February 2007 mailing list messages

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From: Russ and Jenny
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Jenny's Cattleya.
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:30

Hi Geoff, this was quite informative and may I say amusing?
However I am now perplexed as to whether my orchid is actually a Catt and if I'm looking after it properly?

From: Geoffrey hands
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Jenny's Cattleya.
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 08:25

Orchid classification is very complex − it is such a huge family , and for reasons which I can speculate about , but won't go into now , the very concept of species and genus do not fit very well . So it is quite common to find inter-generic hybrids in orchids ( although pretty unusual in most other plant families) . So Cattleya is often hybridised with Laelia ( the only difference is the number of branches on the pollinia) , and/or with Brassovolae, and Sophronitis etc.,, making a series of hybrids abbreviated e.g. to LC, BLC, SLC, or − when all 4 of these genera are included in a subsequent generation − then it becomes a Potinara ( because Brassolaelosophrocattleya would be too much of a mouthful ) and the list goes on on and ... But we call them all "Cattleyas", when talking between friends, and reserve "proper" names for grand occasions like appearances before the RHS Orchid Committee , hoping for a medal.....

many thanks for all that advise. I had no idea that tap water was a natural
feed. All my orchids have a general feed every second water. I am Surrey
UK and sadly a sloping north facing house − no accessable window allows access
to south sun. I am planing/nagging for a conservatory so at least the light
will be better.

It is very annoying to find plants labelled 'orchid' with no other
indication of name or family. I shall have to stop buying them from garden centers
if I dont want to be considered a 'housefrau'. The challenge and difficulty
in making these 1/million plants re flower is how I became hooked in the
first place.

4/159. NEOSTYLIS (blue flowers)
LOU SNEARY
(Neof. falcata'Majus' + Rhy.coelestis)

Its hanging in a north facing window of kitchen (I cook a lot) In very
course bark in an open weave plastic basket that is lined with moss. I am spraying
it twice a day with rain water with very dilute feed and every 3rd normal
water of all the other plants I submerg it in room temp water for a few
minutes. It looks happy enough and I have had two new leaves but nothing more
intersting. I was informed it was a 'vanda type' and wonder whether I should
treat it more like the others ie water properly rather then just spray.

From: Roger Grier
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Neostlyis Lou Sneary.
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:10

From what you describe and tell us all, I can see no wrong in what you are doing.

One thing to remember.....it will only bloom once per year [normally] and I think that your cross should bloom late Spring or early Summer.

I have a similar cross and have had it for years, and it still grows and flowers very well. Come to think of it, mine also came from Ian and Janet Plested.

From: Sharon Williams
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] new to this
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:30

Hi Sally: I am a firm believer that light is the single most important aspect when talking about BLOOMING orchids. In less than ideal light conditions, an orchid will grow new leaves but WILL NOT flower. I would suggest simply adding a small compact fluorescent light above the Neostylis which would solve this problem. A goose neck lamp with one of these high output spiral fluorescent bulbs in it would do the trick very inexpensively. You don't need a greenhouse to grow and bloom orchids, and if you don't have enough natural light, simply add the lumens you are missing artificially.
Cheers
Sharon

From: Sylvain VAN DER WALDE
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] new to this
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2007 22:20

> Hi
>
> many thanks for all that advise. I had no idea that tap water was a
> natural feed.

Hello Sally.
We're talking about _hard_ water, which has dissolved minerals in it. You
shouldn't add fertilizer in that case. The amount of fertilizer you add will
depend on the hardness of your water. The less hard it is, the more of the
_recommended_ amount you can use.

> All my orchids have a general feed every second water. I am Surrey
> UK and sadly a sloping north facing house − no accessable window allows
> access
> to south sun. I am planing/nagging for a conservatory so at least the
> light
> will be better.
>
I use supplementary artificial lighting.
By the way, I consider myself to be an advanced beginner, even though I've
been growing orchids for a few years. :)

> It is very annoying to find plants labelled 'orchid' with no other
> indication of name or family. I shall have to stop buying them from
> garden centers
> if I dont want to be considered a 'housefrau'.

I have no problem with buying from supermarkets and garden centres, although
I have bought a few plants from orchid nurseries.

The challenge and difficulty
> in making these 1/million plants re flower is how I became hooked in the
> first place.
>
Not in my own case. I happen to like orchids; their flowers, leaves,
pseudobulbs, and even roots (Phal. ones in particular). Orchids are so
different to other flowering plants.

> A plant I did buy from a reputable grower 'Plested orchids' in Sandhurst.
>
> 4/159. NEOSTYLIS (blue flowers)
> LOU SNEARY
> (Neof. falcata'Majus' + Rhy.coelestis)
>
> Its hanging in a north facing window of kitchen (I cook a lot) In very
> course bark in an open weave plastic basket that is lined with moss. I am
> spraying
> it twice a day with rain water with very dilute feed and every 3rd normal
> water of all the other plants I submerg it in room temp water for a few
> minutes. It looks happy enough and I have had two new leaves but nothing
> more
> intersting. I was informed it was a 'vanda type' and wonder whether I
> should
> treat it more like the others ie water properly rather then just spray.

I think that it should be watered. The spraying only usually applies to
orchids mounted on bark. If you put that orchid name in a search engine
(Google), you should get some answers to your questions.
Actually, I've just had a quick look for you: it needs a lot of light, and a
lot of water when in active growth.

From: jan
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] e-mail...
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 05:30

Just back from China, and found 74 emails in my inbox from the orchid
list alone. I don't think anybody has replied to this part of your
question yet, so here's my advice.

If you are looking for another email program I would definitely
recommend Thunderbird. It does everything I could ever ask for and it is
free. I have never tried Eudora so I can't compare, but Thunderbird,
among other things, has spam filtering which can be trained to recognise
what YOU think is spam as well as a number of other very good features.
It cooperates well with Firefox (a browser).

As for Vista − are you sure you want that much grief? Maybe that I'm not
being quite fair, but from what I hear Vista is mostly a cosmetic
upgrade with few innovations over XP. On the downside I believe you will
have to live with a number of less pleasant features, such as more
complicated security setup (which can be frustrating), the need to have
a very up-to-date machine, and the scourge that is DRM − which is a way
to make sure that you can't possibly watch DVDs or listen to music
unless you have proof that you have purchased the bloody thing,
preferably in triplicate and signed in blood. If I am any judge (and I
am since I work with these things professionally) you will have endless
problems with things because the producers haven't quite followed the
correct procedures according to Microsoft.

If you want a better operating system and really are prepared to spend
the required time and effort, I would say either Macintosh or Linux. You
are likely to be less frustrated in the long run and much more happy.
But each to his own.

Geoffrey Hands wrote:
>
> On a different note, slightly off-message ? I am planning to switch my
> OS to Vista, and try to avoid using Outlook from Office2003 ( or indeed
> any other version such as the rather expensive Office 2007 ) for my
> e-mail . I had been planning to use an open-source (freebie) programme
> -Eudora − which I have installed for the purpose , but found it more
> "picky" than I had thought , which may be due to some internal problem
> with my machine − since when I went back to Outlook, that wouldn't send.
> In the course of a session with Virgin ( my ISP/broadband supplier ) we
> discovered that Outlook Express worked perfectly for me − which is what
> I'm using now, and I learnt that VISTA has a new programme called
> Windows Mailer − which I shall probabl;y try.
> I have similar word-processing/database calculating programmes and a
> PIM − all open-source -lined up as well as part of the "escape from
> Outlook" plan.

From: jan
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Overheated leaves
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 05:35

Under sodium light? That surprises me − do you have good experiences
with that? The light from sodium lamps is of exactly one wavelength as
far as I remember, in the yellow part of the spectrum, and I think the
plants need a wider range of light.

LEONARD HANDLEY wrote:
> I grow a few orchids under a 400 watt high pressure sodium lamp, having no greenhouse. I've noticed that several Cattleya/ Laelia plants now have very stiff/rigid leaves and I presume this has resulted from my placing them too close to the lamp in an attempt to give them as much light as possible.
> The leaves do not have any obvious burn marks and are a fairly uniform dark green.
> I am concerned in case the "cooking" might have permanently damaged the leaves and/or interfered with their ability to photosynthesise. If so is there any remedial action I can take ?
> Helpful comments would be appreciated.
> Len Handley
>

From: jan
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Grange Orchid
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 05:35

6 inches? I recall that when I was younger that was what we would expect
from any half decent afternoon of snowfall. Serious snowfall would be
more like 40 inches :-)

Barbara Larimer wrote:
>
> We in the middle of a huge snow storm here today, dumping 6 or more inches
> of snow and then the ice will start later. All the schools closed.
> Airports are not functioning. What a mess, albeit a beautiful mess.
>

From: jan
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Sphagnum moss.
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 05:45

I don't use it − yet. This has mostly been because I haven't found any,
but also because I feel I should avoid any peat-based compost (to
preserve our peat bogs). But last year I went and made my own peat bog
in pocket size. I just took a smallish clay bowl without hole in the
bottom (probably about 20 liters), filled it with untreated peat (I
think this is important − some peat you can buy in garden centres has
additives and I don't know what they are) and the took a handful of
living sphagnum plants from a nearby peat bog. And now I have a
beautiful pocket-peat bog of my own. With its own frog too!

Roger Grier wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Sphagnum moss !!!!!
>
> I would like to hear from those of you that use Sphagnum moss, and those of you who do not use Sphagnum moss.

From: Barbara Larimer
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Grange Orchid
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 12:05

Jan, That must have made it a challenge to walk the 12 miles to school,
uphill both ways!!

We have gotten spoiled by a positively balmy December and January − and
great for the orchids. Winter is always a shock when it comes on so
suddenly.

From: LEONARD HANDLEY
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Overheated leaves
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 12:25

I got these light fittings and the lamps from Geoff Hands, who had used them himself previously.The lamps are marked "Phillips SON T Agro.
I probably referred to them incorrectly as "Sodium" but the light colour looks very much like sodium. My results have been reasonably satisfactory, apart from my recent concern about overheating.
Len

> Under sodium light? That surprises me − do you have good experiences
> with that? The light from sodium lamps is of exactly one wavelength as
> far as I remember, in the yellow part of the spectrum, and I think the
> plants need a wider range of light.

with reference to peat
when they are burning 90 million tons a year
to fuel power stations in ireland,my little bag doesnt make any difference

From: jns tropic
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Windows, Mac or Linux
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:10

> "If you want a better operating system and really are prepared to spend the
> required time and effort, I would say either Macintosh or Linux. You are
> likely to be less frustrated in the long run and much more happy. But each
> to his own."

PC Magazine wrote that if you used Linux you don't
need Vista. That sounded pretty strong to me. But
the more I read, the more I plan to keep my old XP and
my constantly up graded Suse (a form of Linux). We
use Linux 90% of the time and Windows 10% of the time.
I have never considered Mac because it's a Linux that
is not free.
In my TOG site I was surprised to see who visits.
Windows 81% Linux 15% and Mac 2.5%.
Who in are group use Linux?

From: Geoffrey hands
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Sphagnum moss.
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 15:30

I read − in the horticultural press clippings which sometimes find their way
onto my desktop , that some peat we are getting comes from officially
certified renewable sources. Personally I don't lose any sleep over buying
peat based composts anyway . On man's ruin the planet is another man's feed
his starving kids...

From: James H
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Overheated leaves
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:35

from what i have read sodium lamps are ok for growing plants but are not the
best but will work, you are just not getting as much growing light as you
possibly could with say MH. i think what i was taught in school was that
they are about 50% as good at growing plants as MH. But sodium lamps are
good for growing "other" plants, and are used to simulate the end of the
season as the light in the fall is more yellow than the sun of the summer.

From: James H
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Sphagnum moss.
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:40

i also went to a local peat bog and dug out a large bucket full and started
my own peat bog addition to my fish pond, lots of other plants came along
with the peat, like bog cranberrys and labrador tea, and a native
rhotodendron (SP?)
but man does that peat grow fast when it has lots of water, i get about 2"
higher per year.
i would like to try growing an orchid in live peat moss but i think too many
hitchhikers would be growing with the orchid as well.

From: jan
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Peat
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 07:50

This is true. The problem is that this is also what everybody else says
- and it is true in each individual case. However, the combined effect
is what causes the peat bogs to disappear. I myself find it hard to
fathom just how many people there are in the world; and it is difficult
to imagine that my small contribution is important in any way, but one
has to remember that what you and I do is repeated by perhaps 200
million people worldwide and that, say, 200 million small bags is a lot.

Our children and grandchildren will lament our irrisponsibility with the
plante's resources.

Bhotplant@aol.com wrote:
> with reference to peat
> when they are burning 90 million tons a year
> to fuel power stations in ireland,my little bag doesnt make any difference

From: Silvio a Beccara
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Windows, Mac or Linux
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 07:55

I use Linux (Suse and Kubuntu) for everything I do, and seldom do I feel the
need for Windows. Even less for Vista!
Cheers

> Jan said:
> In my TOG site I was surprised to see who visits.
> Windows 81% Linux 15% and Mac 2.5%.
> Who in are group use Linux?

From:
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Peat
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 10:30

how much does a bag of peat weigh?1 cwt? thats 20 to a ton
200 mil bags 10 mil tons,even at half cwt its only 20 mil tons
how many of the 200 mil people buy peat every year one bag lasts me a few
years, i dont use it on orchids only carnivorous plants which is what they grow
in in nature and i dont think there is a good enough substute
how does that compare with 90 mil tons per year
it would be lovely for everyone to stop now ,but that will not happen
sorry
jan

From: Geoffrey hands
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Peat
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 10:50

It occurred to me the other day that the real problem with carbon emissions
and a lot of other things too, is too many people. What is the world's
population now, is it 8 billion ? something like that.

Is it sustainable ? I doubt it , and one consolation of my age is that it is
my kids and/or grandkids not me who will be in the world to solve that
problem !
Perhaps there is no answer !
Geoff

ps − whilst doing my usual sunday morning exercise − swimming − (what a
boring way to exercise − just going back and forward , like sonme kind of
ineffecient goldfish) it occurred to me to wonder what our carbon emissions
are − 8 billion people, breathing in and out all the while ? I wonder if
anyone has taken this account in their calculations ? I tried to calculate
the nett CO2 output, but decided- quite quickly − that I lack the necessary
data to multiply by 8 billion and 365 -i.e. what weight of CO2 does the
average person expire per day − about 3 lbs was the nearest I could
"calculate" , but I'd be interested to know. And it is not too far off
message is it ? Orchids love being talked too breathed on CO2 emissions...

From: Tony Watkinson
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Peat
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 11:35

I was surprised with Geoff's comments re... One man's ruin the planet is
another man's feed
his starving kids...

I accept that there is some truth in that, but on a bigger scale, we must
all take account of just what it is we (and I do mean WE) are doing to the
long term health of our planet. I am truly blessed by living in the southern
hemisphere where there is more sea than land and therefore less folks than
in the northern hemisphere. (and therefore less human pollution.)

I have recently returned from a couple of weeks in Bangkok and Chiang Mai
and was further appalled by the increasing air pollution over the northern
hemisphere. Even during the Chinese new year when much industry closed down
for a while, there was still that pall of blue haze across the horizon.
Sometimes close and sometimes further away but ALWAYS there!! This is not
natural. I know that most of you folk who live in the north think that it
is, but you are wrong.

To really see what our planet is going through, you should travel to the
south more often. Sure, our cities in the south do pollute just like those
in the north, but there are so many fewer cities here that the air pollution
has a chance to fall out of the atmosphere. Not so in the north.

You poor suckers have no idea what a clear day really is. My deepest
sympathies.

But it's not until you grasp the difference between the hemispheres that you
can realise the depth of the problem and the enormous job ahead for all of
us to turn the problem around.

From: Roger Grier
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Dendrobium speciosum
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 14:45

Although our English weather is still very dull, at least I do have a couple of spikes on my Dendrobium speciosum.

The fragrance I like very much, as I do the individual flowers. One thing that intrigues me is the fact that the flowers are once again almost pure white. Twenty years or more ago they were a distinct yellow. Which leads me to be thinking along yet another path in life all about why some plants do this colour change.

Remember Andy's Cattleya.........we all thought that he was pulling our legs, but I knew that he was not, having met Andy, so where does this 'Path' lead us????

As I stated, I only had two flower spikes this year..........I would like to bet that I have many more next year. Reason being that once again I will be keeping a large plastic saucer under the pot and it will always be topped up when the plant has consumed it.

Tony
enjoy yourself down under
personally i think its too late to turn problem round,problem is theres just
too many of us,hope im wrong

From: Geoffrey hands
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Dendrobium speciosum... and scent...
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 20:40

nice pics Roger ; I've never seen D speciosum this colour. However I have found that my D.kingianum is white ,if rested cold, and pink if rested a bit warmer... A clue there somewhere ?

ps I have laelia widgerii out at the moment . Nothing much to rave about for flowers , but just two of them creates a lovely tropical flower scent which greets me when I enter the greenhouse. That's what I call a worthwhile orchid. ( will try and remember to take the camera in to the greenhouse tomorrow).

> Although our English weather is still very dull, at least I do have a
> couple of spikes on my Dendrobium speciosum...

From: jan
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Peat
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 04:45

Don't worry about your own carbon emissions − the CO2 that we exhale
come from the food we eat, and since we don't eat either peat of coal
(or drink oil) that is OK. The carbon in our food has been taken out of
the atmosphere by plants before ending up on our dinner table, so it
doesn't make the situation worse that it is returned to the atmosphere.
The big villain is burning of fossil fuel − this is carbon that hasn't
been outside for several hundred millions of years.

Sustainable, you say? Not like we are living now, but there is a number
of wasteful practices that can be changed if there is the political will
to do so. Things like unnecessary packaging, unnecessary transport and
use of sustainable energy; and a strict regulation of how many children
we produce would help too, the world's population needs to shrink. The
technology already exists and the sacrifices we would have to make as
individual would not be intolerable; I don't think it would anything
like the rationing during the war. It's mostly a question of accepting
that we can't always have growth in all sectors. I find that quite
encouraging − we CAN solve the problem and without too much hassle, all
considered. What of course makes it particularly galling is the fact
that those in power − big money − are more than willing to sacrifice the
future generations in order to make a few extra pennies now.

Not long ago I read about a UN project − it was about producing energy
for populations in arid areas. What they found out was staggering: it is
possible with our present technology and a fairly modest investment
(considering the scale of the project) to not only produce energy for
people in the poorest areas, but to replace all our fossil fuel based
powerstations with simple, sun-driven generators placed in deserts all
over the world. This was not just a lame-brained fantasy, it was worked
through properly by engineers, down to the last detail. So why don't we
just go ahead and do it? Well you can work that out for yourself, but I
say 'Follow the money' − who is going to make less money if we don't
continue our present course?

Geoffrey hands wrote:
> 200 million orchid growers ? or gardeners ? or people ?
>
> It occurred to me the other day that the real problem with carbon
> emissions and a lot of other things too, is too many people. What is the
> world's population now, is it 8 billion ? something like that.

From: Geoffrey hands
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Peat
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 09:50

Jan said:
>and a strict regulation of how many children
> we produce would help too, the world's population needs to shrink.

From: P G Hieke
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Sphagnum moss
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:35

Dendrobium Keiki Belle. I had to re-pot this plant and so I thought to show you
what can be achieved with sphagnum moss. This plant has grown from a tiny
keiki into a beautiful plant with plenty of roots. It has not flowered yet, but
it should do so in the coming spring/summer.

From: Roy Lee
To: Orchid Talk List
Date: 26 Feb 2007 1110
Subject: My Paph album link.

Good evening all. Since there is aways a problem sending or storing photos
of your orchids for others to see. I am now using the free web site
Photobucket.com
Anyone can use this site and store their orchid or anything pics as a
Public site for all to enjoy or for only those you wish to view. My album
is open to all.
I have added a lot of pics of my Paphs and the house they are in. I hope
to added more pics as time allows and replace them as space fills. If you
wish to have a peek, copy and paste or ( if it works ) double click on this
link.

From: Roger Grier
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Colour change in flowers.
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:20

Geoff was saying that maybe temperature has something to do with the colour change. For sure, Andy's colour change in his Cattleya was very strange.

So, shall we all add our five penneth worth and see if we unearth some startling news.

As the weather tomorrow is rain, and then more rain I will try to remember to take a photo of my slide of my Dendrobium speciosum and then show you all.

From: Ron Bower
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Sphagnum moss
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:45

Hello, Nice wee plant. I have 2 similar that I kept, don't know why as I am
really only into Phals. Curiosity I suppose. But I am interested in the
Polystyrene balls or granules you grow in. Many years ago I obtained some
thing similar. They came in a tin and were pinhead size and had to be boiled
in water and the steam was supposed to swell them to the size of yours in as
little as 3 minutes. It didn't and after about one hour most were still
pinhead and the rest not much bigger. Came from a London address and come to
thinking about it I probably still have them in my garage loft. I wonder
where to obtained yours, I think they would be better than Perlite.
Ronbow.

> Dendrobium Keiki Belle. I had to re-pot this plant and so I thought to
> show you what can be achieved with sphagnum moss. This plant has grown
> from a tiny keiki into a beautiful plant with plenty of roots. It has not
> flowered yet, but it should do so in the coming spring/summer.

From: Ron Bower
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Mealy Bugs,ect
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:20

Hello All,
Around September last the matter of Mealy Bug(MB) and the treatment of, was raised and the use of Provado and Neem oil was raised as to which was the most effective. At about that time I mentioned that I had an infestation of MB gotten free of charge, along with the Phal plants that I had obtained from a continental supplier in June 06. At this time I am still treating the MB and find that Neem oil is of little use and Provado has only limited effect. I find that the most effect is obtained by the use of neat Mentholated Spirit. Sprayed on the entire plant and flowers, where necessary. However, I find it is not possible to cover the entire plant ie. surface and under the leaves, spikes flowers and buds without handling each individual plant separately on almost a daily basis. In addition each flower and bud has to be inspected and any MB treated with Meths. I do this with an artists brush which I find is easier than using a cotton bud.However, with near 100 plants this is tedious as well as time consuming and which I could well do without.
My question is, If it is possible to totally eradicate the MB, I think not, and hence my comment when the question was raised as to whether Orchids were worth the hassle, and that I was beginning to think that they were not.

Until I had Orchids, in a lifetime of growing all sort of plants I had never seen a MB and believe me, I wish that I never had. 8 months would be enough for many people I would think.

Just after the turn of the year I wondered where they were breeding, I then happened to remove one of the ties, green, bendy plastic things some 5 mm wide that the continental nursery used to secure the spikes, and there they were, clusters of them. They are of course also in the pot.I used to wonder how MB got from plant to plant, as they can't, I think fly.One, an adult, fell off the plant onto a plastic sheet on the bench, it took off at a speed of about 1 mm per second. It didn't get far but now I know how they spread from plant to plant.

There is another matter on which I would appreciate members comments. Some of my plants, Phals, that is, recently started extruding a sticky substance which is appearing on some of the leaves and flower stems. It is rather like the Honey dew that one sometimes sees from Green Fly, particularly when "farmed" by Ants.It stands out in globules on the flower stems and can be felt as a tackiness on the leaves. I haven't seen or cannot recall any reference to this in any of the books. Has any one else experienced this I wonder?
Regards,
Ronbow.

From: Gordon Walker
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Mealybug eradication
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:00

Ron,
Wash the complete plant and roots in Ecover soapy water pour boiling water over the potted mix then pour soapy water over the mix. I find this works with my paphs etc. Repeat after a couple of weeks if necessary.
I tried Provado, Neem Oil and Meths but found soapy water which does not harm the plants best. DO NOT rinse the plant or the mix.
Gordon.

From: Roger Grier
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Ronbows problems.
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:15

From yet another dull rainy day on the edge of the New Forest. Am I always MOANING about the weather..... no I am not, just 'recording' the want for some good prolonged spell of sunshine.

Ron, Mealy Bug. Finest thing to do when MB are seen is to physically remove them with a fine pointed wooden skewer or something similar, and squash them. Then spray all over the plant with Provado. Yes I know you have many plants but it is worth its weight in gold to do this. I have a job to find any MB these days.

The sticky globules that you see are either exuded from the MB or maybe scale insects.

Best of luck old buddy, stick at it and I am sure that you will soon be MB free.

From: JIM MATEOSKY
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: How to flower Onc. Sweet Sugar?
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:30

I have been growing orchids about 10 years now 3 in Costa Rica and the rest in Central FL. I live in a cloud forrest at 5000' (1500M). temps extremes 13C − 33C but ususally 16C-23C. No heaters hear always breazy.

I have Onc. Sweet Sugar, that are growing like weeds are healthy there blubs are huge and each new one is exponetially larger, BUT I can't get them to flower.

How to get them to flower? I am fertilizing them with a couple different types of Orchid fertilizer that is suppose to induce flowering, but nothing.

From: Geoffrey hands
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Mealy Bugs,ect
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:00

I too had MB on phals ( they also love the new leaves at the top of Dend. nobile canes..)- and found it resistant to most things, and followed a similar path to you , Ron. However, I DID succeed in the end.
Some comments.
1. They do spend some time in the compost − so it is necessaryu to repot all possibly infected plants − within a short space of time − so that they do not move from one not yet repotted into the others.
2. When repotting is it necessary to wash the plants − preferably totally immerse for a few minutes, in something like a strong-ish solution of a disinfectant. Physan is ideal − say 1:500 .
3.Naturally you will remove all ties, supports, sticks etc, and destroy , remove as much old compost as possible, and clean the whole plant. I think meths is a bit strong − I use it diluted 1:1 with water, when I can't get the safer alternative ( propyl alcohol )

Neem requires to be used in temperatures above 70 F for 24 hours , preferably 48 hr , after the treatment. Used at lower temperatures it is much less efficacious.
Neem also requires to be mixed in water at a pH below 7.0 ( My tap water is regularly 8 pH ). I am not sure of the ideal pH , maybe 6 ? If anyone knows more precisely, I'll be glad to hear.

I wonder if some eggs have a built-in delay factor , so that they hatch 48 hours after we stop looking ? , More seriously, it is necessary to repeat the spray/clean ( best to do both) about 3 times at 5 day intervals.

It was after following ALL of the above that I removed them from my collection − but I do buy plants , and inevitably , they will be back....

From: Roger Grier
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: JIm's Oncidiums.
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:25

Your plants of Oncidium 'Sweet Sugar' sure are growing very well from what you say. As to get them to flower..........maybe you would like to try this.

By the way, as you seem to have quite a lot of them, you might like to put a label in them so that you can see how the different advice from our members helps.

My advice is to STOP using the fertiliser that is supposed to help the blooms and just use your rainwater. Then stand the plant in the SUNNIEST position that the leaves/plant can handle. Don't forget to label it 'Rocky'.

From: Gordon Walker
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] My Paph album link.
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:50

Congratulations Roy,
A wonderful display of your set up and your prowess as a grower.
Gordon.

From: Dennis Read
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Meally bug
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 09:00

I've been away for a while and have just caught up with my mail.
I have quite a large varied collection of orchids that I spray three times a year with Provado and have been scale and meally bug free for four years. When I spray both sides of the leaves are wetted and so is the potting medium.
Two things I have found out in my previous greenhouse. They both hide around the greenhouse in the cracks and crevises and if you are in an old greenhouse the only answer is a smoke bomb as Provado is systemic so they have to eat a bit to die. The second applied to Phals. I discovered that some had been cleaned with a leaf shine that made the leaf impervious to Provado.
Hope this helps as they can ruin a good plant.
The sun is shining anmd Devon is great. Regards

From: P G Hieke
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: [OrchidTalk] Dendrobium speciosum
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 07:25

Hi Rocky,
This is definitely a matter of insufficient light. Not neccessarily sunlight,
but just light. The leaves of your plant are darkgreen and should be lightgreen.
You just have to move into a brighter position and the colour of your flowers
will change again.
Kind regards
Peter from Bloubergstrand

> Although our English weather is still very dull, at least I do have a
> couple of spikes on my Dendrobium speciosum.

> The fragrance I like very much, as I do the individual flowers. One
> thing that intrigues me is the fact that the flowers are once again
> almost pure white. Twenty years or more ago they were a distinct
> yellow. Which leads me to be thinking along yet another path in life
> all about why some plants do this colour change.

> Remember Andy's Cattleya.........we all thought that he was pulling our
> legs, but I knew that he was not, having met Andy, so where does this
> 'Path' lead us????

> Also I'm trying to remember to 'Italic' the orchid names where it
> should be.

> As I stated, I only had two flower spikes this year..........I would
> like to bet that I have many more next year. Reason being that once
> again I will be keeping a large plastic saucer under the pot and it
> will always be topped up when the plant has consumed it.

From: John J. Rupp
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: Mealybugs
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:00

Try spraying 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to get rid of mealybugs. I saw
this in another list last fall and it does seem to work. I had several
localized outbreaks of mealys this winter, sprayed them, and they are
gone. Just get the regular 3% hydrogen peroxide sold in the local
drugstores/pharmacies, put in a hand sprayer and spray. I really soak
everything, leaves top and bottom, buds and flowers. I haven't seen any
damage to the plants − only the mealys. It is fun to watch the sizzling
when the peroxide runs down into leaf joints. I also try to spray the
soil and let a little peroxide run down into it. A nice thing about
using hydrogen peroxide is that no gloves or masks are needed. Perfectly
safe to humans.

--
Dr. John J. Rupp
Emeritus Professor of Chemistry
St. Lawrence University
Canton, NY 13617

From: John J. Rupp
To: Orchid Talk List
Subject: Re: Color change in orchids
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:55

Last Spring I purchased an Oncidium Sharry Baby 'Red Fantasy' in bloom
with several flower spikes. All flowers were the same and looked very
much like a typical Oncidium Sharry Baby but with a little more red
tinge in the lip. This Fall it bloomed again on new growths and all
flowers were solid red, without a hint of white in the lip. I really
like the solid color better. Any odds on this?

--
Dr. John J. Rupp
Emeritus Professor of Chemistry
St. Lawrence University
Canton, NY 13617

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2007 Archived Messages

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