Some Q and A.

Since I have no news about my orchids, Im going to answerw some questions that seem to be very popular in Youtube :D Cause im no-one in orchid world i taged myself so don't blame me :D So lets begin...

1.) How long have you been growing orchids and which was your very first orchid?

I got my fist orchid when  I graduated 9th grade. It was deep purple phal, which I managed to kill.

2.) What is your main reason for growing orchids? 

I simple love them. They are so adorable and they all are so different in their own way. And color - who doesn't love plants that have so many variations of color. White to yellow, to pink, to red, to almost balck.

3.) Do you grow other plants besides orchids?

Well I have one palm inside the house. Other than that I like plants in my garden - roses, lilys and so. Don't forget tomatoes and melons in my greenhouse.

4.) What are your three favorite orchid genera?

I can't say that some are favourites and some are not. They are always changing. Right now I really love oncidiums. But some months ago my favourite was zygopetalum :D So it depends mostly on which one is blooming right now. If I have to name three, I would go with 1)Oncidium, 2) zygopetalum and 3) vanda.

5.) Which are your five favorite orchids?

Five, it's getting difficult. I really love my Onc. Tiny Twinke though she has some troubles with roots right now and sits in sphagnum moss. 2) would be Oncidium Sotoanum, I have pretty small plant, so I havent seen blooms in my plant, but I love them so much. 3)I think that 3 place would belong to my Promenaea limelight x xanthina. 4) Sure my masdevallias are one of my favourite girls. I have 3 of them now and I have seen one in bloom in summer, it was awesome. She had so many blooms I didn't believed my eyes. :) And last but not least 5) Tolumnia. I know I havent bloomed it myself but when I got her she had so cute blooms - like pink panther lol.

6.) Which one of your orchids do you like least and why? 

Maybe most of orchid growers will hate my now but I really don't like ludisia orchids. They are just too simple for me. So I have to tell that I do not own ludisia any more. I gave her to my grandmother and I go to see her time to time.

7.) How many orchids do you have at the moment?

Last I checked I have 42 orchids. Not much. 

8.) What kind of growing space do you have (windowsill, grow room, greenhouse etc.)?

I grown my plants most of the time in year on my windowsill. In summer they are in my garden and they are hanging on some trees. Last summer I did it first time and they loved it so much. Specially masdevallia - we had cilly and rainy summer, that's why. 

9.) Have you ever lost a particularly loved or expensive orchid? 

I think that the most expensive orchid that I have lost was red/brown cymbidium, cost 19€, so not that much. But still, I loved that color so much and I got it for birthday. 

10.) Which orchids are on your wish list?

Weeeeell. You can check my wishlist in my blog. I have so many plants that  I would really love to have but there are so many buts. Since I grow my girls on my windowsill, the space is so limited, and since I live in northern Europe, the light is the issue for most of the time in year. But still who can forbid me to dream :)

So thats it. Hope you like it...or don't :D 

What plants are in your wish list? Let me know maybe I must add them in mine :) Also tell me which plants are the "must-have" plants, because our orchid show and sale is getting closer and some money wants to be spent. :) 

Happy growing everybody!

Encyclia ciliare

Well lets talk about Encyclia ciliara (or is she Epidendrum ciliare...dunno). I got her in september, costed 3.50€ - great price isn't it?

She looked like this when I bought her, not bad I can say for so low price. Since then she hasn't done much, only matured 3 new growths she had. No blooms though. I don't know maybe she is slow growing plant, I have really no idea what care she needs, I have found so few informative sites. So if anyone knows how to care for her, let me know please.

But why am I writing about her right now? That's because we have some baby-theme in action.

 See, that little nubin in the middle?

Little about the conditions I have for her. Temperature 22-25C, humidity 44-55%. Extra light about 12h a day. Watering over a week, every second time watering with fertilizer.

So that's it for now. And again, if you have any idea how to properly care for that encyclia (epidendrum) please, let me konw!

Happy growing!

Masdevallias in December 2015

I know promised a new post about Masdevallias in spring but I just happened to watch a video, in which the Masde had probably a same problem as mine. So I decided to document the current situation.

Let’s begin with the purple Masdevallia that lost about 2/3 of its’ leaves due to my own foolishness and lack of knowledge. A lot of you probably remember the posts from summer about a well-growing Masde with beautiful flowers. I have to admit, up until I messed it all up, this was the one I was the most proud of. People did advise me to not buy a Masdevallia, they said it was a nightmare to grow. And yet, I found it even too easy – grows as if weed, flowers immediately grow on new growths, what a life, right?

So what does she look like right now. Well the situation has not much improved but it’s positive that she has started growing new growths. Slowly but surely. Sometimes I do feel that those people who advised me against wasting my time on Masdes, were right. But I am not giving up on them! :D

Here’s a picture of a bigger growth but there are 4-5 smaller ones.

And so she was in summer.

Now up to the Masdevallia next in line by age. I still don’t know anything about the flowers but repotting seemed to help her. There’s not much to say here, the growths are coming in nicely. There is no sign of flowers on neither this one nor the purple one but at least there’s progress. I must be doing SOMETHING right..

Last up, the third Masdevallia. She seems to have got better after repotting and there are new growths visible. Both previous Masdevallias have had wet hydroponics under them but this one hasn’t. Interestingly enough, her moss remains damp and I don’t dare to hive her extra humidity. The moss dries slower in cold and if I remember correctly, she got quite a lot of it in her pot. Thankfully, there is no sign of rotting so it seems that the humidity isn’t harming her.

Oh right, I built a barricade around her out of BBQ sticks and garden wire so that the two plants would grow upwards and not sideways. It also looks like she has finally grown proper roots and doesn’t wobble anymore while I move the pot.

So that was an overview of Masdevallias. Every question, suggestion and recommendation is always welcome. J

Peaceful forthcoming second advent to you all!

3. December update

Well I have that nice bushy but not that happy Nelly Isler. I can not figure it out why we don’t get along. Despite of that, yesterday I found something that looks like new growth but according to the position where it is located, I think that it is a spike. It is quite small so I can’t took a picture of it yet. I just don’t want to take my hopes up, maybe it still is new growth. Right now Nelly Isler and two unknown Cambrias are in „I will give you away“ list, maybe it will encourage her to bloom, we’ll see.

That little purple phal is that diligent one, who wants to bloom twice a year, but don’t have really the energy to do that. She bloomed in summer and now againg. Bloom is not that bright like they were in summer, understanable – it’s too dark already. But she tires, and it’s cute. 

Some of you already know how much I love zygopetalums. They are so cute and bushy even without flowers. And the other reason is that green and deep purple together are so awesome in my opinion. The first on is the one I got last spring from local orchid show. She has such big bulbs, it’s something big-bulb-lovers like :D (How did it go? I like big bulbs and I can not lie...). And she also grows new growths, but no blooms, sad. 

The other zygo has also 3 new growths but again, no blooms.  . 

The little Cymbidium looks great after summer out side. Two new growths looks already like plants and I hope she will make some more. I think that blooms will not be showing at least two more years – she is so small. 

But the big one is happy. Yesterday I cut the last spike with what I got it. One growth already looks like a plant, the other two not yet. By the way, I’m starting to believe that the nub in the middle, is a spike. Wonder, can I thake the credit for it to form? :D

Without picutures but let me talk about my little Onc. Sotoanum. I have found another new growth, it’s so exciting. Maybe I don’t have to wait many years for blooms after all. :)

And last, but not least the NOID Oncidium that bloomed so gorgeously. After she dropped her blooms, she started to produce new growth. Great, isn’t it. :)

Happy growing!

Catasetum and dormancy vol 2

Today’s post is not at all long. I need to document the fact that my darling little Catasetum has started yellowing one of her leaves. This can only mean one thing… dormancy is coming! :)

 I really do hope that the process will follow all the way through not stick to just one leaf.

I should also talk about quite a few growths that have started growing or at least how they have developed in this month. In the coming days I’ll try to make a separate post about the babies.

After all, Christmas time is the time of waiting and my girls are waiting for progeny as well!

I wish a peaceful time of waiting to you all and your families!

PS! Who said orchids and Christmas don’t go together?