lol wanna see a rootless wonder ? K take a look

[james mickelso]

Well I'll stand by my assertion that most growroots when they become mature having grown nearly every catt/laelia/saphro I could get my hands on grown through the years. And I said usually as yes there are some that start roots befoe becoming fully grown. And if you look you may see what you think are roots coming from the new lead are in fact roots coming from the mature pbulb at the base of the new lead. You may have some that are different and hybrids abound and may push roots sooner. That would be great as it would give that plant more time in season to store needed sugars. So gold stars all around.

[silken]

I hope I'm not hijacking your thread John. But since we're discussing when pseudo bulbs produce roots, I thought I'd throw in these pics of my Laelia tenebrosa that very much goes against the theory of mature PB first, then bloom, then root. The last mature PB that bloomed last summer produced two new growths recently.

The first two photos are of the smallest new growth with it's leaf not fully emerged and I can't tell if it will give me a sheath or not. There is no question that the two new roots are coming from it and not the parent which is a good 3/4 to 1 inch behind the new growth. You can also see the old roots from the parent that grew last year and are going into the moss.

The last two photos are the other new growth that is larger, but only half as large as the previous growths. At the base you can see the roots have been there for a while and already buried themselves into the moss. this one too is far from the mother PB and these are not coming from the mother. It will be a while till blooming-I suspect mid summer as was the case last summer.

[johnblagg]

Originally Posted by silken

Congrats on your success John. I had this cultivar and killed it to root rot. It seemed more susceptible than most of my Catts. I can't seem to find a replacement of it either.

I too have various Catts that root at different times.

I haven't used green coconut water, but I have tried coconut milk and it resulted in many growths and roots being produced. It was a very sick plant and in the end I think there were too many growths to be supported but it was an interesting experiment. Is this just the water from a fresh brown coconut or is it a green unripe one?

Green young coconuts not the brown you find in supermarkets ... you can buy the green coconut water online

Yes if you can get young green coconuts its as simple as drilling holes and pouring it out

---------- Post added at 03:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:13 PM ----------

I have a few that wont even attempt a new root until the pb is very mature and sometimes even has sheaths .Then again some start new roots as soon as the new eye begins to swell and grow ... then some just after the first leaf starts emerging... depends on what they are and the crosses

[johnblagg]

One is a fully mature pb the same age as the pb in bloom which if I was to move the medium away is most likely producing new roots also... and you dont get much more mature than in bloom

the other is a pb still in growth and leaves are not fully developed and it is producing new roots again the same plant ... nothing is ever a sure thing with orchids I find.

As people say on the Ob what works for me may not work for you and you have to discover what works in your conditions for your self ... and I am a fairly decent grower but I dont follow the rules except for the most basic and I do what I have found works for me I ignore dry cool rest periods and I have orchids that Im told absolutely will not bloom without it do in fact bloom without it for me sometimes for several months in a row in fact ...

Never be afraid to try something new when conventional culture has failed to work

[johnblagg]

LOL and yes the coffee containers work great I do semi hydro in them and normal just hydroton .... just a few holes is all you need .

For s/h I do two holes a couple of inches up in the side .For normal culture four or five in the bottom do fine

[johnblagg]

and just to show you proof of the roots dont always do what you expect ... here is a bu lady making roots on a section a year old while making roots on the section that is normally roots along which is usually a section quite a ways below the pb and usually long after growth matured.

And a dendrobium producing roots from old canes as well,which you will be told does not happen.In fact it can and does ,not often but it does

[CR7cristiano]

Originally Posted by silken

Congrats on your success John. I had this cultivar and killed it to root rot. It seemed more susceptible than most of my Catts. I can't seem to find a replacement of it either.

I too have various Catts that root at different times.

I haven't used green coconut water, but I have tried coconut milk and it resulted in many growths and roots being produced. It was a very sick plant and in the end I think there were too many growths to be supported but it was an interesting experiment. Is this just the water from a fresh brown coconut or is it a green unripe one?

Well actually a green coconut is what you would consider a fresh coconut, which produces fresh and clear coconut water which often is sweet but never consistent in taste. The brown coconut now is when it begins to dry. Inside a 'green' coconut, which i should also clarify can be green, yellow, or even slightly orange at times, there is jelly. Once the coconut starts to turn brown it as begun to dry and produces a hard inner shell and the jelly hardens. In most instances there is no water inside at this point; and it is from this hardened jelly that you get coconut milk by grating and adding water and squeezing it out.
I'm sure this will clarify that whole green coconut/ripe coconut thing.
And i'm still shocked that you can soak orchids in coconut water!!! I have a lot of coconut trees!!!

[johnblagg]

actually to get green coconut water you use young green coconuts that have not got to the "jelly" stage and have nothing but the fluid inside which later turns to jelly then to the white "meat".Once they have got to the jelly stage they are past the stage at which the fluid is of much use for this since the jelly now has most of the cytokines and plant hormones that are responsible for stimulating roots and kikes trapped in it.As well as most of the food value it had until then.

[CR7cristiano]

Originally Posted by johnblagg

actually to get green coconut water you use young green coconuts that have not got to the "jelly" stage and have nothing but the fluid inside which later turns to jelly then to the white "meat".Once they have got to the jelly stage they are past the stage at which the fluid is of much use for this since the jelly now has most of the cytokines and plant hormones that are responsible for stimulating roots and kikes trapped in it.As well as most of the food value it had until then.

Actually its quite a hit and miss subject as not all young coconuts have water in it, as well as not all coconuts with coconut water in it have produced jelly or even started. So i stick by my story. When the outer appearance has turned to an orange hue then you would be right.

[goodgollymissmolly]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

Well I'll stand by my assertion that most growroots when they become mature having grown nearly every catt/laelia/saphro I could get my hands on grown through the years.

Stand as you wish..........

Here is a list of unifoliate Cattleyas that root on immature growths before blooming:

maxima, labiata, mooreana, jenmanii, percivaliana, quadricolor, trianae, schroderae, lawrenceana, iricolor, mossiae, luteola, mendelii

Here is a list of bifoliate Cattleyas (and Guarianthes) that root on immature growths prior to blooming:

G. bowringiana
C. loddigesii
C. amethystoglossa
G. aurantiaca
C. intermedia
G. skinneri

Before you ask...yes I grow every one of these as well as most that root after blooming on mature growths, but you are welcome to get the Oct,Nov,Dec 2004 issue of Orchid Digest where William Rogerson does the list for you.