No Names. Do you know?

[HighSeas]

I just acquired about 15 nice orchids from a friend who is moving and can't take his plants with him. I'm very fortunate and humbled that he chose me as the person he wanted to have his plants...which are just stunning.

Out of the lot, I have 2 Brassias and a phal with no names. I was wondering if someone might be able to identify them? Thank you so much for your time and help!

[judith_arquette]

Congrats on the new additions and gl with your ids

[HighSeas]

Originally Posted by judith_arquette

Congrats on the new additions and gl with your ids

Thank you!

[Joyorchid]

The second looks like a phal cornu cervi. Is it fragrant?

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi

[HighSeas]

I think you're right! Thank you SO SO much!!!

[NYCorchidman]

Brassia verrucosa?

You need to post up-close shot showing the detail of an individual flower to help others help you.

Many look similar at a distance.

[HighSeas]

Orchidman, these are the pictures he sent me last year when they bloomed. I was hoping you'd be able to see more but unfortunately they aren't in bloom now or I would have concentrated on a more detailed photo. Getting ready to repot them...with the exception of the phal...which I'm still pondering. Does anyone have ideas for repotting?

[james mickelso]

I'd like more detailed pics of the brassia . The condition of the pbulbs and the conditions of the media. Brassias are very easy to care for and should grow very well in your area. They need to be well watered but will rot easily if left wet for very long. their roots are thin and numerous. The roots in this planting will circle the inside of the pot many times so getting them out and managing them without damage will take some time. Have everything on hand. You will have to do some root trimming so you'll need a supply of single edge razor blades. This is a beautiful plant so make sure everything has been disinfected and have a supply of newspaper to set everything on and either a small torch or alcohol. It looks like the plant is in a clay pot. The roots will adhere to the inside of the pot so it may be a little difficult to dislodge it immediately. You can soak the plant for awhile. I would soak it in a solution containing RO water with some rooting seaweed. This will soak the roots with seaweed so when it has been repotted it will get a small boost growing new roots. The absolute best time to repot oncidium alliance orchids is when the new growth has started putting out new roots. Any sooner and you risk setting the back back. Any later and you risk slowing the new growth or even stopping it's growth. The new growth is getting it's energy from the old pbulbs. The roots haven't matured enough to fully support the new growth but when the new growth has roots about 1-2 inches long is optimum. I am sorry but all my old pictures of repotting my brassias are gone due to my laptop crashing. I had some really nice pics too. There are some on here somewhere but I don't know how to retrieve them. Here are a few pics of one of mine that is flowering right now. This one was drop potted last year. Due moving around twice since then it put out only two small spikes this time. Usually it flowered from every new growth but disrupting it set it back a bit. Oncidium intergenerics including brassias don't like to be repotted too often and may be set back when they are. But you have to do it to keep the plant healthy. You'll notice the old pbulbs have shriveled quite a bit. This is normal in brassias. They are supporting the new growth until it gets roots of their own and that is when they are about half grown. Quite large which pulls a lot of energy out of the old growth. This is a very common brassia called Brassia Rex "Sakata". It is very hardy. This one lives in my hovel of a GH and survives nicely in winter down to 35*f at night. But of course it isn't watered when it gets below 45*f at night. If it needs to be watered it is during the morning when the temps are rising and above 55*f. Then it dries completely before the temps drop back down in the evening.

[james mickelso]

Repotting is fairly straight forward. When you pull it out of the pot you'll find a rough pretty solid mass of roots winding around the inside of the pot. You have two choices both of which will be good choices. One will be to just repot this entire plant in a slightly larger pot with about two inches of room around the edge for the next two years growth. Pretty easy huh. Here's the drawback. There will be a lot of old spent, shriveled growth in the center and the root mass will become so dense that rot will eventually start to deteriorate the entire planting. There will be little air movement through the mass that the whole planting will become stagnant and new growth will only take place on the periphery of the planting. It will just go down hill. The other option is to do some radical surgery and watch this thing really take off. It will be a little drastic to new collectors but will really pay off in the long run. The secret to any orchid growing is good water, good light, and good aeration of the root mass. These naturally grow on tree branches and the crotches of trees. Their roots hang down in long strands and get drenched daily. The wind then comes along and dries them out. Leaf litter falls down and collects around the roots which deteriorate leaving behind nutrients. The roots absorb nitrogen and carbon dioxide out of the air and rain water. So if we can mimic this the plant will grow well. It doesn't matter what you use for media. As long as it lets air circulate freely through the root ball and absorbs "some" moisture, it will be sufficient for the plant. In this second method of repotting, remember that the plant is living off starches and sugars staored in the old growth. The roots are supplying water to the entire mass. But the new growth will grow and pull this stored energy from the old pbulbs even if there were no roots. That's the key. So here is how I would do it. Take the plant out of the pot. It may be necessary to break the pot with a small hammer. Gently from the bottom up. You'll damage some roots in the process. Not a problem. You will be cutting some of the roots off anyway. One item I forgot to include on the list of materials to have onhand is a good systemic fungicide. When you have this ready to pot up, dunk the whole root ball in a bucket of water with the fungicide mixed into it. Let the plant sit for 10 mins in this. If I were repotting this, I would leave it out of the new pot for the rest of the day and repot the next day. This allows the plant to seal off the root tips that have been cut. Like scabbing. Now that you have the plant out of the pot, start cleaning off all the old media. You don't have to remove it all. Don't damage the roots any more than is necessary. Once cleaned of old media, start cutting off all the old damaged roots. Here is the squeamish part for most folks. Remember that the new growth is what you want to grow. The old pbulbs are nothing more than storage vessels. Yes these old roots are supplying moisture to the plant but there is enough energy in these old pbulbs to supply the new growth with all they need to grow to maturity. So cut off all the old rotten roots and any roots that are overly long. All these roots will be wrapping around the root ball and are unnecessary to the overall health of the plant. The new root ball needs to be short enough to fit in the new pot. The new growth will grow new roots and these old roots will die off in about a year. When you look at the root ball you will notice the roots under the central part will be very old and there will be a lot of dark old soft roots there. This is where new plantings get into trouble. The root ball needs to breathe. Air must circulate throughout the roots or they will get root rot. Cut the roots under the center of the root ball very short. You'll plant this root ball over a small mound of some inert rock/Styrofoam/gravel/marbles. Anything to build up a small mound that won't breakdown. Once you have cut away the roots to what you think is a good viable root system that will easily fit into the new pot, soak the whole root ball in RO water with the systemic fungicide mixed into it. Let it sit for 10 mins. Take it out and let it dry somewhere warm breezy but not in strong sunlight. Once it it dry, tomorrow is good, repot in your new mix. Place the root ball over the mound, push it down and add your media. Tap the side of the pot to settle the media down around and into the root ball. It's nice to have a friend helping you at this point. Once you have the plant potted up, tie it into the pot with florists gtape. The thin green stuff. Tie it securely into the pot. Put the new planting in warm soft light for a week and then put it out with your other orchids. Hope this helps. Don't be shy about cutting roots. the plant, if healthy, will respon d with ;lots more roots. Get some rooting hormone like seaweed which can be found at any hydroponics stores. Or get some of Ray's kelpmax. Good stuff. Now tyour new planting should start throwing out new growth from each old pbulb. You'll have a specimen plant by next year.

[HighSeas]

GREAT information! I have one Brassia that's very small compared to these, which are a much bigger challenge!

As you can see, they are BAD need of repotting! I sprayed them well with Neem Oil last night and had planned to hit them with some Thiomyl once repotted...but I do like your idea better. (Let them soak and then dry out for the actual repotting tomorrow.)

As you can see...this is going to take some time. I think I'll use Lava Rock for my mound. I'd like to repot these for the long haul...meaning, to stay in the pot for 2-3 years before repotting. I think perhaps a VERY large basket that can be hung.

This looks like a few hours worth of prep work doesn't it?

You are a wealth of great information James! I KNEW I could count on you! I've always gotten good information from you and I thank you.


Makes you cringe doesn't it? My friend isn't really good with repotting!



There's a lot of vertical growth going on here. Not sure what I'll do with it until I get in there.