Updates On My Orchids - My Growing, Tips, Successes & Pics - Orchid Board

TOMMYMIAMI · #1 10-05-2013, 06:31 PM

Ok, I had some time finally today to evaluate and review my balcony and babies. I joined OB in July of this year, and I feel like I want to start this thread, as a thank you to all the members

I was growing orchids, with some successes and many failures before I joined for many years. In last 3 months, I feel I improved the way I grow and the care for my babies like zillion times, mostly thanks to all the board members here. All the generous tips, advices, help led to the balcony I have today! I am sorry this thread might be little bit long, but I do want to give update on my orchids, successes I have and maybe this can help others to improve as well! So here we go!

TOMMYMIAMI · #2 10-05-2013, 06:44 PM

CATTLEYA'S - As much as I loved them, I hated them at the same time. In past 5 years I tried and tried many times to grow them at my balcony, without any success at all. Not only the ones I bought never ever bloomed again, but they mostly died, 99% due to the over watering them! This summer, not only they actually do not die, THEY THRIVE AND GROW like mad maniacs!!! Even my old poor baby that was barely hanging on with nearly no roots left and very bad leaves is now actually pushing many new roots, has brand new growth and another one just forming! So here are my changes and tips: PICS 1-3 are my very old Cat, I purchased this one from Kawamoto years ago. Since it was in very bad shape, and lost most of the roots, I potted it into smaller pot, and into Aussie Gold. In last 2 months it has new roots that grew so long they are nearly touching the soil already, and there is new growth starting right now. The rest of my Cats is either mounted on the tree ferns or in Hydroton pebbles. My changes were: NO CATTLEYA IN BARK anymore! All are mounted or in hydroton pebbles! USING PLASTIC POTS - this way I can see and check the roots all the time! Fertilizing often, and adding once a month seaweed and also once a month MagiCal! CHANGED LOCATION - now they do get afternoon full or filtered sun and they love it! You can see the rest of the pics, CATS seems so happy, all pushing new roots, and many new growths! I am beyond happy now!

TOMMYMIAMI · #3 10-05-2013, 06:48 PM

ONCIDIUMS - grew them for years and years, always great the first year, than going down, kept them alive for some 3-4 years max, dead by over water mostly. I did keep only 2, and II did switch them to tree fern chunks and wooden baskets. Since that time they are growing like crazy, the bulbs seem plumbed and watered properly all the time, and they are having multiple new growths, plus at least one spike pretty much every month! I will always grow them in tree fern from now on!

TOMMYMIAMI · #4 10-05-2013, 06:54 PM

AERIDES - this was that poor baby that I started to thread about in August when I did receive the order from Royal Orchid Club. I was so unhappy with the plants, and Aerides was looking the worst, nearly no healthy roots. In one and half months it seems to be doing great - new roots growing, and they are already attached to wooden basket, plus new leave growing as well!!! Water every day, and feed often, plus adding seaweed at least twice a month! Sunny location, bright light, some direct afternoon sun. There was also "near blooming size" Vascostylis Pine Rivers Orange, which surprised me with spike that is just now opening, beyond happiness here!!!

TOMMYMIAMI · #5 10-05-2013, 07:01 PM

SEAWEED - little miracle! I had no clue what is seaweed prior to joining Orchid Board. Now I do not understand how someone can live without it! In last 3 months of using it I can see such a huge difference in my orchid roots, that it is like Alice in wonderland effect to me! My Dendrobium Anosmum was doing just ok, no visible roots out of the basket, and most of my Phals were potted. I mounted nearly all Phals, and started to use seaweed on regular basis. The roots are just nuts these days, you can see the basket for dendro, they are growing all over, and the phals have so many new healthy roots as well. Even my "nearly dead" Dendro jaquelin thomas woke up from that after I did take it out of the pot and mounted it and started seaweed treatment! SEAWEED ROCKS!!!

TOMMYMIAMI · #6 10-05-2013, 07:05 PM

KEIKI (or KEKI as written in Dendro book) - I had not clue these small little baby plants growing on some of my orchids were called keikis, till this summer! Now they excites me as much as seeing the spikes! I did pot some 12 keikis this summer, and lost only 2! The rest of them seems doing just great - all of them are Dendro keikis, mounted anosmum, some nobile and heterocarpum and kingianum!

TOMMYMIAMI · #7 10-05-2013, 07:11 PM

COOLER GROWING ORCHIDS - I learn from my mistakes. I did not read before, and ordered orchids that were so no good for my growing zone. I did say goodbye t my Dracula Lotax, since it was not doing great at my balcony, I did donate it to someone up north! I also lost Miltonia that was ordered by mistake and did not like our heat at all! However, I have these 2 guys and they seem to acclimatize pretty well. My Masdevallia red wing was re potted to wooden basket, and I do place it over the bowl of the ice pretty much every single night to create that temp drop during day and night. It seems to like it, and if I am not mistaken, there is actually spike growing right now, so fingers crossed. Also the Pleurothallis restrepia I got over a month ago seems to do fine even in our hot summer and there is actually spike that should open any day - did not see this one till yesterday when back from my trip! YOOUPEEEE

tucker85 · #8 10-05-2013, 07:15 PM

Excellent update, Tommy. It's always nice to hear about success rather than constantly reading about problems. It sounds like you're doing an excellent job with your orchids.

TOMMYMIAMI · #9 10-05-2013, 07:16 PM

So, that would be for my successes. There were unfortunate failures as well. I lost this year Miltonia - didn't like our hot weather - also one cattleya - left it die in our crazy 3 weeks straight rain - and now I am probably loosing my beloved Dendrobium bracteosum. For some reason it was stacked with growing this whole year and going down the hill. I took it even to my "orchid doctor" but he did not see anything wrong, and there were some tiny new growths at that time. In 2 months they did not grow whatsoever, and the bark seemed pretty white, so I decided to re pot it some 3 weeks ago. Too many tiny roots, and since than I think it is just hanging by the thread:-( I did try my best, but it does not look good for this guy.

TOMMYMIAMI · #10 10-05-2013, 07:22 PM

Many thanks Tucker. Yes, I felt like after mostly asking for advice and struggling with some of my babies, it is the time to update on the lessons learned! YOU WERE among the ones that helped a lot, with my CATS!!! Thanks to you I did get rid of the bark, did use pebbles or mount, and by your recommendation I started MagiCal! So MANY THANKS to you!!!

---------- Post added at 06:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:18 PM ----------

So that's all folks for today. Sorry for extended thread, but I wanted to share what I have learned here in past 3 months. I gained many new friends - SeaWeed, MagiCal, Orange Guard, learned many new terms - Keiki - and seen many many new gorgeous orchids. That lead to my extensive shopping spree, costly, but I can not be happier. I feel like I did improve, and I do see that not only I am capable of keeping orchids alive, but I am getting to the point I can make them grow, thrive and bloom! And there is no better feeling! so once more, to ALL ORCHID BOARD MEMBERS, MANY MANY THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!!