Our New Curiosity

We stopped by one of our favorite nurseries to check out their out-of-bloom selection and even though we were there just a few weeks ago, we found a new one today on the tables that blew us away.

Sadly, it has no tag so we will have to wait and see what we've picked up, fortunately it is spiking and we should know sometime in 2008 what we have!

We love the roots on this and after it blooms we plan on mounting it some driftwood we picked up last time we were in California with some moss and tie. The bark is definitely broken down and we suspect the main plant had died off at one point . It has 4 plants and 7 spikes. We're itching to mount it and clean out the old roots, but we think the roots look pretty happy in the pot for now!

If the spikes are a light green, does that indicate the flower color will probably be white?

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WOW It sure looks like it is a happy camper with all of the roots and spikes. There is a lot going on there. Send pics when it is in bloom.
Cin

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This ain't no dress rehearsal

It's a Phalaenopsis...too soon to tell the color but I bet it isn't purple. Does that nursery carry species or just hybrids? I think it may be a species or a primary hybrid by the # of spikes and their current length.

I would agree with Ron on this one. It looks like it is probably a primary hybrid. I would expect a single bloom on each spike and they will probably have a brightly colored lip.

Cheers,
BD

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We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

First off...I like the hangers you are using, cag&jdg. Where did you purchase them? I have clay pot hangers that clip on the sides but the pots are too heavy to hang on the GH cross members. Plastic pots would go nicely using your hangers. Next, for BD and Ron-NY, what tells you so much about the plants pictured? Share with us beginners. Is it just you've spent so much time with orchids that this knowledge has been learned or are there printed material available? This is soooo exciting!

Ron and Brutal Dreamer, we've seen orchids priced in the hundreds at this nursery, I think possibly they might have species plants too. We will have to ask, but the information you provided is very exciting, I guess I'm always greedy looking for the most spikes when I select....at least I know its something to look for now....too bad it didn't come with a tag (I saw Bikerdoc's post last night)!

Bikerdoc, we got the hanger at the annual orchid show at our local fairgrounds. I can't remember the name of the folks who made it but good news is that it can! hold clay pots as well. Its actually better suited for the clay pots with a lip and you can adjust the size of the openings too. We used to have it full, but here's a picture of the entire hanger. We are anxious to fill it back up.

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I am guessing it is a primary hybrid because it looks like one I got last year. Regular phals (those crossed from here and back again) usually have a single growth and one, sometimes two, spikes with many buds. The leaves also look different. Species and the primary hybrids grow more like the one posted in this thread. If you want to take a look at the one I posted, click hieroglyphica . It will link to the first photos I took of that plant. I found out that later - after this plant bloomed that it was not the species hieroglyphica, but a cross. I posted the blooms (in the same thread-- I believe) to give you an idea of how the plant changed. If not just do a search here on OrchidTalk.

Ron will probably have a more technical explanation, I just learned from looking at the plants and going to orchid society meetings.

Cheers,
BD

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We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

BD not going to be technical at all. I have seen enough Phals over the years for that plant to give me that impression. Typically, hybrid Phals have much larger leaves with longer spikes before you see the nodes on the spikes. Many species and some of their primary hybrids have more the look of your plant. Please post a pic of the flowers when it eventually blooms and we will try to ID it for you.

As a beginner, I spent quite a bit of free time reading and looking at pics in Orchid books, as well as lurking on a forum. I was a sponge and absorbed as much info as possible. I still read and research on things in my collection. I have only been growing orchids for 7 years or so. I am not sure of the # of orchids in my collection currently but I assume somewhere between 400 - 500 plants. My current Bulbo species collection is approaching different 150 species. I started with a hybrid Phal from a boxstore.

I'm just going out on a limb and *think* it might be P. equestris. That species loves to make keiki's and it blooms quite young. Might be an equestris hybrid.....will be interesting to see!
Al

Awww, thank you Pal and Ron....I will definitely update with a picture when it blooms! i checked it today and I see some purple/maroonish coloring forming in the buds, looks like BD had it right about a colored lip.

Its so cool to finally talk to people who are excited about orchids as we are. Thanks for the comments!

I'm wondering about the spots on the leaves.....that's like runoff buildup right? Do they ever go away after time or is there a gentle way to clean them up?