New Plants - Order from Schwerter

I really like this nursery. They have a great range of plants and seem to know how to grow them. I can't say the same for the couriers, but that's not for this blog. The plants took over a week to get here, but arrived on Tuesday this week in remarkably good condition. Schwerter really know about packing. Each plant has tissue holding the growing medium in the pot, then more tissue protecting any flower spikes (there usually are some), then a plant sleeve over the top of that. The plants are stood in a plant tray that fits the box perfectly, and are taped to it. The boxes are nice and tall (and custom branded), and are carefully lined with bubble wrap. There is a heat pack taped to the bubble wrap in such a way that it doesn't touch any of the plants (I have received plants with a heat pack before where the heat pack has burned the leaves which kind of defeats the object of it, really). Canes of exactly the height of the box are inserted into the pots to hold another upside down plant tray that forms a strong lid for the box, before it is carefully sealed. Seriously, these guys are experts. Also, they dispatch (at least to to the UK) on a Monday so the plants have the best chance of arriving that week. They really seem to care. But enough of my swooning over Germans, on to the plants.

Firstly, Coelogyne pulvera. I read that this is a synonym for C. dayana. At any rate, I must admit I thought I was getting a bigger plant than I actually unwrapped. Then I looked at the invoice and realised that I must have ordered a smaller plant than I thought I had because I didn't pay a lot for it.

I reckon this plant is at least four years away from blooming. An investment, then. The plant itself is nice and healthy. It is (was) potted in sphagnum moss, with a very nice robust root system with rather attractive pink growing tips (I notice this stuff). There is a maturing growth and another new growth, so we should have two leads almost straight away. Coelogyne pulverula is reputed to have the longest flower spikes of the genus; hence the need for the plant to get to quite a large size before it has the strength to bloom. I'm very excited to see it bloom, but it will be a few years yet. I have now repotted the plant and put it into medium bark chips so it can grow away at its leisure.

Next, another Coelogyne baby, C. rumphii. I have a hybrid of this species, C. Rebecca Howe, which I really like so I'll be pleased to see it bloom. It is a while away from blooming, but probably not as far away as C. pulverula. There is a nice new growth on it, just unfurling its leaves.

I have repotted this one, too, and discovered a nice robust roots system so I expect it'll grow away nicely with no problems. I'll be interested to smell the scent on this one, since the hybrid I have has an odd smell. I think I described it as sweet and chocolatey when I wrote the post about it, but in the days afterward it took on a distinctly odd chemical smell to it.

Next up we have Coelogyne asperata x rochussenii. This is quite a large plant with three lead growths. I expect it is flowering size, but it is always hard to tell when you are dealing with new (ish) hybrids. I have both its parents, and Coelogyne rochussenii has bloomed in the past and the hybrid is bigger. Coelogyne asperata is still a bit of an unknown for me as the original plant I had died on me, and the replacement I have arrived in poor condition. I am told it is blooming size, but it is much smaller than the original plant I had. It is also smaller than the hybrid. I can also say that the new plant hasn't bloomed yet.

It's a lovely lush looking plant, isn't it? Now, this is doubly interesting because Coelogyne rochussenii needs a dry rest to induce blooming. Coelogyne asperata doesn't like to dry out. So do I try to get it to bloom by giving it a dry rest, or do I let it do its thing? Hopefully I won't have to wait too long to find out. At least it doesn't have the untidy habit of C. rochussenii so it shouldn't climb over the edge of its pot.

Next up, a new genus on me. Renanthera (imschootiana x monachica) x monachica. I've never grown Renanthera before, at least as far as I can remember. I do have one Renanthera hybrid, Renanthopsis Mildred Jameson, but I haven't had it long enough to learn its habits, and its an intergeneric so it probably wouldn't help anyway.

At any rate, its a nice healthy plant that I haven't needed to repot, but I would say it only just approacing blooming size. It has very thick, rigid leaves. I guess it is adapted to high light and quite dry conditions. Renanthera are known for getting very tall, so I would say this one has a way to go before it reaches its full potential. I deliberately went for a hybrid rather than any of the species because I figured it might have a bit more vigour.

Next up is Encyclia tampensis alba. I have a liking for Encyclia and their hybrids and varieties. Encyclia tampensis is a widespread species, tolerant of a range of conditions so it should settle in nicely for me. It is on the small side, but I do think it is probably blooming size. Indeed, two of its pseudobulbs have the beginnings of flower spikes coming up, so we might get lucky sooner rather than later.

It was potted in sphagnum moss, so naturally that had to go. When I removed the pot, I found a very robust root system indeed (the most robust I have discovered on any of the Encyclia species I have acquired recently), and the moss too ages to remove. It is now potted in medium bark in a pond pot, and I expect it will romp away (like the other Encyclia I have acquired recently).

Next, Encyclia thienii. This is a small plant, but it isn't that big a species to start with. Once again, I've repotted it into medium bark chips in a pond pot. It has very thick roots, much thicker than my other Encyclia species. I will be interested to see how it does.

Next up is Phalaenopsis heiroglyphica. I actually ordered Phalaenopsis mannii 'black' x micholitzii, but they contacted me to say they'd sold out of the hybrid so I asked for Phal. heiroglyphica. Its a nice plant, looks like it will be one of the bigger Phalaenopsis, but I don't mind that at all. The flowers will have nice markings on them that look like writing (hence the name).

Another lovely healthy plant.

Next up is a species I've been looking for at a reasonable price for some time, Phalaenopsis tetraspis. This species has white flowers with some red markings, or occasionally on more select clones, a red petal. I expect I'll get the red markings, since they were selling the red petalled clone at a higher price. I'm not expecting it to be a huge species, so I think it'll flower fairly soon (I think I can see the start of a flower spike, in fact).

I have a hybrid of this species that a friend gave me a few years ago, and it has the same flat habit as the species. No blooms on it yet, hence I haven't done a blog post on that plant, but there are two short flower spikes and the last one produced a bud that sadly blasted. Hopefully, it'll get there soon. I think my friend thought it was just unwilling to bloom, but I think, given how much the plant has grown since I got it, that it was just way too small to bloom. It is still smaller than the P. tetraspis pictured above, but I don't think there's far to go now.

Finally (is that a sigh of relief I hear being heaved?) we have the only plant in flower, Phalaenopsis mannii 'dark' x speciosa. Now there seems to be some confusion out there about P. speciosa and P. tetraspis. Some people say that Phalaenopsis speciosa should be labelled as P. tetraspsis var. speciosa, others label it as P. speciosa. I don't know (or much care) which is right, but I do like these primary hybrids.

I think the flower and flower spike resembles the P. mannii parent (I shall know for certain before long because My P. mannii is in bud now), but the plant itself seems to take after the other parent. P. mannii grows into quite an ungainly plant because the leaves are rather long floppy and strappy. They are also speckled with purple. This hybrid looks much more like the P. speciosa vegetatively with quite short broad leaves, making it much tidier and easier to accommodate on the bench. No scent that I can detect but it is early days, and only one of the parents is particularly fragrant.

A nice plant with two flower spikes. Notice that not a single petal has suffered any damage in transit. That's what I mean by expert packing.

Bloom Event - Vanda Princess Mikasa white

I have posted not too long ago about the Vanda Princess Mikasa hybrids blooming and there's another one at it now. I don't grow anywhere near as many Vanda as I used to, but there's still nearly always one in bloom. They do have an annoying habit of all blooming together, but I guess I shouldn't begrudge them that. There are others in spike as I type ready to take over when the three in bloom now are done.

I have never quite been able to decide whether the white Mikasa hybrid is elegant in a cool pristine kind of way or if its a bit dowdy. Today, I like it. I think the problem is that it isn't really white enough. It is more ivory and pale green, at least when stood next to flowers that really are white. At any rate, it blooms frequently....better value for money than most Phalaenopsis by far. Having counted the remains of the old flower spikes, I can confirm that these flowers adorn its tenth flower spike. That is the mark of a happy plant.

It seems the flower count and size do not increase with age, but I'm not really complain given that many growers can't get Vanda to do anything at all. Just like most of my other Vanda I have it in a Cymbidium pot with coarse bark chips. As pointed out elsewhere, I am experimenting with other ways of growing Vanda but I can't see the logic in disturbing this one when it seems perfectly happy as it is. There are roots at the bottom of the pot, and roots coming out of the top. There isn't bare stem at the base of the plant either, so the plant still looks nice and neat and tidy. I got all of those Princess Mikasa hybrids at the same time, probably in 2012. They seem to be the most forgiving of the Vanda hybrids, highly recommended by me. The only problem is that they tend to turn up in garden centres unlabelled and, usually, pre-killed (to save you the bother of abusing them). Much better to find a specialist nursery that sells them (I've sold all my spare plants, unfortunately, except for a pink one that I have two of).

Many Vanda hybrids get large and ungainly, with quite large leaf spans. One of the things I like so much about these Mikasa hybrids is that they stay nice and compact and fit easily on a windowsill. I'm pretty sure they would be more popular if only there weren't so many stories going round about how tricky Vanda are to grow.

Information post - Bug control and watering

I have been asked to describe my pest control methods. I don't want to get too in-depth about all this, but I have taken several photos (not of creepy-crawlies, that would be gross!); I've no idea at the start of this post how long it'll end up by the end.

Firstly, know your enemy.......

There are three main pests that cause problems on my Orchids. The first is mealy bug which seems to really like Phalaenopsis flowers. They appear mostly on soft growth, so emerging growth, flower spikes, etc. Mealy bug are soft-bodied little grey critters that can multiply like nobody's business. They are related greenfly and blackfly. They are easy enough to crush with fingers or the point of canes, but orchids have all sorts of nooks and crannies that they like to hide in.

The second trouble causer is scale insect.  These are partial to different orchids from mealy bugs and tend to go for Cattleya and other orchids with hard pseudobulbs and leaves. They like to lurk on the rhizomes of Cattleyas and can be really hard to eradicate. They also multiply really fast, and quite a severe infestation can build up before bugs get noticed. They are harder to kill than mealy bugs because they hide under a little shield so most chemicals just bounce off. They can be crushed with a fingernail, of course.

The third pest that can cause problems is red spider mite. Usually the first sign of a problem with spider mite is that leaves start to turn silvery and fall prematurely. Sometimes you might notice webbing under the leaves. If you look really closely you can sometimes see very tiny mites moving around under the leaves, some a pale colour and some red. They go mostly for thin leafed orchids like Catasetum and its relatives. Often Eulophia can be affected, as well as Dienia (Malaxis), and sometimes they go for Coelogyne.

So, what do we do about it before we crack open the potions and poisons?

So the first line of defence is to make life difficult for the ones that do find their way onto their orchids. Air movement is important and seems to discourage all three. I have a fan running in my growroom to keep the air circulating. Many growers have theirs running 24/7 but I just have mine running while the lights are on. I have it at ceiling level as it is quite powerful and if it blows directly over the plants it will knock them over.

I looked at fans in hydroponic shops and on eBay and all the rest of it, but I bought this one off the high street in the end. It's pretty powerful. The idea is to have the fan circulating the air so the plants are always in a gentle breeze. You should be able to see the leaves moving. This seems to help to discourage pests, and it helps prevent rots because water evaporates off the plants quickly before it can cause problems.

The next thing that helps to discourage pests is humidity; this is especially true for spider mites. I'm not sure whether it makes a difference for mealy bugs and scale, but I can say that regular spraying of the plants seems to make life more difficult for them.

An important factor in stopping pests from spreading is also one that is very difficult for me, as an orchid addict, to maintain and that is spacing. If the plants don't touch each other, its hard for bugs to spread from plant to plant. Its all swings and roundabouts, of course, because if there were fewer plants further apart it would be harder to maintain the humidity. Another way in for them is through open windows, doors, etc. It would be very hard to keep them out altogether as the air needs to be fresh and that may well involve opening windows during summer. It might be that I'll hang some fine mesh (like enviromesh) across the window so they can't get through.

So what about the potions and poisons?

I have been using the aerosol Provado ultimate bug killer as a spot insecticide on my plants for quite a long time now, as it has always seemed more effective than the regular spray gun, and it is in fact a different chemical. The received knowledge is that if you use a systemic insecticide the plant will absorb it and become magically toxic to bugs. This is perfectly true on most indoor plants, but orchids being orchids, its no that simple. Having spent years using these lotions and potions on my plants I have been watching how they work, and I think they only work by contact. Without getting too technical, Orchids have adapted to their native environment by operating much like cacti do, so they have a reduced number of stomata (pathway in and out of the leaves). Not only that, but the stomata are closed during the day. Orchid leaves have a thick cuticle to keep moisture in, and it will also keep chemicals out.  The stomata open during the night when temperatures are cooler. So if the leaves have such a thick skin and closed stomata during the day when we are likely to be spraying, there seems little point in using systemic chemicals.  Admittedly we could take to spraying during the night, but then we leave ourselves open to bacterial diseases and rots caused by splashing water around during cool nights. With fewer stomata than most plants, the Orchids are never going to be able to take up enough chemical to be properly effective.

There is another issue with using systemic chemicals on orchids. If the chemicals are only partially effective at best, this gives the bugs a fighting chance to develop resistance to the chemicals and, believe me, they do. Not looking good for the chemicals, is it?

Once I'd worked this out, I realized I needed to change tactics. Contact killers such as Pyrethrin are effective as they don't rely on being absorbed into the plant, but they do still act as a poison to the pests, so they still have the chance to develop resistance.

My new tactic is to use soap. This essentially lowers the surface tension of the water and drowns the pests. All of them. As the effect is a physical one the bugs can't develop resistance. Not only this, the soap is lovely and non-toxic. For people. It seems very effective, provided the plants are sprayed thoroughly and regularly. I have been asked whether I use washing up liquid. I guess at a pinch you could use that, but it contains detergents which we don't really want on our plants. I have been using liquid soap flakes which are pure soap and unperfumed.

I get it off the internet, but I should think you could buy this in a real shop. I can tell you it is a whole lot cheaper than Provado is. The dilution rate is a bit wooly since there aren't any proper instructions for this, so I like to use some. I use two capfuls per five litres of water, give or take a bit. I use a 5 litre pressurised spraygun with a lance so I can get even coverage without moving all the plants every time I spray.

Pretty industrial, isn't it? Anything smaller and I'd be mixing until the cows came home. There is a new product on the market (at least new to me) that I'm experimenting with that seems to be soap based, although I have to say it is a little more expensive than the stuff I have been using, but I thought it was worth a try since it is meant to be a foliar feed too. Now after all I've wittered on about regarding the orchids lack of stomata and all, why would I be interested in a foliar feed? I'm not, particularly, but the little bit of feed will get into the plants once it reaches the roots, so there is a degree of use in foliar feeds provided you drench the plants with it.

Dilution rate is nice and simple, 10ml per litre of water. This stuff seriously froths up when mixed, quite a lot of fun. Coverage seems to be nice and even and the leaves seem to shine after application. At £15 a bottle, I probably wont be making a permanent switch to this, but if it works well I might well use a bottle of it every few months.

so, hopefully that has provided a bit of information about what I get up to when I'm not writing blog posts.

Bloom Event - Banfieldara Gilded Tower 'Mystic Maze'

Another mouthful of a name. I'm not sure I've got the correct one even now. This has definitely been masquerading under several different names for quite some time. I could pronounce Brassidium (just). Another remnant of the time when I used to make a habit of selling plants. I actually have two left, and they both flower quite regularly, often twice per pseudobulb. They seem easy growers and are well adapted to the warm conditions in my growroom thanks to the Brassia influence in their parentage. The flower spikes are upright and tend not to need support, especially if grown in good light. There is a slight fragrance, but it isn't a room-filler. I always find the smell of Brassia and its relatives slightly unpleasant, actually. I can forgive them this small transgression, though, because the flowers are quite striking.

The Brassia influence is quite strong, and the flowers are good and spidery, but with stronger lip markings than on the typical Brassia. This hybrid usually blooms as its new growth is maturing and then again just before new growth begins, much like Brassia big spider does. Not every time, but more often than not.

The plant has been in its current pot for quite some time now and is filled with roots. I really should do something about it because it will start to decline if I don't change the potting medium soon. Plus, the pot is split from top to bottom. I don't know if they are making biodegradable pots of some description, but I have found that some of the pots that orchids come in (not the ones from specialist nurseries) start to disintegrate after a year or two. I haven't decided whether this is because the growers are trying to be green (somehow I doubt that) or because they don't expect the plant to live long enough for it to become an issue.

Only the very very lucky ones make it into the hands of someone who knows what they are doing (not meaning to blow my own trumpet, of course). The vast majority of orchids sold these days go in the bin straight after they have bloomed.....they don't even get the chance to die through overwatering or sitting in a draught or one of the other things I hear people do to kill their orchids. It's a shame really, but we can't rescue all of them.

Bloom Event - Eulophia guineensis x (guineensis x euglossa)

What a mouthful. I know all these Latin names can seem like a bit of a pain to try and get one's tongue around, but it does avoid a whole lot of the confusion one encounters while using common names. That said, I'd like to add another layer of complexity now; and of course, we have the taxonomists to blame yet again for name changes. The original label for this reads Eulophia quartiniana x (quartiniana x euglossa). Having done some research, it seems that E. quartiniana is just a synonym for Eulophia guineensis so this isn't quite such an outlandish hybrid as I thought it was. I already have two Eulophia guineensis in my collection. They are from two separate sources and one came labelled as Eulophia quartiniana x guineensis so I'll be interested to see whether they are the same when they bloom (watch this space; both plants are in spike).

Unusually in my orchid collection, Eulophia are terrestrial orchids (no, I don't mean the rest are extra-terrestrial though I think there is probably a market for Martian orchids, and some of these dyed ones certainly look like they are from another planet), meaning they grow in the ground like a 'normal' plant does. They hail from Africa and the Middle East (at least the parents of this hybrid) grow in the seasonally very dry areas. There aren't many orchids from these areas in cultivation, which is a shame because they seem easy growers.

The flower looks rather like Eulophia guineensis which is no surprise as it is 3/4 guineensis. The E. euglossa in it seems to have made the pseudobulbs spindle shaped rather than short and squat like the straight guineensis and also lengthen the flower spike as well as increasing the flower count. There are at least 15 flowers on the spike, and they are opening gradually. I am hoping they will hold long enough for the entire spike to be in bloom at the same time. The flowers are smaller than the straight guineensis and the lip is a slightly different shape, but that characteristic 'crown' of the remaining petals and sepals remains, and that is one of the things I love about Eulophia guineensis and its hybrids. 

The side view shows the nectar spur at the back of the lip. My dedicated readers will remember that I keep complaining that modern hybrids of many genera are being bred to be too flat and 2-dimensional. I love to see nectar spurs and oddly shaped petals and sepals. Its what gives orchids their personality and mystiquie. So if you're a breeder and you're reading this....stop it. There, I've said it.

Now, having said that these plants are easy to grow, I should add a few caveats. Firstly, the blooming can be somewhat irregular. While the flower spikes always seem to emerge from new growth while it is still quite young (think Zygopetalum), the plants don't seem inclined to bloom every year. Out of the five plants I still have (not counting sprouting backbulbs I've yet to pot up), only one of them has put out a flower spike. I have had these plants for just over a year now, from (shock) a German nursery, and the plants were just showing new growth and flower spikes when I got them. Most of the flower spikes aborted almost immediately (I can't say I blame them after such a long journey), and only one managed to produce buds. Imagine my consternation when the buds grew to opening size and then dropped off one by one. I didn't see one flower last year. I'm glad to see a blooming plant this year. 

The second caveat is that these plants must be kept absolutely dry during the winter. Just like Catasetums, they have very pronounced  growing and resting seasons. Leaves will naturally yellow and fall during autumn, and the plants will be absolutely dormant during winter. Keeping them warm or cool doesn't seem to make any difference. I kept them warm. Don't worry if they shrivel slightly, they are very robust. I don't water until new growth starts to emerge in late winter.

The third caveat is that the soft foliage they produce makes the plants a target for red spider mite. This doesn't seem to weaken the plants too much, but it is better to try to keep them pest free if possible (I refer new readers to my post regarding Iwanagaara apple blossom in which I talk about my pest control methods).

As you can see, the plants bloom while new growth is quite young. I have this plant potted in my standard houseplant mix, as it is a terrestrial. I'm tempted to say that the reason for the sporadic blooming of Eulophia is due to the plants being disturbed as I repotted, but I simply don't think this is true. I have repotted both of my Eulophia guineensis in the last year and both of those have put out spikes. As you can see, the plants need quite large pots to accommodate both the pseudobulbs and the robust root system. The roots are very thick and white (and very brittle so beware when potting) which quite belies their need for a terrestrial mix. In fact, it doesn't seem to matter very much what they are grown in provided it is well drained.

I have several spare plants of this cross which I would be happy to part with for money/plants. If you're in the UK and fancy one, make me an offer I can't refuse!

Bloom event - Phalaenopsis Diamond King and a No ID

I'm really getting my money's worth out of my Phalaenopsis this year, although I suspect my audience might be getting rather bored of them. I'm hoping I grow enough interesting ones to keep everyone interested. In the meantime, here I present a couple of fairly generic ones that are in bloom for me. They might be uninspiring to a lot of orchid growers, but I have a certain respect for them. The first for today is another one of those British grown ones called Diamond King. You'd expect a beautiful crisp white with a name like that, wouldn't you? Wrong !

I like the markings on the lower sepals. I guess there is some Phalaenopsis stuartiana buried in there somewhere. This hybrid is a robust grower and always flowers well.

I think its fair to say this one will need repotting once it has done blooming as there are a lot of roots outside the pot now. This isn't a problem in itself, but the potting medium will need changing as this is one of the last ones from that batch that I haven't done yet.

There isn't a lot more to say about this one, really, that I haven't said elsewhere about one of the others. Pretty though, isn't it? Second on the list today is a no ID that I bought in IKEA a few years ago.

This is a strong grower and a good bloomer (aren't they all?). The flowers are a decent size, bigger than Diamond King pictured above, and a quite unique salmon colour that isn't seen around often. There is never a huge amount of buds on the spike, but enough to put on a show. This particular plant actually got crown rot not long after I got it. This is the only plant I have ever had that happen with. You might ask how come I still have the plant. Well it turns out that provided the rot doesn't spread down the stem of the plant, there is a good chance the plant will just produce a side growth and continue to grow. Make sure the crown is dry, and sprinkle some cinnamon in it to help keep further diseases out. This plant sat there for several months not doing anything at all but eventually a keiki developed from the base of the stem and has now grown to the size of the original plant.

All the original leaves from the mother plant have now fallen but you can still just about make out where the original crown rotted and a side growth took over. You can also clearly see that the plant has bloomed at least four times before this stem emerged. Once again, I will need to repot this before long as the original growing medium is surely breaking down by now.

Bloom Event - Iwanagara Apple Blossom

What a mouthful. I usually call it Cattleya apple blossom because there's no way I'm going to try and pronounce that. At least not in front of people. Besides, it might not even be called that anymore. At any rate, this plant is a good grower and reaches frightening size rather quickly. Leaves are longer and strappier than many Cattleyas, and there are usually three or four to a pseudobulb. The flowers are on the small side for a Cattleya but they are produced several to a spike so the plant always manages to put on quite a show.

As I've probably stated in earlier posts, I'm not generally a fan of pastel colours; I find them rather wishy washy. I find the colour combination on this rather pleasing, though, and the colours really glow in sunlight. As a bonus, the breeder has managed to keep the fragrance of whatever species it has in its background (yes, I know its easy enough to find out, but is there really any point?). In sunlight, the scent is really very strong which earns it brownie points from me. Two flower spikes this time, one with six flowers, the other with four. On a plant this size, I expect better. This hybrid seems a bit weird actually, because it tends not to flower off the newest pseudobulbs; the two spikes we have now have come of quite old growths. Most of my Cattleya are a bit odd with their flowering habits, and they might not bloom until new growth has started, but all of them bloom on the newest mature growth. Don't get me wrong; it's not the end of the world, but it does make the blooming on this plant rather unpredictable. I'm sure its only a case of working out what the bloom trigger is.

The sharper eyed among my audience will notice that the foliage on this on is a mess. I used to put my plants outside for the summer (well, in an unheated greenhouse). The plants respond well in general to this, but there really is no way to control the dratted pests, and this plant in particular plant is just a magnet for scale insect. They like Cattleya in general, but this one must have some special attraction for them because it was just riddled with them. On the foliage and the pseudobulbs this isn't too much of a problem, but they like to hide away on the rhizome and places you can't reach with spray and you often don't realize there is a problem until there is a severe infestation.

Of course, I know my enemy a lot better than I used to, so infestations are getting rarer. Also I shan't be putting plants outside this coming summer. This plant is about to undergo an attack with the soap spray which is without a doubt the best bug killer I have ever encountered. I used to use Provado sprays and potions, with some effect, but I always felt that the pests were getting resistant to them. Since I have been using soap I have seen far fewer scale insect, mealy bug and spider mite in my collection and the plants are looking noticeably cleaner (no pun intended). I have a theory that systemic insecticides only have a limited effect on many orchids because they only have a limited amount of stomata (the pores through which gases and water vapour can pass in and out) which really limits how much of the chemical can make its way into the plant, thus limiting how effective systemic sprays can be. This means that sprays working by physical action should be much better. I use liquid soap flakes at a rate of two capfuls per five litres of water. The soap isn't poisonous to the bugs as such. what it does is lower the surface tension of the water (surface tension is what makes water form droplets on leaves) so the water forms a film over the surface of the leaves (and the bugs), so they effectively drown. Provided one sprays thoroughly, this physical control is very effective and there is no chance of the bugs becoming resistant. Frequent applications are necessary to catch hatching eggs but since the spray doesn't cause any harm to the plant that isn't a problem. Additionally, lowering the surface tension of the water also makes the spray an excellent wetting agent so if plants have become drier than is ideal, a soap spray is really useful for re-wetting them.

New Plants - Dendrobium trade

I love plant trades. I get new plants for the price of a stamp. My reader may remember me mentioning in passing that I had a spare plant of Dendrobium ise 'yayoi' up for trade. No longer. A nice chap from 'Down South' contacted me to say he was interested, and offered me a few species in return so I have ended up with the pink form of Dendrobium anosmum (to go with the white form (var. dearei) I got in another trade), Dendrobium pierardii (I used to grow this species a couple of years ago, but for logic which must have made sense at the time, I sold them all and didn't keep one), and Dendrobium aphyllum which I have wanted for some time. I read somewhere that D. pierardii and D. aphyllum are synonymous. The plants don't look the same to me, so I guess I'll find out eventually. Here are some pictures of my lovely new plants.

Dendrobium aphyllum 'Laos'. I can't find any reference to that cultivar on my (half hearted) google searches, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. A nice healthy plant. Interestingly, 'aphyllum' means 'without leaves'....a bit of a misnomer as it clearly does have leaves. I assume it is a reference to the plant blooming in early spring while it is still (theoretically) leafless. How that is different to several other species of Dendrobium that do the same I have no idea, but the world of plant names is filled with such silliness. This is a warm grower that needs a dry winter rest to induce blooming, so hopefully it should do just fine for me provided I remember to keep it dry when it isn't growing.

Dendrobium anosmum. As I mentioned above, I already have a couple of keikis of the white form which are growing away nicely (already - I only got them in mid February). This is the straight pink form and I'm looking forward to seeing it bloom. It looks like I won't have to wait long as the nodes on the leafed cane are swelling. There is also the starts of a new cane at the base. Interestingly, after our discussion about the last species, 'anosmum' means 'without scent' in mystical plant language. Another misnomer since D. anosmum is very well scented apparently of raspberry sherbert - I very much look forward to sampling it for myself.

Dendrobium pierardii. As I mentioned above, I have grown this species before  but sold all my plants, so I'm pleased to get hold of it again without having to part with money. I know this will bloom on quite young plants but I think it will be next year before I see blooms on this one. There appears to be some purple spotting on the leaves which I distinctly remember one of my customers complaining about (any excuse). I had assumed at the time that it was part of the habit of the species as all the plants were the same but didn't have any pests, and this is what I told my customer. Not only that but the leaves are at least semi deciduous so its pointless to worry about it too much.

I have re-potted all three of them into my own bark chips. They had been potted in a coir based mix, but I have never been able to get on with it. There are a lot of growers out there who swear by it and won't use anything else, but I'm not one of them. Still, the new plants will root out fine once they start this years growth. In fact, the D. anosmum var. dearei keikis I got back in February are producing roots already. One is in growth, too although the roots were growing even before that.... no messing!

New Plant - Guaricyclia (Catcyclia) Plicaboa

I went for a jolly to Ashwood Nurseries today. I wanted to look at Clematis for my back garden but, shock horror, I came back with an orchid. They were having an 'Orchid Extravaganza' meaning, mostly, a sea of Phalaenopsis, but at the back of the display I found this beauty.

It was labelled as 'Cattleya', but it clearly isn't Cattleya. In fact, according to modern nomenclature, it doesn't technically have any Cattleya in it at all, though one of its parents is what was until quite recently known as Cattleya bowringiana. These days it is known as Guarianthe bowringiana (who can even pronounce that?). That lovely purple colour comes from the Guarianthe parent. The overall habit of the plant comes from the other parent, Encyclia plicata. The leaves are solid and sword shaped and quite unlike any Cattleya-esque plant I have ever grown.

So, the correct name for this plant is, I believe, Guaricyclia plicaboa, having first gone by the name Epicattleya, and then Catcyclia and who knows what else before that. It should be a warm grower so will do well in my growroom. It looks like it enjoys conditions on the dry side so I'll have to be careful on the watering when it isn't growing.. As you can see, the lead growth is now at the edge of the pot, so I'll have to repot this fairly soon. I've had a little scrabble about in the growing medium and the roots appear healthy (which is more than can be said for plants I have had from a specialist orchid nursery on the continent recently - more to come at a later date), so it should be a fairly easy job to pot it on.

Bloom Event - Chelonistele sulphurea var. sulphurea

This plant was technically in bloom when I got it, but the flowers were really over and done with. Now, almost exactly two years later as I sit listening to Brahms's fourth racket, the plant is finally back in bloom. I have read in several places that it can be a bit of a sulker after being disturbed. I got it bare root off eBay. Perfectly healthy and not a bad way to receive plants. I usually repot them as soon as I get them anyway, so they might as well be sent bare root and save a bit of cash on the postage costs. Anyway, I potted this plant and left it alone. For two years. It didn't die or look distressed or anything, it just didn't do anything, at least above ground. It must have been establishing good roots below ground, though because it is well and truly welded into the pot. Orchids teach us nothing if not patience.

I must confess that before I got hold of it I knew shockingly little about this species, other than that is a relative of Dendrochilum and Coelogyne, and will happily grow warm which suits my growroom. Out of flower, the plant looks almost exactly like a Dendrochilum (such as glumaceum or cobbianum). The flowers look to me almost excactly halfway between a Dendrochilum and a Coelogyne. They are small, but not so small I can't get a halfway decent photo, and a whole lot bigger than even the biggest Dendrochilum flower. There are ten flowers on the spike, with three more to open at time of writing. The flower spike is produced from the centre of the new growth before the leaves emerge, again, much like Dendrochilum glumaceum does. Only one new growth this time around, but I'm hoping that as the plant grows it will produce more lead growths and hence more flower spikes.

This species is strongly fragrant, though it will be a few days yet before the scent develops fully. The one thing I remember about this one was the scent was still there when I opened the box when it arrived, and it had mostly gone over. I just love how the lateral petals have rolled up into a coil, and those markings on the lip which remind me strongly of Coelogyne ochracea (I'm such a name-dropper, I know!).

As I understand it, there are two subspecies of Chelonistele sulphurea, those being var. sulphurea and var. crassifolia, with var. sulphurea being by far the most common both in the wild (Southeast Asia) and in cultivation. There seems to be very little difference between them to speak of, except that var. sulphurea has one leaf per pseudobulb and var. crassifolia has two.

For anyone who wonders, the stake is simply there to hold that leaf away from the flowers, not to support the plant at all. It must be obvious to regular readers of my blog that I have a bit of a soft spot for species (and hybrids) of Coelogyne, Dendrochilum, and Chelonistele. They seem easy growers and flowerers and don't take up too much space. I can always find space for a couple more of them !

Bloom Event - Encyclia cordigera var. semi-alba

I think this might be one of my all time favourite orchids. Don't ask me why; I understand it isn't to everyone's taste, but I absolutely LOVE it. This blooms like clockwork every year for me (probably at around this time, but I'd have to trawl back through my Instagram account to find out for definite), and this year there has been an extra treat in that the plant sent up two new growths instead of the usual one, which has resulted in two flower spikes instead of the usual one.

There are, from what I can gather, three main colour forms of this species; rosea (lip all pink/purple), semi alba (lip white with a purple splodge) and alba (green flower with a white lip). This one I bought as a straight Encyclia cordigera (if such a thing exists), but I think what I actually have is Encyclia cordigera var. semi-alba, and a quick google search for that brings up loads of pictures of flowers similar to this one. Just to add an extra layer of annoying complexity to this already confusing and frankly rather boring situation, it appears that colour forms of a species no longer exist. This means that although there are at least three totally different colour forms of Encyclia cordigera, all of them are now officially called Encyclia cordigera so there will be no way to know what colour form you have until it blooms. It is this completely pointless taxonomic fiddling that makes labelling plants correctly far more difficult than it needs to be. I have but recently aquired the other two colour forms mentioned above and one of them is showing flower spikes, so hopefully I'll be able to compare and contrast them before long. Exciting for me!

Because of my lamentably lax record-keeping in the not too distant past, I have only a vague idea of the flower count the last time this species bloomed. It might only seem like a small detail in the grand scheme of things, but it is, in fact, quite important. Flower count can tell you a lot about the health of a plant. I have it in my mind that there were five or six flowers on one spike last time this species bloomed. This time there are six flowers on two spikes. It seems reasonable to me to assume that the plant has put extra energy into creating an entire new lead growth this year, and has still found the strength to produce the same amount of flowers as it did last year. It is a little early to tell just yet, but I would say that the two new growths this year will both turn out a little larger than the single growth it produced last year. Larger growths this year will (hopefully) mean more flowers on each spike next year. Once one transcends to the realms of obsessively buying orchids and then not killing them, details like this become very important so I can make a better job of it in future.

All of these very intricate details aside, the plant definitely needs re-potting, as you will see in the photo below. It has been in the same 10cm pot for three years, and the roots are starting to suffer. In fact, most of them just stay on the surface, although I have noticed with other Encyclia in the past that they aren't very good at sending roots into the growing media. When I repot, I will remove all the old growing medium and replace the pot, too, probably with a pond pot (my new favourite piece of Orchid related paraphernalia) and coarse bark chips (my second favourite piece of Orchid related paraphernalia). I'll need to buy more before long, I'm on my last bag!

It isn't as pot-bound as it looks, I promise. This habit of roots going everywhere is perfectly normal and is only what the plant would do in nature. Notice the burn marks on a couple of the leaves. That is a result of putting the plant in the greenhouse last summer. I must have left the tiniest chink in the greenhouse shading, and a single shaft got in and scorched the leaf. Its a good job I don't show my plants! How I managed to burn a plant in a summer as shabby as last years is beyond me, but such is life.

As a slight aside, in an update to a previous new plants post, I have to say that the two other colour forms of this species that I got are doing rather well. The larger plant has sent out a raft of new roots from its THREE newly maturing growths, AND is sending up at least two and, more likely, three flower spikes. The smaller plant (var. alba) is sending up two new growths. I call that a result and very high quality plants supplied to me. I have re-potted both plants into a pond pot with medium bark (Encyclia species seem to appreciate even faster drainage than most orchids and really resent being overly wet when they aren't growing, so maybe I should have used coarse bark instead. I expect I'll get into the growroom later to find I actually DID use coarse bark and I've been telling you all a pack of lies all along.). I am looking forward to being able to compare the three plants directly.

The blooms have a curious scent that reminds me a bit of playdough, but sweeter. It is not at all unpleasant, but it is rather odd. I expect there is some obscure insect somewhere in Mexico that finds it utterly irresistible, otherwise there'd be no wild population. There are a few hybrids involving this species floating around, but I'm not sure that they are really any improvement on the botanical species, and I'm pretty certain they aren't any easier to grow, either. One such hybrid, Epicyclia Serena O'Neill, has made it into my collection, but the only real improvement I can see (or smell) is the scent. There are more flowers, but they are smaller, and they don't quite have the botanical charm of the species.

Bloom Event - Pollardia (Encyclia) linkiana

I grew this species years ago before I moved to where I live now, and it did well for me. I got a replacement last year and finally it has come into bloom for me. This is a truly lovely miniature species, and as such is an absolute bugger to get a decent photo of, especially with my phone camera, so I ask you to excuse the state of my photography !

I always knew this as Encyclia linkiana, but apparently the taxonomists have been at it again and now this and a few other species have been split off in to genus Pollardia.  It seems an adaptable species, and grows perfectly well in my warm growroom. I would have liked more than two flowers, but the plant is still rather young. And it needs its potting medium changed. The most noticeable feature of this plant is its size. It really is tiny. So cute. The flowers are actually quite fragrant which I don't think I have ever noticed before, so that earns it even more brownie points.

Notice the plant label for scale. This is pretty much an adult plant. I think it'll do better once I have changed the potting medium, but it always has seemed perfectly happy scrambling around and it is by nature shallow rooted.

There doesn't seem to be a great deal of information out there about this species, but then unless you're a weirdo like me and easily pleased I suppose its a bit uninteresting, really. I mean who gets excited about brown flowers? Still, its a winner for me!

Bloom Event - Dendrobium Ise 'Yayoi'

I never thought I'd get excited about a nobile type Dendrobium. Nobile type Dendrobium are they sort that need cool but not cold temperatures to bloom well. They have soft canes and a semi-deciduous habit. They are mostly hybrids of Dendrobium nobile and a few other species. Dendrobium Ise 'yayoi' has the dubious privilege of being a nobile type Dendrobium with no Dendrobium nobile actually in it.  This particular one is a hybrid between Dendrobium moniliforme and Dendrobium catanatum. Most nobile types have the reputation of being hard to flower if you don't get the watering exactly right at the end of the rest period, and you end up with lots of plantlets (keikis) where the flowers are supposed to be. This is great if you plan on propagating your plants, but if you want blooms it is very frustrating indeed. Of course, keikis on the stems can also be a sign of poor roots, so it is always worth keeping an eye on the root zone.

This plant does produce the odd keiki. In fact I have one potted up and growing away nicely. I might offer it up for sale if I can bear the monstrous eBay again in the future. The crucial fact I like about this plant, though, is that you can grow it warm and you don't need to be careful about watering and it still blooms. Flowers are produced usually in pairs from the uppermost nodes of the new canes. They seem to bloom compariatively later in their growth cycle than most D. nobile hybrids do. You can just about make out a new cane in the top left corner of the photo that is already a little taller than the cane that is blooming now.

The blooms are a lovely delicate white and I just love the green centre to the flower.  I have seen some photos of this hybrid that have a pinkish colour to them, but I can't imagine where it comes from as neither of the parents are pink at all. There is a scent, pleasant but not strong. This plant looks most like D. moniliforme in fact both in habit and flower form. Dendrobium nobile hybrids as a rule have very thick canes that look rather like green bamboo. This hybrid has very slender canes, and could, at first glance, almost be mistaken for some Epidendrum, at least until it blooms.

I know I could tie all the canes up to tidy the plant up, I don't particularly want to, I prefer to let it do what it wants. Its not as if it looks particularly untidy, is it? I got it at a show from Ratcliffe Orchids before they closed down and I guess I've had it for three years now. It is not a fast grower by any means (no Dendrobium really is), but it does appear to be a very easy and forgiving grower which counts for far more in my book.

As is often the case with these sort of less common hybrids, there is relatively little information out there on how to actually grow it, and most of the horror stories about a plant not being warmth tolerant or sensitive to overwatering are simply due to nobody trying to grow them warmer or without a dry rest period. If you don't try, how can you possibly know?

Bloom Event - Vanda Princess Mikasa Pink and Purple.

I can but live in hope that I am keeping up with the nomenclature of these plants. God forbid I should get it wrong! As I understand it, all of Ascocentrum has now been subsumed into Vanda (again), so these two hybrids that I have always known as Ascocenda are now correctly labelled as Vanda. Whether I agree that they should be in the same genus or not is not relevant here (I do!), but I do find the name changes stupendously tedious. Especially since the names will probably change again during the next round of name changes. As a rule, I tend not to change labels at all if I can help it. If I decide to sell a plant (it is not unheard of), I'll write a currently correct label then.

At any rate, here I present not one but two lovely Vanda hybrids. First off, we have Vanda Princess Mikasa 'purple'.

Unfortuately, the flowers seem to have opened at all angles on this one. This is, in fact, my only complaint about this hybrid. Its flowers are rather crowded on the spike, so they rarely open at the right angle. The colour in real life is much more purple than this photo which makes them look rather blue (which is ironic, since the photos of the proper blue Vanda I have always come out looking purple).

The plant is strong and healthy. I grow my Vanda in pots, as it is not practical for me to have them bare root as most growers do. There is a trend now for growing Vanda in glass vases (which I started myself several years ago) which works fine if you don't have too many plants. For me, it is much easier nowadays to grow Vanda in deep rose pots with coarse bark. Some take to this method of culture (such as this one), some hybrids don't. I have started an experinent with some other Vanda which needed something doing with them anyway using large pond pots filled with coarse bark, the idea being that the air can move around the roots more freely than it can in a pot. We will see how the plants do.

Here we have Vanda Princess Mikasa 'Pink'.

In real life, this is real bright smack-you-in-the-face bright pink, the phto has come out rather dull. This is another easy grower, just like the purple discussed earlier.

The pink variety has smaller flowers than the purple but they do tend to be better spaced on the spike. I All varieties (I have a blue and a white, too) seem to flower several times a year, giving a better turnaround than most of my Phalaenopsis. Even now that I've sold most of my Vanda, there always seems to be at least one in flower. The white one is in spike as I type this. Again.

Vanda do have something of a fearsome reputation for being 'difficult', and this is not entirely unfounded. This is mostly because they dislike the cold and dark winters we have (and summers, some years) this far north. Where they come from, there aren't such defined seasons as ours. In winter under natural light, Vanda deal with this by entering a semi-dormant phase where they stop growing and the root tips cover over with velamen until conditions improve. It can take several weeks of these improved conditions to wake the plants up again, by which time quite a lot of valuable growing season has passed. Not only this, the plants will not tolerate being too wet during this period, which causes problems if plants are grown potted. Most plants are sold bare-root and are hung up to allow air to the roots. In a nice humid warm greenhouse, this is fine, but the plants cannot survive like that in a heated living room as the humidity and light levels will be too low. The solution to this is to place the plant in the neck of a glass vase so the roots dangle down inside where some extra humidity is trapped. The green portion of the plant should remain in the open air, as the leaves are not so humidity dependant as the roots, and extra water round the leaf axils can result in rot. Growing them in vases has its drawbacks too, of course. Vases full of water during watering time are heavy and cumbersome. The filling and emptying of vases can result in the delicate root tips in the vase getting damaged which results in them stopping growth. Anyone with several Vanda will tell you that they take up a lot of space when grown in vases. However, good results can be achieved this way if one is careful.

For me, in pots under lights works well, so that is the method I shall stick to. I will post again regarding my pond pot experiment, either in jubilation or floods of tears, depending on the outcome.