Some Neofinetia in bloom

[camille1585]

A few of my Neos are flowering this year. Only 4 out of 9, but it's still a good start! Taking nice photos has been challenging, it's difficult to get the exposure right on white flowers without making the rest of the plant too underexposed. So I fiddled around with indoor and outdoor photography, which was fun to do.

First is Tamakongo, a plant which was always aborting young spikes every year, until this year.


IMG_Orchids-2020-05-26-004 by Camille, on Flickr


IMG_Orchids-2020-05-30-059 by Camille, on Flickr

Kinyuko, a plant with really nice yellow markings. They're a bit faded now, this plant seems to need rather bright light for the markings to be at their best (not the case in the winter!)


IMG_Orchids-2020-05-30-043 by Camille, on Flickr


IMG_Orchids-2020-05-30-045 by Camille, on Flickr

Higashidemiyako - I hadn't noticed until the plant was outside that the flower stems have a purple tinge to them.


IMG_Orchids-2020-05-30-067 by Camille, on Flickr

Fugaku - this Fugaku only has one leaf with the typical markings for the variety, the rest of the plant is solid green. It's a vigorous grower, so it's made up for the lack of variegation! And it has nice pink root tips.


IMG_Orchids-2020-05-26-012 by Camille, on Flickr


IMG_Orchids-2020-05-26-013 by Camille, on Flickr

[DirtyCoconuts]

your photo skills are advancing in leaps and bounds!!


the flowers and plants are also great too LOL

a slight derail, the moss mounds, how do you keep their shape like that? fishing line? magic?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

a slight derail, the moss mounds, how do you keep their shape like that? fishing line? magic?

Lots of swearing, and flinging things around the room out of frustration!

There are youtube tutorials for mossing technique, but basically I make the hollow core by squeezing some regular sphag around the top of a beer bottle, and help it stay together with a bit of cream colored thread (which is cheating) then I place the plant on top and arrange the roots and then wrap long strand sphagnum around. The wrapping bit is the most challenging, and usually about halfway through I'll take the mound off the beer bottle and place it in the pot so that I can tuck the ends of the strands into the pot to prevent it from unraveling. More recently I tested plastic net cores which replace the beer bottle and stays in the mound once finished. They look like this: https://www.orchidsdelux.com/images/...etia%20net.png



But I'm just an amateur at wrapping, and neither the thrtead or plastic cores are part of the traditional method! There are Neo addicts here much better at wrapping than I am.

[Shoreguy]

Beautiful photos and plants.

My only issue is your use of the word “only” in “only 4 out of 9”.

If I ever achieved that percent, I would be very pleased.

BTW, Tamakongo is not an easy bloomer (but easier than many other bean leafs).

Happy you kept it, I had my doubts about the plant do to the many aborted spikes occurring under the care of the commercial establishment which we would hope know what they are doing.

[christoph0315]

Absolutely amazing!!! Plants and pictures are both spot on!! I'm waiting for my pots to arrive to put some of my plants in a nice surrounding.
Can't wait.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Shoreguy

Beautiful photos and plants.

My only issue is your use of the word “only” in “only 4 out of 9”.

If I ever achieved that percent, I would be very pleased.

BTW, Tamakongo is not an easy bloomer (but easier than many other bean leafs).

Happy you kept it, I had my doubts about the plant do to the many aborted spikes occurring under the care of the commercial establishment which we would hope know what they are doing.

A high percentage of flowering plants isn't the norm?? I always thought that experienced Neo growers would see most of their plants bloom every year, much like other see most of their Phals/Oncs/Dens bloom each year.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my Tamakongo will continue to reward me with blooms on a regular basis from here on out!

[Shoreguy]

With neos, I don't believe it is the norm. Although I’ve been growing them for over 45 years, I still am grateful when they bloom. It does greatly vary by variety and even individual within variety. The first one I purchased, just an unnamed seedling from a jungle plant purchased from Lager and Hurrell, which dated back to the first commercial orchid establishment in the US (no longer in existence), has bloomed for me I believe every year. A number of them never. With those it is hard to tell whether they are recalcitrant or perhaps immature. Admittedly such plants throw off my percentages. Fortunately the vegetative attractiveness helps lessen the frustration which I have come to accept.

It's my understanding that many Neofinetia growers in Japan are not even interested in the flowers but only the vegetative appearance. I have no idea whether this is true in Korea.

[Hakumin]

Originally Posted by camille1585

A high percentage of flowering plants isn't the norm?? I always thought that experienced Neo growers would see most of their plants bloom every year, much like other see most of their Phals/Oncs/Dens bloom each year.

Originally Posted by Shoreguy

With neos, I don't believe it is the norm.

If you grow outdoors year round in a region where it's not too cold or too hot for them, and give them growing conditions that promote good flowering (good humidity, plenty of light, etc), all mature Neos save some of the most physically mutated varieties, will bloom every year.

Originally Posted by Shoreguy

It's my understanding that many Neofinetia growers in Japan are not even interested in the flowers but only the vegetative appearance. I have no idea whether this is true in Korea.

Personally, I wouldn't generalize it that way. While it is true that Neo growers in Japan and Korea both do not see flowers as the primary characteristic Neos are grown for, this does not mean that they are not interested at all in flowers. Varieties grown for their flower characteristics are definitely celebrated when they bloom. The difference is more that they don't feel the need to see every single plant in bloom, and in standard white flowered varieties, if they think that cutting off the spikes before they develop will help the vegetative growth, or if they think that they should give the plant environmental conditions that don't promote good flowering to improve the vegetative characteristics, they will do so mostly without hesitation.

[syspila]

Very nice...I am in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mine are just now growing their flower spikes...almost all of my 25 plants will spike including my Seikai!

[Shoreguy]

Originally Posted by syspila

Very nice...I am in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mine are just now growing their flower spikes...almost all of my 25 plants will spike including my Seikai!

Have you had these plants under your care at least as long as last October? Any not held at least that long cannot be considered as having the spike initiated by you.

Are you a greenhouse grower?