Cape and Islands Orchid Society

Here you will find Questions and Answers to new inquiries or former questions which were previously asked and answered, but a member may have lost the information or a new member is looking for the same information.

 

The Use of Sugar Water:  In the May 2016 Newsletter the Membership was asked if anyone had an experience using sugar water to aid the roots of their orchids which had been overwatered.  A member had read an article which suggested, “Soaking the roots in sugar water (1 Tbsp. of sugar in 1 liter of water) will help.”  I received a few responses.   I contact Ron Hutton an expert from AOS for an answer, in addition to other members who responded regarding their experience who have tried it.  Here are the responses.

Here is Ron’s response which was also answered during one of the AOS Greenhouse Webinar chats.

 

Ron’s response: “The theory behind this is that the sugar is taken up by the plant and it, in effect, helps tide the plant over while the roots are recovering.  There is no evidence, I know of, that orchids are able to metabolize sucrose and, if this does anything, it's because the sucrose is broken down by the fungi in the environment and turned into simpler compounds that the plant can take up.  That's fine if the roots are healthy - just damaged - and likely won't hurt anything.  If, on the other hand, the roots have been damaged by root-rotting fungi, it's that fungi that are going to be fed and encouraged to grow.  The bottom line, in my opinion, is that it's not necessary, likely doesn't really help and, in some cases, could be counterproductive.  Soaking the roots in a solution of rooting hormone would likely be better.”

 

Here is the response from Members:  The few which have tried it said they were successful in saving their orchids.  However, they all indicated that they had only used the sugar water treatment once on one plant.

What is a peloric orchid?

A peloric orchid is one that has a genetic mutation that causes the petals to mimic the shape of the lip.

One defining characteristic of orchids is that that are bilaterally symmetric, meaning that if you draw a vertical line down the center, it will look the same on either side of the line.

Peloric orchids actually begin to look more star-shaped or radially symmetric, meaning that you can draw a line along any plane of the flower and each segment will look about the same. Peloric orchids don’t tend to be perfectly radially symmetric like daisies or lilies, but they are much more so than orchids without the mutation.

Member wants to know about growing New Guinea Type Dendrobiums. 

High Elevation New Guinea Type Dendrobiums The species are primarily the mountain cloud forest inhabitants of some Oxyglossum as well as the cooler Pedilonums & Calyptrochilus members. This information is primarily related to species such as: Dendrobium cuthbertsonii, Den. vexillarius, D. violaceum, D. hellwigianum, D. masarangense & D. seranicum, etc. of section Oxyglossum (OXY) and D. subclausum of the Calyptrochilus (CALY), D. caliculimentum, D. alaticaulinum, etc. of section Pedilonum (PED) just to name a few..  New Guinea Dendrobium orchids do experience definite seasonal wet/dry periods.  Their "summer" or growing season may experience day temps between 55'-85'F. (depending on elev.) with humidity upwards of 90% day and night. The "winter" or "dry" season often receives 50'-65'F. days with dips as low as 32'- 40'F. on clear nights. Below is general care information:

Light:   It is recommended for best results, (as a general rule of thumb) to provide good light (1800-2200 footcandles).  Not enough light results in weak, easily damaged and disease prone foliage, poor blooming and lack of growth.

Humidity:  Most prefer fairly high humidity 70% is ideal. Too little and the miniature plants will dry up quickly, and too much and they are a potential for disease and/or root loss. You should strive for a lightly damp media the never becomes “bone dry” or remains wet for extended periods of time.

Water:  Water quality is a concern because these orchids do not appreciate a high mineral content in their water.  Water when the media just approaches dryness which is approximately every 5-7 days depending upon you individual environment.