Orchid Care Blog

Listing and descriptions of species may be...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Listing and descriptions of species may be found on pages 117-19.

) Stanhopea is an interesting genus.

It is epiphytic and sympodial, with large, showy, fragrant flowers, and has the habit of throwing the flower spike from the bottom of the plant, so that it requires potting in a basket.

The flowers, not prolific, have a peculiar waxy texture and are disappointingly short-lived.

If cut immediately and placed in water they will last a little longer.

The fleshy prominent lip and organs for reproduction display many surprising shapes in the different species.

The plants are pseudobulbous and have dark green leaves.

Either an intermediate or cooler house will serve.

(Listing and descriptions of species of this genus may be found on page 119.

) The genus Miltonia has very fragile-looking plants, the pseudo-bulbs so pale a green as to appear transparent and the delicate foliage closely adhering to the pseudobulbs at the base and feathering out at the top.

The plants are difficult to maintain without yellowing or spotting, and are very susceptible to thrips and red spiders, whose inroads still further mar their appearance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

Members of the genus Odontoglossum have been...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Members of the genus Odontoglossum have been found difficult to grow under artificial cultivation, as they require conditions entirely different from those of most greenhouse orchids.

Seldom found at an elevation of less than 5000 feet, they need shade, air, and moisture without being chilled.

They are so showy and lovely, in respect to both plant-pseudobulbous and foliaceous- and to crisply serrated flowers, that it is well worth the effort to study their native environment and supply conditions to make them happy.

The plants are small, compact, evergreen, sympodial, and epiphytic, and the flowers are borne along tall, curving spikes.

The species are many and varied, all beautiful.

They require cool-house culture with shade.

The genus is noted for its many fine natural hybrids.

It crosses readily with Miltonia to form Odontonia, considered by many growers an improvement on the parents because of the larger flowers and greater ease of growth.

It also hybridizes freely with Oncidium to form Odontocidium.

(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

The plant is vine-like in some species,...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plant is vine-like in some species, but has definite pseudobulbs in others; it is epiphytic and sympodial.

The small flowers are very abundant, usually starry (slender sepals and petals as contrasted with the broad petals and sepals of Cattleya and Phalaenopsis), and frequently of brilliant, almost harsh, coloring-including all shades of red from orange to maroon.

It has an affinity for Sophronitis (sof'fron-eye-tis), with which it readily crosses to form Epiphronitis, It grows like a weed in Mexico where hedges of E. radicans axe often seen.

Plants have pseudobulbs of many and varied shapes.

Outdoors or an intermediate, cool, or hot house will serve.

(Listing and descriptions of species may be found on pages 116-17.

) Sophronitis is a genus of epiphytic, dwarf, evergreen plants similar in appearance and habit to Cattleya but requiring cooler conditions and more light.

The coloring of the flowers is very brilliant.

An intermediate or hot house will serve.

(Listing and descriptions of species may be found on page 117.

)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

Heavy strap-like roots go forth searching for...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heavy strap-like roots go forth searching for moisture and, owing to their habit of roving and clinging to foreign objects, constitute a considerable problem in repotting.

Erect woody stems bear flowers prolifically until the weight causes them to curve gracefully.

The structure of the flowers is exquisite, the dorsal sepal rounded, shaping to a point at the top; the side petals broad and sweeping; the two lower sepals, narrower and sometimes overlapping, forming a background for the remarkable lip, crested with yellow.

Red lines in the throat seem to signal the way to the hybridizing insects, and the fore lobes of the lip are frequently elongated into curling tendrils.

An intermediate house will serve though they prefer warmer conditions.

(Listing and descriptions of species included in this genus may be found on pages 115-16.

) Epidendrum is a hardy genus to which belong a great number of so-called 'botanicals' that, because their flowers are small and of no commercial value, are of interest only to botanists.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

When they become shriveled and ringed, something...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they become shriveled and ringed, something is drastically wrong with their culture.

In the showier species the flowers are borne in loose racemes and have spreading sepals and petals; in others the petals are spread and tend to roll under.

In the former type the texture of the flowers is papery but shines as though sprinkled with diamond dust.

In the latter the texture is leathery or waxy and very heavy.

The lip is often very inconspicuous.

(Listing and descriptions of interesting and lovely Vandas to be grown in the hot house may be found on page 115.

) The genus Phalaenopsis boasts plants almost as beautiful as their flowers; they have smooth, shiny, large leaves, emanating from the central crown, and they lack pseudobulbs.

Called by the florists 'butterfly orchids,' in their home they are more nearly correctly known as 'moth orchids,' gleaming white and moth-like in the dark of night.

In recent years they have often replaced lilies of the valley for bridal bouquets because of the purity of their white spray-like flowers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

Although there are sixty known species, only...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Although there are sixty known species, only about ten of them have been used to any extent in making the many lovely hybrids.

(Listing and descriptions of species of this genus may be found on pages 113-14.

Listing is for reference and not to tempt the amateur to produce or grow the plants.

) The genus Vanda contains many species represented by large handsome plants and a wide variety of beauty in the flowers.

By some growers considered difficult to cultivate, their charm is well worth the supplying of their particular needs and the studying of their habits.

The plants are pseudobulb-less, the leaves distichous (dis-tik-ous), or disposed in two parallel lines along the heavy, erect stem.

The tendency of the stem is to grow up toward the sun, as the surprised amateur finds when his plant reaches the roof and has no more room to grow.

The lower leaves frequently drop off.

Thick aerial roots form along the stem and, when smooth, green-tipped, and fat, indicate that the plant is progressing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

The plants have great solid pseudobulbs and...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plants have great solid pseudobulbs and very long grass-like leaves.

From the depths of this graceful foliage (waist high), the flowers climb along tall, sturdy stems, usually erect, but drooping in some species.

This handsome spray orchid has lent itself so well to hybridizing that it has attained a perfection in flower, of size and shape that rivals the Cattleya, and in range of color it is surpassed by no other orchid.

The aim of modern hybridizers has been to produce a flower with a dorsal sepal and petals so round that the hand cannot be seen if held behind the flower- a far cry from the slim-petaled grandparents.

Species of Cymbidium have proved strangely difficult to grow under artificial conditions, probably owing to the difficulty of giving them proper aeration.

For that reason as well as for their superior beauty and size, the hybrids are far better known than the species.

They must be grown in a cool house or outdoors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

Cypripediums are to be found in some...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cypripediums are to be found in some form practically all over the world.

(Listing and descriptions of native North American slippers may be found on page 112.

) More showy, and adaptable to greenhouse culture, the tropical Cypripediums, denizens of the Far East, are handsome plants with shiny dark-green foliage.

These warmer growing types have handsomely mottled leaves.

They are the parents of the rounded-petal hybrids so prized by florists.

Cypripedium in its tropical forms is a genus highly recommended for amateurs.

It is gratifyingly prolific, easy of culture and adaptable, and one of the few that can be grown in a dwelling.

(Listing and descriptions of species with marked and unmarked leaves may be found on pages 112-13.

) The genus Cymbidium is a hardy one reaching an ever greater and well-deserved popularity.

Plants are sympodial, terrestrial, semiterrestrial, and epiphytic.

They are grown outdoors under lath in the tropics and thrive particularly on the West Coast of North America, where Southern California hopes to become the Cymbidium center of the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

The clear bright yellow attained by some...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The clear bright yellow attained by some of the species is unsurpassed.

An intermediate or cool house will serve.

(Listing and descriptions of the species of the genus Oncidium may be found on pages 111-12.

) The possibilities of each genus are so fascinating that it is only with reluctance that we pass on to the next.

The Cypripediums must be dismissed in far too short a space.

Williams has devoted ninety-two pages to this genus as against fifty-five for the Cattleyas and fifty-four for the Dendrobiums.

The amateur can only be urged to further independent research.

Botanists have lately decided on a complicated division altering the nomenclature of the Cypripedium, but for the present pur pose all species can be dealt with under the old inclusive name.

Cypripediums are both evergreen and deciduous.

The deciduous groups are from South America and have chiefly a specialized botanical interest.

All of North America boasts Cypripediums, but not many people are aware that the modest 'lady's slipper' and 'moccasin flower' are orchids and humble sisters to the regal Cattleya.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

Evergreen Dendrobiums may be accommodated in the...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evergreen Dendrobiums may be accommodated in the warm house.

Deciduous Dendrobiums are peculiar-looking plants, becoming dry and shriveled bamboo-like canes each year after the leaves drop off.

Amazingly, and lovelier by contrast, the flowers bud and bloom from the nodes (joints) of these dry canes.

Deciduous Den-drobes bloom on the old wood, and evergreen Dendrobes on the new growth.

They may be accommodated in the warm house and removed to a cooler spot while resting.

(Listing and descriptions of warm-growing and evergreen and deciduous species of this genus may be found on pages 110-11.

) The genus Oncidium is a very old one.

It ranges from hot coastal regions to the cold of 12,000 feet elevation.

It is native to Mexico, Central and tropical South America, and the West Indies.

It has short, thick pseudobulbs and slender, graceful leaves.

Though the flowers are small compared to the Cattleya, they are a spray-type of considerable grace and charm.

The blooms are flat, of silky texture, resembling a dancing girl with wide-spread skirts and tiny waist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara