Happy snaps, spikes, I'm a happy noob.

[bil]

Here's a couple of pics showing some good things for a change. A couple of the rescued hard cane dens, my yellow oncidium spiking that when bought turned out to have roots like dry wood wool, and some lolliop action on a vanda.

[bil]

Now all I have to do is get them thru this winter and get the greenhouse built before next winter.

[MrHappyRotter]

This whole thing is a slippery slope. In six months time, your collection will triple in size. In 12 months time, it'll expand to thousands of plants. Within a decade, your mummified corpse will be discovered in the back corner of your greenhouse, covered in a myriad roots feeding off the nutrients in your body.

Your plants look great. I can't grow them, but I love the mini dendrobiums. As a word of caution, the oncidium looks happy, but it seems to be way over potted, so keep an eye on it. For the most part, these types do best in a pot that's just slightly larger than the root ball.

[bil]

Originally Posted by MrHappyRotter

This whole thing is a slippery slope. In six months time, your collection will triple in size. In 12 months time, it'll expand to thousands of plants. Within a decade, your mummified corpse will be discovered in the back corner of your greenhouse, covered in a myriad roots feeding off the nutrients in your body.

Your plants look great. I can't grow them, but I love the mini dendrobiums. As a word of caution, the oncidium looks happy, but it seems to be way over potted, so keep an eye on it. For the most part, these types do best in a pot that's just slightly larger than the root ball.

Yeah, I already figured that one out. You should see how the floor plan for the greenhouse has changed and grown.... sigh...

I don't know about mini dens. Some of those have severed stumps of old canes that are an inch in diameter!

Thanks for the tip about the oncidium. The poor thing was roundly abused, and as a result had no roots worth having. My problem here is that if I restrict roots, I end up with very top heavy plants, and the wind here can be savage. I thought that with this one especially, that size of pot would prevent spills that might have been too much, and risk it not flowering. As it is, the pseudobulb it has grown this year (which will be its second flower) is fat and smooth as glass, unlike the very pleated previous pseudobulbs. It is also throwing a spike, which I assume will flower next season. I would like it to grow into a decent sized plant with several spikes.

We shall see it I am found mummified in the back of the greenhouse. In some ways this environment is very hostile to orchids, and the torrential rains and winter chills (not too bad, but fatal for orchids) will kill anything unprotected. So, I only have so much greenhouse space, and when that is full, it means one in? then one out!

[WhiteRabbit]

Nice!

[bil]

Thanks.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Beautiful, I envy you your green house.

[bil]

Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

Beautiful, I envy you your green house.

Thanks, but.... no, that's the front of the woodshed.... I wish I had a greenhouse.

That's going to be my next project. I shall be ordering the steel in two weeks, and then I shall be cutting, welding painting and cursing too, I dare say.

[Optimist]

I've found if you pot the orchid in a correct sized pot, then put that pot in a larger pot with sand or rocks for weight, the plant likes it better and you still get your heavy pot.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Optimist

I've found if you pot the orchid in a correct sized pot, then put that pot in a larger pot with sand or rocks for weight, the plant likes it better and you still get your heavy pot.

Fair enough. Mind you, that oncidium does have a nice spike on it. If the pot was too big, wouldn't it have not thrown a spike, or am I missing something?