2019 orchid project - let's brainstorm some ideas!

[SaraJean]

I do like the idea of a Sarcochilus, those are such pretty little plants even out of bloom. I would feel slightly more confident about the Sarc on my windowsill than a Sophronitis, but I’m still curious enough about either to try. My spring-early fall outdoor temps (with minimal cool off at night) are way out of the range for the Soph. But I wonder if it could be grown inside for half the year with less drop in night temps but slightly cooler days thanks to the air conditioner. I haven’t been able to find any success stories for indoors but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. A few weeks ago, I was talking to Jon from LOC in Baton Rouge who has been growing the S. coccinea outdoors by their wet wall.

My only reason for not wanting to do the Laelias is that the last project was a general Rupicolous Laelia project. However, whatever gets the votes, I’m in

[Bulbopedilum]

Some more suggestions:
Bulbophyllum biflorum
Bulbophyllum lobbii
Bulbophyllum macranthum
Bulbophyllum medusae

I see no bulbophyllums on the list. These seem common enough.
Another question about the projects in general:
If a participant already has the project plant, do they still need to buy another?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Bulbopedilum

Some more suggestions:
Bulbophyllum biflorum
Bulbophyllum lobbii
Bulbophyllum macranthum
Bulbophyllum medusae

I see no bulbophyllums on the list. These seem common enough.
Another question about the projects in general:
If a participant already has the project plant, do they still need to buy another?

I've added them to the list and since I was busy checking the candidate list, I did them too.

Generally it's ok if you already have the plant, if it is a recent addition. If you've had one a while you can buy another, or share culture notes on the existing one, but can't claim the "first to bloom" crown.

---------- Post added at 05:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:15 PM ----------

Having gone through the list checking size, general temp requirements and did my best to check availability (focused on the US and EU, and for US I checked at places I know are good, like Hauserman, J&L, Andy's, H&R, and Orchidweb). I was really surprised by haw many plants are out of stock at Andy's!

OUT of contention are listed below. If you want to try to find these (at reputable nurseries), go ahead, and let me know if you have more luck. Otherwise they're out, but we have enough to vote from, though it's a short list!

• Laelia vasconcelosiana (both Laelias are hard to find, and last project was a rupiculous laelia project)
• Laelia harpophylla
• Phal parishii / Phal lobbii (hard to find in US)
• Dendrobium pachyphyllum (hard to find in EU)
• Nervilia plicata (hard to find)
• Eria ornata(hard to find)
• Sarcochilus, both species (hard to find in US)
• Sophronitis coccinea (cool grower)
• Bulbophyllum lobbii (hard to find in US)
• Bulbophyllum macranthum (warm/hot grower)
• Bulbophyllum medusae (warm/hot grower)
• Dendrobium bellatulum (favoring cool, hard to find in EU)
• Dendrobium eriaeflorum (favoring cool, hard to find in EU)
• Bulbophyllum lobbii (hard to find in US)

Still in contention are below, and I will do a bit more checking but I think the poll will include these:

• Mini Vanda (ex Ascocentrum) can be ampullceum, miniatum, pumilum, garayi...)
• Dendrobium tannii or bracteosum
• Bulbophyllum biflorum
• Dendrobium unicum

[Bulbopedilum]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Still in contention are below, and I will do a bit more checking but I think the poll will include these:

• Mini Vanda (ex Ascocentrum) can be ampullceum, miniatum, pumilum, garayi...)
• Dendrobium tannii or bracteosum
• Bulbophyllum biflorum
• Dendrobium unicum

Great! All are available here as well, except Dendrobium unicum (Although I have seen it available at times). Here's a few more suggestions that will hopefully extend the list:
Spathoglottis plicata (Blooms very often, I rarely see one out of bloom).
Dendrobium lamellatum
Dendrobium platygastrium
Bulbophyllum blumei/maxillare
Arundina graminifolia

[rbarata]

I think we should define a genre first, otherwise we end up with a too large list.
In this case democracy won't work.

Camille, I sugest you decide which genre and who wants to join, fine.
Another sugestion....why having yearly projects? I may not being sucessful this year and be in the next. A project should not have an end...this is my interpretation but I may be wrong.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by rbarata

I think we should define a genre first, otherwise we end up with a too large list.
In this case democracy won't work.

Camille, I sugest you decide which genre and who wants to join, fine.
Another sugestion....why having yearly projects? I may not being sucessful this year and be in the next. A project should not have an end...this is my interpretation but I may be wrong.

For your first suggestion, what do you mean? This project ended up going the 'classic' route, where people suggest any plants they like, and if they meet the basic requirments (in the poll we decided should be small, and in addition it should be able to grow in intermediate temperatures, and somewhat easy to find) they go into the final poll to vote for the project plant. It's not up to me to decide who joins, people are free to join if they want and I won't force people either way.

There is no end to the project, we start a new one on a regular basis, but doesn't stop people from continuing to post updates in the previous project threads. Some continued being updated for several years after the project started.

[rbarata]

I didn't ment that you decide who will join. Obviously, if anyone wants to join, then fine.
But I think deciding a specific gente could be easier, I think.
If a project never ends, then it was my misinterpretation.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by rbarata

I didn't ment that you decide who will join. Obviously, if anyone wants to join, then fine.
But I think deciding a specific gente could be easier, I think.
If a project never ends, then it was my misinterpretation.

Yes, picking a genus before suggesting plants is another way to do it. But since the last project was already that type (rupiculous Laelias) I thought it could be good to go back to the general way. The problem is also that for some genera it’s really difficult to find a selection of them to vote on that are in the main regions (US and EU usually). Phals are a good example, species seem far harder to find in the US than in Europe!

[rbarata]

The problem is also that for some genera it’s really difficult to find a selection of them to vote on that are in the main regions (US and EU usually). Phals are a good example, species seem far harder to find in the US than in Europe!

I always had the idea that in the US the orchid business is more organized collectively...there are a lot of associations and big expositions.
In the EU there are some countries that traditionally have a big role in the orchid world (Netherlands, for ex) but my feeling is that it isn't like that everywhere.
Here in Portugal, although not very developed, the orchid business is growing. We have only two associations (national) and the well known vendors are now including our country in their expositions' calendar.

Although not very numerous, the orchid vendors here make an effort to have available some of the more exquisite and rare specimens, together with all those that are commonly found both in the USA and the EU.

As a side note, altough last project was rupiculous Laelias, I proposed two species of these: Laelia harpophylla and Laelia vasconcelosiana.

Why?

Because I got one of each but I wasn't really sure about how to care for it properly. By using a project, I could exchange information with other members.
The information about their culture is scarse, especially about vasconcelosiana. This species, as I wrote in another thread, was discovered in 2010, less than 10 years ago.
A brasilian vendor (Colibri orchids, if I'm not wrong), as a way to protect its habitat and prevent collectors fom collecting them from the wild, investigated the best way to reproduce them artificially to start to commercialize it.
I think now it's on the advertisement phase, as this plant is starting to show for sale.
By adhering to a project for this specie, it would be a great way to achive this goal.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by rbarata

As a side note, altough last project was rupiculous Laelias, I proposed two species of these: Laelia harpophylla and Laelia vasconcelosiana.

Why?

Because I got one of each but I wasn't really sure about how to care for it properly. By using a project, I could exchange information with other members.
The information about their culture is scarse, especially about vasconcelosiana. This species, as I wrote in another thread, was discovered in 2010, less than 10 years ago.
A brasilian vendor (Colibri orchids, if I'm not wrong), as a way to protect its habitat and prevent collectors fom collecting them from the wild, investigated the best way to reproduce them artificially to start to commercialize it.
I think now it's on the advertisement phase, as this plant is starting to show for sale.
By adhering to a project for this specie, it would be a great way to achive this goal.

I understand that you really would like one of these as project plant, but I didn't feel that it was a viable option. Because it's so new in cultivation, few vendors have them (the US is particularily problematic), and the ones I do find are either not blooming size or too expensive for a project plant. One of the two was also far too large (in bloom especially), given the preference in the poll for a small project plant. So for this project, they are out.

But if you would like to do a project specifically with these, you are more than welcome to start one! There's no rule against several projects running at once. You may be able to rustle up some interest by posting in the rupiculous laelia project thread, to see if people doing that one would like to do another Laelia project.