Jim, good looking plants and blooms. I love the pretty Phals!!

Tara, I buy NOIDs if they look interesting. Often they're a little cheaper than the named varieties, too. I grow all my orchids outdoors, year 'round so they are exposed to more insects, diseases and weather than, say, Jim's are. So I don't often spend a lot for an orchid. As long as I can tell if it's a cattleya, den or vanda I can come pretty close to what its needs are, and go from there. Did I mention above, I really like a surprise, too.

Don't really care about names, since I don't belong to the orchid club, and never am going to show any of my 'chids. Just having fun growing pretty flowers.

The first grower we visit in Apopka, First Orchids, is a wholesaler. Most of the forest of Vandas in their greenhouses have name tags but the rest are pretty much anonymous. Their prices are the lowest of the three growers we usually visit, and this is part of the reason, I'm sure. Oh, and they do have the most adorable kittens there . . . not for sale.

I guess that's what surprised me about so many NOID's...Knowing that you were going directly to the growers, I just assumed that they would all be ID'd plants.
I don't really care about always knowing the names either...If it's pretty, or, as at big box stores, in need of a good home for (hopeful) rejuvenation...I'll certainly pick it up!

And yes, I agree, those kittens are adorable! And that says something for me, considering the fact that I'm really a dog lover! Boston Terriers in particular!

Right, the other two growers we visit in Apopka are also hybridizers so all theirs are named, and more expensive. They bring big displays of blooming orchids to the various shows.

First Orchids might be a supplier to some big buyers like cruise ship lines, restaurants and others who just want pretty flowers and don't care about names. None of these on this display table had tags.

I am about to mount a handful of orchids. I like to mount those compact or sub-compact growers. Is the Blc. (now Bc.) Mem. Vida Lee 'Limelight' AM/AOS a good size plant to mount? My plant is a "teen", so is still pretty small.

One of the parents is Bc Binosa which is in my hands quite a large plant.

OK, that's a strike against mounting it. Thanks, Ursula.

I answered this on tree mail, Ken. All three plants you are dealing with look like they will become rather large Catts.

Jim

Thanks, Jim. Now I am down to:

1. Pot. Tropical Orange 'Apricosa'
2. Blc. Lawles Romeo 'Juliet'
3. Lc. Angel Heart 'Hihimanu' AM/AOS & HCC/AOS

Why can't an orchid that has the potential to get large be mounted? What happens?

Really nothing. I just don't have the room to hang large mounted plants, that's all. I have plenty of large mounts, but .......... well, I hope to ship those out.

Ken, your Pot. Tropical Orange is now: Rth. Tropical Orange (Rlc. William Farrell x Rth. Orange Nuggett). Based on flower pictures, 'Apricosa' looks like the best variety of the bunch. Culture: Rth. Tropical Orange is composed of species of which 93% take high light, 50% take medium light and 7% take low light. Grow this hybrid in dappled light to bright indirect light conditions. Rth. Tropical Orange is composed of species of which 100% take warm temperatures, 53% take cool temperatures and 28% take hot temperatures. Grow this hybrid in cool to warm conditions, or 58°F to 75°F at night. It may be tolerant of hot (75°F to 85°F) night temperatures. 50%-60% humidity. Mature plants MUST dry out between waterings. Grow in a pot with a porous, free-draining media. Fertilize weekly, weakly (one quarter to half the normal dose). Common media: fir bark, tree-fern fiber, expanded clay, lava rock, charcoal or a combination. It was developed in 1988 by Cloud Forest Orchids in Hawaii. I see nothing that would indicate it was small in stature.

The next one is now: Rlc. Lawless Romeo (Rlc. Toshie Aoki x Rlc. American Heritage). Most of the pictures I saw were of the variety 'Orange Glow' with a couple being 'Delight'. Nothing of 'Juliet'. Culture: Rlc. Lawless Romeo is composed of species of which 96% take high light and 21% take medium light. Grow this hybrid in bright indirect light conditions. Rlc. Lawless Romeo is composed of species of which 98% take warm temperatures, 67% take hot temperatures and 24% take cool temperatures. Grow this hybrid in warm to hot conditions, or 66°F to 85°F at night. 50%-60% humidity. Mature plants MUST dry out between waterings. Grow in a pot with a porous, free-draining media. Fertilize weekly, weakly (one quarter to half the normal dose). Common media: fir bark, tree-fern fiber, expanded clay, lava rock, charcoal or a combination. This orchid has some C. tenebrosa and C. bicolor in it so I see no hint of a small mature plant.

Congratulations, the last one is still Lc. Angel Heart (Lc. Puppy Love x C. Penny Kuroda). 'Hihimanu' seems to be the most popular variety and it is the one that has won the awards. Culture: Lc. Angel Heart is composed of species of which 100% take high light and 33% take medium light. Grow this hybrid in bright indirect light conditions. It may be tolerant of dappled light conditions. Lc. Angel Heart is composed of species of which 100% take warm temperatures, 87% take cool temperatures and 6% take hot temperatures. Grow this hybrid in cool to warm conditions, or 58°F to 75°F at night. 50%-60% humidity. Mature plants MUST dry out between waterings. Grow in a pot with a porous, free-draining media. Fertilize weekly, weakly (one quarter to half the normal dose). Common media: fir bark, tree-fern fiber, expanded clay, lava rock, charcoal or a combination. It was hybridized by H&R Orchids in 1988. One of the grandparents is L. anceps, the others are not familiar to me but I see no reason to think this will be a small orchid either.

Jim

". . .species of which 98% take warm temperatures, 67% take hot temperatures and 24% take cool temperatures"

What does this mean? 67% of all individuals belonging to the one species may take hot temperature as opposed to 24% want cool temps? Is it just randomized which individual you get--a "hot" or "cold"....e.g., Ken's Lc. Angel Heart 'Hihimanu' might like the heat but I buy a Lc. Angel Heart 'Hihimanu' and it belongs to the 24% who like cold?

Probably a really stupid question...sorry....

These are the best conditions for each of the ancestral species that produced the cross. Therefore warm to cool is the range the hybrid tolerates.

Ah. Thank you, Kathy.



Also, I just bought a Dendrobium spectabile in 2014.

Jim, the information I have gathered states that Rlc. (Blc.) Lawless Romeo 'Juliet' is a sub-conpact grower, the Rth. (Pot.) Tropical Orange 'Apricosa' is a compact grower, and that the Lc. Angel Heart 'Hihimanu' is a compact grower. I got this info from my grower/hybridizer in Hawaii. I guess like many things, time will tell. I have never seen mature, blooming size plants of these varieties.

Thanks again, Jim.

Ken, all I can do is look at pictures of these orchids and see what the ancestry is, then give you my best guess as to the size. Perhaps I should not have given you my guess. Besides, if you already had this information from the grower, why are you asking me to do all of this research?

Jim

No, no, Jim. Your "guesses" are always based on experience and knowledge and it surpasses most information I get elsewhere. I don't even know whether my grower is guessing about the sizes of these plants. Keep up the advice.

While you are in the mood, Jim, here is a list of a few more "teen" plants that are new to me. Hopefully, at least some of the names have not changed:

1. Bc. Pastoral Rose
2. C. Purpreana 'Corulea' subv. Kodama
3. C. Leuddemanniana 'Arthur Chadwick' AM/AOS & HCC/AOS
4. Blc. Good News 'Carmela' AM/AOS

Jim, that information came in after you had given me your estimation of size. I never know when/if the grower will even respond to my enquiries. Like most commercial growers, they like to sell stuff but aren't so hot about responding to questions. I am sorry for the confusion.

drdawg said:Jim, the information I have gathered states that Rlc. (Blc.) Lawless Romeo 'Juliet' is a sub-conpact grower, the Rth. (Pot.) Tropical Orange 'Apricosa' is a compact grower, and that the Lc. Angel Heart 'Hihimanu' is a compact grower. I got this info from my grower/hybridizer in Hawaii. I guess like many things, time will tell. I have never seen mature, blooming size plants of these varieties.

Thanks again, Jim.

I happen to have Laeliocattleya Angelheart 'Hihimanu' AM/AOS in a basket and it has been popping out the sides. I even have a picture. I took these shots on Dec. 7th this year.