Reading advice.

[bil]

I got given 'Understanding Orchids' for christmas, and a nice basic book it is too.

Now I would like to get my teeth into something a bit more advanced.

Any recommendations please?

[DeaC]

Have you checked your library if available? Online info is certainly abundant but I do love handling a book and have a decent collection.Will let you know some titles and am sure others will do so as well.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by DeaC

Have you checked your library if available? Online info is certainly abundant but I do love handling a book and have a decent collection.Will let you know some titles and am sure others will do so as well.

A large university library might be a great place to start.

[bil]

I am in the depths of Spain, and libraries are out of the question.

Pus, I like OWNING books. That way I can go back to them as much as I like.

Plus, real books are so.... real

[estación seca]

General orchid books are usually so basic they aren't of much use. But, if you look for books with subject matter limited to one genus or one geographical region, there are many good books available. So pick a genus or country and do some investigation. There are a lot of used books available online from places like abebooks.

[bil]

Originally Posted by estación seca

General orchid books are usually so basic they aren't of much use. But, if you look for books with subject matter limited to one genus or one geographical region, there are many good books available. So pick a genus or country and do some investigation. There are a lot of used books available online from places like abebooks.

Interesting. So, in a word, the general books are so basic that you need to specialise.

That makes sense. Thanks.

[tucker85]

In my opinion "Understanding Orchids" is one of the best orchid books available. I think you made a good choice. I still use that book all the time, even though I've been growing for a many years now and I have many orchid books. But I do agree that if you're interested in more advanced reading, you should buy books on specific subjects. What kind of orchids do you like to grow and what kind of information are you looking for?

[Whimgrinder]

Although some of the information it contains is understandably out of date, I still refer to and appreciate deeply my copy if Rebecca Tyson Northen's book - Home Orchid Growing. It was considered the "Orchid Bible" of its time and still contains a lot of wonderful information. (If you want to learn basic seed flasking, Northen illustrates the process beautifully)
But before you buy a copy, you should understand that it was written fifty years ago (though revised up to 1990, I believe) and many illustrations are in black and white. I regard it more as a window into another era of Orchid growing than a modern cultivation guide.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by bil

Interesting. So, in a word, the general books are so basic that you need to specialise.

That makes sense. Thanks.

I agree.

In terms of basic cultural info, a current book for intro orchid growing is fine. Beyond that, specialty books will be of greater interest. For example, are you interested in:

Taxonomy of plants from a particular region? Try, for example: Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles, 2014 by James D. Ackerman, Bobbi Angell (Illustrator)

How to grow plants from a particular orchid alliance (Dendrobiums, for example)? Try: Orchid Species Culture: Dendrobium, 2005 by Charles O. Baker, Margaret L. Baker.

Other interests could include propagating orchids from seed, meristem cloning, etc., or growing orchids under lights. Whatever floats your boat.

[bil]

Originally Posted by tucker85

In my opinion "Understanding Orchids" is one of the best orchid books available. I think you made a good choice. I still use that book all the time, even though I've been growing for a many years now and I have many orchid books. But I do agree that if you're interested in more advanced reading, you should buy books on specific subjects. What kind of orchids do you like to grow and what kind of information are you looking for?

This is slightly difficult to answer. The joke is that it is impossible to ask a question without knowing the answer. Sounds silly, but if you dive into it you realise what is meant.

I am in a position where I have to work WITH what I have. It's hot, it's bright, and while I can create a couple of shade levels, it would be prohibitively expensive to fight the conditions. I do mist when it gets to 40C, and I heat the greenhouse in the winter, but beyond that it isn't terribly practical.

Catts and denphals love the hot side of the greenhouse all year round. so the cooler side houses the den nobiles and acts as winter storage for the Miltonias, Cambrias and odontoglussum I experimented with last year. So far they have done well, and some of the milts even bloomed this autumn.
So, as is my way I am experimenting with a couple of paphs and a Stanhopea. If I can pull it off between greenhouse and garden, it would be rather nice, but I can't afford to specialise in anything that doesn't like it here and do well without major alterations.