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  #121  
Old 04-23-2017, 10:13 PM
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AnonYMouse AnonYMouse is offline
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Better your drivel than your dribble!
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  #122  
Old 04-23-2017, 10:28 PM
jkofferdahl jkofferdahl is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonYMouse View Post
Better your drivel than your dribble!
Ouch! At my age that really hurts!
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  #123  
Old 04-23-2017, 11:03 PM
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While you really enjoy the Phals, I really enjoy the Bulbophyllum. Lately, I keep wondering why I have those Cattleyas and Angraecums. The Bulbos are so much fun! I carefully choose Bulbos that either smell pleasant or not at all but someone gave me a pair of them and one is said to be a stinker and the other is unknown, a noID. Few have a very strong scent so I should be fine. The Bulbophyllum laxiflorum is growing an inflorescence and I eagerly check it each day to see if the flowers have opened.

And, one of my other new favorites, the Dracula papillosa, is in bloom. While the flowers are nice, the constant growth is the best part. Most of my orchids grow quite slowly and only have one or two rounds of growth a year. This, though...wow.

As much as I find myself favoring the Bulbophyllum, a couple of weeks ago, I did buy some bag-baby Cattleyas. They were new and healthy. The medium looks good and the new growth has already set roots, so I am just going to leave them in the bark for now. The pots are small enough that the roots should be alright. The price of these is so good that it is worth the experiment of growing them. I decided that if I do not like the flowers when they reach blooming size, I can always give them away.

I am glad you had a good report with the doctor. Stay healthy!
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  #124  
Old 04-30-2017, 03:54 PM
jkofferdahl jkofferdahl is offline
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4.30.17: A Happy Orchid Sunday to you all! It's a nice day here in Georgia, temperature in the low 80s. Clouds have been moving in and it's now pretty overcast though rain isn't expected until tomorrow.

My big boy Sully (avatar) had quite some fun a bit ago. The lot next to my yard has been vacant for literally decades and is very overgrown. Most of the yards up to it are also overgrown in the area - I think entropy works in yards, too, as each year the mess of the vacant yard edges farther into neighbors' yards. It's from this area that the intrusive mice I'm warring with arise - and by the way, field mice are quite larger than house mice! So earlier this afternoon what I would call among the largest opossums I've ever seen was foolish enough to cross the fence into my yard. My yard in which a 90-pound ball of muscle was cavorting. Sully was on the other side of the yard when he saw the possum, and despite his one lame leg (blown out knee) he shot across the yard at it. In the time it took him to cover about 45 feet across the yard the possum managed to climb 4 feet up the back fence, which Sully hit at full speed and just nipping the possum's tail. Frankly I would have been sad if Sully had killed the poor creature, but it was exciting to watch him go into full predator mode, and to see an almost 9-year old giant dog move like he did was delightful. The possum shimmied along the top of the fence for about ten yards, then stopped to hiss at Sully, and by this time I was also out to the fence. My backyard neighbor, seeing the excitement, also came out and together we named the possum "Goliath". My guess is that Goliath will make a point of avoiding my backyard in the future!

Orchid-wise this has been a good week. Rocket continues to work as an excellent Mouse Guard at night in my orchid areas. He's not nearly as massive as Sully but is all sinew and twitch, so both very fast (he would have caught the opossum) and has the coordination and reflex of an Olympic athlete. In his three weeks on this job I've not seen a bit of mouse damage. Plants that had been gnawed are healing (even a Sederia japonica that was gnawed on the stem appears to be recovering!). I've cleaned up one or two "night soils" in the main grow room, but I'll gladly do so in trade for his good work!

I suppose, since I've gone in depth about dogs rather than orchids, that I should mention Cassius as well. Each time I pet this delightful boxer I thank our SuperModerator WhiteRabbit, who years ago alerted me to his presence at a shelter. Cassius doesn't chase opossums, doesn't guard against mice, and only barks at strangers if the other dogs already are. Like many boxers, my beloved boy is about 2 brain cells shy of legal brain death, but makes up for such foibles by being as loving as any dog alive. When I give him food or a treat he prefers a good head rub, and for as long as I pet him he ignores whatever he's given. He's survived homelessness, shelter life, a mauling by another dog, and heartworms and remains serene and affectionate. Sully is my owner and is exceedingly loyal, Rocket is a jokester with too much energy, and Cassius is my heart.

But this is an Orchid Board! I went a bit nuts with orders this week, with three new Neos and six new Phals. I posted pics of several of the new Phals in another thread yesterday, which came from LOC in bloom! A red cornu-cervi has returned to bloom on a three year-old stem, but this year the bloom is a deeper and richer red than in previous years! My Phal sanderiana, which opened a first bloom on Easter, now has 7 or 8 open and a ton of buds. In my miniatures area, the fourth Zygostates alleniana is about to bloom, so I hope to be able to soon take a picture of all four together in bloom. In the same area, P lowii has been growing at an absurd rate, but the leaves were getting a bit purple so I built a shade over them.

My friend Terry, about whom I spoke last week, just appeared with pizza. I have to go.

A Happy Orchid Sunday to all, and good growing!
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  #125  
Old 04-30-2017, 09:29 PM
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It seems like you have a great team of dogs!

I ordered lacewings and lady bugs to get rid of a mealy bug explosion. They arrive tomorrow. Last week, I moved most of the plant collection outside and sprayed them well with neem oil but I need the lace wings and lady bugs to take care of the rest of the problem.

I remain resolved to keeping the orchids indoors this year due to the issues I had last summer. They were not affected by the mealy bugs (too much better stuff, I guess), but I have the neem oil ready just in case.

I went to the West Shore Orchid Society show. It was very nice. I did not see the displays of plants as we arrived at 10am and they were still judging when we left around 11am. I bought a sundew and four new miniature orchids for my terrariums from Ecuagenera, Orchid Outlet and a CP vender.
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  #126  
Old 04-30-2017, 10:08 PM
Dollythehun Dollythehun is offline
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After all the newbie questions on phals and all jkofferdahl's pictures, I decided my phals needed more love. I invested in a box of Repot me mixes and got busy. In truth, some of my bark was broken down and the plants weren't getting enough water. I'm nervous about all the spag in the Imperal mix but the quality of commercial bagged mix sure seems to vary.

I've got some sweet things blooming and lots of new roots and shoots including my Onc "Twinkle" spiking. The trees are leafing out so I am going to add some more supplemental light. Only the full sun addicts will be outside this year.

Yesterday I spent the day in Schaumberg, IL. The drive home was nerve wracking. It was raining like crazy and the exits just pile on top of each other. When I got home the Chief was sick and spent 14 hours in bed. He has developed a serious health concern so, I was doubly worried.
I need to set my boundaries tighter as I am stretched too thin for comfort. I have two plants on my wish list that I hope to bring in this next month and plan on making a trip to Natt's but...that drive. I am a country girl and that expressway drive is a slice of hell.

Hope all you have a lovely week!
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  #127  
Old 05-07-2017, 11:33 AM
jkofferdahl jkofferdahl is offline
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5.7.17:A Happy Orchid Sunday to everyone! I hope that you’re off to a great start of a wonderful day!

Here in Georgia today we’re having the kind of Spring Sunday which reminds me of when I was a young boy and would wake up, realize there wasn’t school, and leap out of bed knowing that I had an entire day to enjoy. It’s cool, so a day for expending energy, and I’ve not yet seen a single cloud in the sky. It’s the kind of day that, as a child, seemed to pump enthusiasm into me. Of course, to kill that whole mood I’m at work today, so can only dream….

The Rocket Experiment is paying off, and I feel like the tide is turning in The Great Mouse War!! Yes, this week they did get two plants, both Phals and one which has me quite upset. However, despite my worries Rocket has yet to knock over anything in my grow areas and in the past week he has presented me with the corpses of THREE mice! The upset about the plants is nicely counterbalanced by those ugly little bodies. I know that seems kind of harsh, and I DO respect the life of each and every living creature; there are times when I believe that even Gandhi would have been happy to see something dead.

My orchids have had a good week (not counting the two the mice shredded – though one should survive). I’ve written a lot about the Phal equestris seedlings I’ve raised and experimented with a bit. Two are now in bloom while the other four are in spike! In fact, among my orchids the plants that are progressing most slowly are my beloved Phal cornu-cervis. Of all of my Phals it is the cornu-cervis which most seem to hibernate through winter, more so that my deciduous miniatures! From about November through March they all languish, producing no new roots or leaves, much less flowers. (Frankly, I think they’d do better with a slightly higher temperature, which I can’t give them right now.) Over the past few weeks, however, they have all taken off. My compot of seedlings have doubled in plant size in the last two months, both of my reds are in bloom, four yellows are spiking, a peloric alba is spiking, and they’re all producing roots and leaves with what seems like pent-up nervous energy.

I’m now plotting out yet another new grow area. No sooner than I got my miniatures area set up I rediscovered Neofinetia falcata. Now, I’ve grown one or two Neos in among my Phals for well over 20 years, so it’s not a new plant to me. I often wondered, though, why Andy, of Andy’s Orchids, would state, “monotypic genus in my opinion”. Obviously, it turns out, I’d slept through a couple of decades of development in Neofinetia! About the end of last year I “discovered” that Neo varieties in various colors, plant shapes, variegations, and numerous subtle differences have been developed! No wonder Andy made such a statement. Thus, I’ve gone from two Neos to 8, and also a Darwinara. My plants are overcrowded now. I’d like to create a small new space for mostly Neos.

OK, enough of my blather. It’s Orchid Sunday, a lovely day, and the start to what I hope will be a great week. I wish all here a Happy Orchid Sunday, and good growing!
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  #128  
Old 05-14-2017, 05:03 PM
jkofferdahl jkofferdahl is offline
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5.14.17: Happy Orchid Sunday! That today is both Orchid Sunday and Mother’s Day makes it special indeed. I feel blessed to still have my 91 year-old mother to speak with today, even though we live in different cities. At her age, she still paints every day – my house is filled with her paintings – but what makes her remarkable is her serenity. I can think of two times I’ve seen my mother truly angry and a million times I’ve seen her act out of kindness. To all who ARE mothers, thank you. To the rest of us, all of whom HAVE mothers, go call yours!

So it’s a beautiful day here in Georgia, about 80 degrees with an amazingly low (40%) humidity. My yard is freshly cut, laundry is in process, dogs are fed, and I’ve been able to enjoy time with my plants. I suppose I should make a trip to the grocery as well, but enough’s enough. I know there’s enough food for the dogs.

The plants themselves are, overall, delights. A couple which were mouse-eaten are about to return to bloom. I discovered one real delight, too. I have two Phal sanderiana, one of which has a cloud of blooms. The second initiated a spike about the same time as the one in bloom and is one of the Phals which was mouse victimized; the spike was ruined but the plant was undamaged. Well, somehow this plant did some really quick, sneaky work because the other day I noticed a 4 or 5 inch spike on it which simply had not been there mere days before. All but one of my Phal equestrii are now at least in spike. Two seedlings now in bloom each has 6 or 7 flowers open; my peloric that is seemingly an eternal bloomed has just initiated a new, second spike. I propped the original spike (now at least 18 months old) to hold it up somewhat but used far too short a stick for it – the spike grew up the stick, came off the end, and has continued to grow so that the flowers now hang below the shelf upon which the plant itself sits.

I usually mention the dogs, and can’t forget them here! They’ve had a pretty calm and quiet week, though Rocket caught a couple more mice. He’s now almost 2 years old and I’m still waiting to see him actually asleep. Cassius, who spends his days with Rocket (he’s dumb enough to try to start fights with Sully) had the opportunity to spend nights with him as well, hunting mice. Instead, however, he’s decided to stay in my den where there are two big easy chairs he can curl up and nap in. And Sully is just Sully – a huge dog who wants nothing more than to snuggle up next to me, press his head into my chin, and be rubbed. I’ve read any number of times that dogs dislike and are stressed by hugs from people, but Sully demands them.

I wish you all good growing!
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  #129  
Old 05-14-2017, 09:29 PM
Mountaineer370 Mountaineer370 is offline
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It has been a beautiful Mother's Day Sunday here in southeastern Michigan, too! Just a perfect spring day. My own mom has been gone for quite a few years, but we are still privileged to have my husband's 90-year-old mom living close by.

The orchids. Well, my collection is quite small, so I can probably tell you about each and every one in short order. My Phal. hybrid that was my first one and the one that got me interested in orchids appears to be putting out a spike, finally, after a break of more than a year since the last one. My second Phal., a semi-compact, has not rebloomed for me yet, but it is growing a new leaf and quite a few new roots both aerial and in the pot. My latest addition, a mini Phal. from Peter Lin, still has flowers, has dropped some, but seems happy overall. My Onc. Sharry Baby that I've had since last November has not bloomed for me, but is putting out its second new pseudobulb since that time, and my Colm. Masai Red is growing new pseudobulbs like they're going out of style. It really should be two plants, I think, so I'll have to look into that the next time I repot it. Meanwhile, my Scheherazade that I mentioned in another thread a few months ago seems to have recovered nicely from being dumped off the table and losing its flowers. It is putting out lots of fat, healthy roots. My Paph. delenatii probably needs repotting, and I don't know why, but I keep procrastinating on that one. My husband bought me some orchid mix that may be appropriate for it, but I haven't gotten around to opening up the bag to look at it yet. Plus, I need to go out and get an appropriate pot for it. I don't currently have one small enough.

I've also learned I will be "adopting" several plants from a good friend who is moving to Florida, a Christmas cactus and a few African violets. The Christmas cactus is one I'm totally comfortable with, having owned those for most of my life, but these will be my first African violets. Guess I better study up!

The dogs are doing great. I took my boy, Logan, to the park today, and had one of the nicest walks with him that I've had in a long time. He's a wonderful dog, perfect in almost every way, but walking politely on a leash is not one of his many fine attributes. I've made a spring resolution to get both the dogs out for walks much more often, so maybe the leash manners will keep on improving with practice.

Last edited by Mountaineer370; 05-14-2017 at 09:33 PM..
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  #130  
Old 05-29-2017, 04:14 PM
jkofferdahl jkofferdahl is offline
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5.29.17: Happy Orchid Sunday a day late, and Happy Memorial Day. I hope that all here who celebrate this day (and thanks to Ray for his Memorial Day post) are enjoying it.

Yesterday, Orchid Sunday, started delightfully. A dear friend of mine lives nearby. Tedd and I met through the Atlanta Pipe Club, at a time when he was a beginner and I was able to mentor him a bit. He and I have been friends for years, though not seen one another for several despite being in touch. It'd been long enough that Tedd has a lovely new wife and a beautiful toddler. We met at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, where I've been a member for a while but not before visited. While Kathryn took Lisle to the Children's Garden, Tedd and I explored the Orchid House - orchids are another enthusiasm we share. I got into a slight argument with a Guide in the Garden who insisted that Phals aren't fragrant. The day turned beautiful after a rainy start and we both took a lot of photos - yet another interest we share. After, we went back to Tedd's house, where the baby napped, Kathryn ran errands, and Tedd and I sat and talked. Seeing a friend living such a good life is quite uplifting. Tedd, by the way, is a person who I consider a true genius - he also is a fine musician (multiple instruments), a good writer (another shared interest), and simply a fine person. My brother.

And then I came home. At first that was nice - the dogs gave me their usual, excited welcome. I puttered a bit with my own orchids, and continued to enjoy the day. Until I received an email from a dear friend in Toronto. I'd been trying to reach her during the day, and couldn't. She got a call at 8:00am on Orchid Sunday that her son was in the hospital in London, and had been in a horrific motorcycle accident. He has broken bones, including in his neck, and a brain injury - I don't yet know how severe. My friend is a wreck. Here I am, a thousand miles away and enjoying the ease of a nice day while she sits in a hospital simply wishing for her son to open his eyes. As a parent it is impossible for me to truly recognize what my friend is going through; I know that as a Father I would gladly suffer the injuries and dismemberment to save one of my daughters from harm. If you are the sort of person who prays, I ask you to please pray for my friend and her son. She's my sister.

The orchids all seem well. I spent about 2 hours watering, fussing, and enjoying them this morning. I love days like today when there's a lot to do, and I can enjoy new growth, flowers, and fragrances. It seems less, though, thinking about my friend.

Last edited by jkofferdahl; 05-29-2017 at 04:25 PM..
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