Four new Neofinetia - I have no self control!

[Leafmite]

What lovely orchids! I love the fragrance of these.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by marcmaubert

Those look beautiful! I bought my first Neo on Facebook last August and it rotted away in a week , and they're really hard to find in Mexico too, so I was really sad. But during an orchid show in October I finally found a guy that specializes in Neos and Sedireas (and even better, he grows them in S/H, which is my preferred method). I showed a lot of restraint and only bought a standard Sedirea japonica and a Neofinetia falcata "Kibana" because I want to be sure they bloom under my care before I go crazy buying all of them. If they do, I'll try to get a Shutenno and a Kishu-Ryokofu like you next year!

Congrats on joining the neo obsession! Kibana is a nice one, and one I nearly bought. I had no idea that they could be grown in S/H seeing how sensitive they are to overwatering in the winter. Your plants look nice, and I love the pots!

Originally Posted by bjmac

Camille these are great! I really like the Tamakongo, I like all of the smaller orchids. I may have to find a place for one of these bean leaf orchid in the camper or two or three. Super job on the moss mounds, was this hard to do?

Bean leaf Neos take up even less space than the normal ones...
Making the sphag mound is not that difficult, I learned from some youtube videos. I use a beer bottle to make them. The most challenging part is wrapping the mound once the plant is in place and roots spread. I only have 3A sphag, and the strands are a bit short for easy wrapping. With longer strands it would be much faster to do.

[charlesf6]

Ah, youtube yes! Comes in handy..a lot.

[bjmac]

Found a great youtube video on the traditional potting of neofinetia on Orchid Web website in there orchid learning center. I am going to have a neofinetia bean leaf. Do you have a favorite mini bean leaf to start with? One not to expensive as this is going to be my first one, would Tamakongo be a good one, need to learn how to care for them.

[Pattywack]

Orchid Web has a great video! Their Neofinetia are excellent quality as well. My favorite Neos are the bean leaf because they are so small and cute. Their flowers are different and heaven facing.

I have several favorite bean leafs, my #1 favorite would be Senzai. It is a very small and a nice clump is impressive. My #2 would be Seikai with its odd leaves and very odd flowers, they are pink too. #3 would have to be Kuroshinju and it is the smallest of the bean leaf. I believe Kuroshinju would be the least expensive of these three, usually around 20.00 per fan.

There are more bean leaf and I’m sure others here have their favorites. The perfection of miniature orchids is just so fascinating to me! I hope you will try a Neofinetia.

Tamakongo is a great one! I purchased mine from Orchids Web.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by bjmac

Found a great youtube video on the traditional potting of neofinetia on Orchid Web website in there orchid learning center. I am going to have a neofinetia bean leaf. Do you have a favorite mini bean leaf to start with? One not to expensive as this is going to be my first one, would Tamakongo be a good one, need to learn how to care for them.

I got Tamakongo because from all the research I did, it seemed like an easy one to grow and bloom, at least in the list of plants I could chose from. I had wanted a kirinmaru but read that unless you buy a rather large plant, they can be a bit more challenging to bloom.

[Pattywack]

Originally Posted by camille1585

I got Tamakongo because from all the research I did, it seemed like an easy one to grow and bloom, at least in the list of plants I could chose from. I had wanted a kirinmaru but read that unless you buy a rather large plant, they can be a bit more challenging to bloom.

I have had my Tamakongo since last February. It was not in spike when I purchased it. There are five growths on this plant. As many of my Neos that flowered last summer, Tamakongo was not one of them. It has grown since I acquired it and I hope to see flowers this summer. It does however, have the remains of an old bloom spike.

I would like a Kirinmaru as well! I just missed one Satomi had on eBay.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Pattywack

I have had my Tamakongo since last February. It was not in spike when I purchased it. There are five growths on this plant. As many of my Neos that flowered last summer, Tamakongo was not one of them. It has grown since I acquired it and I hope to see flowers this summer. It does however, have the remains of an old bloom spike.

I would like a Kirinmaru as well! I just missed one Satomi had on eBay.

Not what I wanted to hear! I looked at my plant, and it's the only one of my Neos to not have an old bloom spike. That's not promising. When I was researching before buying, read that Tamakongo was easier to bloom that Kirinmaru, but I didn't check how easy Tamakongo was compared to other Neos. Maybe I should have gotten a different beanleaf. Or I just need to buy another (or 2 or 3) beanleaf!

What I read about the Kirinmaru is it also won't bloom if it's small, and you'd better buy a plant with at least 4-5 mature fans.

[Shoreguy]

Camille,

Just noticed your thread. All excellent choices and good variety. I like that since you have the space, that you are not restricting yourself to bean leafs.

---------- Post added at 06:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:41 PM ----------

Originally Posted by marcmaubert

I showed a lot of restraint and only bought a standard Sedirea japonica and a Neofinetia falcata "Kibana" because I want to be sure they bloom under my care before I go crazy buying all of them. If they do, I'll try to get a Shutenno and a Kishu-Ryokofu like you next year!

Marc,

Don't be discouraged if you don't bloom your Kibana. I have had several Kibana types and have never been able to bloom any of them yet. A pure Neo, or nearly pure, would give you a better chance. To increase your chances even further, stay away initially from bean leafs. Shutenno is pure or nearly pure (a controversy), and is a good choice for blooming.

[marcmaubert]

Originally Posted by Shoreguy

Camille,

Just noticed your thread. All excellent choices and good variety. I like that since you have the space, that you are not restricting yourself to bean leafs.

---------- Post added at 06:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:41 PM ----------



Marc,

Don't be discouraged if you don't bloom your Kibana. I have had several Kibana types and have never been able to bloom any of them yet. A pure Neo, or nearly pure, would give you a better chance. To increase your chances even further, stay away initially from bean leafs. Shutenno is pure or nearly pure (a controversy), and is a good choice for blooming.

Well the good news is that my Kibana is really close to blooming! Not a lot of buds (just 3), but that's enough encouragement for me to try different varieties the next time I see them for sale.