Orchid and Tillandsia Display Hack

Next time you need a way to display your orchids (especially if the leaves dip lower than the pot)...

 ...check out the candle section of a thrift store. The stands make inexpensive, beautiful displays for orchids.

 The dangly hangers work well for tillandsias too!

Autumn Orchids

Our keiki project phalaenopsis orchid is blooming beautifully, but I'm still not really seeing a "baby plant" where I started the keiki. No leaves or roots yet...

...but if the green stem-looking thingies all turn into bloom scapes like this one I'll be happy!

The green vanilla orchid has reached the top of the tree fern pole, so I'm trying to encourage it to grow the other way. Eventually I'm hoping it will be completely epiphytic and cover the whole thing.

 

The variegated vanilla is still pretty small, but still alive and growing some, so I'm happy!

 

The recently mounted tolumnia 'Tequila Sunrise' is very unhappy and appears to be rotting. Looks like I got carried away keeping it moist...bummer.

Brassavola nodosa, fragrant Lady of the Night orchid (upper right) and cymbidium 'Suzie Q' are both doing well, Suzie is especially vigorous but neither has bloomed yet. I tend to get excited about collecting orchids without keeping a close eye on cultural requirements, so I'd better read up if I want more than survival from them (although survival is certainly encouraging   :)

                                     Suzie is at least twice the size she was when I bought her!

Lady of the Night was a re-mount I did awhile back, and she hasn't really made use of the large cork mount yet, but I'll do my cultural homework and see if I can make her happier.

 

Maxillaria tenuifolia is doing okay...

...but I think mounting an orchid on driftwood isn't such a great idea. The wood just doesn't hold moisture well enough, I think cork is way better. I'll leave this one as is though, and do some reading to see what I can do to inspire a bloom.

I see why they say that phalaenopsis are "easy" orchids, it's the only one that a rank ameteur like myself can get to bloom more than once (so far). Never underestimate the perseverence of an ameteur however, their hope/stubbornness springs eternal!

Orchid Mount Project

I'm finally doing something with my poor Tolumnia 'Tequila Sunrise' orchid.

Just one green part left-see all the dead sections? I've been a negligent orchid mommy :(

Poor thing has roots roaming all around the pot.

Oh yea, root-bound to the max!

Spread them all out...

                                      ...lots of room on the mount compared to that tiny pot!

I presumed the roots would take hold of the mount quite well eventually, so I used just one length of wire to affix it to the wood...

...loosely hooked to the back.

I'll lean it here with the other small orchids until it grows solidly onto the board, then I'll hang it up.

Sad to see this old picture from 2012 when I first bought it, so healthy...

...and blooming!

Sure hope I get to see those again one day, I wonder if abused orchids respond to "new mount therapy"? Here's hoping!

Late Summer Blooms

 

 My bloom scape on the keiki is looking great!

 

 

 

Plus I still have what appears to be a growing baby plant as well, I'm anxious to see what happens.

 

 

 

I had a weak moment at Home Depot and got this jasmine for $1.98-it still has some sweet-smelling blooms on it.

 

They had perennials on sale too, so I got three perennials and a pretty red bougainvilea vine.

 

This was covered with bees at Home Depot, I'm surprised none of them followed me home.

 

Pretty echinacea, I selected a plant with mostly buds to prolong the show.

 

 

LOVE the bloom color on the vine, too bad it has no fragrance.

 

The blooms are even pretty before they open.

 

 

This palm is showing some growth and looking somewhat less ratty, but I'm pretty sure it will be treated as an annual and left out to succumb to frost. These never stay nice looking for me anyhow.

My new big brugmansia is looking super nice! I'm planning to repot it before it comes in for the winter.

 

The fuschia is blooming like crazy, too. It seems to me that they've done something to these plants to keep them blooming without dead-heading. I have given this Miracle Grow a couple times, but I've never had a fuschia bloom non-stop like this!

                             Here's hoping for a nice mild autumn, I want the show to keep going!

Keiki News

 

It's official-one of these branches is a bloom scape!

 

 

 

I'm hoping the other two stems coming from the keiki site will still develop as a new orchid, but two more bloom scapes will be alright too. I must say, so far this project has been great fun. Stay tuned for further developments...

Orchids Update

 

The keiki project on my Phalaenopsis Happy Girl is growing like crazy!

 

 

The tips are looking like bloom buds though, so I'm anxious to see how this plays out.

 

 

No sign of roots or anything at the source point, either.

The smallest orchids are doing well, aside from the Tolumnia Tequila Sunrise. I think I'll try mounting it, the clay pot is awfully small and dries out too fast, IMO.

 

Brassavola nodosa, fragrant Lady of the Night orchid is doing okay too, though not growing super fast. I haven't been good about feeding the orchids this season, only once so far and I'm sure that doesn't help matters.

 

 Only cymbidium Suzy Q is growing with gusto, but no signs of blooming just yet. I'm not entirely sure when Suzy is supposed to bloom, but she sure seems to be mature enough so we'll see.

 

Maxillaria Tenuifolia is doing alright, but I think this driftwood dries out too fast. I try to spritz it once a week and soak it once a week too, I can tell when I've forgotten to spritz. I may need to add something to retain moisture better, but I hate to get it too wet and cause rot (that's my nature with all plants, so it's a slippery slope.)

Oncidium Aliceara Alice is growing well too, cork really seems to be the best mount for orchids in general and the small ones specifically. I soak this once a week, also.

The large vanilla orchid got to the top of the fern pole and needed to go somewhere, so I turned it horizontal. Eventually I want to make a large frame to attach and grow many of my orchids as well as the staghorn fern and suspend them over the bathtub. This one has a bit of a head start, so I may need to make the frame sooner than later.

 

Here the staghorn and varigated vanilla orchid are alive and well, but growing much more slowly. That's fine with me, this is my second varigated orchid so I'm just happy it's alive.

I'm really enjoying all these orchids, but right about now I'm realizing that it's time to refresh my knowledge of their care (especially if I want to avoid a repeat of the previous orchid murders.) Stay tuned...

Keiki Gone Wild

 

We are now 64 days post keiki project start date, and boy do we have growth!

 

 

Mother orchid looks fabulous, certainly none the worse for wear.

                                                     Wow, look at this bouncing baby!

 

Still some keiki-grow goo left at the source...

...and the stem just below looks to be shriveling somewhat. So will some of the keiki nubs become roots?

                                                           Stay tuned to find out!