Hello everybody! - Orchid Board

Kerstin C · #1 01-28-2009, 08:48 PM

Hi all, I live in South Lake Tahoe, California, and have been growing mostly Paphiopedilums in my living room for about 11 years. I love species orchids and primary hybrid multi-florals like Paph Berenice, lowii, chamberlanianum, primulinum and spiceranum. I also have Aussie dendrobiums, a few Phaleonopsis, Encyclia tampense, and a few Cymbidiums. There's even a Cypripedium orchid in the garden outside! It's under a few feet of snow at the moment.

I'm looking forward to learning more here with fellow orchid freaks!

Zoi2 · #2 01-28-2009, 09:05 PM

and welcome to OB. Sounds like you have a room full--any pictures? hint hint

Joann

Kerstin C · #3 01-28-2009, 10:14 PM

Thanks, Zoi2!

These photos are a bit old, but I still have the same orchids and they're doing great. Here's Paph Pinocchio, Paph primulinum, and Paph Berenice in late May of 2006:

(No, I don't keep my orchids on top of the woodstove--just trying to find a dark background for pictures!)

And Cypripedium parviflorum var. parviflorum in the garden:

Sorry about the poor quality resolution--the photos were taken with an old 2 megapixel digital camera.

editorbob · #4 01-29-2009, 08:02 AM

Pretty pictures! I'm a total beginner who inherited a collection from my wife. (I'm the "Hello from Ohio" thread in the Intros here.) She loved several species including Zygopetalum, Oncidium, Dendrobium, and Phalaenopsis, but Paphs are my personal favorites. I have five little guys, none in bloom at the moment. Welcome to OB, as the regulars seem to call it. I've "met" several kind people already; hope you make friends quickly too!

tuvoc · #5 01-29-2009, 11:02 AM

Hi Kerstin, and welcome aboard. I'm in Reno, sort of a neighbor. I have a question for you. I love the Cyp, and am wondering how long you've had it, and how you grow it. I'm thinking of trying a few myself.

Kim

bellini girl · #6 01-29-2009, 12:28 PM

Kerstin. Jump right in, you'll be right at home here on OB. Many Paph lovers among our members

Lecent

Kerstin C · #7 01-29-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuvoc

Hi Kerstin, and welcome aboard. I'm in Reno, sort of a neighbor. I have a question for you. I love the Cyp, and am wondering how long you've had it, and how you grow it. I'm thinking of trying a few myself.

Kim

Hi Kim! I've had the Cyp since 2001. It grows in dappled light near a non-spreading variety of Lilac. I never let the soil dry out, but the soil is also never really soggy. I live near a meadow, so I'm lucky to have a sandy loam-type of soil rather than sterile decomposed granite. As soon as I see the plant emerging in the spring I douse it with a full-strength solution of fish emulsion (5-1-1). Every year it puts up another growth or two. I basically treat it like my Trilliums--dappled shade with a bit of morning sun, and cool soil that never dries out, with good drainage.

This orchid is extremely hardy and is unfazed by our late-spring hard freezes. It's even snowed when the plant has been in bud and it's bloomed as usual.

I haven't tried any other species. This one is supposed to be fairly easy to grow. I don't feel like I need to fuss over it at all. I do spray it down every few days if we're having a heat wave (in the nineties) just to keep the humidity up. It gets watered thoroughly once a week with the rest of the garden (once every five days if very hot).

It blooms in June. This year there were even two seed pods with seeds in them! Unfortunately I don't know how to start them from seed. I've heard the seeds are viable for only a short time. I'm going to research this and see if it's possible to propagate them outside of a lab.

Here's where I got the plant. It doesn't look like they're offering it at the moment, but it's a wonderful nursery. And look at all the hardy orchids they have for sale!

Orchids