Hi all, been lurking around this page getting valuable information for my little collection for about a year and thought I should actually contribute something finally.
Living in Sacramento, keeping orchids in the home can be challenging due to our long, hot, dry summers. Ironically, I seem to be better at killing plants in the winter... I guess that's how we learn, right?
I'm extremely lucky to have an excellent orchid and exotic shop just a few miles from where I live, which has been a big help in stepping up my game. I started out like most people - killing Phalaenopsis from the grocery store.
(not that I've stopped doing that either....) I finally had success with a couple of plants, and encouraged by that and the fact that our local Trader Joe's will have some more interesting varieties from time to time, I started adding plants. (Many of which also died due to my incompetence...)
It's only been in the past two years that I've actually started learning how to care for my plants more seriously, and in the last six months even moreso. I just attended my first Orchid show a couple of weekends ago and brought home some new species to my collection and new ideas.
Currently, I'm working on compiling care information for all of my ID'd plants, and trying to at least ID the Genus of my NOIDs; I'm trying to have a better light situation as we enter summer, and I want to have a small outdoor enclosure to get my light-loving plants a safe place to hang out during the summer.
In addition to being a burgeoning orchid enthusiast, I'm a fulltime mother to two girls and I have pet Cockatiels and Box Turtles (my other hobbies).
Here's my current collection:
- Phalaenopsis - 4 standard, 2 mini, all NOID
- Oncidium/Ondontoglossum - 1 large, 2 med, 1 mini, all NOID
- Paphiopedilum - 1, NOID
- Miltonopsis - 1 NOID
- Lycaste - 1 NOID
- Cattleya - 1 med NOID, 1 Blc x Scl
- Bulbophyllum - B. Ambrosia, mounted on cork
- Dendrobium - D. unicum; D. "Micro Chip" (hybrid)
- Maxillaria - M. tenifolia
- Epidendrum - E. centripelatum
- and one I have yet to ID (I posted photos on another thread)
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Not quite a noob in Sacramento, CA
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