วีดีโอ

Very cute analogy! I agree :)

I had to stand behind the camera -which I am not used to do- and I have to think about what I am saying and what I am showing at the same time... challenging as I wanted to focus on showing close ups of the flowers. I grow it like all Gongoras: very wet but I let approach dryness between watering, 2 fertilizations per week (above average) over the summer, shade. and thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

El sustrato es corteza de pino y roca esponjosa. La cesta es de madera maciza pero no sé de qué tipo.

@@orchidhouse muchas gracias por su respuesta

Thank you and good luck! Greetings to Sarasota! Beautiful city....

Google translate: Vanda orkidelerinin toprağa ihtiyacı yoktur. Kökleri her zaman açıkta kalmalı ve her seferinde kurumalıdır.

Very happy to hear this! Thank you for sharing!

Thank you!

Hi Tom. 1) I don't have problem with rot for 2 main reasons: 1.1) I live very close to the Ocean and in Ft Lauderdale, the ocean breeze chases storms inland. More importantly, my growing area enjoys great natural ventilation and I added several fans. 1.2) Subdue is an expensive but very effective fungicide. You can drench your collection once a month in the summer if you have issues with black rot. You can also add outdoor fans (few last long as even those that are outdoor rated really don't hold up well) Cutting immediately any affected tissue and disinfect with Hydrogen peroxide or Physan is a must. 2) I have constant issues with thrips as well and I manage to get them (mostly) under control. Every 6 days, I spray every single bud I have. I alternate Orthene with "Conserve" (which is spinosad) because bugs get used to a chemical and can become resistant to its use. By alternating products, you reduce the risk of resistance. Not sure why you say "Orthene kills good and bad"? You should not spray too often but once a week should work fine and kill nothing. I hope this helps. Cheers!

Gießen ist genügend

El agua de lluvia es la mejor

😊

My pleasure!

Thank you!

Merci beaucoup Pierre

Dreaming is great 🙂😊

I am not sure what you are referring to. Roots that are alive should be kept

Vielen Dank daß Sie meine videos begucken!

Es freut mich sehr :)

Ich hoffe daß Sie in diesem Jahr erfolgreich sein wird und viele Blumen haben :) Grüßsen nach Niedersachsen. Ich bin in Belgien geboren. Wir waren je Nachbarn LOL

@@orchidhouse Na das ist ja cool!! Aus Belgien! Ich schaue weiter fleißig ihre Videos! Cataseten sind auch meine Lieblinge. Vielen Dank!!

Thank you!

Once (twice a day in summer) by hand with rain water. Each watering is a proper soaking

I will try to shoot a video on that subject. I just water it by hand with rain water every day (twice in summer)

You are supposed to use tree fern fiber as a stand alone medium, not to mix it with other stuff. Green Barn Orchid Supplies in Delray Beach carries it. I believe they can mail orders? My first batch I bought from Graham Ramsey who wrote the article in AOS magazine from October 2020. You can try contacting him. grahamramsey.aos@gmail.com

That’s great info. I’ll have to read that article as I’m an AOS member. Thanks. You’re the man.

@@user-qe8vf3pu6v Page 774 October 2020 😊😊😊

Green Barn Orchid Supplies in Delray Beach. I believe they can mail orders? My first batch I bought form Graham Ramsey who wrote the article in AOS magazine from October 2020. You can try contacting him. grahamramsey.aos@gmail.com

@@orchidhouse thanks a lot😍

It is hard to say without seeing the plants and knowing more about your growing conditions. Also, I am no specialist of Orchids diseases which is an enormous field. If the roots are getting dry and thin, you may well need to water more??? Vandas need to be soaked every day If they lose leaves, it could also be because they don't have enough water? Also, In winter, a cold night in the 40'ies (which you do have regularly in St Pete I believe?) can cause Vandas to drop many leaves and look like Plam trees. Many Vandas should not be exposed to temperatures below 50 F but some species like denisoniana and tessellata will take temps in the 40'ies. On the other end, lamellata and sanderiana need 60 F or more. So it may not necessarily be fungus that explains your Vanda's plight although it is possible but water and temperatures are possible culprits as well. A common fungus on Vanda is "Thai crud" or "guignarda". It leaves black marks on the leaves. A Thyomil treatment repeated for a couple of months will kill the disease. You cannot cure the past damage but it will prevent any further extension. Guignarda though does not cause massive loss of leaves. I hope this helps....

@@orchidhouse Thank you!

Not yet. There are MANY different types of dendrobiums too....

Excellent lesson of history. I was not aware of the specifics of Dicksonia sellowiana in Brazil but I was told indeed that tree fern fiber was once super popular and then was outlawed because of over-harvesting worldwide. It had compeltely vanished form the orchid trade. That is why I put "new" between quotation marks in my first video. The one I find locally today comes from New Zealand and my understanding is that it is harvested responsibly with quotas to ensure sustainability??? New Zealand and Australia tend to be countries with high level of environmental protections. Its rarity explains its high price. Not sure where it is available besides the US? I believe it has been available here for only 2 or 3 years???

Mine comes from New Zealand and I believe it is the only available here in South Florida.

It is always best to pot orchids tightly as overpotting often leads to excessive moisture and root decay. The cycle of watering depends on the genus: Cycnoches, Mormodes and Cycnodes get watered as soon as they get dry (every 1 to 2 days). Oncidiums need a true wet and dry cycle. So I soak them real good once and then let them dry out entirely. When not in growth, I barely water them Gongoras should also be watered as soon as they approach dryness It looks like you are doing great with your Phals, so you probably don't need my advice but I would water them regularly since rot is not a concern in tree fern fiber. Good to hear from you as always!

Great video. I tried my phals in tree fern fiber and they are doing extremely well. I watered twice a week and no root rot. My phals are now spiking.

@@genizi Thanks for this comment. My phals seem to be doing well in this medium. I seem to be getting mixed results with oncidiums.

Thank you for correcting that lack of precision on my part. My point was that their flowering habit is different from all other Cattleyas who bloom from the top of a fully formed bulb but you are correct, I misspoke about the rhizome.

@@orchidhouse That is a very minor correction! The video and the plant are excellent! You earned a new subscriber!

Thank you! My porch is facing E/SE which is ideal

No "one size fits all"..... I use rain water (pure from a rain barrel) that I handspray every morning on some "important plants", mostly mounted. The rest gets watered with a hose (tap water) by hand. Sprinklers come on twice a week (in summer) and much less in winter. Some plants get watered every day, some once a week, some not a all during dormancy whcih can last months (catasetums, Dendrobium lindleyi etc..). Anti fungal treatment is done preventatively and individually. Once a plant stops flowering, I set it aside, groom it and spray for fungal issues, diseases and pests. So most plants get this once or twice a year. Feeding is done mostly on Sunday morning and I alternate different types of fertilizers. Over the winter, I may skip fertilizing if temperatures are low. Catasetums get fertilized several times a week over the summer and Vandas and Stanhopeas and Paraphalaenopsis get fertilized 2 or 3 times per week in summer. Every time, I use a weak dose of fertilizer. My porch faces E/SE which is ideal where I live.

If you are an AOS (American Orchid Society) member, the October 2020 magazine on page 774 explains everything you need to know about tree fern fiber.

Hi Tom. I like to use rain water on mounted plants and "important" plants. Rain water is what they get in nature and I expect it gives better results than our tap water full of chemicals. I have an 80 gallon rain barrel and I have to use a hand sprayer. So it takes up a lot of time but I enjoy doing it. I just have to limit the number of plants I use it on. My Paraphalaenopsis are very important to me and they need a lot of water and I always use rain water on them. I use rain water on the smaller Stanhopeas but bigger baskets are just too time consuming. Rain water has no nutrients hence the importance of fertilization. Catasetums, Stanhopeas, Vandas, Paraphalaenopsis are among the "hungriest" of the orchids I grow. All the others get "weakly/weekly" treatment. My philosophy on fertilizers is that it is just "icing on the cake". You need to get watering and light right and then fertilizing is just a plus. On its own, it is useless. As to the type of fertilizer, I am like you ....confused because every specialist has their own preferred product. I also wonder how you can really scientifically prove that one is better than the other. It is probably more empirical than scientific... So I rotate products that are easily available locally and well spoken of. A 20/20/20 fertilizer, a 15/5/15 with added Calcium and Magnesium, a bloom booster that may not do much but I use it once a month, and a product recommended by my preferred orchid supply store. I think that by rotating, I just increase my odds of success as certain orchids may prefer one or the other product. I also use seaweed (Kelp extract) once a month as a sort of vitamin. I don't believe you need to change the TYPE of fertilizer based on the time of year but you definitely need to adjust the AMOUNT of fertilizer you provide based on time of year. In winter, most orchids slow down or stop growing altogether and hence you should reduce fertilizing drastically. Dormant orchids like catasetums and some Dendrobiums should not be fertilized at all during the entire dormancy which can be months. Here in South Florida, I stop fertilizing all orchids if temperatures drop (below 70F/20 C during the day) which does not happen very often. Not sure where you live. In Summer you need to fertilize "hungry" orchids more. I hope this helps. Cheers.

Hi Olivier. I also collect rain water in one of those blue barrels. I have a Harbor Freight pump hooked up to it but it’s so noisy I hate to use it. I have two pump up sprayers,one for fertilizer and one for insecticide. As you say it’s time consuming but gives me that one on one time to look at each plant and look for problems. I read somewhere that from spring thru late in summer to use a high nitrogen blend of fertilizer, then thru end of summer thru fall a lower nitrogen /higher phosphorous and potassium blend for root growth, blooming, cell structure. That’s what I meant by different types at different times of the year. Also are you a never fertilize an orchid with dry roots believer? If I could figure out how to make it work every orchid I own would be on a mount. I really like the look of hanging plants.

@@user-qe8vf3pu6v Hi Tom, I totally agree that watering orchids individually by hand gives you the critical "one-on-one" time that allows you to spot problems or surprises (buds, roots etc..). To me, observation is a critical element of successful orchid growing. .....I also sometimes talk to them LOL. They might feel the love, who knows? I personally don't pay attention to fertilizer content based on the season. That does not mean I am right but I am not necessarily convinced that anyone truly knows. I am not a reference when it comes to fertilizing but my orchid collection is thriving, so I guess I am not doing damage LOL. As to fertilizing dry roots or pre-wetting before fertilizing, I usually water them first and then fertilize. There is some rational to believe that if the roots are well hydrated, they will be able to absorb the nutrients more readily? I have approx. 30% of my orchids that are mounted. That is a lot but, like you, I think it greatly enhances the beauty of the plants. Also an added bonus is they are not side-by-side on a bench exchanging pests and germs with their bench neighbor. I made a video on how to find room to hang and display more mounted orchids. That too is a matter of observation. When you look at your growing area, you can find different ways to make it work. th-cam.com/video/56rHbH1T81Q/w-d-xo.html Where do you live?

I spent 35 years living in southwest Ft. Lauderdale around the Riverland Road area until 10 years ago. I’m now living on Merritt Island in Brevard county just south of Kennedy Space Center.

How does your growing area correspond to the compass points as far as the sun your plants get. My house faces west and has brutal sun in the afternoon and evening.

Saludos amigo!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Lots of beautiful orchids in the Philippines

Thank you very much :))

Thank you very much!