|
Join Our List
|
|
|
|
|
Issue: # 46
|
September 2010
|
|
Dear Gentle Customer,
Do you remember what Forrest Gump's mama always told him? "Life is like an Equitant Oncidium - you never know what you're gonna get" (Something like that anyway....). Well, she was right! This month, we have on special a bunch of these plants ( aka Tolumnias/Rodrumnias) on which the labels were mixed up (by our supplier this  time, not us....). They are nice, blooming size plants, but we don't know what color they will be until they bloom. Thus, we have them on sale for only $9.99 each. If you are an adventurous type, and/or you just like surprises, this is a great opportunity to get one or more of these floriferous varieties at a great price (we normally list them at $15.00!). See the special at the link below! Tolumnia/Rodrumnia Special If you are interested, just scroll down the "specials" page (linked above), click the "Buy Online" button, and plug in a quantity. --------------------------------
It is almost time for the 18th Annual Chicagoland Orchid Festival . This event takes place simultaneously at Oak Hill Gardens and at three other orchid nurseries in the Chicago area  on the weekend of September 24-25-26, 2010. Orchid growers from all over the US, plus Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, will be selling their plants during this three day event. See more details on the dedicated festival website at: Chicagoland Orchid FestivalCome join us at Oak Hill Gardens during the festival for free food, free seedlings with every purchase, and free lectures and guided tours of the greenhouses! See you here! --------------------------------
Ascocenda Wacharin  | We have more going on, as well. See the article below regarding our Fall 2010 New Plant Offerings, just added to the website! Over 100 new varieties in stock, available now! In the other box below is a guide to our Aerangis luteo-alba  | "Currently in Spike and Bud" list, which has recently been augmented with three new miniature varieties, available for immediate shipment. And, as always, at the tail end of the newsletter is Liese's award winning, worldwide-syndicated
"Growing Tip of the Month" article. We hope to see you at the Festival! Best wishes, Greg |
New Plant Offerings!
|
|
Over 100 just added to the Website!
Bulbophyllum makoyanum  | Every year about this time we add many new orchid varieties to the website for sale. These are plants that were potted up in the spring or early summer, and are nicely rooted in for you. They are ready for immediate shipment (or for pre-order and pickup at the festival, if you so desire!). We posted them just a few days ago. Get 'em while they're hot!
They are listed in their proper place within the Dendrobium antennatum  | website (with a "new offering" notation). However, for your convenience all of the new plants are listed together at the link below:
|
| Currently in Spike or Bud
|
|
Dendrobium oligophyllum  | Minis Fixin' to Flower!
A regular feature on our homepage is a listing of what is currently about to bloom. Within the last week we added three miniature orchids to the list which have always been popular with collectors. Check out the list by going to the home page, linked below, and scrolling down. Don't miss these adorable varieties; watch them bloom right-soon-like!
|
Growing Tip of the Month - by Liese
|
|
Is there a Doctor House in the House?
The lady walked in the front door carrying a laundry basket filled with six beautiful Phalaenopsis plants. They had lovely, dark green leaves, and were crammed into tall ceramic decorative pots.....with no drainage holes. Ah, the infamous "frozen water orchids" make another appearance at our door (don't wanna have any trademark infringement issues, so we've changed the name to protect the guilty).
The customer was requesting a re-potting job, so I took the plants to the workbench. Upon removal from their ceramic coffins, stale and stinky water dripped out of the plastic pots which were wedged inside. The roots were completely rotted off, brown and mushy within the moss that was crammed in tightly around them. There were two nice roots - growing out of the TOP of the pot, near the leaves, desperately searching for fresh air! I was amazed that the plants still looked healthy, thinking that several more weeks of such torture would have rendered these plants as compost.
Most orchids are strong-growing plants, with fleshy roots for absorbing moisture. Many genera also have pseudobulbs that help retain moisture for the plant during dry periods. When the root system is damaged by over-watering or by neglect, the leaves of the plant will not show evidence of stress for several weeks...sometimes months. By the time the leaves turn yellow or shrivel up, the root system will usually be compromised or completely rotted. If this happens, re-pot the plant into fresh potting material in as small a pot as possible. The small pot, along with fresh media, will dry out quickly, allowing the plant to recover by sending out new roots to search for moisture.
Many of the plants that are brought in to the "The Orchid Doctor" are in very sad shape. The leaves are dehydrated and droopy, sometimes yellow or black. When the leaf structure of the orchid is showing such poor growth and color, usually the root system is in even worse shape, sometimes with no live root tissue at all. Once the plant is to this point, it is difficult to revive.
The goal should be to correct cultural problems before they progress to this point. A human health analogy would involve going to your physician for medication during the early stages of a bad cold - before the symptoms develop into pneumonia and ending up in the hospital.
Watch your plants carefully. Strive for healthy leaves, with uniform green color and plump, smooth leaf tissue. Also look at root growth. Often, one can observe roots growing over the top of the pot and sometimes out of the bottom holes. If you see anything unusual, such as spotting, new black growth, sunken or wilted leaves, etc., act quickly to diagnose the problem. The longer you let it go, the worse it will get. I usually suggest taking the plant out of the pot to see what is going on with the roots. Sometimes the mix is old and has broken down, thus retaining too much moisture, choking the root system and causing rot.
The other extreme is finding roots that are very dry and dehydrated. In this case the leaves will exhibit a wilted and/or shriveled look. Re-pot into fresh media, water thoroughly, and keep the humidity up by misting and/or growing on humidity trays. Your plants will more than likely plump up within several months.
Bugs can be another culprit. If mealie bugs, scale, or spider mites are allowed to munch on your plants, eventually the leaves will show stress by turning a yellow or brown color. Again, the goal is to spot the bugs early and treat your plants with an insecticide. By catching the problem in its early stage, you will minimize the leaf damage on your plants.
The easiest way to keep your plants healthy is to watch them closely and regularly. when you are watering them, observe their color, growth and roots. Look at your potting mix material; press down hard on the surface with your thumbs to be sure that it is fresh and firm. If it collapses, it's time for new media. Check the underside of the leaves for nice even color; bugs love to hide on the bottom and in leaf crevices. Be observant and address these issues before they become bigger problems. The sooner you catch it, the easier it will be to correct.
Release your inner diagnostician!
Good luck,
Liese
|
|
|
It's Chicagoland Orchid Festival Time! The most exciting time of the year. Hope to see you here for the fun!
Sincerely,
Greg, Liese and Hermann
|
|
|
