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The thread "Our Orchid blooms in February 2016" in Orchids forum

Today is March 1. and with that we start the new Bloom (and some Chat ) thread!
I will begin with my Ctt Rojo, which will be blooming all through March. (can Lc Fire Dance 'Patricia' be far behind ?)

Phrag Allison Strohm opened a second spike

Some of my Tolumnias, Genting something - I probably should have given them right away new tags, these here are all washed out.
I like them a lot, but keeping them free of Scale is a bit of a challenge. They don't take kindly to the All Seasons Horticultural Spray Oil. Any fan sprayed with this, will die off on me. So during the Winter, I simply check them often and remove any "white dot" by hand before they multiply.

And there is the Vanda tricolor suavis opening

And lastly my Jumellea comorensis - this one is big enough to bloom pretty much year around. It had a bit of die-back last Summer, but this Winter inside it added again a lot of new growth. The blooms smell cinnamony, very nice.

And with the sun streaming


Ok that's it for today! Please all join in and post away!

Lovely start to the month, Ursula. I do love the Rojo, and of course look forward to 'Patricia'. My " . . . Treat" (which is either Blazing Treat or Trick or Treat, the top half of the tag broke off and is gone . . ) has a big fat new spike.

Sounds good Elaine! It will be a Treat to see with either name!

. . and I think I'll be able to tell which one it is once the flowers show. Blazing Treat is more red.

Interesting - Ctt Blazing Treat is Rojo x Trick or Treat.
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/horticu...

Those Tolumnia look so much like the Oncidiums I grow. What's the difference, Ursula?

Wow, Ursula, what a show! I love them all!

The color of that Rojo...and the beautiful phrag that I can only drool over! I didn't realize the flowers of Tolumnia's look so much like the dancing lady oncidiums...and the coloring on that Vanda is so unique!

But my favorite is the Jumellia....look at the spurs on that thing! I did notice while looking at your pictures of it that it appears to be overflowing the basket/mount(?) and it got me very concerned...I believe it would be SO much better for the plant if you divided it...and I would be willing to sacrifice some of MY orchid space to house one of your divisions for you...just to help you out, of course! Seriously, that is just beautiful! I would LOVE to smell it! Wouldn't it be great if we had a 'scratch & sniff' page on this website?!

Ken, Tolumnias used to be called Equitant Oncidiums. These stay compact and smallish, don't have Pseudobulbs and in general are easy plants to grow and bloom. I give them bright light /sunshine, water daily with rain water and watch for bugs.

Patty, thanks. I will look what I can do this Spring with that Jumellea, clipping some pieces and getting them established.

Thanks, Ursula. My Oncidiums have big ole pseudobulbs.

Ken, these are minis, easily manageable!

What a beautiful way to kick off March, Ursula. They are all gorgeous! But I'm especially in love with the Phrag! A shame that I hear they are impossible to grow down here.

My Phals are still blooming strong, but my only "named" one is just starting up for me. This is Phal 'Sogo David'.

Don't entice me, Ursula. Like I need more orchids?

Ken, it is a pleasure!

Thanks Tara, I love your Phal!

as always, Ursula, what a great start for the March thread. I did look back at the February last few posts and I hope to see a repeat post here. Spring is almost here!

My wife recently got me this orchid, a flower I've not had much success with in recent years. It had no info with it except to water it with 3 ice cubes. Can any of you more familiar with the species give me any info or name to it?

@jmorth, that is a Phalaenopsis aka "Moth Orchid". If there is no label with the plant you'll never be able to put a name to her. Phal. have been so hybridized by large commercial growers (who sell to the big-box stores) over the last decade or so, that there are now hundreds of varieties (perhaps 1000's ).

First thing you need to do is never, ever put ice on your orchids. Would you like your feet to be immersed in ice? Secondly, your plant may well be in sphagnum moss and that is far too water-retentive for most (beginning) growers to deal with. Re-pot your plant in orchid media, and you can purchase a small bag at any big-box store. Get the Phal. mix. Thirdly, be absolutely sure the pot your orchid is in has plenty of nice, big drainage holes. You don't want your plant to have wet-feet. 90% of orchids are killed by over-watering, so when in doubt, wait a few days before watering.

In my hands, Phal. are a bit more difficult to grow than the vast majority of orchids. I prefer the Cattleya Alliance.

Good luck.

It's a gorgeous Phalaenopsis. Please do NOT water it with ice cubes! Room temperature water, and a thorough douse about once a week (or more often as it gets warmer) will keep it much happier. Stick your finger in about the top inch or so of the medium it's growing in. If it feels almost dry down that far, its time to water.

Here's a link from the AOS on Phal care: http://www.aos.org/Default.asp...

We're always happy to help out with questions, of course.

I have had 5 Tolumnia's and killed them all...never had trouble with bugs..so I'm guessing it's operator error , on my part...they are the cutest little plants with adorable dancing lady like flowers. Ken, the plant kind of looks like a very small air plant.
Tara...gorgeous colors on your 'Sogo'
JMorth...I was given a mixed planter with a Phalenopsis..and 2 tropical plants , all planted in sphagnum in a non draining planter...it was VERY pretty and I ended up watering it once a month. .. that was back in September...and it's still in bloom. Since you have so many fabulous buds on the way with your pretty plant..I might wait to repot it into more suitable mix..they sell a decent one at Lowes or HD along with a clay orchid pot that has the slits on the sides. When it has finished flowering..you can pick out the sphagnum and it's easier to do when it's wet..or use a hose sprayer set on JET...and flush the moss out. How thoughtful of your wife to give you such a pretty gift!

Thank you both for swift response and excellent cultural advise. I'll put your recommendation into effect tonight. I'll have to see what I've got in the basement plant supply stock that is suitable. I'd thought about giving orchids a shot after seeing a roomful at a Mobot show in St Louis awhile back and did purchase some orchid stuff in their gift shop at that time.

and you too, lindsey...