Nobby's Amy Cross

[H.L]

Great job!

Pls keep us posted on its progress

[orchidsarefun]

morphological differences are becoming apparent - colour, and plant form differences are 2.
The plant on the left is distinctly purply. The centre one is more green. I would describe both parents' colour as 50/50 green and purple.
The one on the right has a more "stacked" leaf appearance - exactly like one of the parents.

[orchidsarefun]

update. I have sprayed for fungus - white patches on some leaves. A lot of new root growth. Some seedlings have spotted leaves, hopefully that carries through to maturity. 5 months since deflasking - I am happy with the progress.
I am watering 2-3 times a week, under lights the moss dries quickly. Fertilising roughly 1x per week, very weak solution.
Seedlings top left are a Lit-Sunny cross. About the same age as Nobby's Amy. Amazing difference in size and vigour. A "bum" cross ?

[NYCorchidman]

I love the last one, silvery green with spots and finished with purple lining along the edge! so cute!!!

I wonder how the flowers will all turn out on these guys. still some (well, a lot of..) time to go, right?

What was the survival rate out of flask so far??

[ALToronto]

These are all very vigorous growers. Did you have any runts from the flask? Did you try to make them grow? Did they survive?

I'm asking because the two phal flasks I planted, also about 5 months ago, have quite a few strong growers, but also lots of runts. I planted the runts anyways, and some are growing (although staying very small), but their death rate has been about 20% so far, and it will get worse. The cold temps aren't helping - I'm expecting to have my heated shelves set up by month-end.

[My Green Pets]

Wow, best thread I've read all day

[orchidsarefun]

thanks everyone.

NYC/ALT - I've lost at most about 3. There are about 5-10 "runts" that are hanging in there and will probably be discarded when I pot the other tray up individually.
I think I waited too long to spray with a targeted fungicide ( Thiomyl Ornamental Systemic Fungicide )

I am hoping to have flowers this time next year !

Interesting thing about the ones still in the tray is that there are quite a few with more rounded leaves - see photo. The ones in the pots generally have more pointed leaves. Why ? I don't know. Maybe has something to do with being closer together in the tray ? Watering, lighting is the same for both.



---------- Post added at 07:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:34 PM ----------

obviously there are too many, but I can't bring myself to discard any. I will probably try and sell some at our Annual Show next year.
Someone with a lot more experience also once told me that its sometimes the "runts" that turn out to be the best ! Not exactly what I wanted to hear....

[orchidsarefun]

update.
I have lost a few to some strange leaf-dropping affliction. Each leaf separately dries up and then drops off.
I have sprayed them with a fungicide/bacteria-cide in the past. I am now - just did so - spraying them with an aspirin-based water mixture to see if this makes a difference. I don't know if this die-back is "Nature's Way" or if I have a problem. There is no pattern to the way in which seedlings are impacted. I think I am going to have to repot soon too....they are currently in 2-2.5in pots.

I also switched the pots 180, so that a different side is now facing the light - oh, that's right. I removed a light because I thought that they were getting too much light and maybe were impacted by a leaf-wasting that I read can be as a result of too much/strong light.

the 3rd photo is of seedlings that I left in the trays and haven't repotted into individual pots. The leaves of these seem much rounder.

[ALToronto]

I've had a few of my phal seedlings lose their oldest leaves as well. Some didn't stop with just one leaf, and a couple wasted away completely. I don't think it was rot in my case, maybe just a response to colder winter temps. I'll try aspirin; I haven't used it yet on the seedlings.

[orchidsarefun]

I don't know what it is. Mine are in warm temps and I run a ceiling fan because the room gets into the 80's and I want to improve air circulation.
Maybe its natural attrition ? Anyway hopefully the aspirin spray mixture toughens up the seedlings and protects them.


I think I am also going to replace/repot all of them with fresh/new sphagnum moss. Its been about 6 months and the old moss has had its share of fungicide/algae/fertiliser/minerals and who knows what else.....