and B. nodosa 'Big Jim' has two new flowers and another bud coming. I keep thinking they have done SO much better with extra water this summer I'm having to re-think my whole watering regime.

Don't be sorry for any repeats, your blooms are always nice to look at!!
Regarding the watering - I have truly a heavy hand with the sprayer, and so I simply adjust how the Orchids are potted, mounted and such. Plastic pots and old medium are a total no no!

Must have walked upstairs with plants in my hand more than I can count today. The Vandas are all inside, now working on the larger Catts and etcs. Who needs a gym when you have Orchids.... Some Succulents are now in the greenhouse too and so is my large Passiflora pot. It's Cricket - City, chirp chirp chirp in the sunroom.

Ok back to work...

Yup, as long as there's good drainage and air movement, right? I am going to start using the hose more this fall while the weather's still hot.

Yes, that's how I see it!!

hi everyone. Havent popped in for a while.

Hi Bree! Nice Floof! How are things going in your neighborhood?

Hi Bree! That totally looks like something I would have to have in my collection!

Pretty catt, Bree. Must be getting to feel a little bit like spring down under?

And due to approaching Fall temperatures here in the N E, we had 3 very busy days - we are supposed to go down to 43 degr F, so the Paradise Fish came in yesterday. They didn't produce the 1000 babies as they did last year ( they must have developed a taste for Caviar , since they were busy breeding...), but the number of Fish has increased since the Sping, which is a good thing. By today they were looking lively in their indoor home (2 x 40 gallon tanks) and eating plenty!
The cage is starting to look empty as the greenhouse is getting "sardine-packed".
Some pictures from his afternoon -
Ceratostylis rubra is always a bright spot when in bloom

Cleisocentron merrillianum usually blooms in August for me. The keiki has a couple of blooms too. This is actually a true blue Orchid!

Ctna Why Not is now blooming inside

Darwinara Charm 'Blue Star' is opening another spike

Encyclia bracteata

Dendrobium rigidum is a cute miniature

Gongora ( Acropera) horichiana is busy opening a few dangling spikes

Lc Mary Elizabeth Bohn 'Royal Flare' is trying to squeeze new growths between the slats

And Pelatantheria insectifera are "bugging along"


And the Spiranthes cernua are in full bloom - see the Garden thread.

Love that Ctna Why Not! Why not indeed? And that Lc Mary Elizabeth Bohn "Royal Flare' looks like it belongs in an impressionist painting. So pretty!

Thanks, Melanie! Ctna Why Not is an easy grower and bloomer! It doesn't have a specific season to bloom, any new growth will do!

The Lc MEB 'Royal Flare' is another story, it needs ( here in NJ) absolute full sun, no protection, even at noon time - lower light level causes floppy growth on that one. But that shouldn't be a problem for Floridians?

Ah ha! I wonder if my Lc. that is making funny twisted leaves needs more light? It's made a few sheaths, but has only managed to bloom once. I'll post a picture of it in the morning and let you see what I mean.

Is it more Laelia influence, and less Cattleya that makes them need, and tolerate more sun I wonder?

That Royal Flare sure is a gorgeous color combo.

This big purple floofer is lasting really well, and smells absolutely delicious. So far the raccoons have not come in for a taste of it, happily. Blc. Mem. Hans Graf x Blc. Edisto

Purple Floofer? I love it and this kind of bloom is right down my alley!! Gorgeous!

Elaine, good question. I have no clue why this one grows floppy in less light. Someone told me a few years ago to increase light on this plant and that worked! The new growth is nowadays nicely sturdy. I wish I had known it seems to grow from all directions, it would have been better in a wire basket. There are a couple of new shoots squeezing through the slats, which I probably have to break.