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2005 Archived Messages


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MONTHDATEDATEDATEDATEMONTHDATEDATEDATEDATE
January 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-31 February 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-28
March 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-31 April 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-30
May 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-31 June 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-30
July 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-31 August 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-31
September 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-30 October 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-31
November 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-30 December 1-7 8-14 15-21 22-31

November 9—14

From: jan
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Off subject: hurricanes - and people's beliefs
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 06:45

Dear Geoff,

I don't have a need to convince you about my viewpoint. I have stated my
reasons for believing that we are headed for serious trouble with
climate change, and I perceive that nothing I say will convince you.

I have never heard of Magnus Magnusson, but if he predicted something
about 1990, he must have done so a while before, say in the 70'es, am I
right? Anyway, a couple of points are worth taking into account:

1. The computers we have now are far more powerful than what they had
then; if you have something like a PDA, it is probably more powerful
than most computers using in most scientific establishments 20 years
ago. This means that we are now able run simulations that they wouldn't
even have contemplated the theory of back then.

2. Science has progressed in all areas, especially in computer
simulations. This is the main reason that we can now send probes to Mars
and beyond. The complexity of climate models is not greater than the
majority of models that are used in many other areas.

My guess is that Mr Magnusson took a few observations, put them together
in a new, simplified way and went out to make a fool of himself; there's
a few, even among scientists, that are willing to disregard common sense
like that.

The reason I 'believe in climate change' to put it like that is that the
majority of those who know what they're talking about and have the
evidence to back it up, agree that it is happening. And before you pull
another professor out of the sleeve, I feel confident that I am in a
position to judge this. I am a mathematician by education (University of
Aarhus, Denmark), so I actually know what kind of mathematics goes into
a climate model, although I don't know the details. I have worked
professionally with computers for over 20 years now, so I know what a
computer is and what it can do. And last bu not least, having a
scientific education means that I can evaluate the scientific merits of
scientific papers and the articles that appear in the more popular press.

As I said - I don't have a need to convince anybody. There's not much
that a single person can do to change things; in fact, there is good
reasons to suspect that we may already have passed the point of no
return a while ago, and we'll just have to take what lies ahead. The
best we can do is try to be prepared.

/jan

------------------------------------------------------------------

From: jan
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Off subject: hurricanes - and people's beliefs
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 07:00

Jon Loose wrote:

> We could halve the total global requirement for fuel by halving the
> number of people (not easy)...

Hi Jon,

We could achieve a lot with less than that, fortunately. I think we
could probably save more than half of our energy simply by not wasting
it stupidly. For example, have a look around in a supermarket - every
shelf is full of things in plastic wrappers. Plastic wrappers are made
from oil, basically, and their only purpose in life is to be ripped of
and thrown away. There's a lot of examples like that - Tesco apparently
drives their bananas back and forth between Portsmouth and Liverpool (or
something like that) several times before they even think of
distributing them to the shops. Etc etc.

As far as I can see, we could save a lot of energy without even feeling
any hardship. On top of that we could do away with a lot of stupid
luxuries - by stupid luxuries I mean the kind of things that we don't
need (that's the luxury part) and which we don't even enjoy (which is
the stupid part). For me that would be TV - I'm lucky to find just one
program in a week that I genuinely enjoy. Perhaps I should take the
consequence and toss it out (yes, I may be an idealist, but I'm not
perfect).

/jan

----------------------------------------------------------------

From: Ronald Newstead
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] RE: Not Dracula! but Xanthopea or macrosilia.
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 09:05

The impossible at once, miracles a little longer"?
It's been around a long time. I first used it for my company in 1967!

Ron

John W Stanley wrote:

And next; do you know who first coined the phrase, close to yours "The
impossible at once, miracles a little longer"?

------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Andy Mckeown
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Off subject: hurricanes - and people's beliefs
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 09:30

My belief is that you could continue off list!

Andy

-------------------------------------------------------------

From: John W Stanley
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: (Really?) Off Subject; - hurricanes and climate forecasting
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 11:10

Yes Geoff, I'd agree on that.

The principle of attempting long term predictions from a (geological)
instant in time is a bit like predicting a film's conclusion after seeing
two or three frames. On the other hand, we know that Earth has been through
a series of glacial and interglacial cycles in the recent past (several
hundreds of thousands of years) not to mention global climate changes over
longer term geological time (millions or billions of years), and it is pure
arrogance on our part to think that there is some inherent stability in the
present condition and that such cycles are over and done with just for our
benefit.. I'd bet we're in an interglacial just now and that, sure as 'eggs
is eggs' it'll eventually be followed by a glacial phase. The other
intriguing thought is that 'global warming' (or to be more precise, global
atmospheric energy increase) could precipitate a glaciation and not
necessarily prevent one! Whether or not you believe the present indications
to be for permanent global change (whatever that is) or that any changes are
human-induced by 'greenhouse' emissions, would you seriously put your money
on a 'forever after' stability of climate? (assuming, of course, that you'd
be likely to live long enough to witness the event!). One problem is that
those with axes to grind have to 'sell' their anxiety and most folks
naturally think that global warming simply means 'getting warmer' if only
life was so simple.

Incidentally, I wonder why we use the term 'Greenhouse effect' at all when
even greenhouses don't retain their warmth by the so called 'greenhouse
effect' but simply by inhibiting convective warm air escape?

Not so sure that we are off topic; soon be having epiphytic orchids up my
Ginkgo! Now where're my pith helmet and kahki shorts?
John Stanley

-------------------------------------------------------------

From: francis quesada pallares
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Off subject: hurricanes - and people's beliefs
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 11:35

I am just going to but in with my two pennies on the
subject.

We seem to be going roun don circles on a subject
that, unfortunately, is not well understood and, also,
seems to be cyclic... "climate change".

Although global warming and then global cooling
happens in a cyclic way (i.e. ice ages, like in the
Holocene, and greenhouse ages, like in the
Creataceous), the truth is that global warming seems
to have been accelerated ever since the industrial
revolution and the discovery of energy generation from
fossil fuels. Albeit the change in Global Mean
Temperature (GMT) over the past centuries might not
amount to much (some say is just about 1-2 degrees C),
the evidence is that a change in as little as 5
degrees C caused past massive extinctions like the
ones that killed most of the marine creatures in the
Permian, and the one that killed the dinosaurs in the
Cretacious/Tertiary. There have been 5 massive
extinctions like this in the past (some say there have
been 6 or even more), and although not well
understood, some seem to be linked to a GMT change.
And remember that GMT is not just measured over a one
year period, but you need to take into account the
general trend for the past few centuries.

I am not sure I have explained this as well as I
intended, but I think most of you will get the jist of
it.

Francis.

-------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Schoonjans, Peter-Dieter \(IT\)"
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Jana's Beer medicine.
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 13:40

Is it not the yeast which contains the vitamin B1? Why not just put
some yeast (tablets) in the water? Those don't contain the alcohol
which makes vitamin B1 intake less effective (at least in humans).

Peter.

Jana Zommer wrote:

Rocky hello,
about pumpkin i`ve heard first time! :) but if you use beer for orchid
it would be "alive" and unfiltered.
All the best,
jana

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: Geoffrey Hands
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Off subject: hurricanes - and people's beliefs
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 16:45

Magnus Magnusson was a sort of heavyweight Johnathan Dimbleby ( heard of him
? ) - a BBC presenter of serious programmes like Panorama. He did this
Panorama (?) special on the subject , and of course the BBC has access to a
lot of scientific reources.. And what I'm saying was that his programme said
that the next ice age was coming far quicker than anyone had thought, within
the next few years - based on "best scientific belief" at the time. And now
they say the opposite.

But I think we should end this subject, for whilst its OK to have the odd
"off subject" message, that ceases to apply if it develops into a
long-running correspondence, It is not the right place.

Geoff.

jan wrote:

Dear Geoff,

I don't have a need to convince you about my viewpoint. I have stated my
reasons for believing that we are headed for serious trouble with climate
change, and I perceive that nothing I say will convince you.

I have never heard of Magnus Magnusson, but if he predicted something about
1990, he must have done so a while before, say in the 70'es, am I right?

[Snip]

---------------------------------------------------------------

From: dennis READ
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Off subject: hurricanes - and people's beliefs
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 19:10

Agreed. This group is concerned with orchids. None of us will change the
worlds thinking via this list. Regards

"Andy Mckeown" wrote:

> My belief is that you could continue off list!

--------------------------------------------------------------

From: List Owner
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Off subject: hurricanes - and people's beliefs
Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 21:55

Moderator's note:

The subject is now closed.

--
Tricia
Orchid-Talk list owner

-------------------------------------------------------------

From: P G Hieke
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Flower spotting
Date: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 06:40

It is the humidity combined with low temperature.
There are 2 ways, reduce the humidity or increase the temperature.
I had the same problem with my Phallies. Last winter I increased the nigh=
t
temperature to 20/22=BAC which automatically lowered the humidity and all
my flowers were spot free.
I know it is expensive, but there is no other way.
Kind regards
Peter from Bloubergstrand

-------------------------------------------------------------

From: P G Hieke
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Names please
Date: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 06:45

Hi Ron N,
Is the attached picture the right flower?
Regards
Peter from Bloubergstrand

-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Geoffrey Hands
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Flower spotting
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 08:55

I now recall discussing this with Ray Bilton ( Orchid Answers, nowadays) and
he told me that in the winter he has to open the ventilators to reduce
humidity and turn up the boiler so as to maintain his temperatures -
expensive , yes - but who wants to buy his plants with spotted flowers ? (
at his prices too - Ray always sells superb plants, but never sells cheap
plants )

Geoff.

-------------------------------------------------------------

From: Geoffrey Hands
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: some flowers
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:10

Three vandaceous orchids.

I am particularly delighted with Boxallii which is a first flowering ( ever)
for me - about 20 flpowers on the spike , but of course not saucer size -
maybe 3 or almost 4 cm. . The sanderiana is a first flowering on this
plant which I bought this year , and maybe it will do better on a more
established plant. - the 5-6 cm flowers could certainly be much larger .
The Asco' looks to have maybe 30 flowers when all open, and I suspect that
it is actually a hybrid not the true species - the colour is a little paler
and the flowers a little larger than I have seen before too - although I
have heard that the ones I remember from my salad days were Indian plants
and those today are Thailand and maybe a different race ?

Geoffrey Hands

------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Alan Garner
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Dendrobiums
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 09:45

Hi!
Every so often I do an audit of our orchids to bring the records up to date
and to make sure that we have not missed badly growing plants,unwanted
animals etc. Letting my mind wander,as one does, I was aware of the wide
spectrum of dendrobiums we have-warm,cool,intermediate,big,small,deciduous,
evergreen -and was led down the mine field of trying to work out what basic
connection makes a dendrobium a dendrobium. Has any one found a simple
answer- I am too old to take in all the complications of taxonomy!

--

Boss

-------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Ronald Newstead
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Names, please
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 11:55

Thanks, Peter from Bloubergstrand.
As you will see, I hope, from the attached photos, the flowers on my plant
are very similar to yours but there is what appears to be a bit of ribbing
on the landing pad of mine and I could not see this on yours. I apologise
for the rather poor quality but my wife returns from the UK on Sunday and I
want to clear my desk before she gets back and berates me for being untidy -
which, sadly, is all too true!

Ron

------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "SKELLAM, Richard"
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: New greenhouse
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 14:25

Having found this list on a Google search I must say I was impressed by
the willingness to share such valuable experience. As a relative
newcomer to orchid growing (not even halfway to killing 10000 orchids) I
hope that I will be tolerated with what may be elementary questions.

I presently grow my orchids in a west facing lean-to greenhouse in two
sections (intermediate and cool), but it does overheat in summer and is
already very crowded, so I need to expand!.

I am fortunate to have acquired a second hand cedar greenhouse
(dismantled) 45 x 15 ft , in three sections. It has an oil fired hot air
heating system. My concerns are first with the provision of a site,
services and foundations. Any advice on the following would be very much
appreciated.

How far should the greenhouse be suited from deciduous woodland? Books
suggest an open but sheltered site, but I have also been told that shade
from trees is beneficial.

Should the greenhouse be partially below ground? On its previous site
the greenhouse was dug into the ground (by a depth of three concrete
blocks). I understand that this should help maintain an even temperature
and humidity. ...and what about that hot air heating system?

What should the floor be made of?. My present greenhouse has a floor
entirely covered in 2ft square concrete flags, with a drain at its
lowest point. I find this very useful in hosing down the floor to keep
it clean. The alternative is a concrete path and under bench chippings,
to improve humidity, which has been a problem (too low), but is it
difficult to keep clean?

How about insulation? Surely this should be as much as possible? I could
lay insulation under the floor, but then would need to keep it dry with
a membrane (above as well as below ) which would then prevent the
humidifying effect of being below ground. Since the heating has to be
oil (I did look at a heat pump - UKP3500!) cost & the environment surely
dictate that insulation should take priority.
2
With respect to humidity, the discussion on foggers in previous
newsletters was very interesting. I did improve the situation in my
present greenhouse using a mist-n-cool set of nozzles connected to the
mains water supply and controlled by a humidistat. ( I needed to add a
burst timer to avoid filling the greenhouse with water tho!)
The Jaybird Atomiser system (direct from USA) sounds the best bet,
particularly with respect to the reliability claimed by the
manufacturer, (who I notice have stopped supplying the ceramic disc
system). Lack of a nice tropical feeling fog sounds a disappointment ,
but more significantly, how would I overcome the need for three
systems, for the three greenhouse sections? I did hear about use of a
pressure washer with oil boiler pressure nozzles to provide a good mist
- B&Q are doing a 70 bar pressure washer at UKP29 , so it might be worth
a try - any ideas?

This has become a lot longer and more involved than I originally
intended, but I am sure all you orchid growers can cope, or you wouldn't
be orchid growers!. s

--------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Geoffrey Hands
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: Dendrobiums
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:15

What is wanted ( and I don't know where to find it) to answer this question
is a key to the entire family of orchids . I expect you know the way
botanical keys work , and if there is anyone out there reading this who does
not, then an explanation is below which may help. In the past , I onced
asked a taxonomic chap (Guido Braeme) who was publishing a series of books
on Paphs, what distinguisehes the four genera in the slippers ( Paphs, Cyps,
Phrags, Selenepedium ) but I nwevr got a proper answer at all....
Of course we all know a dendrobe when we see one , or think we do, but even
so, some plants are vegetatively similar ( Ansellia for example) and some
are very different anyway ( speciosum, senile, lindleyii...) but I think
modern botanists are tending to shift a lot of them intop different genera
anyway.

In a botanical key there are usually two paired questions, like, "upper
leaves fused round stem" - go to question 2 / "leaves not fused round stem,
bracts present", go to question 3.
Then Q2 may be , "umbels with 4-8 rays"... And you get the name Bupleurum
rotundiflium. Or " umbels with 2-3 rays", B. subovatum. Q3 is then "firmly
rooted perennial" - go to Q5 / "easily uprooted annual" , go to Q6 and so
on... By the time you have workled your way through enough questgions , you
get to the name of the plant you are looking at. But they need an awful lot
of knowledge and time to set out, and call for a lot of knowledge to use ; I
have to look a lot of words up in the glossary when I use one ! But like I
say, I don't know a key to the genera of the orchids. If there is one, I
should be interested to hear.

Geoff.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dr Chong-Yee Khoo
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: Dendrobiums
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:30

Just off the top of my head:

- four pollinia in two pairs
- naked pollinia without caudicles
- generally epiphytic or lithophytic
- mentum and column foot

Regards,

Chong-Yee

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: nancy
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: what makes a dendrobium a dendrobium?
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 18:10

Hi Alan -
I'm glad I'm not a taxonomist! I wonder the same thing
about almost *every* genera - e.g., why is Angraecum
distichum (miniature, clumping 'braided' foliage,
single flowers) in the same family with sesquipedale
(big honkin' vanda-looking plant, with a great long
inflorescence with many flowers with astonishingly
long spurs)?
It's a mystery.
Regards - Nancy

~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me,
but I think she enjoyed it."
---Mark Twain

--------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Sharon Williams
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: zygo problems again
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:10

Hello all: Thanks to your good advise this spring, my zygo put up 4 new growths that looked very healthy when I brought them in from the gh at the middle of Oct. They went into my grow room under HPS at the edge of the table, not right underneath. The room has large south windows, but the plant is 6' from the window under the light. The room is 50-65% humidity, temps range from 24C to 14C daily. It is in s/h in gemma stones, and the reservoir always has some water in it. I have noticed this week that there is black spotting on the oldest growth, and now on one of the new growths. This seems to be spreading. I sprayed with Physan a couple of days ago, and brushed some on the spotting again today. I have attached a photo so you can see for yourself. The spots aren't wet nor necessarily pitted. This is how I lost all the growths last winter, so if someone could please advise me I would be very gratefully.
Cheers
Sharon in Calgary

----------------------------------------------------------------

From: aeranthes2
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: greenhouse
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:45

Welcome to our group Richard. I'll leave the more technical details to other members with more expertise in the technical aspects of greenhouses as I rely on my husband and a friend to do the hard work for me:) I do have a Jaybird humidifier though and am pleased with it. I know a couple of others in the group too. One thing to beware of if you do not live in U.S.A. is the import tax. I had a shock when it was delivered to be faced with a hefty bill although I can't remember the exact sum it was somewhere around £50 I think which knocked up the price considerably. Jean

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: aeranthes2
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: photos
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:45

I like the lighting on your dendrobium photos Ron N I think they appear very artisitic. Jean

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: aeranthes2
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Geoff
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 19:50

Fantastic orchid Geoff! I'm green with envy! Jean

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dr Chong-Yee Khoo
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] zygo problems again
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 2005 23:10

Unfortunately, the black spotting is something that "just happens" with Zygos - not much you can do as far as I understand. Chong-Yee

----------------------------------------------------------------

From: Geoffrey Hands
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] what makes a dendrobium a dendrobium?
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 08:50

I expect you know the answer Nancy , but just in case not, the flowring
plants are allotted to genera on the basis of morphological characteristics
( shape,arrangement, number etc.) of the parts. Thus , lip joined to the
column at right angle ? Can't be in this genera, try that ... Lip with a
series of parrallel crests,? Then it must be in this one rather than the
other , and so on.

When the DNA is compared, it is very enlightening , and it is on this basis
that some big re-arrangements are now being made. It seems that two "allied
species" can look alike because of convergent evolution rather than because
of a (recent) common ancesttor, Something we have long known or suspected,
but are now able to demonstrate.

Geoff.

------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Geoffrey Hands
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] New greenhouse
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:05

How far should the greenhouse be suited from deciduous woodland? Books
suggest an open but sheltered site, but I have also been told that shade
from trees is beneficial.
It depends on what you are growing. If you want to try Vandas for
example, needing the best light you can give, then go as far away as is
necessary so that the greenhouse is never shaded by the trees. If you want
to specialise in say Pleurothallids, needing much less light, then you can
go much nearer, and use them for natural shade and shelter too. I grew a
mixture of cymbidiums ( lots of light) phals ( not important ) odonts (
mid-way and paphs ( you choose ! ) in a greenhouse with a large Willow tree
due south. I got morning and evening sun, but no mid-day sun when the tree
was in leaf, and I found I could dispense with shade. In the winter , the
bare branches were sufficiently spaced to let a lot of light through all
the time .And that house was on the banks of the Avon ( Stratford) and I
foun d the natural humidity needed no extra system - paradise ! So it
depends on position of the woodland - south/north etc, what you want to
grow, and maybe othger factors too.

Should the greenhouse be partially below ground? On its previous site the
greenhouse was dug into the ground (by a depth of three concrete blocks).
I understand that this should help maintain an even temperature and
humidity. ...and what about that hot air heating system?
Its an advantage - especially if you use gravel rather than convcrete as the
base better humiditity, and saves on fuel.

What should the floor be made of?. My present greenhouse has a floor
entirely covered in 2ft square concrete flags, with a drain at its lowest
point. I find this very useful in hosing down the floor to keep it clean.
The alternative is a concrete path and under bench chippings, to improve
humidity, which has been a problem (too low), but is it difficult to keep
clean?
See above - but you always need to piuck up dead leaves, and avoid rubbish
for hygiene.

How about insulation? Surely this should be as much as possible? I could
lay insulation under the floor, but then would need to keep it dry with a
membrane (above as well as below ) which would then prevent the
humidifying effect of being below ground. Since the heating has to be oil
(I did look at a heat pump - UKP3500!) cost & the environment surely
dictate that insulation should take priority.

You can lose about 15% through the floor , but the edge effects complicate
this ;probably it is not worth using under-floor insulation in any
greenhouse I can imageine an amateur using ( edge effcts mess up the
calculations for thesay 3-5 feet adjacent the walls)
With respect to humidity, the discussion on foggers in previous
newsletters was very interesting. I did improve the situation in my
present greenhouse using a mist-n-cool set of nozzles connected to the
mains water supply and controlled by a humidistat. ( I needed to add a
burst timer to avoid filling the greenhouse with water tho!) The Jaybird
Atomiser system (direct from USA) sounds the best bet, particularly with
respect to the reliability claimed by the manufacturer, (who I notice have
stopped supplying the ceramic disc system). Lack of a nice tropical
feeling fog sounds a disappointment , but more significantly, how would I
overcome the need for three systems, for the three greenhouse sections? I
did hear about use of a pressure washer with oil boiler pressure nozzles
to provide a good mist
- B&Q are doing a 70 bar pressure washer at UKP29 , so it might be worth a
try - any ideas?
I wiuyld not let 70 bar in my greenhouse ! These are delicate plants not
concrete floors or steel motor cars !.
The disadvantage of a Jayboird is indeed that it will only work in the house
in which it is installed; if you want a different set of conditions in each,
you need three systems.

This has become a lot longer and more involved than I originally intended,
but I am sure all you orchid growers can cope, or you wouldn't be orchid
growers!. s

Geoff

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From: aeranthes2
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Dend aberrans
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:05

Chong-Yee and other members! My Dendrobium aberrans which I had from Chong-Yee when he divided his plant now had 3 flower buds on top of the three old pseudobulbs. They had flowers when I had the plant and are flowering in the same place again which surprised me. It hasn't made any new growth this year but I am very excited that the flower buds are fattening up nicely and soon I should have three beautiful flowers so I must be giving it reasonable care. Jean

-------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Roger Grier
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Sharon's Zygo.
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 11:00

Hi Sharon,

Mother Nature's blemishes. Quite natural, no fault of yours.

This does happen with other soft leaved orchids, especially some that are close relatives of Zygos.

So, sit back and relax........and the 'Spotted leaves Club'.

Regards, Rocky.

----------------------------------------------------------------

From: dennis READ
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: New Greenhouse
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 15:00

First of all Welcome.
These are my ideas and seem to work for the orchid I grow.
Each orchid genus or species needs the correct light, the correct temperature and the correct moisture as a basis.
You are fortunate with your size of greenhouse to obtain most of these conditions.
First I would site the greenhouse East -West. Using 30 inch benches down the sies and a 60 inch wide bench in the centre on top of whish are shelves staggered to 72 inches high.You can then accomodate sun and shade loving plants with ease.
The floor of my house is 9inches of stone chippings on top of a terram membrane. This is a thick membrane that allows water to seep through and so not stagnate. With an under bench spray system controlled by a timer -once a day in winter for 3 minutes but in summer six times a day - my humidity rarely goes below 60%. You do not then get algae on the floor to slip on.
I have never used a hot air system but I would assume you will need a system of ducting to reach all parts of your house.
Regards

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From: Roger Grier
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: New purchase.
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 16:35

Hi to all of our U.K. members,

I have just been shopping in my local Asda [Walmart] store.

Very good selection of orchids at £4.98. Even a couple of nice multi flowering Paphs with a nice light yellowish colour.

I bought one as I could not resist it..........the dreaded 'Orchiditis disease.

Can anyone please identify it, other than it may be an Odontobrassia???

Thanks, Rocky.

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From: P G Hieke
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Names please
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 16:55

Hi Ron N.
Yes you are right your flower looks different from mine. Apart from the
different lip, there is also the green colouring missing in the centre of
the flower.
Regards
Peter from Bloubergstrand

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From: "Schoonjans, Peter-Dieter \(IT\)"
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] New purchase.
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 17:30

Rocky,

Thanks for the info. I bought some last time they had the offer, but unfortunately there was a very annoying fungus on one of them (which had spread to my seedlings). Therefore I am a bit reluctant this time. But I probably can't resist either...

Peter

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From: Ronald Newstead
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Names please
Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2005 11:55

Thanks, Peter.
Where is Bloubergstrand, by the way?
So where do we go from here?

Ron

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From: Roger Grier
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Asda Paph.
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 13:45

Hi all,

Could not resist another visit to my local Asda store of yesterday morning. Just a few orchids remained on the shelf!!!

Luckily for me it was one that had caught my eye on the previous visit.

So, what do you think?

Regards, Rocky.

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From: Ron Bower
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Asda Paph.
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 20:05

Rocky,
It looks the same as one I acquired from them in about June. I know nothing about them and don't particularly like or dislike them, however it just keeps on producing flowers, generally 2 at a time. I don't know how long it will go on for but I can still see buds yet to unfold underneath the present flower.(It has only 1 at present.) I suppose it was good value really at £4.95. I never realised that they were hairy, I thought that they were waxy or smooth.
Will you grow it on in pebbles? Those of my plants that I have in non organic media are doing very well.
Regards,
Ronbow.

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From: Jana Zommer
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Re: Jana's Beer medicine.
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 20:15

Peter hello,
You are absolutely right - the yeast is the main reason why we are using bear, but ... not themselves! Their product of vital function, `cos yeast produce vitamin.. And another reason why alive yeast is not good - their are fungi, and who knows what they are going do upon the orchiids leaves and stems? :)
good luck,

Jana

Schoonjans, Peter-Dieter wrote:

Is it not the yeast which contains the vitamin B1? Why not just put some yeast (tablets) in the water? Those don't contain the alcohol which makes vitamin B1 intake less effective (at least in humans).

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From: Rudolf Günnel
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Asda Paph.
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 08:20

Hello Rocky,

Seems you purchased a nice Paph.
In my eyes it is the pale/yellowish form of Paph Pinocchio (Paph
glaucophyllum x Paph primulinum).
Orchid nurseries offer two forms of Paph Pinocchio, the normal coloured
one and the pale/yellowish one. Have a look at the following url
http://www.cameleon.prodion.nl/gb/index.php

I think the differences in the look between yours and the pictured one
are normal at hybrids.

Best regards from Germany, Rudolf

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From: aeranthes2
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: help please
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:10

Could Roger or another member who has purchased orchids from the Italian orchid nursery please tell me how you paid for the orchids. I've combed their website and can only find a small section which says that they accept money by bank transfer or something like that. I can't find a way of paying by credit or debit card. I was hoping to place an order immediately and pay for it via the website but as far as I can see it doesn't look possible. Can anyone help please? What do I need to do − contact the bank? − Jean

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From: dennis READ
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Pictures
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 19:25

Correspondence seems a bit light so here are three pictures of my Cattleya hybrids.
Slc. Georgina Plested is a first flowering of a seedling.
Lc. Spring Imp x Lc. Ediston again is a first flowering.
Blc. Fort Watson x Lc. Okarche is about 6 inches ( 15 cms ) across. It is a k a Blc. B g b.
Regards

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From: Sharon Williams
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: Den. Alice Bound parentage?
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 21:30

I just got a division of this and am trying to find its parentage, particularly what type of den it is. If anyone has Wildcat, could you please do a search for me?
Thanks
Sharon in Calgary

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From: aeranthes2
To: Orchid Talk list
Subject: plants
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 23:00

Beautiful photos, beautiful orchids Dennis − thanks for a bit of colour this evening. Jean

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