Dendrobium tannii forma album is a new bracteossum type species. Instead of the expected white with orange labellum, this form has a violet splash flower with a deep violet labellum. It is from Papau and New Guinea. It is a miniature that is a warm grower and found between 0-700 meters. It likes moist conditions with bright light. It flowers from the apex of old pseudobulbs, and the normal blooming period is from spring to summer. I grow this under LED lights with humidity from 60-90% in fine bark. This plant has been in bloom since last December, primarily because it thinks I am trying to kill it from all the different conditions it has had to grow in recently. Actually, it is an easy plant to grow and flower.
Member Millard Hennessee - June 2020
Trichopilia occidentalis - I am showing this not as the perfect flower, but as I believe this is not a flower generally seen on our show table. It is from Ecuador and grows under indirect light in moist conditions. I grow this plant in sphagnum moss under LED lights between 60-80% humidity. I keep the plant moist, but not wet and allow it to almost dry out. I water with RO water and fertilize weekly. These plants are notorious for rotting the axils of new growth. To prevent this, I am trying to limit water until the leaves emerge from the new growths and watering in the early morning from below the new growths, so water has a chance to evaporate if any accumulates in these new growths
June 2020 - Bob Findlay
Miltoniopsis bench on June 1, 2020. Individual plants are -
Top Row: Mps. Lennart Karl Gottling 'Red Rim', Mps. Breathless 'Florence', Mps. Hajime Ono (sib cross) ‘# 3’, Mps. Hajime Ono (sib cross) ‘#4’
Bottom Row: Mps. Hajime Ono (sib cross) ‘# 2’, Mps. Edie Brown ‘Heart of Gold’, Mps. Augres ‘Trinity’ AM/RHS, Mps. QF Mauna ‘#1’; Mps. Rubenesque x Woody Carlson
June 2020 - Nimtuk
Maxillaria tenuifolia 'Yamada AM/AOS
Phalaenopsis
April 2020 - Member Larry Barry
Phalaenopsis. NOID it bloomed sequentially on the old spike. I bought it last summer while it was in spike, not in bloom. The flowers opened in September and the last one fell off in mid-December.
I left the spike on because it was green. At the end of February, I was surprised to notice new buds forming on the end of the old spike. They started flowering in late March.
The spike is 43 inches in length from the base to the tip, the plant is 12-18 inches back from the window and probably does not get significant nighttime cooling.
April 2020 - Member Mary Langner
Phalaenopsis
April 2020 - Member Nimtuk
Phalaenopsis - Grown on East facing windowsill.
Watered weekly by soaking for 20 min. in a container with water 1/2 to 1" below the lowest leaves.
Fertilized weakly 3x/month. Once a month clear water.
Additional additives to the water are Superthrive and k-l-n as directed on labels.
Larger plants are hung from a curtain rod with pot hangers.
(Superthrive, k-l-n and pot hangers can be ordered at kkorchid.com Kelly's Korner Orchid Supplies)
May 2020 - Member Bob Findlay
Mps. Hajima Ono (‘Maui Falls’ AM/AOS x ‘Raspberry’). This is a seed grown sib cross from Quintal Farms. Both parents are red (although Maui Falls could almost be called a dark pink) with red waterfalls outlined in white. This plant was added to my collection in January (along with 5 other siblings) and is in a 5” round pot with a cattleya-style medium (Quintal Farms is on the east side of the big island and grow their Miltoniopsis outdoors – I’m in the process of moving these plants into aircone pots and fine fir mix to match our climate/my growing conditions). It is currently carrying 15 blooms with 11 additional buds.
April 2020 - Member Bob Findlay
Eria sp. (likely SECTION Urostachya). Grown mounted on cork in greenhouse, fairly high light (full sun (if it ever shines) right now). Watered daily when in growth, fertilized weekly from onset of blooming until November 1. Dry winter rest (water once a month December – February; no fertilizer during rest). Individual flowers about 5 millimeters in spread. Given what my plants have been through with moving I am pleasantly surprised every time one of my ‘dry winter rest’ plants manages to bloom.
April 2020 - Member Bob Findlay
Mps. Komoda Marvel (Edwidge Sabourin ‘Bridal Veil’ AM/AOS x roezlii v. xanthine #2 (IK 1091)). Grown in fine fir bark in greenhouse (3 parts, 2 parts course sponge rock, 1 part fine horticultural charcoal), reported annually. Fairly high light (full sun (if it ever shines) right now); they summered under a 60% shade cloth in the lawn (Thanks Tom for that hint). Watered 3 times a week during growing season and as needed during the winter (they don’t need water if there no light). Fertilized weekly. The pot was an experiment that seems to be working. This individual picked up much more the Edwidge Sanbourin than plant 3.
May 2020 - Member Bob Findlay
Miltoniopsis Sun Glow 'Amazing'. Greenhouse grown in fine fir bark (3 parts, 2 parts coarse sponge rock, 1 part fine horticultural charcoal), one in a 2” aircone pot, the other in a 2 ½” aircone pot, repotted annually. Fairly high light (50% shade cloth went on the last week of April –measuring 4000-5000 ft candles when sun was full). Watered 3 times a week during growing season and as needed during the winter. Fertilized weekly. Heater maintains 58oF at night and venting begins at ~75oF when the sun is shining. Miltoniopsis bench will likely summer in the lawn under 60% shade cloth. This mericlone is a nice clear white with starburst mask – it is often advertised with an incorrect picture with the flower looking almost crippled (for example see paphinessorchids amazon page)
May 2020 - Member Bob Findlay
Mtp Rene Komoda ‘Pacific Clouds’. Culture same as plants 1and 2; in a 2 ½” aircone pot. Another clear white with a yellow mask with just the tiniest hint of the roezlii ‘purple eyes’. This plant typically presents 5-7 flowers on a spike that ascends above the foliage and then gracefully aches over. Flowers alternate side to side and tend to decrease in size toward the tip of the stem – if you have ever seen the string of puffy white clouds that form at the lee of mountain tops in the tropics it is clear why this clone is called ‘Pacific Clouds’.
From Orchid Fever, by Eric Hansen
"You
can get off alcohol, drugs, women, food, and cars, but once you're
hooked on orchids, you're finished. You never get off orchids...never".
CAIOS is an officially affiliated organization of the American Orchid Society and the Orchid Digest.
