An idea from the Chicagoland Orchid Festival

[EdinAZ]

The Chicagoland orchid Festival was great. I only went to Windsong and Oak Hill, but enjoyed both visits. Especially Oak Hill, since they had (and usually do) a large group of guest growers.

Greg, Leise and Herman (Oak Hill) are terrific people and very helpful in a variety of ways. They packed and shipped all my purchases back to Arizona for me, even though I mostly bought from the guest growers (I make it up to them with other purchases throughout the year). I just can’t recommend them too highly, as a source of plants (many miniatures and species), and as a general resource. They are great “Orchid Ambassadors”!

Did some buying, of course, impulse odds and ends mostly. I did have Orquideas del Valle bring a bunch of plants for me though. It was great talking with Andrea and Juan Carlos, and I got a few good new ideas from them. One is a way to grow plants that like a lot of moisture at the root (first picture, Lepanthes calodictyon). The idea is to mount the plant in spag on top of a tree fern piece, then keep it in a container of water. The little metal rods you see in the picture are to provide an anchor point for the mono line used to tie the plant, and I cut mine to size to keep it stable and upright in the container I used (salvaged from the trash, but if this works I can find something more attractive). We will see how it works.

The last two pictures are a couple plants I bought at the Festival (cheating . . . the Catt was in spike and the Masdie was in bloom). The Cattleya is: Blc. Sanyung Ruby ‘Huang Lung’ AM/AOS (a nice subtle, “spicy” scent too . . . maybe cinnamon). The Masdevallia is: Masd. Highland Fling ‘Orange Burst’.

I meant to bring the camera and take more pictures, but of course I forgot it!

Ed

[Grandma M]

They all look great. Thanks for posting the info about the mounted plant. It sounds like a way that possibly I can grow mounted bulbos. I have horrible luck with anything mounted.

Marilyn

[Brooke]

Ed you gave me one of those DUH moments when reading and seeing your pictures with a why didn't I think of that technique.

Very very interesting with mounting the plant on a piece of tree fern totem and the anchors for the line. I love mounts but have shied away from species that would require more than once a day watering to grow them successfully.

Thanks again, I think, for the neat idea but my wallet might not thank you :>)

Brooke

[Tindomul]

You know, I used to do sort of the same thing with my Bulb. macranthum but the water would only wick about 3 or 4 inches up, and the bottom pbulbs would always be wet. I suppose for it to work, the plant has to be mounted at the top and the tree fern stick has to be short and narrow??
Nice Blc.! I have a Blc. Sanyung Ruby 'Chi Mei' that has just finished putting on a new giant leaf. No sign of sheaths though.