Cultivation – Page 2 – South Florida Orchid Society

Fall Orchid Growing Tips

Fall

Sep 012010

by Susan Taylor
Originally published in BellaOnline

Water and fertilizer requirements change – As cooler weather slows growth on your plants both water and fertilizer requirements change. Watch temperatures carefully and tailor your watering to the needs of the plants, rather than to a rigid schedule which worked during the hotter summer months.

Watch the changing light conditions – Spring and fall are times when you need to pay particular attention to changing light conditions. As the sun moves, the light conditions on both your indoor and outdoor orchids are also changing. Make sure that low light plants are not suddenly in a hot spot of sun. High light plants should be watched for too much shade. Mid-fall is the time to remove shade cloth from greenhouses and extra shading from windows.

Prepare to bring plants inside – If you’ve been lucky enough to be able to summer your plants outside, start preparing them for the move back inside. Check for insects in the media by dunking in a pail of water to force the insects out and kill any that you find. Roaches love to live in orchid mix and will eat roots while they are there. Clean and cut back old growth so that when a sudden weather change comes you can easily move your plants inside.

Clean up your indoor growing area – Prepare your greenhouse or indoor area for your plants. Clean any areas and straighten up supplies. This is easier to do when you have fewer plants in the space. Are you planning to add humidity trays or fans for this growing season? Go ahead and order the items and install them so that your plants will have the best conditions you can supply.

Check your orchid labels – As you are checking your plants, make sure that the labels are clear and readable. It normally only takes about three years for the labels to deteriorate — less time if they are of poor quality. Use heavy labels and an indelible marker to clearly identify your plants. Even if you have only a few plants it is important to know what they are so that you can give them the proper conditions to grow and bloom.

Phals need a cooling period – Fall is the time to move your Phals to a cool spot, around 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit or 10-15 degrees centigrade at night, until you see inflorescences starting at the base of the plant. When the growths are about 2 inch or 5 centimetres long, the plants can be moved back to their normal growing conditions and the spike will continue to grow.

Repotting Keikis

Q&A

Aug 202010

Question: I have a healthy vanda that flowers freely. Now, however, it is growing two plantlets. How do I remove them and pot into their own baskets? M.H. Starzinger

Answer: The offsets are known as keikis which means “baby” in Hawaiian. When the young plants have developed roots of their own that are 2 inches or more long, they can usually be broken off the mother plant quite easily. Some growers snap them off, while others sever them with a sterilized blade, taking care not to injure the main stem. Winter is not a good time to perform this operation, however, especially as far north as you are. Rather, wait until spring when you see active new root growth. The plants may then be put into appropriately sized baskets and will quickly establish. Alternately, you may wish to simply leave the keikis attached and allow the plant to form a clump, which will give proportionately more flowers than will the single stem. See our Video Library for tutorials on removing and potting keikis. Ned Nash

HOT! HOT! HOT!

Summer

Aug 012010

Ideally, most orchids do best in the 70’s and 80’s, going cooler at night. During mid-summer, when they receive week after week of 90 degree temperatures, they need a bit of extra TLC to keep them happy.

Misting your plants will help to cool them off. In very humid climates, one needs to mist very lightly so that the plants don’t stay too wet. In a hot and DRY climate, one can mist more heavily to create a bit of humidity. The water droplets on the leaves help to cool off your orchids’ leaf tissue.

Shade your plants heavily during hot summers. Think of yourself sitting in the hot sand at the beach. If you sit in the shade, you feel much cooler. Taking a dip in the water (or misting yourself) will bring down your body temperature. The same holds true for plants.

Back off a bit on fertilizer when extreme heat hits. When it’s 95 degrees plus in the greenhouse, I very rarely feel hungry during the day. Orchids also seem to slow down their growth in extreme heat. Skip a week or two of food every so often during those high heat weeks to give your plants a break from the high nitrogen rush!

Air movement is also a key. Just as I like to stand in front of a fan during a warm spell, our orchids also will benefit from extra air movement.

The flowers on those few orchids that are brave enough to bloom this time of year don’t last very long. This time of year our Phalaenopsis fold after 4-6 weeks, whereas during the cooler winter/spring season they last 3-4 MONTHS. This is why most orchids bloom between Thanksgiving and Mother’s Day. Summer is more of a “growing” season for plants.

Try not to add undue stress to your plants during extreme heat. Usually it is fine to repot throughout the summer months. However, when extreme heat hits, it is best to wait a week or two until things cool off. We usually try to repot our most tender orchids in Springtime (March through May), leaving some of the sturdier varieties (i.e. Cattleyas and Dendrobiums, etc.) for summer potting.

If growing in a bark mix, watch for moldy bark (snow mold) this time of year. It is very common due to the high humidity levels. It helps to use a fungicide periodically during very humid months. Physan 20, Captan, and Phyton 27 all will help to keep mold and rot at bay. If you do see mold in your mix, it is usually best (and cheapest) to simply repot the plant in fresh mix.

Stay cool,

Liese

Orchid Growing Tips

Caring

Aug 012010

by Susan Taylor
Originally published in BellaOnline

Foliar Fertilizing
During the peak growing months of summer use a foliar fertilizer of very dilute fertilizer with 1/2 teaspoon per gallon soap as a wetting agent so that the fertilizer will stay on the leaves long enough to allow the plant to absorb the nutrients. Be sure to spray early in the morning before the sun gets to the plants and provide excellent air circulation to allow for rapid evaporation to prevent rots. Be very careful with the crowns of Phals and Paphs.

Seal cuts when you trim plants
You can use melted candle wax to seal the cut when you trim back your orchids after blooming or when cutting off old pseudobulbs or leaves. This will completely seal the cut and prevent the introduction of bacterial or fungal diseases. Other ways to seal cuts are cinnamon (without sugar), Elmer’s Glue, and various commercial products.

Be consistent with staking Staking
new growths is one of the most underutilized growing principals in orchid growing. This is a important element in getting your plants to look good and to present your flowers correctly when they open. Stake when the growths are about half done or for larger plants when the growth is about 5 inches, or 12 centimeters, tall. Continue to train the growth to the stake and then include the inflorescence when it appears.

Attaching to stakes
There are many different ways to tie your plant to a stake. For whimsy, use the little insect shaped clips that come in butterfly, dragonfly or other shapes. They should be large enough to hold the growth to thestake without impeding the growth. If you use a clip that’s too small it will damage the new growth. Twist ties will work as well as raffia which can be used to tie together the entire plant for a nice shape.

Mist in the mornings
Misting is great for your plants, but you must be careful to mist early in the day so that your plants have time to completely dry before nightfall. Fans to circulate air will also help deter the growth of fungus as they do not like moving air and it makes it more difficult for the spores to attach.

Rotate your plants to display blooms
Orchids in bloom need less light than those that are developing new growths or are resting. In fact, too much light will fade some flowers. So, when you have a well-developed inflorescence, move your plant further from the light source and toward the front of your area so you can display it and enjoy the flowers more easily. I often put the pot on top of another pot to lift the plant up so that the flowers are closer to eye level.

Ants in Orchid Pots

Pests

Jul 012010

by Susan Taylor
Originally published in BellaOnline

For those of us who grow outdoors part of the year or in a greenhouse, ants are a nuisance in our orchid pots. In addition, they farm aphids, mealy bugs and caterpillars which can seriously damage tender new growing parts of the plant, especially buds and inflorescences. The honeydew which is left from these insects allows mildews to grow and provides another place for attacks on our plants.

The ants themselves do relatively little damage to the plants, but if you’ve ever picked up a pot with ants in it, especially fire ants in the southern United States, you know how the ant bites will feel to the plant grower! Spring and summer tend to be the times that ants are attracted to orchid pots. It is a great home for them — they can move right in without digging through soil and removing it for their tunnels.

If the pot is seriously infected and the ants come swarming out when you try to pick it up, mix up a gallon of water with a cup of insecticidal soap or dishwashing liquid and pour about half of it slowly through the pot. It will not kill all the ants, but will kill any that it comes directly in contact with. If you have a spray bottle, spray the plant with the solution to kill any that escape the pot and swarm on the foliage. It is best to do this in a shady location or when the plant is in the shade since you don’t want to allow sun to burn the leaves through the water. Allow the pot to stay in the same location for about an hour without disturbing it.

Put the rest of the solution in a bucket and fill with water. If it’s large, then add more detergent. Pick up the pot carefully and submerge in the water. This will kill the rest of the ants as they come in contact with the soap. Leave in the water for about 15 minutes and watch out for any pests that come out of the media and climb up the foliage. Remove from the water and then drench thoroughly with water from a hose to remove all residue of the soap and to eliminate the chemicals which ants secrete when they make their nests. Be sure to allow the plant foliate to dry completely before returning to a sunnier location and the media to dry before watering the plant again.

Fortunately ants are more a nuisance to us than a danger to our plants. Removing them is relatively simple once you know what to do!

Growing Orchids in a Fishbowl

Caring

Jul 012010

by Susan Taylor
Originally published in BellaOnline

If you are having trouble growing orchids indoors, especially if you like the tiny ones, you can try growing in a simple fishbowl. My first trial came when I purchased a Masdevallia I couldn’t resist at an orchid show. These are generally rather cool growing orchids and we live in southern Texas where it gets very hot during the summers. Most of my orchids grow in the greenhouse and must be able to survive temperatures up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius. Once I got the orchid home I realized that it would never survive outside. Mind you, this is completely against one of the most important orchid tips I espouse: only buy orchids that will grow in your conditions! But it was so cute I simply couldn’t resist.

These little orchids need quite high humidity to grow well so I decided to try growing in a fishbowl near a north window indoors. The ball-like fishbowl was about six or seven inches, or 15-18 centimeters in diameter. I put white gravel in the bottom, about one half inch or 2 centimeters deep, then placed the plant in the middle and then used rainwater to just below the surface to increase humidity. Do not put anything over the top of the container. Your orchids need air circulation as well as high humidity.

The only problem I’ve found with this system is that the plants grow so quickly, and flower so much that I keep having to find larger and larger fish bowls so that the flowers do not stick to the sides. Also watch the leaves to make sure the plant is not getting too much light. The leaves will turn very light green. Try to keep the leaf color about the same as the leaves when you purchased the plant. Do not cut off the inflorescences if they stay green because they will develop new buds on the live growth. I’d recommend finding out how large a plant the orchid will be before starting this project – I’m on my third fishbowl for one of them (I now have three since I had to fill up the empty fishbowls). Garage sales are good sources for glass containers that can be used for this. They’re decorative looking and the orchids love the humidity. Give it a try with one of the great miniature orchids available to orchid growers!

Spring Orchid Growing Tips

Spring

May 012010

by Susan Taylor
Originally published in BellaOnline

Watch for changing light conditions
It is especially important to watch for changing light conditions in the spring. Many growers depend upon deciduous trees to provide shade to their plants during the majority of the warm weather growing season. Unless you are careful, your plants may get too much light as the sun moves before the leaves are all the way out. If leaves seem to be turning yellow or red in the case of Cattleyas, then apply shadecloth on a greenhouse, or sheer curtains on a window.

Get your outdoor growing areas ready
Get your outdoor growing area ready to move your plants when the weather in your area allows you do to so. Getting the growing area ready will allow you to move your plants as soon as possible and also allow you time to do things correctly. Add new space, replace broken items, and clean up the space from winter debris. Inside, clean up the space that you have been using all winter. Use Physan or Chlorox to kill mold, mildew and bacteria on surfaces.

Clean up your plants
Start your plants in their new growing season all cleaned up and ready to go for the new year. Clean the leaves using vinegar or lemon juice to remove all built up mineral and fertilizer depostis. Check for pests and spray with a good systemic insecticide and also with an algicide and fungicide. Remove old sheaths and reposition your plants in their container. Stake the plants if necessary. Mark those that need repotting and do so as soon as new roots are about 1/2 inch long.

Spring is repotting time
Spring is the time to repot many of your orchids. One important note is that, with the exception of Paphs and Phrags, plants that are blooming or in bud should not be disturbed. Repot the plants as soon as they have finished blooming. Species and hybrids of Brassavola, Cymbidium, Oncidium, Paphs and Phrags, and most seedings should be repotted at this time.

Phal Inflorescences need staking
In many parts of the country, Phals are getting ready to bloom. Be sure to stake the inflorescences when they are about 6 inches, or 15 centimeters, high to produce well displayed flowers. Some growers recommend turning pots 180 degrees at this time to force the inflorescence to grow up and over the plant rather than out and away. If you turn your plants, be sure that you only do so once or the flower arrangement can be ruined.

Grow Native Orchids

Caring, Conservation

May 012010

by Susan Taylor
Originally published in BellaOnline

Grow Native Orchids in Your Garden

Believe it or not, you can grow native orchids in your gardens if you pick out those which grow in your area and you can provide them the right conditions. The most important point to remember is that you should never dig up wild orchids. It is virtually impossible to keep a dug up orchid alive once it is removed from its native environment and when it is done another rare and beautiful plant gets closer to extinction. This is one of the biggest dangers to our native plants. When wild populations are found they are often kept in strict secrecy because of the chance that they will be poached by those who want to sell them. Only buy from reputable dealers and ask to make sure that they are grown from seed in laboratory conditions.

There are a number of nurseries which now grow native orchids from seed to sell to those who can provide them a home. It is hoped that more and more people will become interested in trying to grow these natives so that the gene pool can be expanded and keep the plants from disappearing entirely.

Unlike hybrids which are bred for ease of growing and flowering, it is necessary to do a lot of research into which natives might work in your garden. One of the best groups in North America is Native Orchid Conservation Inc. A very active group with a lot of knowledge is the Slipper Orchid Alliance which has information about the Cypripedium orchids which are one of the most showy and widely distributed of the wild orchids. Australia has a large organization, the Australian Native Orchid Society, which provides information and conservation materials to those interested in their native orchids.

Florida, which has most species of native orchids in the United States, has its own site with information on their native orchids Florida’s Native and Naturalized Orchids and The Florida Native Native Plant Society which has a great database of plants, including orchids, which grow in the various counties in Florida. Many of the descriptions include sources for plants.

If you are both a gardener and an orchid grower, this is a great way to help out our native plants as well as introduce new and interesting plants to your garden. Many orchid societies are working with their state forestry organizations to grow and reintroduce native orchids to locations which have lost their original native populations. Growing these natives is a great way to help out and introduce friends, neighbors and families to the fact that orchids are not only tropical plants.

Mealy Bugs

Pests

Apr 012010

by Susan Taylor
Originally published in BellaOnline

Mealy bugs are one of the more serious of pests on orchids, fortunately they are less likely to appear in orchid collections. They are closely related to scale and are very similar in appearance to the juvenile form of that insect. Mealy bugs are somewhat larger and often have a slight yellowish or pinkish coloring both in the adults and the newly hatched insects. The adults do not have the hard shell of scales and are easier to kill.

They prefer to eat on roots deep in the media and are often only discovered when orchids are repotted although they will also attack other parts of the plant, especially under the leaves. They will also hide in depressions on pots, in sheaths and in newly emerging growth.

Prevention of the pests is based on the life cycle. The eggs are protected by a coated egg sac and hatch in approximately 10 days. The nymphs, or juveniles, are extremely mobile and will move among plants through direct movement, dispersal through wind or air movement, and by dropping from higher areas to lower plants. They will feed on a wide variety of hosts, only one of which is orchids. Infestations are often from insects on non-orchid plants which migrate. They usually have one or two egg laying cycles per season and will continue to do so in a protected indoor area such as a greenhouse.

It is very important to immediately start intervention as soon as these pests are spotted or they will spread rapidly and can overtake a collection in a matter of weeks. The short life cycle requires that treatments be applied multiple times at approximately 10 day intervals. For visible infestations on the underside of leaves, rubbing alcohol can be used or a spray with Neem Oil and some detergent, both of which will kill the insects. I prefer a systemic such as Bayer Rose and Flower Insect Killer which is applied at 30 day intervals and which kills pests which suck. It will kill both scale and mealy bugs.

Some growth regulators will work on mealy bugs and are effective for long term control of the pests, but do nothing for the adults or for the infestation already weakening your plants. They are fairly effective, but expensive for the home grower. Insecticides are available to control orchids and the best way to control the pests is to use a combined approach which kills the adults and inhibits the growth of the nymphs.

When using chemical compounds, always read the directions for use carefully and follow the recommendations for use. It is rarely useful to use more than recommended or to spray more often than suggested. Be careful to spray when plants are shaded and the temperature is not too cold or too hot since it can harm your plants.

Mounting Orchids

Caring

Mar 012010

Mounting Orchids by Annie Mezaros

I was apprehensive to say the least; the first time I decided I wanted to mount one of my orchids. I had realized that none of the directions or advise I had been following to grown my Tolumnia Ralph Yagi were working for me and I had decided upon mounting it as a last ditch effort to save it’s life. I didn’t think I had anything to lose except the plant itself, which was well on its way to plant heaven already. It was the best decision I could have made for that plant and I’m now successfully growing 7 Tolumnias as well as a lot of other miniature orchids on mounts. I do not grow any large plants of slabs, but only because I don’t have the space to hang them anywhere.

Making the decision to mount an orchid if you are a windowsill or under lights grower should take into consideration a number of different factors, such as whether you have enough humidity to keep the slab moist long enough for the roots to absorb water; are you willing and able to commit to watering the mount as often as it may require, even if that turns out to be everyday? Do you have an appropriate place to hang the plant where it will receive sufficient light? If you can provide the humidity (60% or more is ideal), space and commitment; growing orchids this way is very rewarding. Not only does mounting mimic the way orchids plants grow in nature, in many ways it’s actually easier to grow plants this way because you can see the condition of the roots and whether or not the plant needs to be watered. More orchids meet their maker due to the loving application of too much water than any other reason. This takes the guesswork out of whether or not to fetch the watering can.

1) Select the plant to be mounted taking into consideration its growth habit, ie. Does it sprawl out or stay compact, grow quickly or moderately? Does it need to stay moist or dry out quickly?

2) There are many materials you can use to mount your orchid on. The most common mounts used today are tree fern slabs, virgin cork bark and sticks. Paramount has tree fern slabs in various sizes and sticks are easy to come by, but it’s important to make sure to buy any online products from various suppliers in Canada and the US. I have used non-virgin cork bark with good results too. It’s sometimes available at pet stores where reptile supplies are sold. Just be sure to clean the cork very carefully if you buy it from a pet store.

3) Make you decision on what material to use based on what is available to you and the watering needs of the plant. Tree fern stays moist a lot longer than sticks and cork bark. If tree fern is not available, you can still use sticks or cork by attaching some moss under or on top of the roots.

4) Soak the mount and a small amount of moss overnight before using. Be sure to attach wire hooks or other material that will be used to hang the mount up before attaching the plant.

5) Carefully un-pot the plant removing as much growing medium as possible. Remove all dried up or mushy roots with a mild fungicide or dust them lightly with cinnamon if I have done any trimming to prevent rot or infection. Once again taking into consideration the growth habit of your orchid, lay the plant onto the mount, spreading the roots gently out on the surface. If you are using moss place a thin layer either under or on top of the roots. The great thing is that if you decide you have too much moss or too little, you can easily add or remove with little damage or disturbance to the plant. You will need to use some type of material initially to hold the plant onto the mount until the roots grab and hold on naturally.

Some of the things I have seem people use include fishing line, thin strips of nylon hosiery, wire, twist ties, staples, elastic bands, and even hot glue. Whatever you decide to use, just make sure that you don’t tie the roots to the mount so tightly that they are damaged. Use the minimum amount of tie-down that will hold the plant in place. Once the plant is established on the mount, you can remove whatever you used to hold it in place or leave it on if you want.

Don’t forget about the tag! If it doesn’t already have a hole in it, make a hole and using a piece of wire or fishing line, attach it to the mount. I usually hang: from the hook or you can drill a small hole in the mount and thread the wire for the tag through it. Place your newly mounted plant in shadier spot for the first 2 weeks while it adjusts to the new conditions. Water it carefully, making sure it doesn’t stay too wet or too dry. Only you will know through careful observation of the leaves and 6 roots, what is too wet or dry while the plant is getting used to its new growing condition. Then slowly move it every few days closer to its final destination until you have it where you want it to be.

Equitant oncidiums (Tolumnias) are great plants to try mounting for beginners. These plants like to dry out quickly and require a lot less humidity than many other types of orchids. A tip for overgrown mounts is that it’s unwise to even try removing the plant from its mount. It’s easier on both you and the plant to attach the whole works to a new mount in its entirety. The plant will soon cover th edges of the old material anyway. I’ve had some success prying off roots from sticks but I would only attempt to do that when there is plenty of new root growth just commencing.

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