Octoberly Happenings

Haraella retrocalla spike 2 bloom one just opened! Smells great!

Stima. Kelly Lea
The last of the flowers were starting to fade so I just went ahead and pulled them off so I could take one last picture of them. Blooming this was a huge milestone for me and so was blooming Slc. mem Alvin Begman 'Poem' but the flowers faded so fast after I accidentally spraying them with dishsoap water & cinnamon extract:(

Onc. Twinkle is plumping up now! Maybe I will get some spikes soon???!!!

Den. Kathy beck's three spikes. I did something really stupid and let it start to shrivel before I watered it again, I dunno why I did that. But it looks like it will cost me one spike :(

Last Call on Catts & First Signs on Den Cathy Beck

The above three pictures are Den Cathy Back: pic 1 is last year's blooms, 2 &3 are this year starting three spikes :) Yay! I love the way the blooms change colors and shape once they open from triangular in shape resembling kingianums to a fully antelope shape, it's beautiful and amazing! They open up more reddish than purple pink and over a few days as the sepals begin to twist the reddish tint fades into that wonderful pinky purple. Also the first pic was before the petals started to twist.

Last year the plant was shipped to me from Florida in spike with 5 swelling buds. One bud blasted. This year what a surprise! So far three spikes can't wait to count the buds! Last year it bloomed in July so this is a bit later for Cathy Beck than she did last year, this is also her second blooming so I expect see more buds per spike than last year, maybe I will have to steak the spikes in that tiny two inch square pot. She will definitely be due for a good repotting come spring.

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Although I am ver very satisfied with these two blooming for me with 4 spikes on the Stima. and one with two flowers on the Slc. I am so sad becasue now they are all open. Soon they will surely be gone :( Thes pictures do not do them any justice. And unfortunately during a misting of cinnamon oil/dishsoap/water/natural insecticde I spryed the flowers and some of the deep purple washed out of one of the stime flowers, and one of the lips on the slc got dried up on the edged from it...DOH!!!!! Lesson learned.

Rearranged orchid shelf!

Also today I rearranged the plant shelf to make more space for the plants i brought back in. Would you believe the leaves are already starting to change colors! Where did the year go???Anyways I am baby sitting seven plants for my good friend Terry four of which are in s/h and I am happy to report that they are all doing well in my care yay!

Wow! more Blooms!!

Well it's been a while since I have last posted! So I am happy to report that Stima 'Kelly Lea' now has three buds open! And looks great! Also Slc. mem. Alvin Begman 'Poem' has one bud open and it is beautiful! So worth the two years it took me to get it right for both plants. My camera died as I was trying to take a picture of possible spikes on Den. Cathy Beck so you'll have to wait until I get some more batteries lol.

TADA!!!

Stima. Kelly 'Lea'
She finally opened up :)
I also found a fourt spike too yay!
Unfortunately though, yesterday spike two was ravaged by a tiny white caterpillar worm looking thing! Hopefully the buds will still bloom even with damage guess we'll just have to wait and see though.

In other exciting news I found a spike on Slc. Alvin Begman 'Poem' Yay! Hopefully this time I don't screw it up and it blooms for me as I have been waiting for what seems like forever for this rebloom.

grow list update

1 Angrecum eburneum

1 Bifrenaria Harrisoneae

1 Cymbidium eberneum
1 Cym NOID #16 (From Cindy)
1 Cym NOID

1 Dgma. Winter Wonderland White Fairy

1 Darwinara charm 'Blue Star'

1 Den. Cathy Beck
1 Den. Kingianium 'Bigie'
1 Den. Kingianum (Lavender)
1 Den. Kobai
1 Den. moniliforme 'Benifuuki'

1 Enc. Atronecium 'Mother's Day' x cordigera 'Chocolate Violets'

1 Harella retrocalla

1 Hwra. Lava Burst

4 ludiscia discolor (jewel compot)

1 Masd. herraadurae

1 Neofinetia falcata
1 Neofinetia falcata x Holcoglossum kimballina
1 Neofinetia Setsuzan

1 Oncidium Jungle Monarch (previously Colm.)
1 Oncidium Twinkle 'Red Fantasy'

1 Paph. delenatii 'China Doll' x 'Pink Fusion'
1 Paph insigne var sanderae (seedling)

1 Phal {Naples Nights x (Petite Rose x Glad Melinda)}
1 Phal lueddenmaniana 'Chree Hill'
1 Phal NOID (I call it Magic Kiss thats all the tag said)
1 Phal Regal Bells x Brother Fortune Gleen
1 Phal pulchra
1 Phal cornu-cervii

1 Restrepia trichoglossa
1 Restrepia brachypus
1 Restrepia muscifera

1 Sederia japonica Nagoran

1 Slc. mem Alvin Beggman Poem
1 Stlma. Kelly 'Lea' (B. nodosa x Ctna Keith Roth)

Summer 08 Vs. Summer 09

Last summer I grew indoors under light without airconditioning unless it got into the 90's and I only cooled it to 80 degrees. This summer I grew about 20 outside northfacing on my balcony under the shade of the roof but they extremeley bright light none of direct. The 20 or so I grow indoors on a shelf in a west facing window with slat blinds. I have been running the airconditioner all summer so the humidity has been relatively low in comparison to the outside plants.

Last summer I only had a few plants bloom for me, the Den Cathy Beck, which was spiked when I received it, and the Neaofinetia falcata.

This summer we have alot more happening which either means I am honing in on what the plants want or the weather has been exceptionally helpful this year. We have haraella retrocalla, restrepia muscifera, restrepia trichoglosa, Neofinetia falcata, Stima. Kelly 'Lea', and possibly Den Cathy Beck spiking or flowering. Last summer Stima Kelly 'Lea' was in bud when purchased in the spring so I don't what that counts for for last year.

At the beginning of this summer I was seriously doubting my growing abilities and wasn't expecting any blooms from anything and was expecting low growth rates in comparison to last year. However it seems this is not the case yay!