Still here...

It has been a while since my last update. I'm still alive, as are most of the plants. A move of house - which we now own rather than rent - moving the green house and a change of jobs has rather cut into my "free time"; my orchid exploits - and this blog in particular - have suffered as a result.

Speaking of moving, Senior Management and two of our friends nearly died moving the greenhouse in about 7 pieces back in February - the roof in one giant section was a particular challenge, as it had to be taken around the house on its side, making it rather unwieldy (no photographic evidence, as all hands were needed elsewhere!). Fortunately, we only had to walk it a grand total of a single property line over. A massive ivy "fence" was demolished between the properties, and a precast wall put in its place; we took advantage of that activity to move the greenhouse and plants without going "the long way around". I bought a modular greenhouse in part because of being a renter - I hadn't expected to move less than a year after putting up a greenhouse, but the rent became unreasonable and a good offer to buy came up... Still, moving a greenhouse is quite an operation!

The orchids spent several months under deep shade, being very infrequently watered whilst the greenhouse was moved, and the basic connections were hooked up (power, water), and the backlog of "most urgent" DIY for human habitation was completed. Once the greenhouse was more or less up, I neglected to erect adequate shading, and some of the plants have really taken some strain lately (particularly things like Phalaenopsis that do not enjoy full sun as we move towards spring/summer down here). I predict some casualties. Another more minor "catastrophe" was hooking up misting without fans in place; some plants rotted away seemingly overnight. It's surprising what just a few days of changed weather, neglect or poor cultural conditions can do to a plant. (On the other hand, it's impressive how tough some other plants are!). Usually, it's too much of something that seems to kill orchids; they're seemingly often naturally quite resilient to shortages.

I've also been encountering more pests. Things are wholesale eating my plants, or chunks of them; for example, my Onc. Sharry Baby has had its latest pseudobulb firmly chomped, but it's still soldiering on (it's just started to spike); the Laelia sincorana f. coerulea which I have waited for YEARS (since March 2011) to flower threw out a spike this month (clearly it enjoyed the massive increase in light and neglect). Something ATE IT. I strongly suspect molluscan activities (slugs and snails) and must deploy counter-measures!

Onc.Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance' with slug/snail damage.

Laelia sincorana f. coerulea - first bloom - EATEN!

It's not all bad news of course; some things have quite enjoyed life; our Vanda flowered for only the second time, and some other light-loving plants have also put on quite a show.

Vanda Manuvadee "Blue" - second flowering; October 2015.
This won the first prize in the "Other" orchid category at the recent
Grahamstown Flower Festival Facebook (but not best orchid on show).
Having slowly learnt a little of what orchid judges look for,
I can see the "faults" (compare it to a really flat, round Vanda like one of the
"Roberts Delight" range). It's an old hybrid, so a lot has happened since. 

It's grown quite a lot since I first got it.
Compare the size when it was bought and when it last flowered. 

Going through my cellphone camera gallery, there are quite a lot of stories to come! Watch this space...

Vanda Manuvadee 'Blue'

After a long time (we got this way back in Feb 2011), our Vanda Manuvadee 'Blue' decided to flower (it aborted a spike the previous year). This plant gets a disproportionate amount of love (in terms of the amount of time spent watering all those massive roots) compared to the other OOAB denizens. I guess it finally paid off!

Vanda Manuvadee 'Blue'
21 Dec 2012

Vanda Manuvadee 'Blue'
26 Dec 2012

Vanda Manuvadee 'Blue'

Vanda Manuvadee 'Blue'

Vanda Manuvadee 'Blue'
Note the masses of roots!

Pictures from my phone, so apologies if they're not quite up to spec :)

Vanda Manuvadee has a strong "dose" of Vanda coerulea in its ancestry, so it should be pretty cold tolerant (handy during OOAB winters). The hybrid Manuvadee was first registered in 1985, and is a cross of V. Pompinol with V. coerulea.

It doesn't have any medium in the tiny basket it is in, so its roots get a pretty thorough daily soaking (via pressure sprayer); twice daily in summer. "Pretty thorough" means the roots get sprayed once, the water is allowed to soak in while I do the potted plants than need it, and then thoroughly sprayed again. Like most vandaceous orchids (which include Phalaenopsis) the roots take a little while to have water soak into them - when the root covering layer (velamen) is dry and whitish in colour, it takes a little while to hydrate. So, to really water such roots effectively, you need to soak them so the entire root is green and glistening wet. Places where these orchids naturally grow get a lot of water on a regular basis, but then dries out before the next drenching, so these plants appreciate replicating this. At least, that is the case where the leaves are strap shaped. Round/cylindrical leaves (terete) generally come from drier climates. Vandas also seem to appreciate being fed; mine is probably under-fed as I tend to fertilise based on the requirements of the more sensitive species in the collection.

I suspect it would do better with a daily soak for 10-20 minutes in a large bucket/tub, but OOAB's floorspace has nowhere large enough to accommodate such an object. Beside the floorspace issue, given my trepidation about transferring "nasties" between plants, I am loathe to install a communal "dunk bucket" into which plants are plunged. It would be a lot easier, but the risk is too great. Before I learned about the risks of transferring plant pathogens (particularly fungi, viruses and bacteria) in this manner, I used to give plants a soak in communal baths (either the kitchen sink or a large cooler box) every so often. No more!

Having seen some of the absolute monster Vandas other EPOS members bring in to plant tables, this still has a lot of growing to do!

New Plants: Van Rooyen Orchids

Today I received two orders; first I'll talk about the smaller order from Van Rooyen Orchids, based in White River. The plants were mainly shipped bare rooted, so there was a bit of potting to be done! The plants were inveigled in shredded paper, which probably protects them quite nicely in transit, although there is a fair bit of untangling to be done to get the plants out. Helpfully, a packing list was included, just in case you forgot what you ordered (and makes sure you don't leave any plants buried deep in the paper). 

Aerangis modesta
This plant had about 10 minute little snails on it which I managed to find and get rid of...

Coelogyne cristata

Epidenrum porpax (Syn. Neolehmannia porpax)
This small orchid apparently takes on a growth habit a bit like ground cover,
so does best in wide, shallow pots.

Masdevallia Marguerite 'Pink Champagne'
Finally, a Masdevallia! Looks like the flowering is over for the year... :/
I potted this up in some Sphagnum Moss I managed to find at a nursery in PE.

Microcoelia exilis
This species is very unusual in that it doesn't have any leaves,
and exists solely as roots, with occasional small flowers.

Vanda Manuvadee 'Blue'
This Vanda came in a basket, but with no hanging wires,
so we had to make some (which was a bit tricky).
Some of those roots are huge!

This particular order was shipped via Speed Services Couriers - whose website has resolutely refused to answer my enquiries as to the location of the parcel during its entire time in transit (#fail #lose #brandminus!). Being an overnight service, I assumed (correctly) that it would certainly be in town two days after being sent.