All 3 Constantia miniatures arrived!

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Have you ever seen smaller cuter orchids??? I think these are pretty rare and extremely hard to find Constantia microscopica, Constantia cipoensis & Constantia rupestris, mini miniatures from Brazil! So happy to be able to get them! The last one, rupestris, belongs to another OB member Hector, I just wanted to post the pic of all 3 for the comparison:-)

[epiphyte78]

Very nice! From what I've heard...Constantias are not easy. So I highly recommend hedging your bets by dividing them and placing the mounts in a range of hopefully suitable microhabitats.

Consider this logic...

Let's say that you divide the first one into 5 separate plants. You place each division in a slightly different microhabitat.

If 4 die...then it was a good thing you divided them because chances are good that you wouldn't have put the original plant in the correct location.

If 4 survive...then it was a good thing you divided them because now you have some extras to share/trade with your friends. Sharing is caring...but it's also good insurance.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Originally Posted by epiphyte78

Very nice! From what I've heard...Constantias are not easy. So I highly recommend hedging your bets by dividing them and placing the mounts in a range of hopefully suitable microhabitats.

Consider this logic...

Let's say that you divide the first one into 5 separate plants. You place each division in a slightly different microhabitat.

If 4 die...then it was a good thing you divided them because chances are good that you wouldn't have put the original plant in the correct location.

If 4 survive...then it was a good thing you divided them because now you have some extras to share/trade with you friends. Sharing is caring...but it's also good insurance.

epiphyte, it is a great idea, however I like to keep plants big and not divide much, especially with this little guy, I may separate one division but this is a mother plant and it was not exactly what I have ordered, I did order only small division but seller was so nice that he did send me this mother plant (upgrade due to my past bday.) I would feel bad to divide it into 3 or 4 small divisions, especially when it is well established. I will watch this very carefully and will see if it likes what I do provide:-) The only different habitat would be inside the apartment, but I do plan to grow these outside year round. Hector is getting 3 also, so will see who will have more success, I hope for both of us:-)

---------- Post added at 10:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 PM ----------

Originally Posted by vjo

Soooo cute!! Where in the world did you get them?..Jean

vjo and isurus, nowhere online, it was days and days, I did even talk to Francisco Miranda who actually discovered Constantia cristenae, he lives now in Florida, he didn't know who has any, Andy has some but only for his own use as he wrote me. Than I contacted someone whom I know and who is growing Brazilian mini Catts, and it was just my luck, I guess. I'll ask him if he still have any available and will share info at PM, I do not want to post info here if he has none for sale.

[epiphyte78]

Originally Posted by TOMMYMIAMI

epiphyte, it is a great idea, however I like to keep plants big and not divide much, especially with this little guy, I may separate one division but this is a mother plant and it was not exactly what I have ordered, I did order only small division but seller was so nice that he did send me this mother plant (upgrade due to my past bday.) I would feel bad to divide it into 3 or 4 small divisions, especially when it is well established. I will watch this very carefully and will see if it likes what I do provide:-) The only different habitat would be inside the apartment, but I do plan to grow these outside year round. Hector is getting 3 also, so will see who will have more success, I hope for both of us:-)

Well...everybody certainly has their own strategy for success. But it would be very remiss of me if I didn't make a good effort to try and ensure that my logic is understood. Plus, I think that's part of the point of this forum.

First, everybody likes specimens. Well...unless it's a weed. I have too many specimen weeds.

If something is a weed though...then it's ok to put too many eggs in one basket (put all your epiphytes on one branch). For example, let's say that you posted this thread to share photos of your new Reed-Stem Epidendrums. I wouldn't have even clicked on the thread! You know why? Because they're very common. And because they are so common it's ok if you want to put all of them in one pot.

Constantias aren't common though...unfortunately. Now, perhaps there are some orchid growers out there who would like for them to stay rare. But I'm certainly not one of them. I don't need the prestige of growing something that only a few other people have. If I have something that's rare...I don't feel superior...I feel very nervous. If I make a mistake then it's not just a loss that I'll personally suffer...it's a loss that other orchid growers will suffer because my mistake would decrease the chances that they'll experience the joy of growing something wonderful.

Unfortunately, hedging my bets was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. In my defense though...nobody shared this lesson with me. This is because, as I mentioned, everybody wants to have specimens. A rare specimen might help the ego, but without the proper "insurance"...the loss of one can hurt you, the hobby, the species and the environment.

How successful do you think orchids would be if each seed pod only contained one seed? Would they be more successful if each pod contained two seeds?

Maybe this is a terrible analogy...but think about an Easter Egg hunt. If you want the most Easter Eggs to be found in the shortest time...do you want less kids trying to find them or more kids? Would it be a good idea to tie all the kids together?

An orchid can have a million seeds in one pod. That's a lot of kids to send looking for Easter Eggs. And just like tying the kids together would decrease their chances of finding the eggs...if the wind sent all the seeds to the same exact location...then this would decrease the orchid's chance of success.

You said that the only different habitat would be in your apartment. But every habitat will have countless microhabitats. A tree is a habitat and on that tree are a myriad of microhabitats.

For example, I have a lemon tree with numerous orchids growing on it. Among the orchids were four divisions of the same exact Cattleya plant. When it froze last year...one of the divisions survived...and the other three were killed. Same orchid...same habitat...different microhabitats.

Different microhabitats will have different levels of light, humidity, nutrients, wind, moisture...and these differences might seem minor to us...but to certain orchids these differences can be the difference between life and death. No two locations will have the same exact conditions.

Also, just like with the Cattleya on my lemon tree, a microhabitat can be hospitable one day...and inhospitable the next. Maybe one day a family of raccoons will decide to stomp all over your orchids...who knows? We can't know the future.

I have many stories where a duplicate division was done in by unforeseen circumstances. Each time this happens I'm thankful that I hedged my bets.

Because any given habitat can have countless microhabitats...and because some orchids require very precise conditions...and because the future is uncertain...dividing an orchid and placing the divisions in different microhabitats will hedge your bets and increase your chances of success. If you keep all your divisions on one mount...then, yes, you can carefully monitor the orchid's health...but if it starts to look unhappy...then what are the chances that the next location you try is going to be the correct microhabitat? With some orchids, there's very little room for error. If you put an unhappy orchid in the wrong microhabitat...then that could be the point of no return.

These Constantias are rare...so of course I really hope your strategy is successful!!! I just wanted to make sure that your choice of strategies wasn't a result of my failure to adequately explain why I borrow my strategy from the orchid family.

Coincidentally, I just heard some pots outside get knocked over by some cats fighting...sheesh!

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Originally Posted by epiphyte78

Well...everybody certainly has their own strategy for success. But it would be very remiss of me if I didn't make a good effort to try and ensure that my logic is understood. Plus, I think that's part of the point of this forum.

First, everybody likes specimens. Well...unless it's a weed. I have too many specimen weeds.

If something is a weed though...then it's ok to put too many eggs in one basket (put all your epiphytes on one branch). For example, let's say that you posted this thread to share photos of your new Reed-Stem Epidendrums. I wouldn't have even clicked on the thread! You know why? Because they're very common. And because they are so common it's ok if you want to put all of them in one pot.

Constantias aren't common though...unfortunately. Now, perhaps there are some orchid growers out there who would like for them to stay rare. But I'm certainly not one of them. I don't need the prestige of growing something that only a few other people have. If I have something that's rare...I don't feel superior...I feel very nervous. If I make a mistake then it's not just a loss that I'll personally suffer...it's a loss that other orchid growers will suffer because my mistake would decrease the chances that they'll experience the joy of growing something wonderful.

Unfortunately, hedging my bets was a lesson I had to learn the hard way. In my defense though...nobody shared this lesson with me. This is because, as I mentioned, everybody wants to have specimens. A rare specimen might help the ego, but without the proper "insurance"...the loss of one can hurt you, the hobby, the species and the environment.

How successful do you think orchids would be if each seed pod only contained one seed? Would they be more successful if each pod contained two seeds?

Maybe this is a terrible analogy...but think about an Easter Egg hunt. If you want the most Easter Eggs to be found in the shortest time...do you want less kids trying to find them or more kids? Would it be a good idea to tie all the kids together?

An orchid can have a million seeds in one pod. That's a lot of kids to send looking for Easter Eggs. And just like tying the kids together would decrease their chances of finding the eggs...if the wind sent all the seeds to the same exact location...then this would decrease the orchid's chance of success.

You said that the only different habitat would be in your apartment. But every habitat will have countless microhabitats. A tree is a habitat and on that tree are a myriad of microhabitats.

For example, I have a lemon tree with numerous orchids growing on it. Among the orchids were four divisions of the same exact Cattleya plant. When it froze last year...one of the divisions survived...and the other three were killed. Same orchid...same habitat...different microhabitats.

Different microhabitats will have different levels of light, humidity, nutrients, wind, moisture...and these differences might seem minor to us...but to certain orchids these differences can be the difference between life and death. No two locations will have the same exact conditions.

Also, just like with the Cattleya on my lemon tree, a microhabitat can be hospitable one day...and inhospitable the next. Maybe one day a family of raccoons will decide to stomp all over your orchids...who knows? We can't know the future.

I have many stories where a duplicate division was done in by unforeseen circumstances. Each time this happens I'm thankful that I hedged my bets.

Because any given habitat can have countless microhabitats...and because some orchids require very precise conditions...and because the future is uncertain...dividing an orchid and placing the divisions in different microhabitats will hedge your bets and increase your chances of success. If you keep all your divisions on one mount...then, yes, you can carefully monitor the orchid's health...but if it starts to look unhappy...then what are the chances that the next location you try is going to be the correct microhabitat? With some orchids, there's very little room for error. If you put an unhappy orchid in the wrong microhabitat...then that could be the point of no return.

These Constantias are rare...so of course I really hope your strategy is successful!!! I just wanted to make sure that your choice of strategies wasn't a result of my failure to adequately explain why I borrow my strategy from the orchid family.

Coincidentally, I just heard some pots outside get knocked over by some cats fighting...sheesh!

epiphyte, thanks for the message, and I do agree with it. First of all I do love to share and since joining this board, I do it as often as I could, with many members here, since at the beginning there were members sweet enough to share with me. It is truly very nice feeling to be able to gift some orchid to other growers / members. By sharing, you also little bit insure yourself, that if, in any case, you may actually loose your plant due to some unfortunate circumstances, than you know someone else, who has that plant, just because you share it with him, this way there is a chance for you to get some division back:-) You are totally right regarding the microhabitats as well, and one division hanging on my dracema tree may have totally different microhabitat than another one hanging at the other side of the balcony. There is just something about this particular specimen plant. It is mostly the fact that despite seller offered me this "mother plant" I did order only small "division", mostly due to the price tag on this specimen plant. Than, as a surprise, seller shipped this mother plant as a surprise birthday gift. I am not expert in any way, but I do feel like the plant will grow better and is stronger when it is kept like this. I did divide at the beginnings few of the plants I did receive thinking immediately they are large enough to share them, and than I ended with my left division dying. I do feel somehow dividing weakens the plant, and may actually lead to it's dead. You wrote to divide into 5 pieces, I do not even see the possibility to separate it to so many pieces. Since your comment yesterday I am actually thinking to separate one division from that plant, to have some insurance, and try different spot, but my heart just does not allow me to cut this mother plant into tiny pieces just to make many divisions. I feel very fortunate to receive such a gift, and if thinking about this, seller could divide this mother plant into some 3 - 4 pieces, which would be the division size he was selling to us, and make much more money, due to the fact they are very hard to get! Instead, he decided to keep the pant as one big specimen and ship it to me. Now, yes, there is a risk it may be not growing great here, however I think in this case I will take my chances, I would hate myself more by dividing it to many tiny divisions and than seeing the weak divisions die! I received many divisions from other OB members in the past year, and many of them did not make it! I am sorry if this does not sound too logical, it is just my feeling about this particular plant.

To add to this, seller wrote me detailed care info and mentioned that I should not even trim old / dead looking parts since he strongly believe they do create special micro environment for the rest of the plant to grow better.

[katrina]

Originally Posted by TOMMYMIAMI

To add to this, seller wrote me detailed care info and mentioned that I should not even trim old / dead looking parts since he strongly believe they do create special micro environment for the rest of the plant to grow better.

Plus, the larger the plant...the stronger it is and the better able it is to survive any stress.

Very cute! These are new to me...had to look them up...they look quite interesting.

[nikkik]

Happy you found your plants! They are adorable!

They are your plants and you can do what you like with them, but I agree that you shouldn't divide them. My theory is if you see one in decline you can change the environment and remedy the situation, but with small divisions they normally die before you can makes those changes. I understand the logic behind making multiple divisions, but wouldn't do so with these particular plants.

[vjo]

Soooo cute!! Where in the world did you get them?..Jean

[isurus79]

I'm also curious where you got these from.

[Ordphien]

I remember you mentioning these a while back.
I can't believe how fast you work lol.

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