Miss Orchid Girl

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Growing orchids is a learning process. Sometimes you succeed. Sometimes you fail real hard. However, you will find out what your limits are or you will eventually break through major barriers. It’s all in the individual’s orchid growing journey.

As long as you try, it is not a waste of time. Somewhere down the line, there will be some wins. Just take those wins and run with it. Sooner or later there will be more wins than losses.

Find your own path. Nobody else is judging your success or failures except for you.

Wise words ... especially if you substitute "growing orchids" with the word "Life."

---------- Post added at 09:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:33 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

... People are different and that should be understood and celebrated. The fact I received what I believe is TMI, doesn't mean I don't care. It means my brain works differently.

Any teacher will tell you, some students learn best by video (watching) some by reading, some by doing ( hand to brain wiring). Teach me personally the basics and let me dig for the rest if I'm interested. But don't tell me I don't care... I am only clarifying how some might think.

I come from seven generations of teachers/scholars and shout out Amen Sistah to this thought.

I'm old. Had I been born in the seventies or eighties, I'd likely have been one of those kids diagnosed and drugged out with Ritalin or some similar ADHD type drug.

Fortunately, I was labeled more as a disruption to the classroom and learning environment, then later as a total "right brain" individual. Spent a lot of time sitting in the hallway and principal's office. Graduated top of my high school class, BTW, and never looked back. Or forward for that matter...college lectures would surely have made for an early demise. And the whole left-brain right-brain thing I will avoid going in-depth about here, as it's not the subject matter. See, I've learned something.

I don't like "teaching" or "learning" videos or spoken anything, regardless of the presenter or subject matter. For the most part, I cannot comprehend the spoken word when being "taught." If you show me, or let me read it, I'm great. AND don't get myself in trouble. If my eyes glaze over, or I don't care about what's being said, my eyes can skip down the page until something catches my interest. No one is offended, and I'm not in hot water or offensive.

Recently I was gifted a 100+ year old sourdough starter. (stick with me, it's relevant). Being an excellent baker I figured no problemo. It's an art, even though there's a science behind it, so I've learned. I watched numerous YouTube videos repeatedly, fast forwarding through the "boring for me" parts. And couldn't for the life of me make a good San Fran sourdough boule.

I found out my daughter's neighbor was a renowned baker. I stalked outside his house until he came out to mow his grass and begged him to help me. With one trip into his kitchen, I learned the "art" part of sourdough. The part that was missing, for me.

And that's more than y'all probably wanted to know about me. The "learning" and how we "learn" part just struck a chord with me, and I couldn't shut up.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Ray

When I do presentations at orchid societies and other plant groups, I usually open with "An expert is someone who has killed his weight in orchids. Fortunately for me (patting my stomach) I seem to have room for more 'expertise' every year!"

I like that better...

[LKbflo]

Danni is the reason I'm an Orchid Addict - besides the fact that I've grown a number of them and love them to pieces. She has a lovely voice and presentation ability that helps make the information interesting and helpful. She may not have all the answers this board does but for a public "face" on orchid ins & outs she's very good.

She has over 250 orchids of all varieties and does have a great knowledge of what most of them require - her videos are frequent and yes - helpful for beginners and anyone interested in the mechanices.

I've used hydrogen peroxide on plants before and never had an issue - as she said - once it is finished with the reaction - it's just water and harmless. So far I've never had an issue and used it now for about a year.

This board is also a god send for learning and expanding my horizons - the way it's set up - the ease of searching & most of all the friendly people make this a fantastic resource!

Thanks all !

[Keithj]

I have learned a great deal from Danni. She has a style of presentation that’s accessible to newbies but, in all the videos I’ve watched, she’s never claimed that she’s some kind of orchid guru. In fact, she stresses that her home in Cyprus gives very particular problems that many of us won’t face.

There are always different ways to learn because our minds work in different ways. I tend to think problems through as pictures in my mind whereas some of my ex-colleagues looked at the same thing and could see the maths behind it, which I never could. I prefer to see something in an image or a video rather than try to imagine the same thing from text on a page. For some, Danni, Roger and other orchid video-bloggers are not their cup of tea but they are mine. They’ve encouraged me to expand my hobby beyond no ID Phalaenopsis from the supermarket and my growing collection and interest in orchids has led me to a couple of boards and a society.

Long may those videos continue.

Keith

[Zoren]

again. I'm glad my latest 'Thread' (MOG) sparked so many responses from our members Beginner, Junior and Senior, it is refreshing to have so many opinions. I like her videos and even if they are not scientifically technical, they are good for 'Orchid Keepers' like me, I also agree she has such a pleasant voice it hard to not listen and enjoy her videos. I will still watch and absorb as much as I can. Unfortunately for me (as an avid reader in my youth and up until I reached my 50's), I seem not to be able to concentrate nor remember most of what I read. Now at 76 I seem to retain about 80% of what I see (videos...so I watch them over and over again). I'm still very good at learning, if I am instructed 'directly' by someone. I never used H2O2 before, I will have to see how to use it and if I should use it on all my plants. Since I have changed over all my Orchids to SH, will I or should I be concerned with 'crown rot' since the change over.
I guess I'm going to 'highjack' now, I wanted to show off my Phalaenopsis Cornu Cervi with 3 Flowers (I still can't smell a fragrance), I do like the way it seem to bud and flower on different spikes. Well I've said enough, looking forward to members responses, as always ...Zoren...

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I do not recommend the use of hydrogen peroxide, particularly if there is no good reason for its use. If your orchids are growing well, it is best not to do anything that could potentially do more harm than good.

Resist the urge to tinker around with your orchids if it is not necessary to. I know as beginners we tend to tinker around with our plants a little more than we should, but try to build up the skill of learning when to let go and when to step in.

---------- Post added at 06:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:30 PM ----------

The fragrances of orchids tend to be present within a certain timeframe.

Some let out their fragrance during the day, such as Dendrobium kingianum or Maxillaria picta.

Others will be fragrant at night, such as Brassavola cucculata or Aerangis fastuosa.

It all depends on what part of the day each respective orchid's pollinators are active. A person can predict with a fair amount of accuracy what the orchid's pollinators are by the smell of the orchid as well as the time of day the orchid's flowers are fragrant.

For example, the smell of a Phalaenopsis bellina smells like a piece of fruit that has been sitting out for a while. It is also fragrant during the day. Guess, what pollinator it attracts? Fruit flies (they are, for the most part, diurnal).

The smell of Dendrobium kingianum is rather sweet like that of honey, and it is fragrant during the daytime hours. What small animal likes honey and comes out during the day? A species of honey bee.

Bulbophyllum graveolens smells like dead fish that's been left out in the sun, and it releases this odor during the day. If you haven't figured it out by now, the pollinator are flies.

Angraecum didieri has a strong nectary fragrance at night. I'm sure you know what I'm going to say next... The pollinator is a moth.

Keep in mind, I'm only speaking in regards to fragrance in this post.

Some individuals within a species may also be an outlier of the group. As a species, Phalaenopsis bellina may be fragrant, but maybe one individual is not able to produce a fragrance that we can detect. This is not uncommon either.

[Zoren]

, I just thought of something. One of our members has stated that he/she thought that 'Miss Orchid Girl' was a member of the OB at one time, but, no longer is. Now, maybe she still is and registered under a different name!!....Something to think about....Zoren...

---------- Post added at 03:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:31 PM ----------

Subrosa, would you or should you use H2O2 when growing Orchids S/H?...Zoren....

[Roberta]

I did a search... she contributed a "Hi from Romania' message on the Board in 2013 under the name MissOrchidGirl, introducing herself as "Danny". The last posts under her user name were in 2014. However, that user name is not in the list of current members.

[dshallpost]

Dani has taught me a lot, and much of it is more about the process and the journey than about any particular method or technique. When I first started watching her videos I was dismayed to find that she was all into plastic, then all into clay, and then back to plastic. Into seramis, and back out. She must have had three different set-ups for her vanda orchids. I was tickled, though, when she installed LED lights at about the same moment I did. Curious to see where she goes with them. Eventually she made me understand that there is a lot of experimentation and assessment required, and I admired the fact that she openly discussed why her prior methods turned out to be unsuccessful. It showed me that there has to be a balance between discipline/high standards, and self- forgiveness. She is very rigorous but she is also capable of humor and self-criticism. Sometimes I find her videos a bit overlong -- she tends to repeat herself. But I am very grateful for her energy in pursuing orchid knowledge and sharing it. I admire her energy in putting out so many videos and building it into a business. Oh, and, she has the most gorgeous hands! I think it helps to watch as many folks as you can -- I watch Brad, and sometimes Rachel /Douentza, and Ed for the paphs, and Wade, and Astrid too. She made a terrifically funny video called "Shit Orchid People Say." I felt like I had joined the club as I could relate to all of it. So busy watching orchid Youtube videos (and reading orchid books and online material) that I haven't turned on the TV or read much of anything else in months. I think that acquiring the knowledge is as much the passion as acquiring the orchids themselves.

[Gthumbz89]

I love her videos and have watched them for years. She can be a bit OCD though. She is a pretty good source of information, and she isn't afraid to try new things. This is very beneficial because she tries things that I am curious about but too afraid to implement.

Don't go changing your whole orchid setup too quickly on her advice though. Even she sometimes has regretts after making massive changes to her growing strategy. Best to let her make a few videos before doing anything too drastic. I do agree with her advice allott though based on personal experience. Keep in mind that there are pros and cons to every growing setup and mnay variables.

I have thought that she blows some things out of proportion also such as fusarium....So put the cutting knife away before you look for phantom purple rings.