New 'Brother Lawrence' Phalaenopsis Blooming

This Phalaenopsis started growing the flower spike was found on 11/18/11 and the buds started opening on 2/10/11.  It has formed seven buds so far and still growing more as seen in the fourth picture.  The flower petals are suppose to be yellow like the third picture shown but the petals are green now and the lip is white/yellow inside as seen in the first picture.

I received this orchid from my mom on 4/30/10.  It had about nine flowers when I got it.  The flower spike for this second blooming isn't as tall as the first time when I got it.  The flowers are slowly opening but they are taking a little while longer to change color from green to yellow.

The Phalaenopsis have grown more flower spikes than any of my other orchids.  I don't know if its because they liked it outside and I had to put them inside due to the cold weather.  I guess I'll see what happens when it gets warmer outside when I can put them outside.

Checklist for January and February

Cattleya

Watering and fertilizing will be at a minimum, as will potting. Be on the lookout for senescing sheaths on your winter-into-spring bloomers. Careful removal of the dying sheaths will still allow buds to develop without the danger of condensation-induced rot. Low light will lead to weak spikes, so, and as noted above, staking is critical. If you have a chance to get out to nurseries, there may still be a chance to acquire good plants in sheath for spring bloom. Getting them now not only ensures that you'll have them, but allows them to acclimate to your conditions and bloom at their best.

Cymbidium
We are well into the flowering season now. Outdoor growers should be cautious of freezing temperatures. Damage starts to occur below 30 F. Be diligent about tying the inflorescences for best arrangement of the flowers. Also watch closely for slugs and snails. If weather is quite wet, protect the plants from the rain and this will help to reduce the risk of botrytis spotting.

Lycaste

The most glorious of all orchids, Lycaste, will be moving toward their flowering season. Make sure the palm-like leaves do not interfere with the emerging inflorescences. Tying them loosely together often is helpful. Some growers cut the leaves off at the pseudobulb, but this removes part of the attractiveness of this elegant orchid. Resist picking up the plant to inspect those beautiful buds and then setting it down in all different directions as the flower buds will be forced to re-orient themselves to the light source each time and will not open as nicely as they should. Keep plants a little drier during the shorter days.

Odontoglossums

Odontoglossums and their intergeneric hybrids offer a great splash of color now. Though once thought of as being difficult to grow and requiring cool temperatures due to the emphasis on odontoglossum breeding, the new intergeneric hybrids made using Oncidium and Brassia, for example, are just the opposite. These plants are quite content in more intermediate conditions. New growths generally emerge in the spring, later forming beautiful plump pseudobulbs. Look for the flower spikes to emerge from the inner sheath of the pseudobulb. If your plant's pseudobulbs are shriveled, then the plants have been kept too dry or too wet. Inspect the roots to determine which condition prevailed. If the lead pseudobulb is large, plump and green (and back bulbs are shriveled) but no flower spike is evident, the plants may have been kept too dry.

Paphiopedilum

The standard Paphiopedilum insigne-derived hybrids, which are called "bull dogs" and "toads," are at their peak. Unlike most other orchids, they can even be potted while in bud. There really is no wrong time to pot a paphiopedilum, and no other orchid responds so favorably to fresh mix and a cleanup. Keep an eye on watering until roots begin to grow.

Phalaenopsis

Now is the peak of spike development, with the first plants in full flower. Staking and plant preparation is a must for those all-important spring shows. Correct staking now will give a better display and also make it much easier to transport to your society meetings and shows. Care with watering is vital to avoid mechanical damage to the flowers, as well as rot-related problems. Keep spent blooms cleaned up to avoid botrytis inoculation. Do not repot this month. Now you'll be seeing lots of phalaenopsis at orchid shows and sales.

Zygopetalum

For the most part, the flowering season will have ended for this group, providing the grower a chance to do some repotting. The plants will then have a chance to become well established before the hotter months of summer arrive. Most growers use bark mixes, but some exceptional results have been seen lately using rock-wool blends. You may want to try this mix, but do not change your whole collection over to this new media until you are sure it is right for you. First, experiment with a few plants to see how they respond.

The AOS thanks Ned Nash and James Rose for this essay. 


American Orchid Society - www.aos.org - Information taken from http://aos.org/Default.aspx?id=185

Newer Smaller Orchids

I have bought four orchids a month ago from Clown Alley Orchids.  I got Dendrobium faciferum, Dendrobium peguanum, Dtps. Lei yen Lee, and Epidendrum prismatocarpum.  These orchids are all pretty small and they have a great color.  Its so beautiful how an orchid can go from a tiny microscopic seed to a wonderful and beautiful plant.

As the days go by growing orchids, I learn different needs of all of my different orchids such as light, water, fertilizer, air circulation, cleaning, and repotting.  I get so excited when I see new orchids with great flowers with great colors.

Orchids in Bloom

I have four orchids in bloom now and they are all different.  I have a miniature Dendrobium peguanum in bloom, a Jewel orchid, Dendrobium nobile Love Memory 'Fizz', and a NOID White Phalaenopsis.


I bought the mini Dendrobium peguanum from Clown Alley Orchids in Houston, Tx a month ago and it had a few buds forming when I bought it.  I love the small flowers that have a great purple lip and form in clusters.

I have a Jewel orchid that I bought at an Orchid meeting.  It looked great and I had to have it.  It was had flower spikes and some buds on it.  It started blooming a week or so after I got it but it grew too tall  for the shelf it was on so I had to move it onto a bigger shelf.  It looks great and the pictures came out good surprising that I didn't have a micro lens to use.

I bought my Dendrobium nobile Love memory 'Fizz' last May when I went to go visit my parents in Colorado.  I bought it and it had buds on it but they weren't open at the time.  I saw what it was going to look at and they smelled great.  I loved how tall the canes were and how many beautiful flowers were growing along the sides. When the flowers started opening on the left side, there were three buds forming, two of them formed mutated without two petals but the other one is fine.  I have grown my orchids inside on a three fixture (6 bulbs) setup and with watering regularly but I slowed down when it started getting colder but this plant started growing four more canes from the base.  It started growing the new flowers off of the top of the older cane that had the blooms on it when I bought the plant.  The first two photos below are from when I bought the plant and the last two are the new blooms.

The last one that is blooming now is a NOID white Phalaenopsis.  I bought this one last year for $1.  I saw that the flowers falling off were white and I loved how large the leaves are and how tall the spike was.  It has seven large leaves that are all about 12" inches long and one flower on it thats (5" by 3 1/2").  I love how the lip looks and the colors in the base on it.