Rlc. Alma Kee 'tipmalee' - New Buds!

Do you grow Cattleyas?  Then you know what a sheath is!  Most Cattleyas have a single sheath; but, there are a few that will have a double sheath, one inside the other.

Do you always get buds in your sheaths?  Probably not.  Sometimes the plant fails to bud even though it grew a sheath.  But if you have a sheath that seems empty do not despair.  It may be that it is not time for the buds yet.  There are some Cattleyas that will grow a new pseudobulb with a sheath and the buds will appear in the sheath as soon as the pseudobulb is mature.  There are some Cattleyas that the flower buds even appear while the pseudobulb is still actively growing.

However, there are other Cattleyas that, after the pseudobulb is mature, will REST before a bud will appear in the sheath.  C. mossiae and C. mendelii can take a rest of up to six months.

So if the sheath is empty, not all hope is lost.  Your Cattleya may be resting.

Below is a photo of buds that are just starting to break out of the sheath.  The plant is Rlc. Alma Kee 'tipmalee'

Ascocendas with Buds

Photos of orchids nearly always show the orchid bloom in full splendor.  What does a vandaceous orchid look like when it is in the process of blooming?

I have two pictures below.  One is of Asocenda Banjong's Delight.  It has a brillant orange color.  It is about half open now.  The open blossoms are at the bottom of the flower spike.  Starting about half-way up the spike, one can see the buds all the way up to the top.

The other photo is of Asocenda Crownfox Butterfly.  I have had this plant over a year, but this is its very first bloom.  The plant is large, and it really seems like it should have bloomed before now.  However, when I bought it, the plant had VERY dark green leaves.  Prior to my ownership, it may have not been given enough light in order to bloom.  I have been gradually moving it to a brighter spot.  The new leaves are now looking a lighter green and this month it started to bloom.  This is a photo of the spike before any of the buds open.  I am anxious to see what this bloom is going to look like.  I have a general idea, but flowers can vary in appearance from one plant to another even when the plants are the same hybrid.

Cowhorn Orchid, Beehive Orchid, Cigar Orchid

Cowhorn, Beehive, and Cigar are the most familiar common names for Cyrtopodium Punctatum.  In South Florida, this orchid is suffering because the particular bee that pollinates this orchid is being killed by car exhaust.  It seems like one sees fewer and fewer of these orchids in the wild here in Miami-Dade.

Do you have one in your collection?  How do you care for it?

I have one fairly large Cowhorn Orchid that has bloomed for me the past two years.  These orchids have a reputation for being hard to bloom.  So a few days ago, someone gave me a Cowhorn Orchid because they were in the process of killing it (not intentionally).  I did not think that it was going to live until next spring when it would be best to repot it, so I have tried to rescue it by repotting now.  It came to me in a clay pot.  This was a good choice for a pot; however, in the pot was sand, dirt, and decomposing mulch.  I would not recommend any of this material for potting a Cowhorn Orchid.  Unfortunately, because of this mix, one of the bulbs on the orchid is rotting and so are quite a few of the roots.  So what to do?

1.  Remove from old pot and get a clean, clay pot.
2.  Mix fine charcoal (about 1/3) with relatively small lava rocks (2/3).
3.  Add time release fertilizer and time release magnesium sulfate to the mix.
4.  Put about 1/3 of the mix in the bottom of the pot.
5.  Center the orchid in the pot.
6.  Fill around the orchid with the balance of the mix.

While this is not the ideal time to repot this orchid, I felt like it was my only option.

As you may know, there are many different techniques for successfully growing orchids.  What kind of mix do you use for Cowhorns?

How Long Does An Orchid Live? A Semi Terete Vanda Example!

I have had the question "How long does an orchid live?" asked of me several times.  I really do not know the answer.  However, some people have told me that theoretically an orchid could live forever.  I am not sure if this is actually true.  However, an orchid will continually grow new parts as other parts of the plant die.  So they are self-propagating.  The following orchid I have owned for 13 years.  Testimony to the hardiness of some orchids, this one for sure, is that when I bought it, I knew nothing about caring for an orchid.  So, unintentionally, I have tried to kill it many times in the first 7 or 8 years that I owned it.  However, it has always managed to come back.  Now that I know how to care for it, I have gradually nursed it back to better health.  This year it bloomed better than it has in several years.  I took these pictures this morning.

I purchased this orchid on a whim from a small shop in South Miami.  It had no label, so I do not even know exactly what hybrid it is.  All that I know is that it is a Semi-terete Vanda.  It likes relatively high light and can even tolerate direct sun if it is allowed to get used to it gradually.  Like all Vandas, it likes lots of water, to dry quickly, and plenty of fertilizer.  This particular orchid is a little stalky right now.  In the past it was not watered as much as it would like, so it has lost some leaves.  However, the stem is starting to grow roots higher up toward the leaves and eventually when enough roots have grow higher up, I will be able to cut the stem and make the plant look more normal.

Vandas in the Garden

Did you keep your Vandas warm this past winter?  Did you water them well, particularly this spring when the air was dry?  Did you fertilize you Vandas?  Did you give your Vandas plenty of light, particularly early morning and afternoon sun?  If so, Vandas will reward you with plenty of blooms during the summer months.

Update on Ascocenda Su-Fun Beauty 'Orange Belle' AM/AOS

In my last post I had photos of the very FIRST blooms on a very small Ascocenda.  I was wondering if it was unusual to have an orchid like this to bloom when it was so young.

Well I sent the pictures to the vendor from which I bought the plant.  They said that this particular hybid was the MOST floriferous orchid that they sell and that it was not unusual for this plant to bloom when it was young.  They said that when grown well this orchid can bloom 4 - 6 times per year.

If you like to grow vandaceous orchids, I would definitely recommend that you get one of these orchids.  The color is stunning and it blooms like crazy.

I bought the plant at R.F. Orchids in Homestead, Florida.  They said that as of today they have a limited supply on hand.  They sell these orchids online and they are listed on their website under "vandaceous mericlones"  While they are not on the website, they have some smaller ones for sale also.  Of course, if you live in South Florida, why not visit R.F. Orchids in Homestead.  Their grounds are beautiful and they have very neat, well kept greenhouses.  Their orchids are beautiful.  Just beware, it is hard to buy just one!

Ascocenda Su-Fun Beauty 'Orange Belle' AM/AOS - First Bloom for this Plant

This bloom is the VERY FIRST bloom from this seedling.  I purchased the plant last summer as a bare-root seedling.  I would guess that Ascocendas this small have bloomed before, but it is the first time I have seen it happen.  The plant is only about 4 inches tall.  The most amazing part of this bloom is the tremendous orange color.  If this is any hint of things to come, imagine the blooms that this plant will have when it gets fully mature.  It will probably take two or three years before it becomes a mature plant.