Duane McDowell - Newbie from MN
 

Hello, all! I'm new to this forum, but not actually new to orchid growing. I worked professionally in the orchid business from 1988-1996 (Orchids Limited, Inverness Greenery Orchids and Arnold J. Klehm Growers). I specialized in Paphiopedilum (Paph. Lemon Meringue, Fair Katie, Clarke Gaviota, Dottie McDowell, Meredith Katherine, etc...) and small growing Cattleya types (Slc. Precious Katie, etc...) and also had a great interest in botanical types (Keforea Genesis, Oncidium Meredith Katherine, etc...). In 1996, I wrote and published The Orchid Picture Book.
I've had a few Phalaenopsis in the house over the past fourteen years, but no real orchid collection. Now I have one Phal, one really big Pleurothallis (Acronia gargantua 'Blood Frog' - similar to the one pictured on Eric Hunt's Website - http://www.orchidspecies.com/orphotd...rgargantua.jpg), and I have ordered several small pleurothallids. I'm planning to start up a terrarium for the minis - it looks like there are some great ideas in the forum here. I'm hoping the community can keep me from killing too many plants! I look forward to being a part of the discussion.

Wow, quite a resume for a newbie! ;) Great to have you here Duane. I look forward to your contribtions.

Ever work in any breeding programs?

Royal,
Actually, the hybrids I mentioned in my introductory post are a few that I made and registered. I'm guessing I registered over a hundred hybrids when I was in the business, and, as an employee of Klehm Growers, I made lots more. My best day as a breeder was the day I crossed my select D. pulcherrima '4D Splash' (choompornensis) with Dtps. Pretty Nice 'Arlington' and Dor. pulcherrima 'Arlington'. The Talitha Klehm remake got the Award of Distinction and the pulcherrimas got the AQ for the nursery. I really love complex Paphs - I made a ton of hybrids. I haven't kept up with how the crosses have fared over the years since I've been gone.

Hello, Duane! It sounds like you have a lot of wonderful experience and knowledge! I'm sure your contributions to the forums will be much appreciated. Do you have any pictures of your plants, or your work anywhere on the internet?

Where in the TC do you reside? I'm from Plymouth (west metro). There are at least a couple other forum members from our area that I think will chime in with a "hello!"

Welcome to Orchidboard. Great place to chat and get questions answered.
What pleurothallids are you growing? I have several and grow them successfully in fish tanks (they love the high humidity) with their own lights, fan, etc.

I had a sneaking suspicion that you might have made a few crosses in your day. ;) But wow, congrats on the AD and AQ! As a very new hobbyist breeder an AQ would be my dream. Shoot, an HCC would be fine at this point.

I bet you have quite a bit of info to share about your breeding days. I'd love to pick your brain over a beer one day. Too bad we live near opposite borders. I guess that's what this forum is for. See you around the OB.

I remember you Duane! I used to go out to Klehms all the time. And I still have a piece of that '4D Splash' somewhere...

Nice to see you back.

Rob

Duane, Welcome to OB!

welcome duane, and i look forward to reading your contributions! good to have another 'old pro' wandering about!!!

Thank you for the warm welcome!
 

Well, now I've gone and done it. I've built a terrarium out of a 30-gallon fish tank. Looks like it will have plenty of light (360 watt equivalent in compact fluorescents, separated from the tank by plexiglass). I've got a computer fan in the tank itself moving the air around, and a repti-fogger to add humidity every morning. It'll be interesting to see what the humidity is - it "smells" right, so I'm assuming it's between 80 and 90 percent. Temperatures appear to be holding in the 60s.
The first thing I did was to fill the terrarium with plants. Oh, I have room for a few dozen Lepanthes, Lepanthopsis and other micro-minis, but no more big plants!
I picked up Masd. Sunset Jaguar 'Nightbreed', Masd. Sunset Jaguar 'Psychadelic Sunset' and a beautiful Pleur. alveroi from Mountain Orchids in Vermont. The plants are gorgeous, much larger than I had anticipated. I'm thinking about sibbing the Sunset Jaguars and, perhaps, treating some of the protocorms with colchicine... Of course, if I do get some great seedlings, I'll have nowhere to grow them...
Wish me luck with the new setup!

Welcome, Duane! You sure have lots of knowledge to offer! Good to have you here!

Hi..Duane. Welcome back to this great hobby or addiction not sure which. I came across your name a few months ago, I had a plant I wanted to have judged it was a Paph you registered in 1996, it's Paph. Babyface (P. Via Muchos Ninos X barbigerum). I sent it to the Chicago judging center and it was awarded a CCM 82 points, it is now Paph. Babyface 'Lu Lu' after our grandouthter. And I have you to thank for it, it's the one I use as my avatar, thanks...... Jim.

Paph Babyface 'Lu Lu' CCM/AOS
 

Fantastic! Congratulations on the award, Jim! It's a lovely plant. The Batavia society was always a lot of fun. Mary and Wilda were great friends when I moved to Illinois from MN in '88.

Wow, great to have you here Duane and good to hear you are getting back in to this addiction with some new genuses of orchids. Sounds like you are jumping in with both feet with the terrarium and I'm sure you'll do well with your past growing skill :welcome:

Oh wow :drool:

Why oh why did I have to look at Tindo's pics... now I just HAVE to have a Sunset Jaguar. It's gone straight to the top of my wish list, wonder if you can get it in Europe.

Is it a really cool grower or is it more towards the intermediate? Still not certain I can grow Masdies but I LOVE them. The veitchiana I have is growing well at least although it's not flowered in the 6months or so I've had it.

Thanks, most Masdies are not real intermediates anyway from what I've read.

Really must see if I can find that one.

I can't speak for Masd. Sunset Jaguar, but I know that the Copper Angel parent grows quite well in intermediate conditions (the chaparensis parent is notoriously a bit tricky and needs cool conditions). Here is a list of some that I have been successful with in intermediate conditions (both growing and blooming):
Masd. Copper Angel - very showy, blooms off and on all year, very easy.
Masd. Angel Frost - also very showy and easy to grow.
Masd. Machu Picchu - very showy and large.
Masd. Red Wing - Showy and easy
Masd. floribunda - not terribly showy, but very easy to grow and bloom well.
Masd. herradurae - always lots of flowers at once.
Masd. bicolor
Masd. infracta - almost always in bloom
Masd. bicolor - this is one of a number of closely related species that grow and bloom easily in intermediate to warm conditions.
Masd. minuta
Masd. rolfeana
Masd. peristeria - always had good success with this, even though it supposedly comes from higher elevations. Never had trouble with it.

I started out this time around with Sunset Jaguar because I am growing on the cool side. I spoke with Darren at Mountain Orchids a few days ago, and he claims that Sunset Jaguar is a very strong grower. The plants he sent certainly suggest that it is! If I had warmer nights, I would have started with Copper Angel since I know that it performs well.
If your veitchiana hasn't died, that's a good sign! It likes cooler temps than most of the hybrids. If you haven't bloomed it, it may want more water. Masdevallias can be really thirsty, and they will frequently grow without blooming if they stay too dry.

I wish you all the best. I'm excited to see how my plants do in the new terrarium. If they are still alive and growing in six months, I'll be very happy. If they have grown really well, I'll be ecstatic!
-d

Here's another cultivar of Sunset Jaguar. It's also quite beautiful.
Masdevallia Sunset Jaguar 'Nightbreed' AM/AOS (Pleurothallids, Masdevallia) : Mountain Orchids, Orchids & Plants for discriminating tastes.

Wow, thanks for the list Duane.

My veitchianna seems to grow quite vigourously. I did all I could to keep it cool over the winter and it stopped growing for a while, but it was growing well before then and I've seen signs that it is starting up again now.

All the best with yours, keep us updated with how it goes.

Rob,
Thanks for the note. Great to reconnect here!
-d