ETA:3-14-15 my internet has been hideous for the last month so I couldn't get these photos to upload well. Trying again today. I hope it doesn't take a half hour!!! But here are the photos to go with this post! Finally, sorry it took a bit.
Update time!:
ok the psychopsis is being a major pain in my butt. I have him in a lovely oncidium mix, he's in a little container under his pot that has rocks and water to keep him more humid and to see when I need to water him. He's been giving me lots of new roots. A new leaf last month and a new one starting this month. I lessened his ferts over the last 2-3 months so he only gets them 2-3 time a month if that instead of weakly weekly. I have him in the western window somewhat near the LEDs for the carnivorous plants. sigh. I want a spike and bloom so badly!
Same with the schillerianna. Nothing. No new leaf growth in over a year, possibly even 2!! Yes like I said I had to trim off a lot of her roots as she arrived in very bad shape under the mix. So a lot of her energy for 2 year went to new root growth. But why now? Why no new leaves? Why no new spikes? This fall it'll be three years. She seems healthy. She has nice fancy new mix last summer. She gets good eastern light. Every single phal but some young ones near her are doing well! Not that they're not doing well! They're still young and won't bloom till next year most likely.
As for the young ones, two came in spike/bud/bloom so they're doing well. I've had random spikes and blooms from them over the year. One nothing, no new growth aside from roots. No leaves. The other I've gotten a few leaves and spikes here and there. One just finished blooming, one is in bloom and very happy, and one has been in spike for the first time for like 3-4 months and nothing. It got bud blast?!!? It lost 2-3 buds, but is hanging on to the rest of them. But they're not swelling yet. It's been in this house for awhile now it shocked me to get it after that long of time, not just when it came home for the first time. I also had one of my older phals do the same, it lost a bud. It's in bloom now, but it shocked me. I think due to the extreme cold this winter the house is way to dry. We have humidifiers on in the bedroom and living room all winter every winter. This year they've been on high for over 2 months straight! We only ever put them on high for a few days a year! It's been bad! So I'm thinking that's the problem.
I have another new phal. My husband needed to go to the store for some stuff and I saw it!! I'm not sure if it's peloric or not?? It was weird looking so I bought it on impulse. Silly I know. But it had 11 blooms, and 16 buds on 2 spikes, and sadly it had a third spike that had broken off that had probably 10 more blooms and buds!! It was insane looking!
The last impulse phal I'm not sure if it has three new roots or three tips of new spikes coming up!!! It wasn't at all happy coming home, oddly because it was not in a greenhouse, but maybe it wasn't at the store long, so it was nearing the end of throwing a tantrum. But it lost all the flowers right away. So I'm hoping it might be showing me how much it loves me by giving me not 1 but three spikes! Ha probably not! But it does have new leaf growth and roots. So it's pretty happy I think! He's in the bathroom window with the one above. Both new so they're not near the rest of my collection.
nope they're roots
As for the other phals, everyone seems happy. I have 5 in bloom and 3 in spike. The white turned purple is still not spiking or growing for me. I think it's at the end of it's life. I wonder if that's why it reverted back to one of it's parents instead of staying white? It didn't have the spike come from the top though. But no new leaf growth and leaves a couple up are turning yellow. Not real bad, just a little. But again it didn't spike or bloom for a second year now. So we'll see. If it is a goner then I have plans for the space. We're most likely not going to the orchid show in the city this spring. My husband really wants to take me because he knows how much I love going and taking photos and seeing all those plants. But I think I might just spend the money on a couple extra orchids instead. The cost for us to go is the price of 2 expensive orchids, plus I always buy 1-2 while we're there, so that means if I can figure out window or light space I might be able to get 4 more!
lots of new leaf growth from this little guy!!!
And here is the bedroom window today!
He said he wants to see about taking the blinds down in the front window and put up sheers. I don't know. I like seeing out the window and the blinds help, but they block SO much light! We had them down because he was cutting out the extra board and putting in a new smaller one that looks ten times better. While the shutters were down it was so much brighter! But he said with them down and sheers up to block for privacy I could put plants there since even though he took the shelf out, the sill is still about 8" wide! It is north though, so I'm not sure I could do many orchids there, not sure he wants the lights there as he thinks the setup above the kitchen sink is ugly. He wants the lights there, he just wants it to look nicer. Not sure we can afford to do the longer sleeker lights, not the bulb/light setup price, but the electric price. I'd rather run more LEDs. Maybe I can put houseplants in the middle and hook up 2 LEDs on the sides where you won't see them that much for the chids. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to make it a garden window but in our area they're not good. I talked to a guy and he said it a warmer zone they're ok, but they're not insulated for cold weather well. But I'd ALMOST give up the plant space for a window seat. It would add seating to our already small living room. But I think it would be better to do a bay window for plants. But again I'd much rather have that in the bedroom for the great eastern exposure that my orchids love then a north window facing the street. Plus if we're only here another few years it's not worth it. If we can figure a few things out we might be here longer though. We'll see. If we do we're going to get rid of the baseboard heat, which means I can bring my shelving unit in from the shed and set up plants and lights. So many things we could do.
The cochleata is still in sheath, but now it looks like the old spike might be getting another bud?!?!?!? Good thing I didn't cut it yet! It's still green and super healthy and has a dew drop on it so I thought to keep it to help give the plant more sun energy. Who knows, maybe I'll get a 12th bloom from it!
I do see a spike on my iwana apple blossom which is making me super happy!! I need it to go nuts with new pbulbs so I can get more spikes next year! I can't wait to smell it again!!!
The two from the two shows I went to are ok. The one hasn't been doing much, the older one, the first year. He was happy, kept his blooms for a bit after getting him. He gave me a new pbulb last year and seemed to not do anything since. But this morning I saw something that wasn't there last week when I watered! I'm not sure if it's a spike or not? What do you guys think???
(edit: today it's very much so looking like a pbulb)
The other one from last year seems healthier, but no spikes or anything yet.
Now for my questions, please can someone help with them?!!? I've asked a few times and I don't think anyone has answered them.
1- will the Mtdm. Rosy Sunset normally throw up more then one spike? I got one last fall/early winter with only 5 blooms. I'd really like 3 like what was on it when I bought it. Yes one was broken off and the other two were not well, it looked like the plant was bumped so I got for 1/2 off. But on those 3 spikes there were tons of flowers! I want that!
2- that crazy blooming phal, is that healthy? As I said it spiked in dec 2013, then bloomed, then spiked again in like jan 2014 or so and bloomed. The spikes were cut off in maybe june/july. Then in july/aug it spiked again! I was going to cut it off so the plant would grow and not spend so much energy on blooming, but didn't since I saw a new leaf coming too. It bloomed from August with about 12 flowers until what was it Jan, then it produced maybe 4 more buds then branched!! Doing this in dropped 3 blooms. Well most of the buds have been slowly opening and it's since lost a couple more blooms. But it's still blooming and opening new buds! Is this going to kill this poor plant?!?!!? I love this guy, his spikes have always been short but nice, but this one must be 24" tall and now branched. I worry constant blooming will harm it.
3- the iwana apple blossom will she have more then one spike when she gets bigger? Right now she has no new growth, which I worry about, but in her youngest pbulb there is a spike coming. But I want her to grow. She has healthy roots. Are they slower growers?
4- are phals with no new leaf growth ok?
5- the cochleata should I not cut spikes on him? With phals I cut them as soon as the last bloom falls because I want to save it energy and don't want it to bloom again on the same spike. I know some of the newer ones I got are supposed to bloom again on the same spike, those I leave until they turn brown. But I'm not sure on this guy, I'd love to have two spikes going on him!
6- are there other chids that you shouldn't cut the spikes? I know the psychopsis you don't, and you should cut anything that is brown and obviously dead.
I'll add the flowers in a bit!!
Edit: I also went to the local store I love getting my orchids from and found this beauty! They're at the end of their annual spring flower show (not much, just bulbs and such that the force to cheer everyone up for spring) which they normally have a good selection of orchids for it. None of the flowers were open yet so I didn't know the smell. I was hoping for a bit stronger vanilla and chocolate, but it's a little weaker and more floraly mixed in with it. It's still lovely!
and last but not least the buds from my tropical sundew, today they're just starting to open. When they do I'll add that photo to this post.
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