Already? It sure is a nice spike!

It is early but we haven't really had much winter at all. However, the Bletilla that I transplanted last year have not even peeped through the mulch yet.

THIS IS HUGE NEWS!
Possibly the hugest news we've had all day!!!.
I see a spike ( my first ever) on a VANDA!!!


Little V. Weeravan with the cute red flowers in Patties adorable beaded basket

Oh WOW, I am so excited for you.

Lindsey.

How very nice!!

I knew you could do it, Lindsey!

Jim

Well...it hasn't bloomed yet..so I can't get too excited..but this small plant with virtually no roots is not too big a problem to drag in and out of the house during cold spells like the MONSTERS I had last year with the 5' of roots drip drying on the wall to wall carpet ...

Can't wait to see those pretty little flowers, Lindsey. I must go look at my Vandas more closely too. This weather is evidently just what they like to set some flower spikes. One can only hope.

Naturally, as soon as I complained about a lack of buds coming along, I did find some new ones, ready to pop. We put up some new hanging poles in the top of the pool cage and while they do serve their purpose of getting the plants up where there is light and lots of air, I really can't see them all that well up there.

This one is a 'bag baby' just labeled "Latouriate Dendrobium" so I expect it to look somewhat like my Andree Millar. It seems very happy on its nice cork mount and it's firmly attached after less than a year.


I think this is another of my NOID Onc. plants from Trader Joe's putting up two nice spikes.

Looks good!

Well, after further careful perusal of the upper deck: Den. aggregatum or lindleyii has a spike ready to pop, and 3 more coming.



Looking at this cork raft with fresh eyes, it does appear that I have "Big and Little" on there, the regular aggregatum on the left end with bigger leaves, and the lindleyii on the right end, smaller leaves and blooming sooner, too! The big one is just starting to send out little spikes off several pseudobulbs. I'm happy to have a succession of bloom on this one, they're so gorgeous, but rather fleeting.

Also literally bumped into a nice spike on one of my NOID Cymbidiums. It was sticking out horizontally and I nearly broke it off, bumping into it with my leg as I walked by. Luckily no harm done and 10 nice buds on this one.


Tried a new strategy with all my Cyms this winter, parking them on the north side of the house where it is cold and shady for about 6 weeks, then easing them back out into the sunshine. The little extra chill seems to have worked at least on this one.

Elaine, really nice spikes!!
Now the smaller version is Dendrobium jenkinsii, the accepted name for the larger cousin is Dendrobium lindleyi.
I just typed Dendrobium aggregatum into the "World Checklist of selected Plant families", Kew lists Den aggregatum var. jenkinsii as syn. for Den jenkinsii.
Hmm, I always thought aggregatum was the syn for lindleyi..... where is that head scratching emoji. 🤔
http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/named...

....and more if one feels like plugging in some names.
http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/prepa...

Ah, ha, so I have a jenkinsii and a lindleyi on there then. Now I'm really confused because the smaller one of the two has a tag that says "Dendrobium aggregatum (Dendrobium lindleyi)" which you cans see in my first picture. So yes, I'd like the head scratching emoji too. The larger plant has no tag at all. We can call it what we like then, right?

I think Kew should have that head scratcher right their on their site. Looking back, there is/was always some confusion regarding those two Dendies!
When they are growing side by side, one can see the difference in plant habit and size, but I could never see any difference in their blooms.

Per Fred Clarke's instructions, I have not watered any of my Catasetinae since late December. All the leaves are gone, just like he said. It was hard not to at least spray them. The orders were not a drop. Spray lightly if the pb's start to shrivel. They never have so far. Well there is now new growth on every one of them and it is killing me. The orders are not to water. "This means you should let the new roots grow to an approximate length of 3-5” before you begin watering. " AARRGGHH!!

That must be really tough, Ted. My Dens are just starting to put out buds after a dry, cool winter, too. Try to relax and when you look at those fat pseudobulbs and remember they're fat because they have water in them.

My Fdk. are ahead of yours, Ted. I am watering normally and have lots of top growth and lots of roots. My Clowesia are another matter. Not a leaf and not a root. These are all stuck on a top shelf and in a corner so that I don't accidentally water them when watering everything else in the greenhouse.