[OGD] Phal. lindenii
I grow Phal. lindenii in pots two different ways, after twenty years of growing this species. In one, I use very coarse fir bark in plastic pots, in the other I use very loose New Zealand Sphagnum in terra cotta pots. I allow the moss to go nearly dry between waterings, but not as dry as typical Phals. I water the bark plants copiously, (almost daily.) Both of these techniques are based on the idea that lindenii likes cooler, moister conditions and lots of air to the roots. My greenhouse gets a bit on the warm and dry side for lindenii this time of year, so I don't think they would like to be mounted in my conditions. Both of these techniques are designed to mitigate the heat and dryness which seem to really stress the lindenii. I keep them in a cool spot in my warm/intermediate greenhouse, they get about 58F night time lows most of the year. They get lots of air movement. They really do not like it when consecutive days go above about 85F, and start to look heat-stressed. I put unhappy plants or recently-imported lindenii plants with a small ball of NZS around the roots into an over-size terra cotta pot and water almost every day. Root ball might be 2.5cm in an 8cm pot. Only the tips of the leaves stick out above the pot. They do not rot because they get lots of air movement. The wet pot is like a tiny evaporative cooler, and keeps the immediate vicinity of the lindenii plants cooler. They really seem to appreciate this. I also grow them fairly bright for Phalaenopsis. My lindenii plants are strong enough to set capsules readily, and bear multiple spikes in consecutive years. Hope another perspective helps. rob't Robert Bedard http://www.robert-bedard.com/orchids/ ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Virus
I have been monitoring the thread on Virus but have not had time to contribute. In 1986, I bought the remains of the Shaffer Phalaenopsis stud bench. At that time people were becoming increasingly aware of virus in older collections. I wanted to test all of the breeding stock so I would not be vectoring virus when I was making crosses. At that time only anti-sera available were for CyMV and OSRV. Out of about 140 tests, I got a little over 50 positives for CyMV, and about 25 for OSRV. I cannot speak to the issue of false positives, as I had no way to verify the results of the serological tests. What I needed to do was figure out a way to use these plants for breeding, without further spreading the virus. Some people were advocating yearly testing, but for a large number of plants, this was prohibitively expensive, and would not guarantee that you do not transmit virus. The plan I came up with was essentially this: - Assume all plants have virus, - put pollen ONLY on backup copies of plants, (yes, I made LOTS of stem propagations), - dry sow all seed unless cross is such low fertility that green-capping was the only way to get seed, - control potential insect vectors, - of course, use sterile tools when repotting or removing old flower spikes, etc. This plan got me out from under continual testing. It ensured that I would not be transmitting any additional virus to my original stock plants. Twenty years later, I am still using the same plan. I have a large number of heirloom Phalaenopsis in my collection, many of which were virused when I checked them twenty years ago. I would like to comment on one thing about a false sense of security. There are a huge number of virii that could potentially infect orchids, most of which have no anti-sera available for testing. So, an anti-serum test showing no sign of CyMV or ORSV doesn't mean that your plants is not infected with BYMV or something else. It is much safer to assume that all plants are virused with something as yet unknown. This is not to say that there is no benefit to testing, but that a plant that tests clean for CyMV and ORSV may still be infected with something else. Just my two cents based on my experience. rob't Robert Bedard http://www.robert-bedard.com/orchids/ ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Cymbidium canaliculatum green-cap time
A friend has asked me to sow some Cymbidium canaliculatum capsules for him, and I wonder if anybody could recommend a point in time to harvest them for green-capping? Thanks so much, rob't ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] World Orchid Society
I have corresponded briefly with both Daryl, and with Tom Roberts, the Editor of their magazine. Like Kenneth, I did a whois on the domain to find Daryl, and then I wrote him. Being moderately cynical when it comes to human institutions, I was curious about what might set the WOS apart from some of the other Orchid institutions, so I e-mailed back and asked why their vision did not address the failures of many of these organizations to TRULY further the best interests of their membership; for me, that was going to be a critical litmus-test for whether I could support a new society, because I was feeling frustrated with other Orchid Instituions right now, that I felt were not responsive to the needs of the membership ... at first, it didn't really seem that they got it ... and I figured it was just another group that wanted to run their own little universe ... but after a couple rounds of e-mails, I think they would like to see it be different. I think the problems with these institutions are rooted in the human condition, I think these folks mean well, but I remain skeptical. I wish them the best of luck though. The virtual end of noblesse oblige in the US, and the aging of the me generation is wreaking havoc with social institutions in general. I am sure we all (in the US) have seen a decline in the quality of our local affiliate (orchid) societies in the last ten or twenty years; indeed, many are in danger of evaporation ... people seem unwilling to give back to the community, unless there is something, (usually a LOT) in it for them. So you often see people with financial or personal (ego) reasons, running local affiliates with their own agenda, regardless of declining membership ... Anybody have a more optimistic view? I would actually like to be wrong here. rob't ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Fordyce, et. al.
For the record, the Fordyces are going through some changes, but I have talked with Sue recently, and she assured me that they are keeping their website up, and the last I heard, the plan was for Frank to maintain a small collection of his breeding stock, and continue to make hybrids. The last time I spole with Frank, a couple months ago, he was making hybrids. Sue had sold some divisions and flasks on eBay, as part of the nursery liquidation, and was surprised how successful that was. I think we have not seen the last of the Fordyces. The Michels (Orchids Orinda) are really capitalizing on the real estate market which is probably at a peak. Although their nursery was a pleasure to visit, I know Helen is excited about being able to do other things, and I think Maynard is pleased that they have so much flexibility right now. It is a good time for US orchid nurseries to take the money and run. The major inputs of energy and labor are really expensive in the US, and the pot-plant market has changed forever. Valorie Tonkin bless her heart, has been trying to keep Tonkin's going since Jack passed away, but in my opinion, this is probably a good thing for her too. Change is usually uncomfortable, but is not always bad. rob't ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Paph. venustum / correct name for (green/white/yellow) form
Two questions: 1) I have a very nice Paph. venustum that came labeled venustum album. It is primarily green and white, but has intense yellow where pink or bronze would be on the regular form. Is this form with the yellow also correctly called venustum var. measuresianum? 2) Anybody know what the correct name to submit Paph. venustum var. measuresianum to the AOS for judging would be? Thanks, rob't ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Iris' correction
Thanks Iris, you are right (although splitting hairs) over my incorrect use of the word clones when I clearly meant plants. (That is what I get for typing too fast, while thinking about something else.) If you don't believe that I understand Orchid Nomenclature, you are free to visit this page: http://www.robert-bedard.com/orchids/name.html ;-) rob't ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Re: peloric phal that changes flower types (Charles Ufford)
Charles, et. al.: I have several peloric Phals in my collection; they appear to be unstable, sometimes producing anther caps and pollinia, sometimes not. The degree of peloria also varies by clone and by flowering; some clones are more reliable than others. Not sure I can answer your question, but would like to share a couple observations. I have a peloric mutation of Be Tris 'Ching Hua #3' that produces no anther cap, pollinia or stigma most of the time, it has three lips that are nearly identical. With the exception of the anther cap/pollinia, it flowers reliably peloric. On this plant, in the three years that I have owned it, it has never produced a non-peloric flower. The other clones of Be Tris 'Ching Hua #3' that I have, have never produced a peloric flower. This clone is a pretty stable peloric. I have several plants of Little Mary 'Cherry Blossom', and this one is variable. Sometimes, one side of an infls. will produce non-peloric flowers, sometimes flowers will have a peloric side (when viewed from the front) and a non-peloric side. 'Cherry Blossom' has vestigal calli at the petal bases, but does not produce three lips. This clone is not very stable, and produces different types of peloric flowers. I have seen straight normal equestris rosea and Kuntrarti Rarasahati 'Copperstate' produce occasional peloric flowers with three lips. I do not remember if these had fully formed columns (with anther, pollinia and stigma) or not. Peloria in Doritis is much more stable, and apparently more dominant. I have several clones of Doritis from Norman's strain of Doritis alba that includes buysonniana, pulcherrima and the Champornensis form. I also have several Purple Gems made with peloric Doritis and both peloric and on-peloric equestris. All of the peloric and on-peloric clones from these matings are very reliable, and flower the same every time, either peloric or non-peloric. Eric Christenson does not want to recognize the Champornensis form of Doritis (Phalaenopsis pulcherrima [Christenson]), but it appears stable, and the triat is apparently heritable, so it does have horticultural value. Maybe peloria is not so odd, when you consider that Orchids theoretically evolved from an ancestor that had three sepals and three petals ... rob't Robert Bedard http://www.robert-bedard.com/orchids/ Original message: Message: 8 Date: Wed, 01 Jun 2005 18:47:08 -0400 From: Charles Ufford [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [OGD] peloric phal that changes flower types To: Orchids@orchidguide.com Cc: phals list [EMAIL PROTECTED] Message-ID: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Hello all, I was taking some pictures of a few of my flowering plants tonight, and I realized that one of my peloric phal equestris' that normally has sort of funky peloric flowers that do have a functioning stigma, pollen and column, now has about 75% flowers with normal column/pollinia, and 25% flowers that were completely peloric. These new flowers truly had three lips with complete pink coloration on the lip, and the column was a sort of three-sided deal with no pollen or stigmatic surface. Normally the flowers have two extra 'lips' that have a sort of muddled lip surface (some faint pink but with white lines crossing the petal structure) and very small side-nodes to the lip that have faint yellow and brown colors/spotting, and the new flowers have full color, shape and all of the standard lip. My other peloric equestris has always had one lip with 2 halfhearted attempts at others (with no color or shape break), and has the column/stigmatic surface and pollen. Coloration is faint on the peloric lips but not 'indecisive' as to which form or color to express like the first one. Has anyone else ever seen a peloric phal that changes it's peloric expression? I've heard others mention that they have seen pelorism expressed on all flowers, and had no true column or pollen, or that they all did have a true column and pollen, but not a mix. thoughts, ideas? charles ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Angcm. leonis
Rick: Angcm. leonis is found on Madagascar and on Comoro. I have plants of both forms that I obtained from Fred Hillerman years ago. According to Fred, and to my own experience, A. leonis from Comoro needs considerably brighter light than A. leonis from Madagascar. Taxonomists say they are the same species, which they may be, but there are some dramatic differences. The Comoro form of A. leonis makes larger plants, with narrower leaves; it has fewer, larger flowers, and often tends to bloom successively if inadequate moisture is provided during bud development. Even with appropriate moisture, it tends to drop the first flowers on an infls. before the last ones open. It requires higher light to thrive than the Madagascan form. My Comoro A. leonis generally flowers with four to five flowers per infls., that are about three inches across. My large plant produces only one or two infls. at a time. The Madagascan form of A. leonis is a smaller plant, with shorter, wider, darker green leaves than the Comoro form. The Madagascan form has more flowers than the Comoro form, but they are smaller. My Madagascan A. leonis flowers with six to seven flowers per infls., and usually several infls. per plant. The flowers are generally all open before the oldest fade. The Madagascan form takes less light to thrive than the Comoro form, and Fred suggested that it would be a good candidate for under lights culture. I have seen numerous plants that appear to have resulted from mating the two forms. This is one instance where you tend to get the worst attributes of both parents: few small flowers on large plants. So, your Angcm. leonis might do well with a similar amount of light to your Phal., if it is from Madagascar, (somewhat unlikely, because I just do not see plants of the Madagascan form often); or if from Comoro, (more likely) you should give your Angcm. leonis far more light than your Phal. I have grown them together, and the Madagascan form does not seem to suffer from being grown in higher light; it will probably just be more willing to flower under less than ideal conditions than the Comoro form. I grow a lot of Phalaenopsis; the A. leonis is a good companion plant. I grow it in hanging baskets with New Zealand Spahgnum, in brighter areas of the greenhouse, where I also grow tropical Bulbophyllums. I keep A. leonis on the wet side for most of the year, allowing them to go slightly drier between waterings during the worst of winter. Winter minimum night temps are in the mid 60's up high where I grow them. Hope this helps, rob't Robert Bedard Robert Bedard Horticulture http://www.robert-bedard.com/orchids/ ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Re: Computer/orchid problem (Bernard Gerrard)
Bernard: If you would be so kind as to post the addresses of the old and new sites, I would be glad to take a look at the code, and make recommendations on how you can optimize your new site to do better in Search Engine results. (Uri Baruk was essentially correct, [if I interpret his brief remark correctly], that you want to raise the Searchability of your new site, to make it more attractive to Search Engines.) There are two other approaches that you might try. You might be able to get the original owner of the site to get Geocities to shut it down; I do not expect this will be particularly effective, as free webhosts do not generally have lots of customer support people available to help with this sort of thing. You might also request to the good folks at Google to remove your old site from their database. If you type phalaenopsis flasks or phalaenopsis seedlings into Google, you will see my website; in North America, it comes up in number one position. I am not the oldest, nor the bestest Phal site out there, but I have a good deal of experience doing SEO (Search Engine Optimnization). I can tell you how to increase the rank of your new site. rob't Robert Bedard http://www.robert-bedard.com/orchids/ ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Angraecum sesquipedale
Since you asked for punishmnet, you might try repotting it; that may delay flowering the following season ... (of course, mind the roots, they do not respond well to being disturbed). You might also try to figure out why the flowers are only lasting you one month ... they should probably last longer. I had the same problem this year (short flower life) due to some heater gases getting back inside the greenhouse. rob't June wrote: My one plant flowers every January. It conspires to prevent me from taking it to the Association show table by coming into bloom the day after the January meeting, and fading out the day before the February meeting. This happens every year without fail. Any suggestions for a suitable punishment? June ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Angcm. sesquipedale flowering season
I have usually had at least one plant of Angcm. sesquipedale in my collection for most of the twenty years that I have been growing orchids. I have grown plants that flowered both in late winter and around Easter, and eventually, they end up flowering together in my collection, sometime in late winter. I am located very near Santa Cruz, CA, roughly between Santa Barbara and San Francisco. My first Angcm. sesquipedale was the clone 'Orchidglade II' FCC/AOS that was mericloned by Jones and Scully. This plant was awarded 5/11/72, near Easter. I bought that plant in the mid 1980's, and the first time it flowered for me, it flowered near Easter. After that, it tended to flower in late winter as most of them do for me. I currently have several plants from the population of 'Mount Zion' FCC/AOS X 'Star of Malagasy' FCC/AOS. 'Mount Zion' was awarded an FCC/AOS on 2/9/85 (late winter), and 'Star of Malagasy' was awarded an FCC/AOS on 1/12/76, (also late winter). All of the seedlings came into flower together, and are just going out of bloom. (The best of these seedlings took two blue ribbons and three trophies in commercial class at our local show in early February, largely because the flower had exceptional conformation, and the plant was well-grown.) In An Introduction to the Cultivated Angraecoid Orchids of Madagascar, Fred Hillerman says that: In its natural habitat, it [Angcm. sesquipedale] flowers between June and November. [p. 92, note that this represents six months, roughly corresponding to December through May in the northern hemisphere.] Angraecum sesquipedale flowers around Christmastime in the northern hemisphere, although there is another, later variety that comes into bloom around Easter. [p. 94] While I have never grown hundreds of seedlings, in my experience, Angcm. sesquipedale always ends up flowering in late winter for me, regardless of whether that particluar cultivar flowers for others in winter or spring. I primarily grow Phalaenopsis, although I grow them cooler and brighter than most people do. I let the temp go down to 60 at night during most of the year, and my light levels are very high. I flower Vanilla at the warm and bright end of the greenhouse. A quick count of awards to Angcm. sesquipedale (both flower quality and cultural) as appear in Wildcatt, shows: 2 in December 6 in January 2 in February 1 in March 3 in April 2 in May There does not seem to be a correlation between geographical location and flowering time, these awards are all in the northern hemisphere, and are clustered in FL, CA and HI with a couple others in the US, (WI, IL, OK and NJ.) It appears to me that Angcm. sesquipedale has a long (six month) window that it can flower within, and that while there might be varieties that seem to prefer to flower earlier or later in that window, individual plants can flower at any time during that period, and flowering time may end up being variable, and based on cultural factors. rob't Robert Bedard Robert Bedard Horticulture http://www.robert-bedard.com/orchids/ ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
