A short adventure in Hawaii... pics included!

[theloyalplum]

Originally Posted by Joseia

Great pics, loved the Latourias? Were those taken in a nursery? H&R by any chance?

Yes and yes and yes. Visited and bought a handful. They specialize in den species and their hybrids, especially the latourias, so if you're interested, he's the one to go to! He told me that if a cross isn't 99% quality plants, he wouldn't repeat it, so his hybrids are top notch! Also, latourias and formosae need some love. All the nobiles and phal types always steal the spotlight!!!

[gngrhill]

Thanks for the tour; outstanding !

[Joseia]

Originally Posted by theloyalplum

Yes and yes and yes. Visited and bought a handful. They specialize in den species and their hybrids, especially the latourias, so if you're interested, he's the one to go to! He told me that if a cross isn't 99% quality plants, he wouldn't repeat it, so his hybrids are top notch! Also, latourias and formosae need some love. All the nobiles and phal types always steal the spotlight!!!

I totally agree, amazing plants from H&R. I'm a Latouria addict, I just love them. I purchased a Den. Little Andree and a Den. normanbyense from H&R this past Spring and could not be happier with the plants I received. I was expecting small juvenile plants and got two fully mature beauties with flowers, spikes galore and unopened buds. The Little Andree is a flower machine - since I got it this past April, it has been in flower for all but one month. It was such a large plant, that I divided it and repotted, and the small backbulb division is already in spike, and the larger division re-spiked a month ago and has about a dozen new flowers open. If I had more room, I would buy everyone of H&R's Latourias.

[gngrhill]

Originally Posted by Joseia

I totally agree, amazing plants from H&R. I'm a Latouria addict, I just love them. I purchased a Den. Little Andree and a Den. normanbyense from H&R this past Spring and could not be happier with the plants I received. I was expecting small juvenile plants and got two fully mature beauties with flowers, spikes galore and unopened buds. The Little Andree is a flower machine - since I got it this past April, it has been in flower for all but one month. It was such a large plant, that I divided it and repotted, and the small backbulb division is already in spike, and the larger division re-spiked a month ago and has about a dozen new flowers open. If I had more room, I would buy everyone of H&R's Latourias.

How do you grow yours to get such amazing results ?

[theloyalplum]

Originally Posted by gngrhill

How do you grow yours to get such amazing results ?

My gosh, yes. I need to know, too! I have a handful, but they're all near blooming size... I think. Working on a budget doesn't necessarily afford me blooming sized ones!

[Joseia]

Originally Posted by gngrhill

How do you grow yours to get such amazing results ?

I grow indoors under lights, with most of my orchids in Exo Terra terrariums. The Dens grow under a Metal Halide light, daytime temps max out at 83-84F, night time temps down to 72-73F. Humidity is kept around 75%, with lots of airflow from a pc fan that visibly moves the leaves slightly. I water every three days, 1/4 teaspoon of K-Lite per gallon for three waterings, plain watering the fourth. They get a dose of Ray's KelpMax once a month and I flush all the pots at least once a month, sometimes more often. I also use R/O water. All of them are in plastic pots with lots of slits cut into the sides, media is a mix of medium bark/charcoal. I use a little bit of moss in my Den aberrans, which seems to like it more moist than the others. I never let them dry out totally like a cattleya, but they are definitely not wet all the time.

My first dendrobium, Den. Proud Appeal 'Ace', spends more time in flower and spike than not. That one usually has spikes growing with buds appearing just as the previous flowers start to fade. It is a complex hybrid, with about 37% of its parentage coming from the Latourias, if I remember correctly. I would highly recommend one of those also if you can find one.