Dendrobium Spectabile x sib. (Group: Latouria)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!!!

Water: drench media in AM- allow to dry throughout the day until rest period (see below)
Humidity: > or = 50%
Fertilizer: 20-20-20; reduce fertilizer in Oct.
Temp:  mid 80sº F during the day, 10- to 20º F drop at night
Light: 5-8,000 fc; summer 10-11,000 fc; AKA “Cattleya light”;
Air:  enjoys good air circulation- I have mine in this holey orchid pot. 
Rest: cooler and drier with reduced fertilizer starting in October
Flowering:  Blooms midwinter-early spring; Flowers at 4-5 yrs old and when it has 4-7 canes. Spikes emerge from black spots on the side of the canes.
Repotting: springtime after flowering; sphagnum moss or medium fir bark; since it grows so large, may need supportive staking
Propogate:  divide canes

Originally from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. We named ours "Alien". When the sunshine woke me up one morning, the light floated in paired with a floral scent equivalent to sweet sunshine. My Spectabile had finally bloomed ! This blessing arrived after over a month of watching a weird green alien spike emerge and creep out of black dot in the cane. These blooms hung around for over a month. When they finally dried, they became pretty dried specimens as well. Abundant nectar bejeweled the flower stalks. Go ahead - swipe a taste for floral flavored nectar.

Acquired 4/17/2014 from Kawamoto Orchids, Honolulu, HI

Other credited sources:

http://orchidsamore.com/tutorials/dendrobiun%20spectabile.htm

http://bursa-lukisan.blogspot.com/2009/12/dendrobium-spectabile.html

Fun with IPhone Macro Lens

Potinara Joy Sakabe “Shining” (Fusako Yamaoka x Lc. Irene Finney)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!!!

Water:  1-2x/wk (when media dry)

Humidity: 40-70%

Fertilizer:  20-20-20

Temp: Winter: day 60-70F, night no less than 55F; Summer: day 65-85F, night 60-65F

Light: 2,000 to 3,000 foot-candles (about 65-70% shade); Leaves should be a medium green color. Dark green foliage indicates too little light.

Air: do not allow breeze or draft over roots

Flowering: blooms last 3 weeks

Repotting: chopped bark, tree fern fiber, coconut husk chips, gravel or lava rock and even sphagnum moss; every 2-3 years in spring/summer; Place old growths near the edge of the pot and leading growths facing the center. Roots tend to grow upward, so the whole plant may need to be tilted with the leading growth tilted downward.

One whiff and the smell of the Shining haunted us for the rest of the day. Resistance was futile and we had to come home with this intoxicating scent. Perfumists were on hand at the SEPOS International Orchid Show capturing fragrances like this and hoping to reproduce them.

This is a Potinara which is (according to Wikipedia) a "nothogenus comprising those intergeneric hybrids of orchids which have Brassavola, Cattleya, Laelia and Sophronitis", AKA flower mutt.  Or alternatively bastard  which "Notho" in Greek. When a flower has so many parents, it is given a nothogenus name. Vocabulary, science, and orchids united in a learning adventure!

Plant from Waldor Orchids, Linwood,  NJ booth at the 2014 SEPOS International Orchid Show, Philadelphia, PA.

Information obtained from very detailed multipart series AOS Cattleya culture articles. 

Dendrobium Oriental Smile 'Fantasy' AD/AOS (Fukujyu x Yuubae)

Reportedly fragrant. Did not catch the scent during the last bloom. Plant from Waldor Orchids, Linwood,  NJ booth at the 2014 SEPOS International Orchid Show, Philadelphia, PA.

Maxillaria tenuifolia

PSEUDOBULBS AVAILABLE FOR SWAP- Message me below!

Water: every week
Humidity: high

Fertilizer:  every 1-2wks; 1/2 strength balanced fertilizer. 

Temp: > 50 º F (10º C)

Light: 5000 fc, bright windowsill, needs more to flower

Rest period: Oct/Nov/Dec-May.

Flowering: March-April, 7-10 days/longer if kept cool; single inflorescence off of pseudobulb

Repotting: osmunda, fir bark/mixes, coconut husk fiber or chunks, sphagnum mixed w/pumice+perlite; mounted on fern bark, basket; young roots are beige with a yellow tip and more mature roots are brown. Healthy roots turn green when watered. Avoid damage to protect bloom cycle.

Propogate:  Repotting clumps of pseudobulbs- best if there is new growth before removal

Last night, I dreamt of a shallow water ocean stroll bathed by a tropical sunset. Andre held one of my hands while I sipped a coconut-y pina colada with the other. I woke up refreshed!  I credit the scents of Maxillaria Tenuifloria aka the coconut orchid for this dream vacation tucked within my dreams. Maxilla = jaw in Latin and describes the jawbony structure of the petal. We just brought this guy home from the SEPOS International Festival this past weekend in Philadelphia. His homies kept wafting into our olfactory bulbs throughout the entire show. Now we keep him on bathroom duty above our toilet! As an aside- the SEPOS International Festival is a must see for any orchid enthusiast!

Do you have pearls of wisdom on this orchid? Share them in the comments below!

Discovered near Veracruz, Mexico 

 Mexico to Costa Rica at low elevations and up to 1500m (4921ft)

Tree photo courtesy of https://www.aos.org/

This orchid from http://www.waldor.com/ in Linwood, NJ (4/2014).

Other credited sources:
https://suite.io/abigail-jarvis/5cv52sb
http://orchidsamore.com/tutorials/Maxillaria%20tenuifloria.htm

Gastrochilus Retrocallus

Water: Mounted: Drench entire specimen whenever moss is dry. Potted: every 2-3 days

Humidity: High

Fertilizer: 20-20-20

Temperature: day: 70-80°F ; night: 10-15°F cooler

Light: mid-level light

Air: Mounted specimen allows easy airflow.

Flowering: Reportedly fragrant. I have not caught any scents from my specimen yet.

Repotting: Mounted is best; Pot: medium fir bark or sphagnum moss

This orchid has been undergoing an identity crisis. According to the February 2014 Genera Orchidacearum, this is now a Retrocalla. You might know it as Haraella retrocalla or Haraella odorata.

This native of Taiwan (my genetic motherland!) is another old faithful of a flower with constant eruptions of another bud behind every bloom. Mounted on a stick with moss affixed with fishing line.  I acquired my original stick mounted beauty at the 2013 GNYOS Orchid Auction (see pictures below). I since gifted that specimen to cousin Ben who owns a bright green thumb. However, he is an orchid neophyte. The ease of care and high yield rewards of this specimen made it a perfect starter orchid for him. Despite the joy of sharing, I felt a huge void in my collection and would not rest until I acquired another specimen from Andy's Orchids of Encinatas, CA at the Philadelphia Orchid Show in April 2014. 

Lives at elevations of 1000-2200m. 

Other References: https://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=397

Phalaenopsis: No ID

Pictures pending. Stayed in bloom for over 4 months! This orchid from Plants and Treasures in Sarasota, FL (4/2014).

(Laelia Purpurata x Cattleya intermedia coerulea) x Myrmecophila tibicinis

After a local wedding, I trekked over to St Pete’s Orchid Farm, St. Petersburg Florida in April 2014 to acquire my latest Google obsession: 
Myrmecophila tibicinis. However, coming face to face with a 4 foot flower spike woke me up to the realities of growing in a NYC apartment. 
While browsing a bareroot division bin, I noticed a diminutive plant sporting new growths and a nearly 4 foot name: 
(Laelia Purpurata x Cattleya intermedia coerulea) x Schomburgkia tibicinis. 
The magic words Schomburgkia tibicinis were irresistable, and the plant had to come home with me. It happily grew and grew and grew... 
Then somehow started dying. In a futile attempt, I cut off all nasty looking bits, repotted it in an air basket, and left it for dead in a sunless 
corner of the room. Last week... It surprised me with 4 fatty roots and a new growth crawling out from a stunted mass of dead bulbs. I 
chopped the dead bulbs out, bathed it in Physan 20, and now... I wait for the outcome. I reiterate.... I haven't lost anyone... Yet!

Another rename...Schomburgkia is the old name for Myrmecophila. The tag did not inform me of what the Nothogenus should be, 
if one exists. SO, I've invented my own for now... MyLaelioCattleya.  

Prosthechea cochleata

Patiently waiting for this guy to bloom for me. Acquired April 2014 St Pete’s Orchid Farm, St Petersburg, Florida.