Hello from SW FLorida!

[anamilena]

Here´s some photos. You can see we´re letting the ants do the pollination on the o. maculatas. Nothing like a supply of free labor! I still haven´t been able to pin down the type of ant . I thought they were large suger ants, but they bite and leave welts. But they´re willing and ready to work and I´m not one to stand in their way. The other photo a small portion of some of the orchids we´ve propagated here.

[Leadfoot]

Hi Anna,

Holy smokes, you have LOTS of oeceoclades! Pretty flowers too! Tell me about the mix you're using. Also tell me about your watering schedule and how much light do you give them?

Also, which eulophia do you keep? Do you grow them terrestrially or in pots?

I've been making a few hurricane preparations myself. This is my first hurricane event in my new house and I'm scrambling a bit myself. Luckily I'm quite a bit farther from the bay than you are from the river, and while I live on a small lake, I'm mostly concerned with wind damage. Let's both hope Isaac stays to the east.

Stay safe....Mike

p.s. are the ants red (fire) ants? The sugar ants around here at least are smaller and black and don't bite. They frequent my nodosa and vanda when they bloom too. The only ones I know that leave a welt are fire ants and another type of flying ant.

[anamilena]

Hi Mike,
We propagate the seeds on 2" to 3" thick cypress mulch beds after the trays have been seasoned outside for a few weeks. This gives the mulch a chance to settle before we introduce the seeds.
When we´re ready to transplant we use a 50 % organic mix ( ground up juniper and cypress mulch) and a little clay and some common potting soil. Then we put a layer of mulch on top to keep the weeds down and the ph low. We try to keep the ph below 7 at all times with all the orchids that we grow.
The water schedule is twice a week regardless if it rains. We only use rainwater that we collect in 55 gallon drums. Soil needs to be damp , not wet. These orchids will burn in the sun, so they can´t be exposed to direct sun. Though too much shade will give you a very dark leaf and pattern. We use vinyl dark netting to filter the sun and we have a huge bougainvillaea, with the bottom trimmed out, on one side of the house that keeps shade on a large quantity of maculatas.
We grow e. gramineas. They require direct sun. Almost identical propagation method short of the shade requirements.
We´ve easily got 300 of these little beauties growing with bulbs ranging in size from 1/2" to over 3" in diameter. Right now is blooming season and we´ll have a healthy seed crop this year.
The storm missed us. Sunny all day today , little rain and no wind , yet the Atlantic side of the state is being flooded. Crazy huh? Anything else you´d like to know Mike, just ask..Ana