Don't forget my Indonesian. The government sent to Monterey for a year's worth of total emersion in Bahasa before shipping me off for three years in Jakarta. I haven't practiced that one for a few years.

Jim

Yikes, Indonesian! When were you there? Marsh spent months back and forth to Indonesia in 1995 - 97. His employer wanted to move us to Singapore so he could manage their business from there but we declined, he quit and we started our own business.

I'm sure I'd love Singapore now, but back then we had kids in school. Wasn't happening.

Well, look at you all polyglot!! I speak English still with a bit of a German accent, but after spending the first week in Germany last month I was told that my German was accent free! So there!
I have been told that I write with a German accent.....

We were in Indonesia from 1986 to 1989. I worked all over SE Asia, especially Thailand and Malaysia. That was before I was into orchids. What a shame that is!

Jim

I'll say! Would have been tough packing a whole collection of orchids around with you of course.

Jim, may be a good thing you were not in orchids yet then, you might have stayed there if you had a vast collection.

I could well have stayed in Thailand. What wonderful people the Thais are!

Jim

I agree, Jim. If you were into tropical plants, and orchids specifically, you would now have a great tan and speak Thai as your primary language.

Vanda Pachara Delight (blue) 3rd week-end

Blooms almost gone but I don't have the heart to cut the blooms yet. Took this baby out of the vase since I found some tiny roots that are getting brown...main roots are otherwise healthy looking. Can't help wonder if giving it a tiny dose of fertilizer accelerated the bloom drop.

Vanda Pachara Delight Pink

Last week



This weekend, I soaked the roots in the vase and transferred it to a ceramic candle vase with holes for ease of display while still in bloom but hoping roots can still breath.

More likely if you kept it (the blue one) in the house, the cooler and dry air might have made the flowers not last quite as long. Got to figure that in nature the plants get regular fertilizer falling from the tree canopy or wherever . . .

My Vanda Jairak Heartthrob lasted almost a month in July/August heat and direct sun through the cage. I also fertilized it at least 3 times while it had flowers.

You might want to attach it to a wire hanger or something and hang it up to let those roots dry out for a day or two. Looks like some of them might have algae growing on them. Mine get that a little bit sometimes too, but lately I've been letting them dry out for a day or two every few weeks and that seems to help the plant keep its roots clean. Good wetting, and good drying are both pretty critical to healthy Vandas, from what I'm reading.

Elaine for a great info. The blue is now out of the vase and hanging on my wire rack. I've been misting it daily...which could be the problem.

The blue was blooming for at least week in Publix before I purchased it.

Well, they do like lots of water, actually. Most days my Vandas get doused with the hose in the morning, if its not going to rain. They are right out at the top of the cage so they get all the rain, too. But unless it rains late in the day, they dry out nicely by nightfall because they get a good breeze up there.

So misting every day should be fine, and a thorough watering even better as long as the roots get to dry out by night time. That's why most people grow them with the roots hanging down and waving in the breeze, completely bare, I guess. Good air flow. The roots should be fat and shiny and green when they're wet, and dry to a corky, almost white color.

Tomorrow mine will all get Epsom Salts and potassium nitrate in the sprayer, if the rain allows. We'll see!

Do you give it Epsom salt even if it has bloom? I've never used Epsom salt on any of my plants but I have a big bag of it.

What does potassium nitrate do and where can you buy it?

Once the weather is cooler, I will hang them outside on my small oak tree. Right now, the intense heat, plus being kept inside for quite some time, will surely burn their leaves. Once acclimated outside, I want to give them more sun. I don't have a lot of shade, most of my plants are full sun loving plants or have adopted to a full sun.

I just dosed all my plumeria with Epsom Salt (mag.) yesterday. When there is a lot of heat, and since all mine are potted, at the first sign of leaf stress and some yellowing, they get their mag. supplement. I will spray all my orchids with the solution when they come inside for the fall/winter months and then repeat the application in Jan. Blooming really doesn't matter.

Ken, I've never used them on my plumerias too!

Gigi, the potassium nitrate is a fert supplement suggested in Mr. Motes' book which I am reading through for the second time. It is a fert with no phosphorus at all, analysis is 13 - 0 - 43. He claims the phosphorus in regular fertilizer binds to the magnesium in the Epsom salts so you shouldn't mix them or spray them together.

So once a month from now on my orchids will get this mix. Hm, maybe the plumies too . ..

Would you then not expect to see very green plants and fat roots, but not so many blooms?