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Frequently I hear ‘orchids are just too sensitive’ or ‘I could never…’, but honestly orchids are not always as difficult as people think. With the number of orchid species estimated at as much as 30,000 species (not a typo, see also Kew: Science and Horticulture: Orchidaceae) and native species found on every continent and climate except Antarctica, plus countless man-made hybrids, finding something right for your house is just about knowing what to look for in an orchid plant. Keeping it alive is just about being well informed (and occasional watering).
How is an orchid different? While there are many answers to this question, what really matters to the home grower is that many orchids, and certainly most of the common types grown as houseplants, are epiphytes. This is a situation where the plants use a tree branch (or occasionally rock crevice) as a condominium. They are not parasitic, just opportunistic. What this means to you as the home grower is that orchid roots are accustomed to an environment where while there might be frequent rain, there is also strong air movement. Many types can even be grown on a wood plaque with no media around the roots (see article here). Similarly, if your nicely potted plant has a root sticking out of the pot somewhere you shouldn’t be alarmed – in orchids this is not necessarily cause to repot. Some orchids just don’t really understand the concept of a pot and so throw their roots in every direction.
Good watering methods are key to root health. Watering of some houseplants is accomplished by leaving them to sit in water for hours at a time. This is not recommended with orchids (with a couple exceptions of some Phragmipedium species that live on river side rocks) as it may lead to root rot. The easiest thing to do is water the orchid by running plenty of water through the pot from the top. Once the media is well wetted, let it drain, then return it to the window.
For best results, orchids are potted in a fluffy or chunky mix that gives a nice balance of holding moisture but allowing air circulation. To maintain root health, repotting your orchids into fresh potting media every one to three years is recommended. Here is a repotting article.
Ok, so all that is great, but how to pick an orchid??
The most important piece of advice is to purchase a plant that is well established. You certainly can have success also with that $5 seedling in a two inch pot, but you will likely find it easier with more immediate gratification to buy a plant that is at least within 1-2 years of blooming for the first time. When buying a plant in person, especially at a place like the grocery store, challenge the plant by gently grabbing the leaves and lifting or moving the plant back and forth to see how well it is rooted into that pot. Good roots mean a healthy plant and more likely success.
Second is to look for a plant that matches your light conditions. For up to a few weeks at a time during blooming you can stick an orchid where it won’t get much light (say, the kitchen table) to enjoy it, but the rest of the year you will want to find a window for it to live in. Here’s a handy guide for commonly available orchid types, based on an unobstructed window, plant sitting right on the windowsill:
North facing window: Rather weak light. You might be able to grow a Paphiopedilum (Paph) there, or some Phalaenopsis (Phal). If it doesn’t bloom for you, supplement with fluorescent light.
East facing window: Great spot for Paphiopedilums and Phalaenopsis.
West facing window: Also great spot for Paphiopedilums and Phalaenopsis. Frequently this is also enough light for some Dendrobium (Den or Dend) plants or certain miniature Cattleya (Slc. or Pot.) hybrids, as well as several Oncidium types.
South facing window: This is your brightest light, excellent for Cattleya hybrids (Slc., Lc., C., Blc., Pot., Sl., Lc….), many Dendrobiums, and Oncidium intergeneric hybrids.
If you aren’t sure what category your plant-of-interest falls into, ask the grower for more details. They want you to succeed too!
I always recommend if you aren’t sure, go with a Phalaenopsis (Phal.) or Paphiopedilum (Paph.). These types are easy to grow, adaptable, and you can always make a very bright window less so by setting the plant back from the glass a little or using a sheer curtain to filter the light. Other culture details are fairly similar for the two types. You can find an article on growing phals here.
Hi folks! I'm still alive in my little cave. Been busy around here, but life with the plants keeps trudging on as well.Today I thought I'd share two sort-of blue things in bloom. The first is Lc. Cariads Mini-Quinee (C. intermedia x Lc. Mini Purple). I bought a small group of these seedlings a little while back because I rather like Mini Purple, though my favorite clone is 'Tamami', which isn't blue. This was most likely bred from one of the many coerulea clones. For those of you checking your monitor color, no, it isn't blue as in cobalt, blueberry, or anything else of that nature. Blue in orchids is this funny purple way off into the cool color spectrum. I'm rather pleased with this plant. It is nice and compact, like you would expect from that parentage. Higher flower count would be nice, but Mini Purple being L. pumilia x C. walkeriana, you can't expect it to be too high. It is also a first bloom, so maybe on the next we'll get two or three flowers. It is very lightly fragrant.While taking pictures of it, I realized it has about the same colors as my current weaving project. I'm going to pretend that was on purpose. :)
Our second plant only does the vague impression of blue, and is actually pink. It is Phal. Equalacea 'Leesburg Sky' x violacea v. coerulea 'Nancy's Gift'. It could have been blue, but it isn't. I've decided I don't care. This one opened kinda funny, but in general they're cute, novelty type flowers with sweet fragrance, and it intermittently throws flowers throughout the summer. I tried to breed it earlier this Summer but it didn't take. In general it hasn't been a good summer for breeding orchids for me - lots of failures which I'm rather cranky about. So instead I have some flasks on the way from Florida. Nothing beats instant gratification.
In other news, I've got ten overgrown compots of cattleya seedlings to plant out. Heaven help me. That's a lot of untangling...
A study published in Feb 2008 cites keeping plants at your desk may result in more satisfaction with your job. Based on surveys, the study finds that employees with live plants or windows in their offices had more positive and mellow responses to a range of questions vs. those who lived in a basic cube. Basically, they tended to feel more like people with good jobs rather than rats in a maze with bad food.
This makes me wonder if the move Office Space would have gone differently if the plant on Milton's desk wasn't dead. (check out this clip on YouTube, upper right hand corner)
Moral of the day: fix up your desk with a snazzy new plant and have a better day!
Read more about it:
The original journal article:
Dravigne, Andrea, Waliczek, Tina Marie, Lineberger, R.D., Zajicek, J.M. The Effect of Live Plants and Window Views of Green Spaces on Employee Perceptions of Job Satisfaction HortScience 2008 43: 183-187 [link]
Science Daily Report
LA Times Article
I just love spring. So many things in bloom and glorious, warm and sunny weather make a fantastic combination. This seedling of Phal (braceana x venosa), one of Al's crosses, started opening flowers a few weeks ago and now has several on it. They're cute, round, glossy and deeply colored, held on a spunky stem from a very compact, dark-leafed plant. However they've inherited the venosa fragrance, rather than braceana's fruity-sweet scent. For those of you who don't know, Phal. venosa doesn't have a very appealing scent, but it isn't altogether offensive either. Suspicious, might be a better descriptor. I often describe it as 'not very good bacon.' This seedling, I've decided, smells exactly like beef jerky. Its about the right color as well. Regardless, I think its fantastic and have already distributed its pollen around the house. I hope something takes and gives us something fun!
Please forgive the less than fantastic images. These were taken with my cell phone. The plant you are squinting at is Phal. mannii v. flava (this plant is for sale - click here), a variety of the species mannii that does not produce the red pigments, most likely a carotenoid pigment, but I'm not sure. If you look closely at the actual flower (in person), you can still see the markings where the red pigments belong. The leaves also are devoid of any red pigmentation.This is my office window in Baltimore, MD, facing due west. I also currently have there a Dischidia ovata (almost always with buds or flowers), Clivia manata (in the darker corner), Dend. Maiden Charlotte, and a equitant oncidium in the brightest corner for the cold season only - that will go outside at the earliest opportunity.
This is a peek inside a flask of phalaenopsis seedlings, just before deflasking to community pot. These plants are living in a quart size mason jar (size of a standard spaghetti sauce jar).
Like container plantings with all their variety? Interested in plants other than orchids? Interested in something sure to be a conversation starter in your living room window? Why not setup a little community plaque with a variety of interesting little plants?
This is an example I just started recently, so the plants are not established yet. We have a bromeliad (Cryptanthus bahianus), a Dischidia ovata cutting, and the runts of the litter for both Phalaenopsis (lindenii x pulcherrima) and Dendrobium Maiden Charlotte (all other plants I have of those are more mature). The trick is matching up a variety of plants with similar requirements for light, water, and temperature. I've also selected for this plaque four plants that will stay relatively compact and not overwhelm each other, although that dischidia could one day have many vines, but they're easy to pull off things and send off in another direction.
I'd really like to make another community with a Dend. tetragonum, but can't decide what would work well with it. Dend. tetragonum is a semi pendant species. I wouldn't want it to get visually lost among its companions. Perhaps something squat like Sophronitis cernua would work, but their water requirements are a little different. They might adjust though. I'll have to think on it.
If you make one, please send me a photo!!
Recently someone came to me with a problem. Their orchid lost its buds soon after purchase, and hasn't bloomed or really done anything since. Since there are many many reasons for bud drop, we started discussing what might be happening. Fortunately, the owner sent me this photo of her plant. Immediately I could tell the plant has root rot, which is ultimately the cause for its listlessness.
Photo provided by Tatyana.
Root rot is one of the most common diseases with orchids. Pretty much everyone has had to deal with it at some point or another. The most sad part is that new orchid growers, who are often not even at fault, mistakenly believe they "can't grow orchids" because they have simply purchased a hardware store plant that already has root rot without knowing. Today I am going to teach you how to diagnose, treat, and prevent root rot.
SYMPTOMS:
* Floppy, listless leaves. Although phalaenopsis leaves can be healthy and still bend or flop over in order to take the most advantage of the light, they should still be pretty tough and thick. These leaves, if touched, would feel withered and soft. Notice also the wrinkles on the leaf top-most in the photo. This plant has not been able to absorb enough water into its little body.
* Exposed roots, while healthy, are also withered and possibly brittle. Exposed roots are normal with phalaenopsis plants. However, they should be plump and active. (its OK to have some that are shutting down, since getting rid of old parts is normal for plants). This plant has been sacrificing water and sugars in the roots and other parts of the plant to live.
* Many to all in the media will be black and squishy - dead and rotting. This is the defining characteristic of the disease.
OTHER INDICATORS AND RISK FACTORS:
* Media appears to be a normal potting soil, which with a few exceptions is not really an appropriate potting mix for orchids. Exceptions include true terrestrial orchids (e.g. "jewel" orchids like Ludisia discolor), and people with experience using a media like this. There are some top growers who use a chunky coarse peat-based mix with great success, but for most people it stays too wet. It also requires regular repotting, since as it breaks down it will hold even more water. Staying wet too long leads to root rot, just like walking around with your feet wet might lead to foot fungus. Note also that this type of media has been popular with large nurseries growing plants for the "pot plant" trade, where plants are expected to be purchased just for the flowers and then tossed.
* In some cases, media may also just be a very degraded typical orchid mix. As noted above, rotting media starts to hold more and more water, increasing the risk for root rot if adjustments in the watering regeme are not made or the plant is not repotted.
TRIAGE AND TREATMENT:
* Pull the plant out of the pot immediately, removing all old media and dead roots. Dead roots will be squishy or papery and black. Leave any firm, healthy roots. Hose off plant.
* Cut or break away the base of the stem if it appears to be infected. Dust cut surfaces with cinnamon or sulfur.
* Optional: Spray plant with fungicide. > I generally do not do this for root rot as fixing potting problems are generally all that is needed to stop the spread of the problem.
* Leave to dry overnight.
* Optional: Soak entire plant in a warm solution containing a low concentration of sugar, a few drops of Superthrive (B vitimin / NAA coctail), and a low concentration of chemical fertilizer. > I have only tried this approach a few times. I cannot say if this actually confers an increase in survival rate, but am providing it for completeness.
* Repot plant into appropriate media. For rehabilitation of difficult cases I suggest using sphagnum moss, which has mild antibacterial properties. Prewet it and pack only loosely around the roots. Wetting any existing thoroughly will help them be more flexible. In this case, the only remaining roots were the surface roots. These were placed in the media so that they can better serve the plant during its recovery.
PROGNOSIS:
Plants with root rot can survive. Minor cases generally always survive. A case such as this will, not surprisingly, have a lower survival rate. Expect the more severe cases to take a year or more to recover fully.
PREVENTION:
* Repot your plants regularly to keep the media fresh. This will be approximately every 1-3 years depending on plant type, media type, and your watering habits. Repotting means removing old media and replacing with new. It does not always mean moving up in pot size. In some cases it can even mean a reduction in pot size.
* Know what is an appropriate watering regimen for your plant. This will depend on what type it is. If it is something unfamiliar to you, ask the grower you're getting it from. Also, hang on to your plant labels in case you have more questions down the road. Being able to tell other growers exactly what you have will make it easier for them to help you. Note that watering amount is not the issue. Watering frequency is. When it is time to water, water heavily and let it drain well. Letting a plant sit in water is generally not a good idea.
* If you buy from a non-orchid grower (such as from a perennial specialist) or hardware store, repot it immediately or as soon as possible. If it comes in "dirt", repot immediately even if the plant is in bloom. At the very least it is a good idea to pull a plant out of the pot and look at the roots and condition of the media when you get home with any plant.
DIFFERENTIAL:
* Watering too little can give the plant the same appearance. Definitive diagnosis here lies in the condition of the roots. Watering too little will of course not cause rot.
* High salt buildup can also cause a similar appearance, again minus the root rot. This essentially would be a dessication case. Salt buildup rarely reaches critical levels, however. You can identify it by a peculiar appearance of the media, including crusty deposits. This can generally be fixed by repotting, then prevented by watering occasionally with rainwater or RO water if fertilizer (or by fertilizing less!), or occasionally with Epsom salts (Magnesium Sulfate) solution if the cause is hard water.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Other helpful articles on this blog you may find helpful-
Basic Phalaenopsis Culture
Reasons for Plant Collapse in Phalaenopsis
How to repot a Paph Orchid
Once in a while you come across an orchid that seems to be able to attach itself to anything, especially things you'd rather it didn't. Some actually have a special talent for this. Phalaenopsis schilleriana and philippinensis are two excellent examples. Recently I wanted to photograph a Phal. schilleriana (left) from a tray containing a few plants of each of the mentioned species plus a few other plants. To do this, I had to extract it first.
Most of the plants came out easily, leaving me with a firmly attached handful of plants. The three you see in the image were the worst. Now obviously you can just grab and pull at this stage, but that results in several torn roots. While there are times when there isn't much choice, I like to avoid that if I can, especially on youngsters like the two on the left. So what to do? Well, the first step is to wet the roots. Wet roots are more pliable, less brittle, making it easier for you to manipulate them. (This is also a great trick when repotting!)
Next, simply use your thumbnail or other smooth, flat object to pry the roots loose. Starting at an already loose spot (usually at the end closest to the plant), push your thumb under the root and gently wiggle forward under and along the root.
Pretty soon, you might actually be able to lift your plants! Here are all those roots, now hanging free but still intact.
Root characteristics vary somewhat among phals. These two species have a very particular root type that is flattened with an extra pebbly texture. They can stick to anything, and will do so at every opportunity. Incidentally, this detail make both species, as well as other species and hybrids with similar morphology, excellent candidates for mounted culture as they tend to establish very quickly.
Hey plant fans! I'm still up, should be sleeping. (details!...)
But I do have a lovely Clivia xCrytanthiflora to show you. This is a natural hybrid clivia between the two speices miniata and nobilis. I must say, I'm quite partial to the tube shaped clivia flowers. I've had this plant for a little over a year. It gets pretty low light (as in, equivalent to what an African violet might enjoy), and rather infrequent waterings as I grow stuff on the somewhat dry side. It is in a large clay pot with a media consisting of a high percentage of coir fiber, my preferred component for Clivia plants.
Also happening this weekend is the first of the Phal. (San Luca x Minstral's Pixie Prelude) plants finally opened a flower. They say "A watched pot never boils." Similarly, a watched orchid takes FOREVER to bloom. ::shakes fist:: I'd say my first impression is its quite a nice hybrid though. Those in spike have nice, stout spikes with fat buds. I don't know yet if they'll all follow this one with crystalline white background and a fine purple-pink netting overlay, but I suspect they will be similar. Great young plants!
Ahh...I think we can officially declare phalaenopsis blooming season "open". While I have a couple plants in bloom most any time of the year, February through April is usually the peak season. There's stuff in bud just everywhere and new flowers opening every day. I just love spring!Today I have a classic miniature to show you - Phal. Zuma's Pixie. This is the clone 'Taida'. The cross is one of the greats of miniature or sweetheart phalaenopsis breeding. Bred out of Carmela's Pixie and equestris, it has masses of ~1 inch flowers, usually on branched spikes, all on a compact plant. This is a youngster, but even this one has a little branch on its spike (but you can't really see it in the photo).
I think Phalaenopsis amabilis (aka rimestadiana) is an under-appreciated species. I assume it is overlooked due to its similarity to the over produced "big white phalaenopsis". My plant is a compact, stout growing plant with lovely, shiny, and thick leaves and strong roots. The species produces a strong inflorescence with tiled flowers, and on occasion you might find a plant with fragrant flowers.The species is easy to grow either mounted or potted. It is adaptable to a wide range of light conditions and therefore an excellent houseplant, appropriate for all levels of orchid growers.
Phal. hieroglyphica, first bloom. The flower is a good size, maybe 3" across with nice heavy substance. The species was considered a variety of lueddemanniana at one point, and may still be by some folks. I can't tell if this one is actually a hieroglyphica or if it is actually a lueddemanniana. Its markings look more like luedde., as hieroglyphica generally has faint markings that do not extend all the way to the edges of the petals, but actually color and markings have little, if anything, to do with species identification. For times like these, it would be great to have a copy of Christenson's book, Phalaenopsis: A Monograph, which has a compilation of technical descriptions. Why does it matter, you ask? Well, if I breed a plant its important to know what it is so that the hybrids are correctly identified, and all recipients of seedlings get what they're expecting. I don't want to slap just any name on a plant.
These are new protocorms of Paph (Puck's Apple x gardineri). And so many! I have 4 plates like this. It's a little odd that they're not green, but maybe this is normal for paph protocorms. At least I hope it is. I had not checked them for a while, so I hope they weren't green to start with then turned brown because they're going to die!! This is actually my first experience with Paph protocorms - any words of wisdom out there? I suspect they're fine.For comparison, (although not easy to see) the second photo shows a more advanced stage of Phal (Newberry Snowdrops x (Neon Spots x Soroa Wild Thing)). Germination rate was low on these, but they were harvested as a split pod and perhaps the bleach killed some. They looked like the paph protocorms to start with, but green, then they expand and start producing a first leaf. These are at the stage of having their first proto-leaf, and will soon have wee little roots starting.
The real test, of course, is to see if any survive to other stages of growth - no contamination in the replate flasks where they'll get bigger, survive through the community pot transition, then grow to flowering size. Let's hope for a real success of fun and exciting flowers down the road! :)
If you're new to orchids or just don't have too many, you might not yet know the early signs of flowers to come. Let me give you a short pictorial of how to tell if you Phalaenopsis is in spike with promises of blooms to come.
When the inflorescences ("spikes" in orchid geek slang) first emerge on a Phal they look like the top photo. Usually one, sometimes two protrusions, somewhat flattened on the apex and a bit upwards facing. Here you are looking at a Phal. mannii v. flava with two spikes just starting to emerge. They are marked by the red arrows. At such an early stage, it will still be a couple months before there are flowers.
Spikes of this age can easily be mistaken for young roots. In this second picture, an emerging root is circled. Notice the difference in shape and orientation. The emerging root is rounded along the length, and points slightly downward. You may also notice a difference in surface texture. Please note, however, not all emerging roots are purple. Many are green. By the same token, not all emerging spikes will be green - some are purple.
Soon enough the spike will show above the leaves. Generally it will grow in the direction of the best light source. The young tissue is pliable, so if you plan on staking it to train the spike straight now is the best time to start, adding new ties as it grows up. This is not a necessary action for most plants, and is in fact impractical for some species and hybrids that have naturally short, horizontal spikes (like Phal. bellina or violacea and some other waxy star types).
After what will seem like a FOREVER wait, you will finally see wee little flower buds start to emerge from the bracts (joints) on the inflorescence. It is very exciting. :) There's still a bit of wait for flowers, but it is SO worth it!
Sorry I've been a bit incommunicado folks, busy busy! Thought I'd take a moment to pop up an 'in bloom' for you, so you'd know I was still alive. This is Phal. equestris 'Keiki Monster', one of Al Pickerel's clones. Its a typical form of equestris. You may also recall the equestris alba of a few weeks back. Why 'Keiki Monster'? Because equestris is a notorious weed that produces lots of keikis. There's one listed in my shop here, that is in spike!
I did a couple things this weekend. One was to attempt to sell plants at the Old Town Village Marketplace in Fairfax, where a large crowd was anticipated for the Fairfax community fair. It didn't work out very well because the large crowd at the fair didn't know we were in that building. This was another lesson learned in selecting a venue and why I shouldn't do a show last minute - I wore myself out preparing. Oh well. On Nov. 1st I'll be selling again at the DC Craft Mafia show in Bethesda. Come out & see me!
The more exciting news was a trip to US Botanical Gardens adjacent to the Capitol Building to genuflect at the plants. It was a very nice day for it. The NCOS show was this weekend too, but for the first time in years I skipped it, so I can't report on it for you.
In one room they trotted out a number of succulents and put up cards with a list of their traditional uses. As you might expect this display included several aloes with their well known uses. However, some had some interesting details I'd never heard of before. For example, this A. ferox apparently is used to make snuff. ??? Thats a new one by me!
I also took a moment to muse about how a clone name can identify the origin of a plant. This Paph. Transvaal 'Orchid Loft' is a fairly obvious example, in that the original plant must have been owned by Orchid Loft at the time it was awarded.
This Phal. Valentinii 'Harford' is a little more subtle, but anyone familiar with The Little Greenhouse will recognize Harford as their location and a name they use quite frequently with their clones. Incidentally, if you've never been to Little Greenhouse, which is North of Baltimore, make the time to visit the next time you're in the area. It's a charming greenhouse with lots of little goodies tucked away all over the place.
I think I should pick some names to tack to all my plants. I'll have to think about that one.
There were lots of other interesting things there as well. For example, this Globba winitii, which is in the ginger family. I used to have an alba form of this species. They're pretty easy to grow as long as the bulbs don't stay too wet during the winter months.
Finally, I'll leave you with a photo of a nice cactus-mounted Oncidium onustum (a.k.a. Zelenkoa onustum). I don't remember seeing the plant there last time I visited, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there. In any case, its nicely bloomed out!
Fungus attack is not fun! These are some Phal seeds I sowed one week ago. I found the pod had split earlier than I expected at a couple weeks shy of 6 months. Seems to me the previous pods have all gone to 6 or 7 months with no trouble. Must be the stuff I'm breeding now. Although, most of my previous years' efforts have used plants heavy with section Zebrinae (violacea, luedde., tetraspis, etc.) genetics as pod parent. Maybe they take longer to bake.I don't know how long the pod was open, but certainly a good 30% of the seeds fell out. I gave them a 24hr sugar soak, but admittedly I've never worked out what a good concentration of sugar is for that approach. This was followed by a bleach treatment, then the seeds were sown on a pretty standard germination media. Three days later there was one fungus colony on each plate. I carefully excised them off. Either they had already sporulated, or there were just unused spores in the mix. I hate contaminated seeds.For kicks I'm going to try a last ditch attempt to save them. One plate will get a Daconil spray, and I'll have a go at the other one with oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide...it'll probably kill the seeds but I'm going to try it anyway). w00t.*BUT* there is some good news today. In fear that another pod would split early, I snatched it off today and sowed it. Its a cross of Paph (Yellow Butterfly x fairrieanum), pollinated back in March. Sounds fun, yes?? It was a smallish pod, but it really came through with a lovely crop of dark sable brown seeds. I've got one plate in the light and 2 in the dark as I do not know which this cross will respond better to. Next week sometime I'll be taking the Puck's Apple x gardineri for sowing. You may remember those contestants from March.
(Left: Phal. violacea v. alba at The Little Greenhouse)
Recently a news article was cited on the Orchid Guide Digest by Viateur, who finds all the interesting stories for us. The article makes two claims that are interesting, but unsupported (references are not cited). Do any of you know if these are accurate statements?
"Translucent pots allow light to reach the roots and algae to form on their
surface [is that desirable ?] ? this helps with moisture and nutrient uptake.
...
Moth orchids are effective in removing xylene (chemical emissions from
adhesives, computer VDU screens, paints, photocopiers and varnishes) from
the atmosphere [really ?]"
South facing window: This is your brightest light, excellent for Cattleya hybrids (Slc., Lc., C., Blc., Pot., Sl., Lc….), many Dendrobiums, and Oncidium intergeneric hybrids.
