BP SPECIES NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2001
- February Plant list available with new listings, emailed on
request
- www.speciesorchids.com our new domain
and web site.
- A. What's New in Flask, Dendrobium
albosanguineum, Vanda sanderiana "Jacqueline" FCC x self, Cattleya nobilior
amaliae, Dend bigiibbum superbum alba x alba "White Cooktown Orchid".
- B. What's Ready to
replate,Cattleya iricolor, Schomburgkia undulata, Coryanthes
bruckmuelleri
- C. What's New in Plants Coryanthes, Eulophiella, Mormodes.
.
- D. Culture. Seedlings from flask.
- E. Web Site www.ultra.net.au/~bporchid.New domain and web
page www.speciesorchids.com
- F. Humour. Kids
- G. Unsubscribe from this newsletter
Photos in this issue:
Cattleya iricolor ( left), Mormodes
liniata
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A.
What's New in flask.
Dendrobium albosanguineum, a softcane from
Burma with nearly 10 cm waxy cream flowers with 2 maroon eyes on the large
labellum.
Vanda sanderiana "Jacqueline" FCC x self, is a
selfing of a very fine original sanderiana.
Cattleya nobilior amaliae, is a semialba, but the
white is supposed to have a blueish flush, the lip a delicate pink.
Dend bigiibbum superbum alba x alba "White Cooktown
Orchid". Pure white phalananthe dendrobium species originally from Cooktown way,
North Queensland.
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B. What's ready to replate
NOW.
Cattleya iricolor, a yellow rather
Laelia looking species from Ecuador. Cattleya luteola
"Brazil" also yellow, but with more purple in the lip.
Schomburgkia undulata, a spectacular species with a 1.8 m
spike of large purple bronze flowers, from Central America. Stanhopea
jenischiana, they flower thru the bottom of a basket and grow like
weeds in spaghnam moss. Shooting up well is Coryanthes bruckmuelleri
, yellow and red Bucket Orchid flowers.
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C. What's new in
Plants.
Recently potted are quick growing plants of Coryanthes
leucocorys, a white and red flowered Bucket Orchid.
Eulophiella roempleriana are away, doing very well
in spaghnam/isolite 50/50 media.
Seedlings of Mormodes liniata are proving to be
good growers, also in the spagh/isolite. Photo right Mormodes
liniata
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D. Seedlings out of
Flask Well, you’ve
finally got your hot little hands on that hard to get orchid at long
last. Only trouble is, it’s in a bottle, and how
do you get it out of that and flowering in a six inch pot?? Not so easily as you
would hope. The little babies
are fragile and delicate, so check the bottle to see if they are big enough to
come out. If not, place the flask in a well lighted area, near a southern or
northern window, but out of direct sunlight which will cook the
seedlings. When the
seedlings are large enough for you to handle, harden them off by placing the
flask under about 90% shade, DRY, for several days. Again, closer to a window
for the extra light will do. Prepare your work
area with a sheet of clean newspaper on the bench. Make sure the pot is clean,
and the potting media is sterile. Good results
have been had using a mix of shredded spaghnam moss and isolite ( coolite)
1:1. Microwave the moss first, in an oven bag, damp. Peat moss should be
sterilised wet in an oven bag, 10 minutes in the microwave, if perlite and peat
moss is your choice. The biggest
danger to flask seedlings is soil and water borne pathogens, so keep everything
clean. Remove the
seedlings from the bottle, either by washing them out or breaking the bottle.
Wash the seedlings in warm water, not cold, so that all agar gel is removed.
Place the seedlings on a clean sheet of newspaper and allow to dry to
dampness. With a small pot
well crocked, pot the seedlings together into a community pot. They like to be
together, and will do better this way than potted singly. About an inch of
potting media is all that is required. Water the pot well, and allow to
drain.
There is a product called "Envy", which can then be sprayed onto the seedlings.
This coats the leaves and helps prevent the seedlings drying out. It is an aid,
not an essential. To protect the
seedlings, it is a good idea to use a humidity crib. A coolite box with two
inches of wet sand in the bottom and a sheet of glass over the top will do, sit
the pot of seedlings on the wet sand. Cling wrap can also be used, with a few
holes punched in it to allow air movement. If a sheet of glass is used, ensure
it is not sealing the top of the box, as some ventilation is needed. A few
notches cut into the box will allow air in. Most seedlings
die from Too Much Water. For the next few days, very lightly mist the
leaves. Keep the seedlings in heavy shade. Frequent light misting will prevent
dehydration and encourage new root growth, without keeping the media wet.
After a
few days, the cover can be partly removed and the seedlings watered so that they
are just damp but not wet. Hormone formula and very weak fertiliser can then be
used, and as the seedlings establish, the cover can be removed
altogether. For the
first couple of weeks, fungicides should not be used on the seedlings, as a
growth inhibiting effect can be caused by fungicides. If there is a problem with
fungus or mould, it means the conditions are too wet, so cut water, ensure
ventilation is sufficient, and let the seedlings dry out a bit. In fact, most
fungus problems in an orchid house can be fixed by reducing water and increasing
ventilation. Once the
seedlings are established and grown to their second lead or new larger leaf,
they can be potted singly into small pots. One local orchid grower whose name I
wont mention, leaves several seedlings in the one pot (or basket), and when
Alf’s Barkerias flower, there is an instant specimen display. Growing seedlings
from flask is a techinique to be learned,and once mastered, can be very
rewarding, especially when YOUR babies start to flower. Text & photo Ian
Walters. May be reproduced provided source acknowledged.
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E. Web
page.
Check out our web
page www.ultra.net.au/~bporchid
Year 2000 winner of “Linda the Orchid Lady” award
.Coming up is the new web page for
Burleigh Park Orchid Nursery, www.speciesorchids.com The web page is constantly under revision and
you will find heaps of colour photos, articles on species in cultivation and in
the wild, plus links to other interesting species orchids, and more
photographs.
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F.
Humour.KIDS!. A
lady and her infant boarded the bus and sat down. The conductor came along,
collected the fare and said, "Good God madam, what an ugly child".
The lady freaked out, and the women sitting
next to her said " Don't let him talk to you like that dear, get up and hit him
with your handbag, I’ll hold your monkey". Someones definition, Insanity is hereditary, you catch it
from your kids. Two
year old child; a 2 foot being with an 8 foot reach. Out of the mouths... Singer
on stage, "I insured my voice for a million dollars". Child in audience, "So what did you do with the
money?"
TOP
G.
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TOP
Yours in
orchids,
Ian and Pat Walters, Burleigh
Park Orchid Nursery
54 Hammond Way, Thuringowa,
Australia 4815
Email us at bporchid@ultra.net.au
www.ultra.net.au/~bporchid
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