Yes! that's exactly what I'm doing with spanish moss and vanda types! slowly getting more spanish moss when I see it for sale... I really just need to beg friends for some, but too polite lol

yay to new growth!

and by the way, Bil, that is way too much empty usable space in there for orchids... I don't know whether to be impressed with your self restraint, or to be disappointed in your inability to utilize space to its full capacity...

Sounds like you need to visit the South with a lot of empty suitcases.

Cheeky.

Actually, that's inside the greenhouse in Southern Spain in full summer. Most days it is 40 - 43 in there (that's almost 120F, even with 50% shade cloth and that's the hot side you can see.) Even the Denphals have to go to the (slightly) cooler side where there isn't so much direct sun. Come to think of it, that's where the thermometer is. I shudder to think what the hot side hits on a bad day.

So in the greenhouse are the Denphals, the Catts, the Catasetums and the vanda. Everything else is out in shade areas to survive the summer.

One of the reasons the Catts all went up on mounts is that that freed up that whole side, which is half a metre wide and 6 plus long. Heh, heh heh.
I have some catasetums on order as I figure that if they don't like it there, nothing will. I don't think I dare put the Paphs and phrags that side even in the winter.

Then this is the shade house before and after. There's now about 40 to 50 mounted orchids hanging in there plus half a dozen cymbidiums and all the thin leaves like cambrias, zygos, Miltonias, Odontoglossums and so on.


I have put in fencing mesh in the ceiling of the greenhouse, and I am going to have to work out how those mounts, plus 15 to 20 mounted catts are going to hang there, together with some pitcher plants, and all those hanging basket orchids

Now, what was that you were saying about wasted space?

You are right tho, I am pretty sure I can squeeze in just a few more....

Nepenthes or sarracenia?

Both. The sarracenia trumpets are deadly for flies, in all the time I have had carnivorous plants, NOTHING has has a kill rate like them.

The nerpenthes are a bit fragile here. Dunno if it's the heat. I have a couple doing OK, but most have died. Shame, I would like one that had coloured pitchers that stood out, but the ones I have are all green.

For Southern Spain you'll probably need a low land nepenthes, how cold are your winters? How humid is it?

As for Sarracenia, they're definitely gluttons haha
I think the only thing that beats them might be Drosophyllum which i think are native either near you or a bit further north

40-43C... Miltonia... Odondtoglossum... Zygo.... But your nights cool down. I think that is it.

I've been told Nepenthes absolutely require constant high humidity to pitcher. The ones I see in people's collections here don't pitcher, and don't look so good, even though they're in greenhouses.

Sounds like you need some Cyrtopodium, Eulophia and Oeceoclades.

Ever grow Drosophyllum lusitanica?

Well, the greenhouse isn't allowed to go below 10C which is about 53 - 55F and usually doesn't go below 12C 58F

Outside, nights can go below zero. Humidity? Not bone dry. Things need a lot of water, but there is a decent level of humidity.


Know any suitable Nerps with coloured pitchers?

---------- Post added at 05:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------

They would do well here you reckon? While the day time hits 40 regularly, nights are about 20. The Nerps that are growing ok are also pitchering, so we must have reasonable humidity.

---------- Post added at 05:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:07 PM ----------

Meh, I did grow some cape sundews, but by god did they take up space. Also, while they pulled in the tiny flies and ants, they didn't touch the flies that are the real nuisance. We get house flies that irritate, and stable flies that look like house flies but bite like a bastard.

Gorgeous pictures, Bil. I can only dream

Uh huh, you grew capensis. Hmmmmmm....... to put our interchange in perspective, perhaps a different analogy is in order. Pretend we were discussing German cars, and I asked if you ever driven a Porsche, and you replied that you had driven a Trabant......Drosophyllum is not Drosera!

You are quite right. The one is not the other, but that wasn't what I meant so much as they both use the same sort of techniques to trap prey.

What were you going to suggest about Drosophyllum?

Drosophyllum catch bugs better than Drosera. Quantitatively speaking. Plus it's the carnivore most suited to your growing conditions, being that it's native to southern Spain.

Hmmm? I shall have to look at it, although its cultivation requirements seem a little precise for my taste.

Anyone know of any nice lowland Nerps with coloured pitchers?

Precise cultivation requirements aren't so tough to meet when you live where the plant is native to......

No, but if you read the cultivation requirements, they are very picky as to water levels etc, and the only thing that kills them faster than too much water is not enough.

Drosophyllum lusitanicum (Dewy Pine) | The Sarracenia Forum

Here's a good link that you could use to do some research
If anyone can grow it, you'd probably be the best bet of all haha
This being said, i think that if we want to continue this conversaron it should probably be moved to a new thread, maybe an Admin could help with that?

Ok back to project plant :)

My potted one just wants to keep going. After the last tip die off here is a new one.


Attachment 122380

That is nice! I thought it would do that. I need to take some pictures of mine....

Good it's growing another lead!

Mine is still growing strong--just one lead, no new roots yet. Growth definitely took a huge jump forward during the rainy days we had last week. I hope to get it onto a mount in a few days.

Catherine

Here is an update on mine:
First is the mounted Andy's walkeriana. The first picture shows one of the new growths and the next is the smaller new growth. It came with new growths, started another earlier this summer and now has these two. Not bad for vigor.
The third and last picture is 'the bag baby.' The poor thing was in terrible shape but it seems to be recovering nicely. The small piece, in the seventh picture, is also doing nicely. The new growth is getting roots.
The fourth and fifth picture is my older walkeriana. It has been popping new growths all summer. In these two pictures, I think the newest flush is easily discernible.
The sixth picture shows the 'Pendative' from Hausermann's. It was bought late in the season but it is getting nice roots and two new growths. There is a tiny piece of that, too, potted up but I did not get a picture. It still is thinking about getting new roots. If it does something, it will earn a picture.

Looking good, Leafmite!

I hadn't thought of trying lava rock with mine--and I still have half a bag of it (leftovers from use as filter substrates in aquariums)....I might just have to find another walkeriana to experiment with (lol)....

Catherine

The rock is working better for me than the mount though I really love how the mount looks.

Interesting! I have a couple of large (8" diameter and approx 2" high) chunks of lava rock--maybe I should look at mounting my walkeriana on one of them....Looks like it's time for more research.

Leafmite, they look great! I can't wait until we get some buds and blooms. I knew I would get another lead but I was totally surprised how fast it popped up.

These guys really grow, don't they? I think that is why I have become so fond of them. They make up for all the orchids that do nothing most of the time. :)

I actually have a rock, not sure what it is, but it's mounted on top of a piece of granite. I plan on mounting one of mine on that as soon as the roots look like they might survive.

It will be so fun when the blooming begins....

I found a short article on walkeriana that includes pix of it (and other orchids associated with it) in the wild.....Here's the link if anyone is interested:

Brazilian Orchids - Orchid News 33

According to this article, they are found growing on rocks, usually in the thin layer of detritus on top of the rocks and rarely on trees.

Catherine

When reading about habitat, always remember plants grow in the microhabitats where they grow not necessarily because they like it there, but because they better outcompete other plants there.

There's a second article about C. walkeriana in the blog that catherinecarny mentioned:

Brazilian Orchids - Orchid News 33

Unfortunately the author doesn't permit clipping, so I'll paraphrase here. He writes that eventually flowering alternates between the leafless pseudobulb and the leafed pseudobulb. Has anyone seen this?

Estacion seca--I agree that plants (pretty much all living things, really) grow in areas where they are best adapted to the conditions and therefore outcompete other organisms in those particular conditions. Orchids, by the very nature of their widely dispersed windblown seeds, often don't land on ideal sites. It's a testament to their hardiness and adaptability that they can and do grow in so many places when deposited by chance.

Leucadian--thank you for the link to the additional article! I've skimmed it (the translation/word choice is a bit rough) and will read it more thoroughly later.

I don't necessarily think we HAVE to ever duplicate conditions for any given plant in order to have it do well, but I DO think that taking a look at where an organism originates can give us insights into what we need to do to provide better growing conditions. I know from my own personal experience that I didn't start to get better at growing species orchids (and I still have a LONG way to go in that department) until I started to look at how they grew in situ.

Catherine

Wow Leafmite all of yours look so good. Yours all seem to be growing closer together than my biggest one. My 2 seedlings are close together but my other one is growing long between psb.

First photo is of my walkeriana, Carmela with it's one little 1/2 inch root., the second is my unnamed walkeriana with 2 live roots and one little new root and the third is the rock I plan on mounting it on. Don't know what kind of rock it is, but I thought the shape was just crying out for an orchid growing on it :biggrin:

That is one cool mount! :)

Ya it is a cool rock.

Interesting. I think my walkeriana hybrids are doing the same, too. I wonder if this will change as these Cattleyas become more mature? It will be fun to see!

I'm a geologist, and I'm trying to puzzle out what the rock might be. Possibly some concrete that may have been placed around an iron post? (The red in the lower part suggests oxidized iron). You can do a simple test to see if it is concrete. Try putting some vinegar on it (both the light and dark parts). If it fizzes and bubbles, it is concrete.

I agree that it is an interesting shape and should make an interesting mount. Concrete is chemically similar to limestone; that could be beneficial for your plant. I actually use broken concrete in a pot as a substrate for one of my terrestrials (Bletia patula) that grows in the wild on limestone. It seems to like it.