Vanda and Phalaenopsis flower spikes

[Mararda]

Hello,

Here is an update on my Vanda Blue Magic, and her flower buds:

The buds pertain to the plant on the left. She is slow but steady. I just sincerely hope that she wins the race!

I have four other orchids with spikes developing. These are all hybrid Phalaenopsis:

The above plant is my King specimen. He has rather masculine qualities. The reason being that I used him as a pollen donor once for a pale yellow Phalaenopsis that I have. Two seed pods developed - but at 7 months they shriveled and I opened the pods to find them empty. I will of course try again, but use a different mother plant. I like this orchid as a pollen donor because he is my most vigorous plant (he has flowered twice for me before), and I have re-potted him recently. This made him leap for joy so to speak, as he now wishes to come out of this new pot (had to be cut out of the previous one) - hence the flower spike and two fresh new leaves!! I have attempted to use Mr Big White (that is his name ), as a mother plant, however mother hood is not for him as I think he would rather be a man. So I am looking to find him a new wife. I have also noticed that white Phalaenopsis (the hybrids) are the most vigorous and healthy. My other pure white Phal also has been re-potted fairly recently, sits next to this one, and has an emerging flower spike. It is just a bit smaller.

The above pertains to a deep purple Phalaenopsis; she is a potential candidate to be Mr Big White's bride.

This is pale pink, with darker pink spots. Another candidate, and one of my oldest plants in my collection. She has often been a next door neigh-bor to Mr Big White, should I move them out of the friendship zone??

[Mararda]

Mr Small White with emerging flower spike. Infact almost identical in size to Mr Big White, just a younger plant.

The above is obviously not an orchid, but a Streptocarpus. I treat her like a Phalaenopsis and she is doing rather well on my desk! This is her second flowering. Btw - the little pits in the leaves are due to a pesky caterpillar that I discovered a month or two ago.

New Paphiopedilum rothschildianum plant. I have always wanted this Paph, and now my wish has come true. Any advice on its' culture would be appreciated?

[Katherine]

I didn't know hybrids produced seed pods. And I didn't think you could reproduce them by pollen? I am certainly not an expert, but if this is an hybrid, and if it did produce seeds, they may not be viable.

[Mararda]

Hi Katherine.
I believe that it is possible to produce hybrids from hybrids, but the more complex that they get (the more times they are crossed), the higher the chance that there will be problems with viability.
I used a toothpick to take pollen (removal of the anther cap) from my white Phalaenopsis and pushing it up into the stigma of the pale yellow plant. Within two days the petals folded over on the target plant, and over the course of a few months a pod elongated and lengthened.

The above was hopeful for a while, until on month 7 they shriveled. However, I will try again at some point!

[BigSteve]

The paph roth seedling i would treat like your phals for now , not to much light , water when media gets dry , fertilize similar to phals.When the plant is more robust in 2 to 4 yrs then it will need more detailed culture.I just bought 2 paph roth seedlings probably from the same place as you

[Mararda]

Would normal house lights count? Because I am worried that house lights are affecting some of my shade loving orchids...Thank you for the tips. I will do that. I now have four Paphs (Clair de Lune, Jersey Freckles, henryanum, and this one).

Btw - my henryanum seedling is very sickly - and I believe that house lights may be affecting it.

If it is the same place - then I love it there. Many of my orchids hail from that nursery.

[BigSteve]

House lights shouldn't effect the orchids , the foot candles given off are far to small , you would have to grow plants within inches to have any real effect , the heat would do more damage.This time of year until March(if we are lucky) direct sunlight should be okay(for the roth) as long as the plant has plenty of air movement , midday sun could do damage if temperature is high.
Have you checked the roots of the henryanum ?
Are the leaves very dark green ?

[Mararda]

House lights shouldn't effect the orchids , the foot candles given off are far to small , you would have to grow plants within inches to have any real effect , the heat would do more damage.This time of year until March(if we are lucky) direct sunlight should be okay(for the roth) as long as the plant has plenty of air movement , midday sun could do damage if temperature is high.
Have you checked the roots of the henryanum ?
Are the leaves very dark green ?

I re-potted the henryanum a couple of months ago into a seedling mixture containing perlite, charcoal and fine grade bark. It's roots were not great when I took it out of the previous medium; so I am hoping that its' system improves in the fresh media. No, the leaves turn very pale yellow and then brown from the tip upwards. The only leaf not affected is the new shoot - about 1.5 inches long. I keep it constantly shady, water only when dry, feed infrequently, and it experiences intermediate temperatures in my room. I have no idea what is upsetting it, unless it has got some kind of disease (it is not in contact with the other orchids). I have sprinkled cinnamon around its crown (the crown is fine though, but just to be safe), and where I have removed the brown sections, but the unsightly hue just spreads..I have flushed its out with rain water encase of salt build up, but I am not sure what else I can do..Unless I put it in a transparent plastic bag for a while..I have heard that can help small Paphs with weak roots as it keeps the humidity constant...

[BigSteve]

Hmmm don't use fine grade bark for any of my paphs even the seedliing(probably just me) but it would keep the mix to wet for my conditions.Are the leaves smooth or are there very small pleats/wrinkles ?
Is there any rot on plant especially around the base of plant where it meets the medium , by rot i mean damp brown blemishes .

[Mararda]

The leaves are smooth. There is a brown blemish there, but that is where I removed a completely brown leaf. It is a little loose in the media because of its small roots...Do you think it might be an idea for me to change it's medium to medium grade orchiata bark? I have a sack of that..

I admit I do have to wait a long time to water it, as the medium it is in is very moisture retentive..however the yellowing started before I re-potted it..It was originally in fine grade bark that had stuck to its' roots..