New spikes and flowers

Things are definitely deciding to bloom again.

Dendrobium Mini (White with Red Lip)

Our Dendrobium Mini has not one, not two but three separate flower spikes - pictured above is one of them. They're getting longer every day and the buds are starting to take shape now.

Even one of our two cymbidiums has had enough of sitting around doing nothing and is busy putting up two spikes. I have no idea what has triggered that, as I understand it usually takes cooler temperatures to trigger it, and it's been boiling hot around here, but I generally find that plants don't actually spend a lot of time reading books and sometimes resolutely resist such conventions! Given a few weeks, I suspect we'll see some flowers, but you never quite know when an orchid is going to be showing its blooms (at least, I never do!). I'd been starting to think that our little balcony just doesn't get enough light for these plants which have remained fairly unexciting grassy looking houseplants for quite some time now, but it seems - at least on that windowsill - there is just about enough! I wonder if it might be having a bit more water (Cymbidiums apparently quite like to be kept on the damp side), as it receives the run-off from a Vanda that sits above it and is regularly sprayed.

Our Stenoglottis Ganymede also has two spikes on it:

Stenoglottis Ganymede
Flowers beginning to open.

Stenoglottis Ganymede

If last year is anything to go by, this flower spike will get at least three or four times this length and be covered in blooms.

Towards the end of last year, I received an Aerangis citrata from Plantae which had two spikes on it; the flowers are now starting to open.

Aerangis citrataFirst flower to open.

Aerangis citrata

Aerangis citrata
showing spur

I really enjoy the angraecoid orchids, which have a delicate and graceful elegance to them (at least, I think they do!). I haven't detected a scent to this one but I have yet to sniff it in the evenings, when this group is usually most strongly scented. The flower has a very slight yellowish tint to it (hence the botanical name, I suspect) which isn't coming through in these photos very well.

Plant Update - new spikes! New Flowers!

I took some pictures on Sunday afternoon of some progress at OOAB HQ.

First up, our lovely Stenoglottis S0703 (Sten. Saturn 'Electric' x Sten. woodii 'Gous') has finally flowered after watching three spikes slowly grow. The spottiness of the leaves carries on into the flowers!

I've since found out this cross is called Stenoglottis Ganymede - quite a good name seeing as Ganymede is one of Saturn's moons!

Stenoglottis Ganymede spike - one of three!

Flowering Triffid Stenoglottis

Stenoglottis Ganymede flower

Stenoglottis Ganymede flower

Not all the flowers on the spikes have opened yet. We're thinking of taking this one to the EPOS meeting on Thursday this week.

Next up, out Rhynchostylis coelestis has not one but two spikes on it. Guess the little bout of fungus or whatever hasn't worried it too much...

Looks like the flowers will be purple-ish or lilac-y. Don't think it'll be open by Thursday though!

Yay, buds!

Nearly opening...!

Second spike

Also, the bud on our Paphiopedilum Onyx has opened fully and is more symmetrical that the one on its friend.

Paphiopedilum Onyx

Finally, an update on the progress of our recently (~3 weeks) deflasked seedlings.
Some really hot, dry days took their toll, I think - this was before my propagator arrived, unfortunately, so I think some of them really took strain. They're now happily cocooned in the Garland Big 3 propagator - and I'm keeping a beady eye out for fungus. A few plants in each tray had started obviously dying, so I pulled them out.

Potinara/Rhyncholaeliocattleya(?)
(A18 Blc. Three Sun 'Sun #16' x Pot. Shin Shiang Diamond)
Note the dying seedlings :( 

Brassolaeliocattleya/Rhyncholaeliocattleya(?)
( Blc. A17 Blc. Chian-Tzy Salmon x Blc. Shinfong Luoyang 'Gold')
Fewer dying plants.

Not too bad, I think! In less positive news, this morning I finally noticed that our Microcoelia exilis is *covered* in scale, so I spent about 15 minutes scratching it all off with my fingernails - will have to do another once-over later on and keep an eye out for more of those buggers. I also saw a single mealybug on one of the plants and squashed it immediately.