I have nothing to show for my hard work - Orchid Board

RJSquirrel · #1 10-13-2012, 06:47 AM

all spring long, all summer long, my orchids have been outside in the elements of monsoon rains, quarter sized hail stones, then burning sun..and this was all in just one day

. my 1st full season outdoors growing. Im going back inside. I am disgusted and frustrated beyond any reasonable logic.

as you can tell by my frequency of beautiful flower posts, Im being proverbially skunked here, an O fer.

I shouldnt feel too badly though but i do anyway just cus im gettin old. I do have some walkerianias budding, a little stars knocking down 5 spikes, a horribly grown 2 year old brassia rex is 5 spikes strong, cycnodes wine delight is busting out with dual spikes on a leafless cane already. my cymbidium looks damn awesome. The BC makai has about 30 new growths. The bowringias have about 6 sheaths. The aurantiaca has sheaths with buds in them. my fujis delight blasted 2 buds and and still has one left.

Im wanting to see some flowers now that Ive grown not that I bought..Its not the same and takes longer to grow your own out over time. Im not regretting buying blooming or budding plants its just taking a very long time to get them to bloom again.

joy and frustration at the same time leaves me feeling well balanced.

tucker85 · #2 10-13-2012, 09:45 AM

That's a beautiful grow room. All your plants look healthy and well grown.
I feel your pain when it comes to blooms. It takes a lot of patience to be an orchid grower. All those nice phals of yours should start spiking when the weather cools off. They'll give you many months of beautiful flowers in the Spring. Bc. Maikai will usually bloom very well in the Fall and then, if it's a big plant, will give you a few flowers at other times during the year. Fall and Winter is cattleya blooming season also. I wish you luck.

sweetjblue · #3 10-13-2012, 09:52 AM

RJ, Of course you have something to show for it, just look at that pic! You have one of the best grow spaces!

I'm

with envy! It could just be that you have more fall and spring bloomers than any other season. And from the sounds of it, we don't have long to wait for your pics!!

Judi

cbuchman · #4 10-13-2012, 10:01 AM

You growing space looks fantastic. I grow outdoors in the summer and have found that it is beneficial, except when it rains! So I watch the weather carefully, and haul everything indoors when it is going to do more than sprinkle. Other wise it is ROT everywhere. I'm also missing lot blooms right now. It has been so unseasonable cold here.

Leafmite · #5 10-13-2012, 01:44 PM

You seem to have several things coming into bloom. I am a seedling person, rarely buying mature plants, so I rarely have blooms. One of my older seedling catts might be producing a first bloom, though, so maybe, just maybe....
My little stars is getting ready to bloom, too, so that is another...and Burr Nelly Isler for a third blooming...we will hopefully see blooms in December with those two.
If you buy seedlings...be prepared to be patient.

Leafmite · #6 10-13-2012, 01:45 PM

Nice grow area, by the way!

dounoharm · #7 10-13-2012, 05:20 PM

you do so well rj!! you have a terrific grow area which i know you have put scads of time into, the blooms will come! be patient, lol, its one of the requirements of growing orchids!

Silje · #8 10-14-2012, 04:20 PM

*Drooling over that grow room*

It looks pretty much perfect in my eyes. Love the way you've mixed in the rounded black pots between the terracotta. And the flooring.

RJSquirrel · #9 10-17-2012, 05:54 AM

thank you for the kind words..Now I need some blooms to go with them too.

I guess I can post some nice foliage if nothing else ya know as I have some very impressive greenery

.

i will add its taken almost 3 years to get to the point Im not killing them anymore and have learned how to get them grown up into blooming maturity. Step 3 seems to be in getting them to bloom for me after steps 1 and 2. So I feel like maybe Im following the standard orchidaholics regime of a 12 step program

RosieC · #10 10-17-2012, 09:40 AM

That's such a great looking grow space. I felt your frustration a couple of years back when I had had lots of things growing a long while but nothing wanted to bloom... and I didn't have half as a good a grow space full of healthy plants as you have to show for it. The blooms will come!