Cattleyaphilia

On the benefits of high humidity

2012-01-26T05:41:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I acquired some Neofinetia falcata seedlings from Cal-Orchid. I re-potted them and put them out with the other plants. Winter arrived, watering frequency dropped dramatically and the Neos looked like they were suffering - the leaves were not as hard as they should have been and even showed mild wrinkling - not enough water. I moved them into my compot growing chamber. This tank has moderate temps and high humidity. Within days the leaves plumped up and new root growth started - all the Neos look much happier. While it is true that both temperature and humidity were increased when I moved these seedlings, I lean towards the humidity as the factor that allowed more moisture to get to the roots and stimulated new root growth.

Another reason to get a greenhouse!

Cold!

2012-01-16T20:52:00.000-08:00

It is predicted to hit 24F tonight. I am leaving my supplemental CFL lighting on all night in an effort to help keep temps above freezing in the "greenhouse".

Cattleya labiata

2012-01-13T12:39:00.001-08:00

Things are not going well.

2012-01-07T15:33:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I found two Cattleya maximas with rot. On each, the lead pseudobulb started turning brown and soft from the top. I did radical surgery, cutting below the rot. Also, you can see my C. labiata semi-alba - a mere shadow of last year's blooming. Colder than normal temps are setting things back.

Pollination

2011-12-26T14:13:00.001-08:00

Cattleya warscewiczii

2011-12-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

Cattleya warscewiczii is not the easiest plant to grow, but it is spectacular when grown well. I am going to give it a try. This bareroot division arrived yesterday. I think it will start throwing off new roots soon and then I'll have to decide how to pot it.

Baby it's cold outside...

2011-12-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

OK, not really. But it is cold for Cattleyas. Temps have been getting to low 30s at night which means my half-baked "greenhouse" heating set-up results in temps in the low 40s. Too cold, but at least the plants won't freeze to death. One day I'll have a proper greenhouse and maintain temps in low to mid 50s at night. I'm sure the collection will be much happier.

Primary hybrids

2011-12-12T06:47:00.000-08:00

A primary hybrid is the result of cross between two species. A secondary hybrid is the result of a cross between two primary hybrids (typically when none of the parents of the primaries are shared - i.e., there are four species represented in a secondary hybrid, each contributing 25% of the genes).

Modern Cattleya hybrids usually are very complex but obviously in the early days of hybridization it was all primary hybrids. People are fond of primary hybrids because they retain much of the charm of species but tend to be more vigorous. Many of these plants were lovely (to read the descriptions from the old gardening literature) but are now lost. They would have to re-created.

Here is a web site listing several primary hybrids. You will not recognize most of the names.

Of course, Arthur Chadwick's articles regularly mention primaries that are currently unavailable.

C. labiata

2011-12-10T13:12:00.001-08:00

Last year this plant was about to bloom when all the buds blasted. That will not happen this year. There are 10 buds on four growths. Not great but considering it is a first bloom, pretty good. Good, well grown clones can have 5 flowers per inflorescence. This plant is from Tropical Orchid Farm.

As usual for this time of year, I feel that almost the entire collection is on the razor's edge between over and underwatering. Obviously in winter one wants to err towards the latter.

C. labiata semi-alba buds

2011-12-04T11:06:00.000-08:00

Last year I had a Cal-Orchid seedling bloom for the first time. I was impressed - four, big, nice flowers. This year it was growing from two leads, both of which had a sheath. However, one sheath has no obvious buds and the other has only two. I am wondering if it is because it used so much energy making the two growths this year. In any case, I expect good things from this plant in the future. This a bit late blooming - many of my plants seem to be. If this is true, I wonder if hot summers and cold winters just slow things down relative to bloom times under better conditions.

The plant to the left is different C. labiata semi-alba seedling also from Cal-Orchid that I expect will bloom for the first time in about a year. The eagle-eyed among you might see what is the tip of an L. anceps spike in the lower left area of the photo.

C. labiata amesiana x self

2011-12-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

I got this plant from Miranda Orchids a few years ago. Last year the single bud blasted and the year before I had one measly flower. This year again, just one bud.

This plant is not thriving. I've learned that rather than being stubborn, the best thing to do if a plant is not doing well is to change and hope for better performance. I went through a period when I potted lots of seedlings in 4" wood baskets and in retrospect that appears to have been a mistake. It is hot and dry here in summer, which I suspect is a problem with small baskets. If I were growing in a greenhouse in moderate, humid conditions it probably would have been fine. This year this plant and several other will be moved to pots with orchiata bark and then we'll see what happens. It could also be the case this is just a weak plant and that it could only thrive in optimal conditions. We shall see.

Big orchid happenings in Brooklyn

2011-12-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.bbg.org/news/repotting_tiger_orchid/

Cattleya Gene's Dream 'Mendenhall'

2011-11-25T08:20:00.000-08:00

This Carter and Holmes mericlone looks like a very nice plant and only three species in there (C. lueddemanniana x C. mossiae) x C. percivaliana! But alas, it is not fragant (I'm surprised...) and so won't go onto my list.

Winter home

2011-11-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

I got my 10 x 10 King Canopy temporary greenhouse up last weekend and just in time -cold and wet this weekend. Still have a lot of organizing to do in here. Can you see the Plumeria cutting I started this summer?

Cattleya Chocolate Drop

2011-10-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

A primary hybrid between C. guttata and C. aurantiaca

Another Cattleya maxima

2011-10-28T20:05:00.001-07:00

C. labiata compot update

2011-10-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Back in May I posted on some compots I had recently established. Here are the before (May) and after (now) pictures of one compot, shot from similar angles.

Another C. maxima

2011-10-22T06:19:00.000-07:00

Cattleya labiata

2011-10-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

First labiata bloom of the season. This is a first bloom seedling resulting from the cross of two rubra forms from SVO Orchids. Not bad for a first bloom. The color is darker and more saturated in real life. I'm not capturing it well here.

Cattleya maxima

2011-10-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have four maximas blooming or about to bloom. Here is the first. Some clones of this type have over 20 flowers. I would love to get one of those...

L. anceps spiking

2011-09-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

A couple of anceps are spiking. Here is a youngish plant that is starting to take off.

New Neofinetias

2011-09-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Finally pulled the trigger on a species I've been thinking about for a while, Neofinetia falcata. The good folks at Cal-Orchid have a nice deal, three for $60 and James Rose threw in 2 smaller seedlings for free. I thought about basket or mount but in the end decided to re-pot in a airy orchiata bark/perlite mix in a slotted plastic pot.

C. maxima buds

2011-09-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Still alive out here, though work and life have resulted in few posts.

Here is the maxima that I showed last year. The plant is getting well established and flower count looks to improve.

Stanhopea jenischiana

2011-08-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

One spike open, one opening.

Brassavola David Sander

2011-08-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

First blooming of this primary hybrid between Brassavola cucullata and Brassavola digbyana. The digbyana parent has since been re-named Rhyncholaelia digbyana, but we'll still call the hybrid a Brassavola. I sent two siblings of this plant over to Richard at Backbulbs Blog. I suspect they will look a lot like this plant.

Epidendrum nocturnum

2011-08-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

A reliable bloomer, which blooms from both old and new growths. Nice evening fragrance.

Stanhopea jenischiana update

2011-08-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

About three months ago I noticed my S. jenischiana spiking. Turns out there are two spikes. The more mature one look set to open flowers next week. I'm amazed at the resources the plant puts into the flowers. Looking forward to the (brief) show.

Cattleya leopoldii alba

2011-08-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

Cattleya leopoldii

2011-07-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

Cattleya Quinquecolor

2011-07-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

Encyclia belizensis

2011-07-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Cattleya Hardyana

2011-07-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is a first bloom seedling of the semi-alba form of this famous primary hybrid between C. warscewiczii and C. dowiana. Chadwick's article on this plant is very informative.

C. purpurata carnea

2011-06-25T10:52:00.000-07:00

Here is another carnea blooming. A while back I sent a couple of backbulbs to Richard, telling him I wasn't sure if there were two different plants. I am now positive that there are two different plants. This one has a much darker lip and more color. I prefer this one. It should get better next year, now that it is getting established in a new basket.

Another purpurata

2011-06-19T14:50:00.001-07:00

This is a striata form - not bad for a first bloom.

Cattleya purpurata carnea

2011-06-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

A reliable bloomer. Moved to a basket last year, so not quite as nice as it can be. This plant seems more attractive to thrips than most of my other plants.

Oncidium leucochilum seedlings

2011-06-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

Oncidium leucochilum is a nice species. I picked up two seedlings for a good price. When I was re-potting them, a third small seedling was discovered and put in a third pot. Look at all those new roots!

Maxillaria tenuifolia

2011-05-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is a nice species, well known for the coconut fragrance it emits. Last year this plant had two measly blooms; this year there are about 20. No idea why.

Two Encyclia cordigera

2011-05-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

The alba and semi-alba forms. The alba form is distinct in a few ways - I wonder if it is a different species.

Yipee!

2011-05-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

My Stanhopea jenischiana is spiking. I got this in spike two years ago from Oak Hill Gardens but the spike broke off during shipping. This will be my first Stanhopea flowering. The spikes grow downward through the media, which is why most people grow them in baskets, often wire rather than wood.

Cattleya compots (community pots)

2011-05-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well, a while back I mentioned my low success rate with flasks and the fact that despite that, I bought another flask - C. labiata. The flask came about two months ago, and things are going much better this time.

In previous attempts I potted seedlings into compots and put them in my regular grow area. They received a bit of extra attention, but no special conditions. This time I did a few things differently.

First, I bought a small T5 grow light and retrieved an old fish tank from the garage - this was the grow chamber. Second, I potted the seedlings in seedling bark or seedling bark + sphagnum instead of straight sphagnum (my earlier attempts). Finally, and now I believe, very importantly, I dramatically boosted humidity by placing the compots in large bags. These were not sealed, but even so, the humidity in each bag was pretty high. The seedlings have been doing very well with hardly any mortality.

By the way, it makes no economic sense for me to do this, and if the seedlings continue to thrive, I'll have real space problems...but it is fun.

Cattleya mossiae alba

2011-05-15T08:50:00.001-07:00

A reliable bloomer, acquired from Santa Barbara Orchid Estates.

Encyclia patens

2011-05-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

A very fragrant Encyclia from Brazil. I have had this for two years, I think, and it is just starting to grow well.

Cattleya mendelii

2011-05-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

The color is very nice. This plant produced four new growths but only one bloomed, and only two flowers. It isn't so surprising - all that vegetative growth came at a cost for reproduction. Next year will likely be much better. That is C. Stonehouse in the background.

Sedirea japonica

2011-05-09T10:28:00.001-07:00

Nice citrusy fragrance.

Oncidium splendidum

2011-04-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

Cattleya mossiae semi-alba

2011-04-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

This plant is the result of the cross Blanca x Aurora. The six flowers each have about a 7 inch spread, petals about 3 inches wide. This was one of the first Cattleya species plants I acquired. The fact that it is still with us despite the early shoddy treatment it received is a testament to its vigor.

The 2011 blooming is very much like the 2010 blooming, with two exceptions. First, the flowers are about a month later than last year (similar to the C. Stonehouse blooming). Second, there is more color in the lip this year than there was last year. I would guess these two factors are correlated with something else - reduced temperature?

C. Stonehouse

2011-04-19T06:49:00.001-07:00

Almost all blooms are open now - over 30 of them all around the plant.

The Florists' Manual (1906) - Orchids

2011-04-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Found a free version of this impressive old work, which was intended for commercial growers There is a neat section on orchids with some old photos. Naturally, Cattleya figures prominently. Make sure you click on through the links at the bottom of each page to see all parts of the book relating to orchids.

Cattleya skinneri 'Heiti Jacobs'

2011-04-08T12:51:00.001-07:00

This is a mericlone - a first bloom for me.

Cattleya intermedia

2011-04-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

First blooming. Really like this - no fragrance yet.

C. Stonehouse

2011-04-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

My C. Stonehouse specimen has just started to bloom and will probably be in bloom for about 3 months. This year there are 13 or 14 growths that will bloom. This winter I decided that at the right time I will take a division for myself and sell the rest of the plant - it takes up a lot of space in my small temporary greenhouse. We'll see if I still feel this way when the plant is done blooming.

As you can see, the blooms are big and colorful. They are also fragrant and long-lasting. And the plant grows like a weed. What more could you want?

Buds!

2011-03-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

More impending blooms. A C. intermedia I picked up 2 years ago - will be first bloom for me - and an Oncidium splendidum that was a first time bloomer for me last year. Looking for significant improvement in the Oncidium bloom - we'll see. The spike is much taller than last year and has a branch, so I am optimistic.

Recent acquisitions

2011-03-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season! Got a few bareroot plants from Floralia last week:
C. gaskelliana tipo
C. trianae Rolf Altenburg x Premier
C. trianae amesiana Floralia x alba
C. chocoensis alba
C. lueddemanniana (color overlap x irina) x tipo
C. percivaliana alba x aurora
C. Veriflora
Lc. C.G. Roebling

The last two are primary hybrids, labiata x trianae and purpurata x gaskelliana.

With the exception of the chocoensis, they are all large and very healthy plants.

Here they are sitting out on the bench. I'll spray them everyday until I have a chance (this weekend?) to pot the ones with active roots. The others will remain in this state until root growth initiates.

I really, really hate snails...in my greenhouse

2011-03-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

A spike on what would have been a first-bloom Encyclia cleanly severed near the base, along with the offending gastropod. Bummer. The guilty party was exiled to the nether-regions of the backyard.

Orchid stories on Science Friday (NPR)

2011-03-18T12:49:00.001-07:00

Great video of Catasetum pollination mechanism.

The Judge, the Hunter, the Thief, and the Black Orchid

2011-03-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

Looks like I would enjoy this short documentary about orchids. Why in the world is it not released on Netflix?

Theory and practice of breeding mini-catts

2011-03-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

An interesting article by Alan Koch, proprietor of Gold Country Orchids, along with a related article from the San Diego Orchid Society.

Cattcylaelia Banana Split

2011-03-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've sworn off hybrids, not because I have anything against them, but simply because if you have limited space and want to build a nice collection, it helps to have a smaller universe of potential plants.

But as I was going through the H & R Nurseries catalog, I couldn't resist giving this hybrid a try. The name is strange. I went to the RHS Orchid database to figure this out. Well, according to H & R this hybrid is a cross of Lc. Pixie x Encyclia cordigera. So, what is Lc. Pixie? It is a cross of Cattleya crispata x Guarianthe Guatemalensis. So, what is Guarianthe Guatemalensis? It is a cross (also a natural hybrid) between Guarianthe aurantiaca and Guarianthe skinneri. These two species were in the Cattleya genus for many years, and if you ask me, they should have just left them there - many people still refer to then as Cattleya, including Jay Pfahl's site. Cattleya crispata has also been known as Sophronitis crispata and Laelia flava. That is why H & R refers to one of the parents as Laeliocattleya Pixie - traditionally, the parents of that cross have been known as Laelia flava and Cattleya Guatemalensis - L and C. Anyway, the botanists have created a taxonomic mess.

So, why did I buy this hybrid? The description from H & R made it sound good. But to really see why this hybrid is appealing, I suggest you check out the description at Marble Branch Farms - while you're there you'll see their name for this plant is slightly different from that at H & R. It sounds like a terrific little hybrid. By the way, Marble Branch Farms is a great nursery and the only reason I didn't buy these plants there was that I was looking to H & R for the walkerianas and ended up getting two of these just for the hell of it. MBF has lots of interesting hybrids for those of you that grow hybrids.

Cattleya walkeriana

2011-03-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

For an orchid nut, unused growing space doesn't remain unfilled for long. After sending a few plants Richard's way, I acquired a few plants. Most important among them, C. walkeriana. I only have one tiny little division I acquired last year. Somehow I got it in my head that I wanted to try a few more - my skills are better and my growing conditions are better than they used to be. The first one is a three-bulb division I got on ebay. It has just initiated new root growth and I decided to stick it in a four inch basket filled with coconut husk chips and put that four inch basket inside a six inch basket. This is a pretty quick drying situation, but if more water is needed I can stuff some sphagum in the open spaces. We'll see how this works.

The second and third pics are two plants I just got in from H & R Nurseries. The second one, which looks very vigorous, is growing in a plastic net pot filled with bark and perlite, with that pot slipped inside a regular plastic pot. I haven't seen this potting strategy before but I immediately see the logic - very fast draining, but maintaining additional moisture around the roots because of the second "layer" of plastic.

The third plant is not as nice as the second one - it only has two leaves. Not thrilled with the condition of this plant, but the bulbs are large. Looks like it has tried and failed to initiate a bloom. This one is potted in a regular plastic pot with very large chunks of bark - again, very fast drainage.

Many people grow this species mounted. When root growth starts on the second and third plants I will gingerly move them to six inch wood baskets, as it is easier to alter the amount of moisture around the roots compared to a mount. If I had a greenhouse I would probably go for mounts.

I have more new plants here or on the way to report on in upcoming posts. My wife thinks we already have too many things to take care of. She is right. But orchid fever is a disease - it can be suppressed - I'm trying (!), but there is apparently no cure...

Cattleya trianae

2011-03-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

L. anceps

2011-03-07T10:19:00.001-08:00

C. trianae buds

2011-03-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Another C. trianae to bloom soon. First bloom for me and it looks like its going to be nice.

Laelia anceps

2011-03-03T19:58:00.001-08:00

Cattleya trianae

2011-03-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

About a year ago I acquired two C. trianae from Ecuagenera. Here is the first bloom for me - they should improve a lot as the plant becomes better established.

Impressive Japanese collection

2011-02-24T15:33:00.001-08:00

I don't know who owns this site, but there are some amazing Cattleyas in there!

Cattleya intermedia

2011-02-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

This is a cross of sanguinea x 'Nancy' from H & R a few years ago. The color is nice, but you can see the petals are deformed. I suspect this is environmental.

Still here

2011-02-16T19:32:00.000-08:00

Well, posting has been light. This is a combination of our 3 month old daughter, the fact that I'm trying to get some work done, the propane debacle, and a generally slow time in the greenhouse. But, there is some stuff that will bloom soon. Here are some shots of two C. intermedias, a C trianae, and Oncidium splendidum.

Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Bluebird'

2011-01-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Been thinking about getting one of these for a while - finally saw one for 9 bucks so I couldn't pass it up. I don't have many Vandaceous plants - humidity is a bit low - but what the heck, we'll see. This plant is a mericlone of a primary hybrid between Neofinetia falcata and Rhynostylis coelestis. It generally meets all the conditions for making it into my collection. 1) Heat tolerant, 2) Species or primary hybrid, 3) fragrant.

This plant also stays very small, which is nice, though I don't pay much attention to that criterion with my Cattleyas.

It came in a pot - these plants are usually grown in baskets, often with no medium. I will move it to a 4 inch wood basket when new roots start.

Dealing with rot

2011-01-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

This is a C. mossiae coerulea that dropped a few leaves due to the evil known as propane. Today I noticed some rot below the abscission point on one of the bulbs - whether this is connected to a dying leaf is hard to say. In any case, to avoid the spread of these infections and death of the plant one has to undertake radical surgery. I took a clean razor blade, sliced off the bulb well below the brown part, and then sprinkled cinnamon on the wound. Cinnamon is known to have effective anti-microbial activity.

Video blog entry

2011-01-17T15:33:00.000-08:00

I saw no reason to not start posting short video entries - and with that, here is the first in what I hope to maintain as a regular feature.

The state of the collection

2011-01-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

Below are a few photos of plants experiencing significant amounts of leaf abscission - this is FAR in excess of what I ever seen (at least half my plants have yellowing leaves) and I strongly suspect at this point that I am seeing the delayed consequences of ethlylene production associated with the use of propane - the same thing I suspect caused the recent bud blast.

At this point, I am hoping that the damage doesn't become any worse - it would really hurt to lose a significant part of my collection.

C. purpurata

C. Quinquecolor

Two Laelia anceps

L. anceps (left) and L. gouldiana (right)

Happy blog anniversary to me!

2011-01-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I started this blog a year ago today. More than 1000 of you scattered across more than 60 countries have visited. Thanks, and good growing to all of you. Feel free to leave comments - it's fun!

Heating problem solved - and maybe a new problem

2011-01-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

I bought a Mr. Buddy propane heater for the temporary greenhouse this year - it runs off a 20lb tank of propane. It has a low-oxygen sensor, because it was designed to be used indoors, though not in tightly sealed rooms. From looking at the design, I'm pretty sure the shutoff mechanism uses a thermocouple. If the O2 concentration falls below a certain value, something like a pilot light flame becomes smaller and this shrinking cools a nearby thermocouple, which triggers shutoff.

The reason I'm trying propane is that my electric utility heater is very expensive to run. My problem has been that the heater has been running for 4 hours or so, after which the heater is going to auto shut-off mode. I speculated that there was local low O2 concentration near the mechanism because air flow was too low. To test this hypothesis I bought a small fan and placed it near the heater. Last night the heater ran for 12 hours, so maybe the problem is licked.

But I am a bit worried about bud blast from unburned propane or perhaps a byproduct of burning? The buds on that C. labiata 'Tipo' don't look right to me. They're paler and stippled, though that is hard to see. But its a bad sign.

I think I'm looking at a total loss here - always tough to stomach when a plant blooms only once per year.

I am reading conflicting reports of the effects of burning propane. Some sources say "no problem" while others say with great certainty that burning propane will blast your buds! Thing is, this heater burns with nearly 100% efficiency and the auto shutoff should have disallowed unburned propane from entering the greenhouse.

Alternatively, it is possible that bud blast results from temps on the low side - but I've been good about maintaining the greenhouse temp.

I favor the propane explanation. If that is correct, I'll have to deal with the cost of electric heat and just keep the propane heater for emergencies.

Solar powered orchid nursery

2011-01-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

All greenhouses are solar powered, but Sunset Valley Orchids is now off the electrical grid and running off photovoltaic cells - totally awesome, Fred!

The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala

2010-12-30T11:22:00.000-08:00

James Bateman was an influential orchidist. I knew of this book, published in 1843, and I came across it in the Kindle Store at Amazon for only 10 bucks, so I thought I would read it. It was a quick and fun read - historically interesting. I especially enjoyed the Introduction, in which he praised the orchid and justified his orchid obsession as well as provided six rules of orchid growing, which of course are as true today as they were then.

Here is a passage extolling the joy of orchid growing.

The six rules of orchid growing are:
1) "The plants can scarcely have too much light or too little sun."
2) "Take care of the roots."
3) "Beware of noxious insects."
4) "Give the plants a season of rest."
5) "Attend to the condition of the air."
6) "Do not over-water."

To this he added the unwritten seventh rule: "Do not aim at having too large a collection, but rather strive to grow a few good kinds in the best style."

To which I can only say, Amen.

Cattleya labiata 'Tipo' buds

2010-12-29T06:45:00.000-08:00

I got this plant about two years ago - Tropical Orchid Farm via Orchidmania. This will be the first bloom - 6 flowers on two spikes. Looks like it will be pretty dark.

Winter growing - Cattleya crispa

2010-12-28T03:27:00.000-08:00

I have been growing a C. crispa (also known as Laelia crispa) for a couple of years. This year it put up a big fat pseudo-bulb (biggest one so far), so I was feeling optimistic that the next growths would bloom. Now I'm not so sure. The new growths look pretty good, but it sure seems that this most recent p-bulb, which was really round this past summer, has been significantly depleted to foster the new growth. I wonder if in spite of my efforts to be careful with water this winter, the plant has been too wet and many roots have rotted (I may try to assess tomorrow). Alternatively, maybe I am not watering enough. Finally, it may be that this is the normal growth pattern. Maybe in nature the old bulbs MUST be used to supplement the new growths because water is scarce at that time of year - then later in the year the old bulbs re-hydrate.

It blooms in the summer in its natural habitat in Brazil. Doing a bit of searching (thank you Wikipedia), I found that in a location typical of its natural distribution, the city of Rio de Janeiro, summers are wetter and winters are drier (I should have known this...). I'm going to make the possibly erroneous assumption that the inland climate is not extremely different in terms of rainfall. If this assumption is OK, then new growths are generated at the driest time of the year (winter), and then they bloom in the summer. So this makes me lean toward the third hypothesis - new growth is generated in dry times and I should expect the older bulbs to look like this. However, if I can determine that the roots are in good shape, perhaps I should give it a bit more water.

Obviously I don't really know what I'm doing.

My purpuratas show a similar, though less extreme growth pattern - however, they differ dramatically in that they are putting out new roots, while this species is not.

Another C. maxima

2010-12-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

This is the last of my maximas for the year. This one is the result of a cross between a coerulea and a coerulescens form. It has a beautiful, delicate coloration.

Cattleya maxima

2010-12-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

A first bloom seedling. Interesting that it is blooming so much later than two others posted earlier this year.

The color is difficult to get right.

Greenhouse at night

2010-12-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

Coerulea catts

2010-12-14T06:21:00.000-08:00

The coerulea (blue) forms of Cattleya are rare in nature and this has given them some desirability among collectors - they are often more expensive than other color forms (and often less vigorous). I'm not into them myself, but I stumbled across this set of articles summarizing one man's decades long scholarship and investigation on this topic. Impressive.

One interesting point is that in Cattleya breeding crosses between highly diverged species often produce hybrids having the same coloration as the parents. This suggests that the genetics are simple and that the same genes are often responsible for a given color form in many species. This is an interesting evolutionary phenomenon.

Grow area update

2010-12-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

Well, the temporary greenhouse is approaching steady state. I don't think I'll have time to add more rods for hanging plants. The major recent change is the addition of a bunch of CFLs to up the light level. They also add a bit of heat during the day.

More of that C. labiata

2010-12-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

C. labiata + bonus!

2010-12-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

This is a 1st bloom seedling acquired from Cal-Orchid in 2007. And much more important, here is Hannah, the newest member of our family, born on Monday afternoon. We think she's perfect.

C. labiata semi-alba update

2010-11-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

No problem!

2010-11-24T08:04:00.000-08:00

OK, we're good. Here you can see the min-max thermometer which recorded a low/current of about 46 (blue = low, green = high, red = current) when the outside temp was probably 29 or 30. Excellent.

You can also see a spike on the L. anceps that bloomed for the first time last year. This year's growth and spike are much more robust than last year, so expecting a better blooming.

Gulp...

2010-11-23T17:29:00.001-08:00

Going down to the high 20's tonight. I hope my little heater can keep the temps above 40.

Cattleya labiata semi-alba buds

2010-11-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

Way back in August I posted a pic of a first bloom seedling. The (fat) buds are finally emerging - at least three, possibly a fourth. This is an extremely robust young plant - hoping that translates into high quality flowers.

Finally, a flower to post

2010-11-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

In a previous post I showed you a C. purpurata that was imported from South America and was getting ready to bloom at the "wrong" time up here. Well here is the flower - not bad for a first bloom. I like striata types. At the same time it is blooming it is developing a new growth, which is not typical for purpurata. It is getting on Northern hemisphere time.

Here is the new temporary winter space

2010-11-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

Temporary greenhouse

2010-10-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like the rainy season is upon us here, a bit earlier than normal. So, the greenhouse went up this afternoon. If it rains and temps drop I can get everything in there pronto. I still have some work to do to get ready for the winter, including anchoring the greenhouse and setting up a few purlins to hang baskets. The first pic is the top. After assembling the top, the cover went on and then the legs went in. The last step was pulling the cover down and installing a few braces.

Winter plans

2010-10-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

John asked what my plans were for winter. Last winter (and the one before) I had a temporary greenhouse on the patio. It worked, but as you might expect, there were problems. There were leaks and it was crowded. In fact, I lost a specimen Blc Copper Queen because it got soaked and it was cool and all the roots rotted. Pathogens spread because the plants were too close together and I couldn't easily examine them. I had to build benches that specifically fit into the greenhouse.

This year I'm trying a King Canopy 10 x 10 x 8 temporary greenhouse. It is much bigger than last year's space, my benches will fit it, and I should be able to rig up plenty of space for hanging baskets. The greenhouse will go against one of the south walls of the house and I will have to figure out how to anchor it to the ground - probably with some greenhouse anchors I'll buy from Farmtek.

If all goes well I will put up the greenhouse in two weeks or so and get the plants in the week after. I probably won't have to start heating it until Thanksgiving.

Cattleya Landate

2010-10-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

A cross between C. guttata and C. aclandiae.

Two C. maximas

2010-10-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

This gives you an idea of the different in stature between lowland and upland forms.

Cattleya maxima 'Hercules'

2010-10-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

Cattleya maxima

2010-09-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

More orchid history

2010-09-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Found this collection of biographical sketches of important people in orchid history.

Slowly but surely...

2010-09-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

the C. maxima buds are growing, elevating and rotating. Let's hope the flowers are worth the wait.

Another C. maxima with buds

2010-09-21T07:52:00.000-07:00

This is a first blooming for this seedling of the clone 'Hercules'. The next blooming will have more flowers.

Cattleyaphilia

On the benefits of high humidity

Cold!

Cattleya labiata

Things are not going well.

Pollination

Cattleya warscewiczii

Baby it's cold outside...

Primary hybrids

C. labiata

C. labiata semi-alba buds

C. labiata amesiana x self

Big orchid happenings in Brooklyn

Cattleya Gene's Dream 'Mendenhall'

Winter home

Cattleya Chocolate Drop

Another Cattleya maxima

C. labiata compot update

Another C. maxima

Cattleya labiata

Cattleya maxima

L. anceps spiking

New Neofinetias

C. maxima buds

Stanhopea jenischiana

Brassavola David Sander

Epidendrum nocturnum

Stanhopea jenischiana update

Cattleya leopoldii alba

Cattleya leopoldii

Cattleya Quinquecolor

Encyclia belizensis

Cattleya Hardyana

C. purpurata carnea

Another purpurata

Cattleya purpurata carnea

Oncidium leucochilum seedlings

Maxillaria tenuifolia

Two Encyclia cordigera

Yipee!

Cattleya compots (community pots)

Cattleya mossiae alba

Encyclia patens

Cattleya mendelii

Sedirea japonica

Oncidium splendidum

Cattleya mossiae semi-alba

C. Stonehouse

The Florists' Manual (1906) - Orchids

Cattleya skinneri 'Heiti Jacobs'

Cattleya intermedia

C. Stonehouse

Buds!

Recent acquisitions

I really, really hate snails...in my greenhouse

Orchid stories on Science Friday (NPR)

The Judge, the Hunter, the Thief, and the Black Orchid

Theory and practice of breeding mini-catts

Cattcylaelia Banana Split

Cattleya walkeriana

Cattleya trianae

L. anceps

C. trianae buds

Laelia anceps

Cattleya trianae

Impressive Japanese collection

Cattleya intermedia

Still here

Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Bluebird'

Dealing with rot

Video blog entry

The state of the collection

Happy blog anniversary to me!

More evidence of problems

Heating problem solved - and maybe a new problem

Solar powered orchid nursery

The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala

Cattleya labiata 'Tipo' buds

Winter growing - Cattleya crispa

Another C. maxima