Repotted phragmipedium

Bark mix is a preferrable potting medium for my phrag, according to various internet sources, reader comment and orchid board discussions. So Shultz orchid mix it is. Soaked for a day. Clear plastic pot.
Here is newly potted Phragmipedium pearcei:



Still worried about roots not being green when wet...

Phal fasciata buds and blasts

After THREE!!! blasted buds on different spikes I took a hint that maybe my Phal. fasciata doesn't like it's location: shelf in our home office, light on the bright side, air on the drier side.
So I decided to place it into more humid environment creating this "humidity tray" that it shares with two other phals, twins draculas and small haraella retrocalla on the back. There is moss around which I am trying to keep moist by misting:



The tray sits on the ledge in the kitchen and humidity meter showed 67%, temps are between 21C at night to 25C during the day when it is sunny, which should be OK. There is another bud forming, I will be watching it closely, if it will blast too, I am clueless...
Here is the close up of the bud:

Phragmipedium pearcei

Here it is, potted in clay pot with sphagnum Phragmipedium pearcei. There are several growths and large all tangled rootbal with brownish but quite firm roots. I have no idea if they are dead or alive. Just wrapped all those roots in sphag and pushed into the pot.



It is my first phrag and its survivability will define if I will ever have more.

My blooming Princess

My Ascocenda Princess Mikasa Blue is blooming now. Only first flower is fully open. It is beautiful, I am so happy with my purchase.



I like the effect of transmitted light on this picture:



And this bloom color is the closest to the real life color (a bit purplish, not sky blue as above), although picture itself is not the best:

Phalaenopsis tetraspis C1

I already had a tiny seedling of regular Phal. tetraspis, it is still small. This new one is a blooming sized Phalaenopsis tetraspis C1.
I think there is a spike starting above the lowest leaf on the left side(unless of course it is just a new root).

Oncidium Sharry Baby

I bought Oncidium Sharry Baby at the show in Montreal. It is a small plant with just two pseudobulbs - I didn't want to pay $30 for adult flowering cultivar.

Haraella retrocalla

I got this adorable Haraella retrocalla barerooted, wrapped in some moss. Unwrapped it showed lots of roots below the plant and some spindle growth going up above in different directions. I am not sure whether they are roots or spikes, probaly just roots.



I have read that Haraella retrocalla does good in terrariums. Since I don't have one, I decided to place it into a glass bowl with some moss at the bottom.



Also tiny keiki droped out of main plant, it is potted separately and looks very fragile.

Phalaenopsis violacea v. coerulea

Bluish variety of Phal violacea has a bud which shows some blue color through.
Phalaenopsis violacea v. coerulea:

I was very surprised to get it with spike and bud. Anyway, I think this bud is going to die, it looks like it starts drooping :(. Probably because of environment change. There is also some black patch on one leaf, it doesn't seem to spread, but probably I should just cut it off.

Ascocenda Princess Mikasa Blue

Large plant of Ascocenda Princess Mikasa Blue came with me from the Montreal show too. It has a spike. I wanted it for a while but didn't want to mailorder since I wanted to choose it - large with nice foliage and since it is quite common - I knew I could buy it in person on the show.
Here it is in a vase:



Spike close up:

Even more pics from Montreal show

Rhynchostylis Bangkok Sunset goes right to my wishlist:



Brassia with spiderlike flowers:



Cattleya Korat Spot:



Paph. lowii:



Very cute masdie:

More pics from Montreal show

Enormous Phalaenopsis pulchra with countless spikes, keikis and flowers:



Cattleya bicolor. I have a young plant like that, can't wait for mine to bloom:




Epidendrum. I am not usually the fan but this one stands out:

Orchid show in Montreal

Some pictures from the show:

Phalaenopsis Kuntrarti Rarashati

Phalaenopsis Kuntrarti Rarashati is a hybrid between Phal. equestris and Phal. venosa. I got this little 'chid with group of other phals from Kingfisher Orchids and just realized that I didn't file any of them here.
Still looks like a keiki, but has tiny flower spike started already. There is not much roots - just one aerial outside the pot and one long one inside the moss. It worries me a little, but other then that plant looks healthy. Hope it will grow some more roots...

Lc. Meadow Gold

Lc. Meadow Gold is a hybrid between L. anceps and C. aurantiaca. It should have bright yellow flowers with interesting dark lines in the throat.



When I re-potted it, small piece got detached and I planted it separately. Hope little one will make it too:

Phal. violacea update

Phalaenopsis violacea finally started to grow after just sitting there doing nothing. There are one new leaf and two new roots coming out(second root is not visible, it is under the base). Maybe when this leaf is mature enough - the spike will come out?

Cattleya bicolor

Cattleya bicolor is bifoliate species. The flowers should have fragrance.
I burned top two leaves by placing it into full sun beside C.tigrina, now they have ugly discoloration. Luckily there is new pseudobulb growing on the left.

Cattleya tigrina

The tag also states: syn. guttata v. tigrina which would be the second name of this lovely cattleya. It should have green flowers with brown markings and violet lip.

It doesn't mind full sun location.
I read that it needs dry winter period, but not sure if it applies to seedlings.

Brassavola Little Stars

B. Little Stars is a hybrid between Brassavola nodosa and Brassavola cordata. It should have fragrant green/white flowers.
I put it into full sun and it got purplish spots on the foliage. I then moved it behind other catts, hope it will be OK.

Bad news and good news

Bad news - the first bud on phalaenopsis fasciata totally blasted. I don't know why. Too dry environment in the house?



Good news - two new buds on the other spikes are still pretty much alive and growing, although I don't know for how long. I am not posting anymore buds until they actually flower...

More cattleya seedlings

Although I wasn't going to buy more catts, when I saw these on ebay, somehow I forgot that I am all set with cattleyas. I bought three small seedlings:
one Bc. Little Mermaid 'Janet'
one Lc. Blue Grotto 'Takagi'
and one Lc. Canhamiana v.coerulea 'Azure Skies'
When I opened package, I found:
three small plants of Lc. Blue Grotto 'Takagi';
three plants of Lc. Canhamiana v.coerulea 'Azure Skies';
and two Bc. Little Mermaid 'Janet'!!!
Wow! I was promised a bonus plant, but didn't expect to get that many...
They all potted into chc and we'll see who will survive to earn individual label in the log:

Lc. Love Knot 'Carmela's Blue'

Lc. Love Knot is a cross between Laelia sincorana x Cattleya walkeriana, Lc. Love Knot 'Carmela's Blue' is a coerulea type of this cross and supposed to have bluish flowers. There were about four more pseudobulbs on this plant but during re-pottng I discovered that they had rotted from the roots up and bottom part of bulbs had a bit of black color, so I cut them off leaving just those that are healthy.

Bl. Aurora

This one was bonus plant that came with my order from Clouds.
Bl. Aurora is a cross between Laelia anceps x Brassavola nodosa.



I placed it into full sun and it seems to be ok for now, just a bit of reddish color on the edge of the leaves underside. Some leaves have black tips - it came with them, I don't know the cause, hope nothing serious.

C. aurantiaca x L. angereri

The actual name on the tag is C. aurantiaca 'SVO' 4N x L. angereri 'Peter T.' and it is supposed to have bright red flowers. It is the tallest of all my cattleyas.

More buds on phal. fasciata

Excited about my first bud on recent purchase - Phalaenopsis fasciata 'Shaffers' I almost missed two more buds forming on the other two spikes. They are on the left side of the picture, I tried to focus on them, so the first bud on the right came out kind of blurry...


I wonder how long is it before they open. The first bud seems to stay the same (or I just look at it way too often).

Psychopsis versteegiana

Medium sized seedling of Psychopsis versteegiana potted into smallest clay pot with chc. I keep it on the sunny window just behind cattleyas, so it is getting quite bright light.

Pictures from the park

This is not orchid related. Just some pictures of what we saw in the park today.

Cute caterpillar on the tree trunk:



Busy bee on the marigold flower:




Big happy mushroom family in the grass:



Yellow butterfly:



Sort of sad that these are last days of warm weather and then long long winter ahead...

Look who is spiking

With all the recent new orchids purchases I sort of neglected (I was watering them regularly of course, just didn't check them out every day as before) some of my noId phals that were here among first ones. To get back my attention two of them together decided to send out spikes.
This one from Costco got here around last christmas with two large spikes covered with cheerful yellow blooms.

This is its first re-bloom and the flowers should be here probably around christmas again, so it is in a normal cycle.
Spike close up:


The other is dark pink one, I got it as a mother's day gift last May and it was in bloom through June. Then it grew new leaf and decided to bloom again not waiting for it's proper time - next May:


I am sure that it happened because when we moved here in September I placed them in the basement where now I have quite bright spot for plants too, but temps a bit cooler than those phals used to. Cooler temps trigger spikes.
I should try to put there my phal cornucervi that has old spike forever and doesn't do anything with it.