My newly inherited stanhopea - Orchid Board

BradGC · #1 10-02-2012, 04:16 AM

Just a quick post to brag about my new orchids. They were given to me from my inlaws, which have been passed down from one of their parents.

I gave them a mild fertaliser.

Anyone wanna guess how old they are?

BradGC · #2 10-02-2012, 09:44 AM

And any ideas of what season I'll see signs of a spike?

WhiteRabbit · #3 10-02-2012, 08:27 PM

Nice!

santiago · #4 10-02-2012, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradGC

And any ideas of what season I'll see signs of a spike?

supposed to be the dryer season. or at least that's what i've read, you stop watering for a couple or months and they start flowering

isurus79 · #5 10-04-2012, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by santiago

supposed to be the dryer season. or at least that's what i've read, you stop watering for a couple or months and they start flowering

That depends on the species. Some like a dry winter, some don't.

Brad,
Any idea what species you inherited?

BradGC · #6 10-04-2012, 06:47 PM

A very rough guess would be tigrina

isurus79 · #7 10-04-2012, 08:18 PM

Tigrina does like a cool, drier winter rest.

Oculata · #8 10-11-2012, 12:07 AM

Brad,

Nice inheritance of those Stanhopeas. They look to be old at least a decade or more in those baskets. It’s difficult to tell and they were probably divided several times too. If these are S. tigrina, they should bloom for you in summer or early fall. You have a great climate for growing these orchids and there are several growers in your region and south that have awesome collections of dozens of species, so you could have a nice surprise on your hands when they do bloom.

I suppose dry is a relative term, but my S. tigrina grow outside here in San Diego and get normal rainfall in winter. They stay moist the entire winter and I rarely have to water them at that time. They bloom very well for me.

One thing I noticed about your new orchids is that they will need some repotting/rebasketing. Keep them well watered and fertilized this spring and summer to get them to bloom. In mid fall divide them and rebasket the pieces with leaves. The old back bulbs can be potted or given to friends to start new plants. After rebasketing the plants should start to do better and have an increased chance of blooming.

BradGC · #9 10-11-2012, 12:21 AM

Thanks Bob,

Yea I can't wait to see what they look like, and I hear that they smell awesome! Basically as soon as they flower I'll repot em. The big ones haven't been fertalized in years so I'm starting mild and regularly and its almost already showing .

I'll keep in touch with photos on the board when they flower