Melissa how lucky are you? So cool you can with a flick of the button turn on your misters, technology, ant it wonderful.

Well my order from First Ray's is in Billings. Not to be delivered till Monday. I so didn't want it stuck over the week end. I'm going to call and see if they are bringing it down to Sheridan which is only about 48 miles away. I can go over and pick it up and get some flowers from the green house that I really like over there.

Mandy,

You can drop him an email and ask about the Amesiella. I am sure he would rather get your check and save the eBay listing fee. :)

---------- Post added at 11:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:48 AM ----------

Oh I wish! No I just get a text alarm to my iPhone for high temp or low humidity. Then I have to run out there and take care of business. :biggrin:

I do have an Orbit station attached to misters on a timer that I can use automatically, but I find that it becomes too much "watering" to other plants if left on "auto" all the time. So usually I just run in, turn on the water to the mist station, and then hit the on button. It will cycle through the programmed mist system one time.

Sometimes I just have to spray the floor to bring the temps down. I'm thinking that I might need to get a bigger swamp cooler...but that is big $$$.

Well I am so bummed. I did go over just to find they are not open on Saturdays, so my poor orchids will be setting there till Monday. At least I did get some plants bought that I have to plant in an Insurance Company's planters that I do every year.

Craper, and a big giant CRAPER,

It's interesting to look into orchids and their native area. I actually have several species from the phillipines now. Bulbo putidum, vanda luzonica, amesiella monticola, dendrobium victoria-reginae. Shadytrake, you think they are endangered? From what I did see they are not widely cultivated.

---------- Post added at 09:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:35 AM ----------

Looks like this plant is listed on the The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.

Yes, it is endangered. I think it's cool that our project plant is one that could do with some hobbyist conservation efforts. One of the more amazing things that we can do, is learn how to get native species like these to thrive and multiply on their own, so that maybe one day, they can be reintroduced into the wild and not be forever lost.

I also think it's cool that we can be part of the conservation effort, but our sourcing should be of the utmost importance. Making sure our plants aren't being picked out of the wild for sale, or were a primary product of that may be an issue. Additionally, I think us not knowing (or we did know and noone said anything about it) is part of the entire plant sourcing issue where international demand for nice, unique plants is driving local orchid plucking markets that are destroying populations, some of which may be the last.

:agree:I do agree with you on this, but the primary reason for this particular decline is not due to orchid poaching. It is illegal logging and the clearing of the natural habitat for terraced farming. It may be likely that the habitat will be gone forever or reduced so much that the growing conditions change.

If that is the case, then having the plants (either wild collected or bred in "captivity") means that they are not lost forever. This happened in the case of Mexipedium xerophyticum. The habitat and the wild plants were basically destroyed by a terrible fire. However, the cultivation of the two collected has assured that we could reintroduce them if needed. So far that is not necessary as they discovered surviving plants in 2009.

I am lucky enough to own one division of each of the original collected plants (they freely produce offspring by surface runners) and there have been a number of successful selfings and sibbings.

At any rate, we need to be responsible by educating ourselves when adding any rare species to our collection.

Of course, of course! Species loss can't be attributable to just one event, but poaching sure doesn't help the conservation effort. I guess what I'm trying to say is, we should do what we can on our end for species conservation if we can't directly contribute to the habitat conservation. Reliable sourcing and building genetic diversity via seed propagation could be a start!

The important issue about 'preserving wild species' is keeping them as close to what they were in the wild as possible so they could someday still survive there if introduced. Many times, through selective breeding, the traits that allow/help a species survive is lost. Truthfully, though, with global warming, some of these plants are beginning to have a difficult time surviving in their native habitat anyway. Sort of sad. I just bought a second Theobroma cacao after reading about even more woes besetting the chocolate industry. I must do my part to preserve the Theobroma cacao for future generations. :)

---------- Post added at 03:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:48 PM ----------

Just checked on my project plant. It dropped a bottom leaf and is growing out the new leaf. Roots still look happy. It is probably really enjoying the typical high humidity of an Ohio summer.

Here's my little booger. According to the OrchidWiz cultural info Camille posted on page 10 of this thread, it needs a minimum of 85% humidity, even in winter?! Um, sorry little guy, you will not be getting that! Time to toughen up!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/551/17...d5b6d672_z.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/387/18...18e898f6_z.jpg

https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7797/1...4ba00573_z.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/478/17...bec21cda_z.jpg