Polyrrhiza (Ghost Orchid) - Initial Success - Page 3 - Orchid Board

aaronsaxton · #21 03-11-2012, 07:07 PM

hmmm... I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that they get properly mounted, and here is why:

Auxin controls the direction of the roots and leafs - in this case both is one in the same. It looks like the roots are being subjected to altering light sources, and this effects the growth.

Auxin spurs growth. The reason why a steam turns towards the light is not because the stem "sees" the light. It is because the side facing the light has less Auxin production (light destroys Auxin) than the "dark" side. The result it one side (the side away from the light) grows faster than the side facing the light, thus it appears to "bend".

Plants that spend all their time moving around and have their auxin ratios continuously changing expend a lot of energy "fooling around".

The bottom line is that if your Ghost in anchored, it will start to properly grow, creating auxin levels in proper amounts where it is supposed to (the tips!) and regulate it's growth much better. This will enable a healthy cytokinin relationship which will enable better growth, and blooming when the time comes.

Also, I have observed that root tips that go dry can often on a Ghost terminate, meaning they close up and go bone dry at the tip and cease growing. No water = no movement of Auxin and Cytokinins = stalled growth.

Mist once or twice during the day, but give it a good misting just before lights out, but without air movement, you get rot.

Keith Davis's suggestion of mounting is 100% correct as it allows moisture, more control of temps (as the medium holds constant temp levels) and Auxin/Cytokinin relationships to generate correctly where it is needed.

Mount them and you will see greater growth rates.

4accord · #22 03-11-2012, 10:16 PM

Thanks, aaronsaxton, for the detailed and well thought out suggestions. I may follow them. I only wonder what you think of this posting below - note the pictures. According to the writer, his did best when removed from mounts and placed only on wire mesh! That's where I first got the idea. I look forward to your thoughts.

Polyrrhiza lindenii - Orchid Forum by The Orchid Source

aaronsaxton · #23 03-11-2012, 10:32 PM

If they reported success it must have been an improvement over the previous conditions. There are a vast number of reasons why it could have been an improvement.

My first thought was the alteration in ions on the roots resulting in better nutrient uptake. The Metal will alter the PH level and the ions and cations in the solutions resulting in better/worse nutrient uptake.

Better air movement also. Though I think that certainly some will bloom, I suspect later in life (10 years plus) the plant will have difficulties and should the air temp suddenly change, those thin roots will have nothing to buffer against the shock of it - whereas a mounted plant would.

In about 2 years I will be experimenting with some adult Ghosts to check for other factors in growth improvement.

Those pics of the wire meshed ones certainly look pretty darn nice I must say. I saw a pic of one guy who had a wire meshed one that bloomed - so many lovely roots too, I was envious. I have only a dozen roots on mine, and he had like 50... perhaps in a few years I will have 50. I have to wait for it to finish blooming before I start the vegetative process again.

4accord · #24 03-11-2012, 10:51 PM

I will mount at least one of my less-productive ghosts and see what hapens - but am reluctant to mess with my one success story (the one in the photo) at this point. Sure enjoy and appreciate your excellent posts!

prem · #25 03-12-2012, 07:23 PM

Be sure if you do mount a ghost, that you put the growing tip so it is against the mount as opposed to facing into the air. This is how ghosts grow in nature, with their youngest roots emerging between the old roots and the growing surface. When ghosts are mounted with their tips out, the tend to grow aerial roots, which are much harder to keep happy.

---Prem

4accord · #26 03-13-2012, 11:44 AM

Thanks, Prem, for the great suggestions. Makes this forum such a fantastic resource. I have now mounted the three that seemed to be stable but not really advancing. I attach a picture of one of the three mounts - on Live Oak bark with some Spanish moss and sphagnum. I put little red circles to point out two of the Ghosts - hard to see them among the rest. There are a couple more that can't be seen. I decided to leave as is the one that is doing so well on just mesh.

aaronsaxton · #27 03-22-2012, 09:03 PM

I am trying out a new Medium that was provided to me from a place in California.

Currently I am testing it on some vandas and oncidiums to see if the roots will attach to the material - you know this could take some time.

In a few weeks I will be giving it a shot with some young Ghost Orchids - I would have already but the weather has not been great to have them shipped.

My Ghost did attach to the cork - but if I ever have a humidity failure, the cork will be unforgiving to say the least...and I wouldn't mind a medium that provides moisture as well as nutrient feed, too.

Otterinaround · #28 11-08-2012, 02:02 PM

I've been lurking a while concerning these orchids and feel much like another one of our members that major efforts should be made to return these orchids to the wild. I honestly feel that the Polyrrhiza lindenii is our California condor.
That being said and after reading piles of success stories I decided I'd give it a go as well.
First off... I'm in Florida so there is some help with the environment there.
Second I don't think I'd feel so comfortable doing this alone as those who first started cultivation of this species. THANK YOU ORCHID BOARD.

Description
I went the milk jug route...
I placed roughly 2 cups of water in the base and stacked multiple pieces of Florida oak bark in the water. I found the wicking effect wonderful.

Then came a handful of Spanish moss. These work as a bit of a moisture block and also a passive method to gauge humidity in the jug. I've found that the moss gets rather grey and powdery I need to mist.

Rather than go with the whole de-ionized purified water blessed by a thousand Buddhist monks... I went straight tap-water. True that I let it sit for a while to allow for some loss of chloroamines but for me the bark, moss and actual plants will need some variability in nutrient. The everglades IS after all connected to several different sources of salts.

I have planned to super glue these to a piece of that Florida oak...

BUT I haven't quite gotten the gumption to decide where put the gel version of the glue on these beauties.

I know that I certainly don't like the fishing line they came with. I have also always detested sphagnum since beginning Bonsai in the early 90's... So that is going to be tossed also.

Here's also a peek at the way Spanish moss Grows on Florida oak.. it gave me a bit of inspiration as to the mounting of these wonderful plants

Otterinaround · #29 11-08-2012, 03:48 PM

Just found a local water monitoring site for the area near Fakahatchee... Thanks to the web we now have an idea of the water around the Ghost Orchids...
I used two sites to check on the water supplying the great strand...
http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/PG_GRP_SFWMD_WQM/PG_SFWMD_WQM_site?p_site_name=CHKMATE
The Sites bar is up near the top you can find CHKMATE would be the most accurate it seems although the site for the actual strand seems to be south of the actual Fakahatchee monitoring station.

And for an area map... that corresponds to the sites names try the link below.
http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/por...qm_projectmaps

Hope it helps.

4accord · #30 12-20-2012, 06:50 PM

Enjoyed your post, Otterinaround! Thanks for sharing. Looks like you're off to a great start. Mine are set up in a similar arrangement but in a glass container, rather than milk jug. I was advised to change from wire mesh to oak bark a few months ago, but am not seeing any advantage yet. In fact, their growth is so slow and they remain so small that I wonder if I'm doing something wrong. But I checked with our local orchid professional (Gunter's in Richardson, TX); he has a blooming ghost and said they grow very slowly and it just takes a long time. My set up is pictured a few posts back.