Can experienced growers review my list of species?

[OzPhal]

Hi Folks,

I was hoping you might be able to help me out and review my current list of Phal species and provide any thoughts etc on things I should pay attention to or keep an eye out for. I currently grow my plants in a 4 part fine bark, 1 part perlite, 1 part charcoal mix (some are in sphagnum but these will be getting changed over). This is the potting mix I make:



and they're growing in a growth chamber in my laboratory at work under the following conditions: 28oC, 75% RH and a 12hr on/12hr off light cycle - I'm waiting for my light meter to arrive so that I can get an accurate reading but some of the seedlings are throwing out new roots and leaves. This is what the inside of the growth chamber looks like:



I'll be taking delivery of two flasks soon P. kunstleri & P. violacea - I was thinking of potting the larger seedlings straight in to 50mm clear square pots with the above bark mix and the smaller seedlings potted in to either 100% perlite or 100% sphagnum moss (any thoughts on that idea/recommendations?). I'll be watering via soaking.

I can also modify the temperature/humidity if it would be suggested to modify that...

My list of species are:

P. violacea var. 'alba'
P. speciosa var. 'alba'
P. parishii
P. tetraspis 'C1'
P. violacea var. 'blue'
P. cornu-cervi var. 'flava'
P. zebrina
P. coringiana
P. venosa
P. pulchra
P. hieroglyphica
P. fasciata
P. violacea var. 'coerulea'
P. sanderiana
P. sumatrana
P. pantherina
P. javanica var. 'mainshow'
P. cochlearis
P. hyroglyphica
P. speciosa
P. equestris var. ‘ilocos’
P. micholitzii


Thanks for your advice

[zxyqu]

Well that's a list for sure. As has been said, make sure to only change these over when potting is needed (rotting roots, or in really active root growth). Some species (micholitzii, cochlearis, violacea indigos for example), will really pout if repotted at the wrong time. micholitzii in particular is a pretty crappy grower in some peoples hands.
Phal cochlearis likes to have some calcium carbonate/limestone added somewhat regularly as these tend to grow in areas rich in this mineral. It hates losing any roots, so be really careful. See here for more details (phalaenopsis cochlearis anglais)

You have a few species that likes to dry out a bit more than others in between. Some of these are better mounted as such, but it's your call. Corningiana hates consistently wet roots. Parishii, javanica (due to flowering habit, mounts are best) and cornu-cervi fit here in general.

I'd assume the one labeled hyroglyphica is just another hieroglyphica lost in translation. It's blooming season for these right now, so maybe in a few months for you

As to your potting mix, it's what works best for you. That may work like wonders for some and be the bane of others. I used to hate sphag, but now I love it because I know how to grow in it. So, if this is what you are gonna use, go for it. Only do a transfer when actively rooting, monitor for growth, and adjust your conditions to match what works. It's tricky sometimes, and may take some trial and error (Your not a hobbyist until you've killed your weight in orchids).

I'd venture to guess your speciosa var alba is just a white tetraspis (actually solid white tetraspis aren't that common).

I recommend moss for seedlings, but it your growing chamber, perlite should do really just fine. The trick with seedlings is high humidity (80+), low(er) light, and minimal watering. You want the media to stay moist, but not soaking wet. As such, I'd avoid your soaking watering method on these. Sphag is easier to tell when it's wet/moist/dry than perlite IMO.

Ok, that's a lot of info, and I didn't talk about half of your plants. Really like some of these choices. Should be fun to bloom them out.

[OzPhal]

Thanks for your incredibly informative reply there! I appreciate it! I find it really helpful talking to those that are more experienced with these species than I am!

I think I'm going to seriously look at mounting some of those species! especially since I have access to a growth chamber whereby I can control conditions to get them established and then slowly acclimatise them to 'normal' conditions...

What's the best way of adding the lime to the P. cochlearis and in what sort of concentrations? could i just mix some shell grit in with the potting mix?

Is there a reference that tells you what species should dry out between waterings, what ones are best mounted etc?

I'm still experimenting with the potting mix but I like that this one only stays damp for about three days under the current conditions and then I have to re-water again - I used to find with Sphagnum moss that I would leave them wet for too long! it's not the plant or the sphagnums fault! it's mine! Ideally in the future I'll have a glasshouse with the majority of my species mounted and an ultrasonic fogger to have high humidity and temp control and..and..and but that's down the track! I've noticed over the past few days that the conditions in the growth chamber mustn't be too bad! some of the plants are throwing out leaves and roots at the moment and some are showing root extension of 2-3mm per day and leave extension from between 2-5mm per day... so conditions can't be too bad!

Thanks too for the information on the seedlings! does the idea of potting the larger seedlings straight in to the bark and the smaller ones in to sphagnum sound feasible? i can adjust the temperature/humidity/lighting to whatever i want! i can even do 100% humidity if i want and then program it to reduce 1% per day, two, three, four days etc to a final value of whatever value i want - it's a pretty awesome growth cabinet!

Originally Posted by zxyqu

Well that's a list for sure. As has been said, make sure to only change these over when potting is needed (rotting roots, or in really active root growth). Some species (micholitzii, cochlearis, violacea indigos for example), will really pout if repotted at the wrong time. micholitzii in particular is a pretty crappy grower in some peoples hands.
Phal cochlearis likes to have some calcium carbonate/limestone added somewhat regularly as these tend to grow in areas rich in this mineral. It hates losing any roots, so be really careful. See here for more details (phalaenopsis cochlearis anglais)

You have a few species that likes to dry out a bit more than others in between. Some of these are better mounted as such, but it's your call. Corningiana hates consistently wet roots. Parishii, javanica (due to flowering habit, mounts are best) and cornu-cervi fit here in general.

I'd assume the one labeled hyroglyphica is just another hieroglyphica lost in translation. It's blooming season for these right now, so maybe in a few months for you

As to your potting mix, it's what works best for you. That may work like wonders for some and be the bane of others. I used to hate sphag, but now I love it because I know how to grow in it. So, if this is what you are gonna use, go for it. Only do a transfer when actively rooting, monitor for growth, and adjust your conditions to match what works. It's tricky sometimes, and may take some trial and error (Your not a hobbyist until you've killed your weight in orchids).

I'd venture to guess your speciosa var alba is just a white tetraspis (actually solid white tetraspis aren't that common).

I recommend moss for seedlings, but it your growing chamber, perlite should do really just fine. The trick with seedlings is high humidity (80+), low(er) light, and minimal watering. You want the media to stay moist, but not soaking wet. As such, I'd avoid your soaking watering method on these. Sphag is easier to tell when it's wet/moist/dry than perlite IMO.

Ok, that's a lot of info, and I didn't talk about half of your plants. Really like some of these choices. Should be fun to bloom them out.

[Ray]

About all I can add is that, in my experience, violacea tends to like much warmer temperatures than most.

[zxyqu]

Not a problem with all the questions. Here is where I'd start if you haven't already:
IOSPE: Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia
A great place for some quick tidbits of information. Also go to Alain's website on species and primaries: Phalaenopsis primary hybrids.
I have no idea how much Calcium Carb is needed for cochlearis, and how frequently. You'll have to search for that one, but I'm sure a little bit every now and then wouldn't hurt if you dont over-do it.
I've seen people do seedlings straight from flask into just about everything (CHC, LECA, Sphag, Bark...). It's all about watering. They just cannot dry out, but can't be soaked. It's tough to gauge really, but a humidity dome helps (may not apply to you). Less light also encourages roots over leaves, and also protects them from too much light accidentally in the early stages.

[OzPhal]

Hey Folks,

So I've acquired some more species seedlings of late so I figured it was a good opportunity to update my list:

Here t'is:

P. violacea var. 'alba'
P. speciosa var. 'alba'
P. parishii
P. tetraspis 'C1'
P. violacea var. 'blue'
P. cornu-cervi var. 'flava'
P. zebrina
P. coringiana
P. venosa
P. pulchra
P. hieroglyphica
P. fasciata
P. violacea var. 'coerulea'
P. sanderiana
P. sumatrana
P. pantherina
P. javanica var. 'mainshow'
P. cochlearis
P. hyroglyphica
P. speciosa
P. equestris var. ‘ilocos’
P. micholitzii
P. javanica
P. violacea
P. kunstleri
P. amboinensis var. ‘flava’
P. braceana
P. deliciosa var. ‘alba’
P. thailandica
P. schilleriana 4N ‘Sheilas Classic’

I'n regard my latest acquisitions:

P. braceana
P. deliciosa var. ‘alba’
P. thailandica
P. schilleriana 4N ‘Sheilas Classic’

I've heard that the P. braceana specifically has some differing growth habits than that of the others and they like to be grown cooler and wetter - is that correct? Would 23oC & 75%RH be adequate? Is there anything I should be aware of with the

P. deliciosa var. ‘alba’
P. thailandica

Thanks for your advice...

[naoki]

Nice! Are all of them growing well?

I'd like to get P. taenialis (braceana), but I don't have it. I grow P. wilsonii (in the same Aphyllae group). I checked a website specializing on Phal species, and here is the info about P. braceana. Your condition is probably pretty good. As you said, it prefers cooler temp. In the winter, 20-25/8-10C is good with bright light. About 2 months of 10C night temp will promote flowering. I prefer pot culture, but for this group, I use mounting. According to the web site, if they go deciduous (not common under cultivation), exposed roots help to get new leaves out. But you might want to see goodgollymissmolly's comment in the following thread:
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...inanensis.html

P. deliciosa seems to be fairly easy. I put mine in the "normal" phal condition. They have thinner leaves, so they may prefer "brighter" end. I don't know about P. thailandica. It may require similar codition as P. lobbii?

[OzPhal]

G'day Naoki,

They're growing beautifully! I've got them in a growth chamber at the moment so I can control the temperatures really well! 28oC/80%RH continuously with a 14hr light and 10hr dark cycle. I'm also fertilising regularly and using a little superthrive with the watering and they're throwing out roots and leaves left right and centre! my goal is to get them well established and then I'll start acclimatising them to more normal conditions. Some of them are flowering size at the moment so over the coming months I'm going to put them in another growth chamber I have at a lower temperature to initiate flowering on some of them.

Thanks for your guidance as well! I appreciate it! I'm going to mount the P. braceana and pot grow the others... when I get duplicates of each then I'll mount some and have teh others in pots. I've got a long way to go though to get all of the known species

Originally Posted by naoki

Nice! Are all of them growing well?

I'd like to get P. taenialis (braceana), but I don't have it. I grow P. wilsonii (in the same Aphyllae group). I checked a website specializing on Phal species, and here is the info about P. braceana. Your condition is probably pretty good. As you said, it prefers cooler temp. In the winter, 20-25/8-10C is good with bright light. About 2 months of 10C night temp will promote flowering. I prefer pot culture, but for this group, I use mounting. According to the web site, if they go deciduous (not common under cultivation), exposed roots help to get new leaves out. But you might want to see goodgollymissmolly's comment in the following thread:
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...inanensis.html

P. deliciosa seems to be fairly easy. I put mine in the "normal" phal condition. They have thinner leaves, so they may prefer "brighter" end. I don't know about P. thailandica. It may require similar codition as P. lobbii?