I have been watering mine once a week during the winter and feeding since beginning of December because they are putting a lot of effort into their growing spikes and roots. Found the first spike 28th December, which is crazy really, normally I get spikes middle of January. Those that grow indoors, I would say, possibly get early spikes, but not always. Other members of our Orchid Society have them flower later than me. Believe it or not I still have a couple that have not flowered since I have had them either. I have changed how I grow them this season which will work better for me hopefully. Time will tell for sure. Cannot wait to see everyone’s flowers.

I used to have this problem and grow mine colder now as a result. That said I also have a few that have never flowered. These were hybrids. The species seem to flower each year. It is down to conditions and they do not like the heat for sure.

I cannot wait for this flowering season and hopefully without any dramas for a change. I am keeping the Neo’s and Moniliforme drier than usual this year but need to remember not to let the cuthbertsonii to stay dry. At least I know none of the Sarc’s will want re-potting this year. Neo’s still in moss are still all to do though. ❤

Thanks Karen, it is what it is and so easy to make the wrong decision with these critters and don’t even get me started on knocking newly re=potted orchids that end up on the floor because you knock them over. We live and we learn 😂

They like to be cooler and like lots of air movement. I have now got them in just medium bark and use ventilated pots as well.

Hi Ed, no i use rain water in the fogger.

Thanks Lynne ..I only asked because I have read somewhere that using tap water with a high tds can be a no-no for some plants....thanks for your reply....take care, Ed.

No we live in different counties but belong to the same Orchid Society and he is on the committee same as me. Distance wise I suppose he is over an hour away more like hour and a half.

@@lynnsmith9397 thanks

Hi Martina, I appear to have had 2 different flowerings one after the other rather than all at the same time as usually happens. I bought this as a specimen plant 18 months ago and first proper flowering since I got it so at least it is happy. Lights I think, is the key during the winter, some people keep their Sarc's under lights for 13 hours of daylight during winter and they have massive flower spikes.He gives them light until 10pm each day.

Yes they are the whole thing is 18’ long by 10’ wide and the end in that video is 8’ x 8’ with a dividing door and cooler end on the front section which is 10’ x 8”. Then there is another separate one for Masdevallias and Draculas which is only 8’ x 6’.

Thanks Tess./

Thanks Lucy, it is good to be getting organised again.

Bit of a long journey to come for a natter and a catch up in the greenhouse.

never too far for visiting great orchid grower 😉

Thanks Clive.

Thanks John

The next one is filmed and yes it is the Sarcochilus and what is left in the front part of this greenhouse.

Indeed and I am now glad that it came my way, it is a beauty.

That section is 8’ x 8’. The entire greenhouse is 18’ x 10’ with the bigger section at the front which grows at a lot lower temperature. Video coming of that one soon.

Thanks Andrea.

Thanks, hope you are ok.

Mine stalled last year and a few looked terrible on mounts. One that was not doing well in a pot I mounted it and it is growing well - no flowers though the rest were going backwards so I took them off their mounts and potted them in small bark mix. My original mounted cheirophorum needs to come off the mount it is bald in the middle and it has never grown decent size flower spikes. I still have to take that off the mount after this flowering is over. The ones that I have now potted up are growing well and have spikes apart from one, which is tiny and still growing. But no longer keeping them cool. Temp is not dropping much below 16C and it is maintaining this (according to my electronic device) in the cold. I need to look at my good old min/max ones I have out there which will say different to the electronic one. I am now sorting out the ones that want to rest and moving them overnight into the front half of the big greenhouse which is going down to 10C at night.

Thanks - My night temp is set to 15C so I don't think 1C is making much difference. Mid Feb. I'm starting to extend day-lengths using my lights and will increase day temps as I do. Trying to bring things into growth much earlier.@@lynnsmith9397

It was tough but careful packing when I got back to the hotel on Friday night and I then had to go back Saturday and collect two Phal/Drobies for Jonathan as well that nearly tipped the scales I can tell you 😍

Dendrobium brymerianum, forgot to name it, sorry.

I resisted that temptation for that reason Alistair but the plants they had on the table were not bad. Hope you discovered while you were there.

@@lynnsmith9397 Yes I did, thank you. I picked up a few others which all seem to be doing well.

I would so love to visit when theirs are in full flower it must be a sight to behold. I have some new ones as well now and have also managed to buy a couple of bigger sized ones that someone was selling at our show and one at our auction.’of course they could have got rid of them because they were disappointed with the flowers. I do hope not.

I came back happy for sure, especially the hercules. It is a very slow grower apparently so we shall see how it goes. I have a hybrid of hercules x cucculata and that is a fabulous flower. Never seen cucculata for sale either.

@@lynnsmith9397 is that the one Roger got from Spicesotic? and whats the Dendrobium? some names are hard to read or you forgot to mention 😉

@@MilanOfCreagan yes it is I have had mine for about 18 months now, it went backwards last year as I used different moss, it is now re-potted again and growing on thankfully. Great big fleshy leaves. I forgot to mention the name it is brymerianum and today the first flower opened, it is gorgeous. Stunning plant as well.

Indeed great minds think alike. When I saw that he was there it was the first place I went and going up for judging on Thursday evening means we get to see before the general public the next day. It is the only International Orchid Show we have and luckily still do have. Not so much international trade but still get some. I need to do some research on the other two Neo’s but the Fugaku was what I saw first and mine is looking very jaded and not doing well. June was a good month for new orchids for me for sure. The flower spikes are erupting all over the place now and it will be tricky with this heat to keep them going but will give it a good shot.

Hi Michael, sorry I realised after I processed it that I forgot the name, and yes it is brymerianum. You never see it here, well we do not see much here anymore really but this trader drives to the EU to collect his orders and brings them back himself so there is no sitting around in Customs until someone gets to them. He put it in front of me when I was looking at the falcata x denisonia and it is a very striking orchid lots of growth and several flower spikes so it just had to come home with me.

Thank you Lucy. I have found the HotBox really useful especially with the aphids and I have also found dead mealy bugs on the Dendrobiums in the warm end. Not many but they definitely fell off when I touched them. The problem with them and the Neo’s (in my opinion) is that they nestle down in the moss. Thanks for watching.

I was very underwhelmed with the Den rhodostictum for sure. I like the Nora Tokonaga too but that one I have with the single flower gets my vote currently. If the Nora Tokyonaga shows a good way to split when I re-pot you can have some of it. I think I got that one from Holland and, of course, we cannot do that now can we. 😊

Thanks Andrea

It is definitely rodostictum then, I was very underwhelmed with it but that one with all the spots and the mixed up labels is a cracker, my money is on Dend. polysema but we shall see. I will bring it to club next week.

Michael Den. fleckerii is the bane of my life, I have two and have had them for more years than I care to remember, they go backwards, I change what I am doing, they go forwards, they flower the odd flower, then they lose roots, then we start the whole cycle again, dare I say that this time, they appear to be going in the right direction, but I am under no illusion with either of them. I got them from a seller in Germany 6 or 7 years ago maybe more. Normally I would have given up by now but, as you say, those flowers are simply heavenly, the colour, the frilly lip - one day. It is always the Australian Den’s I seem to have trouble with fleckerii and gracicaule and I gave up on that a couple of years ago and threw is on the compost heap. I have a neighbour who dabbles in ORchids and she bought a gracicaule at the same time as I did. It is so badly treated and neglected you would not believe it, the canes grow 18 inches plus tall and it flowers reliably every year and I am going to steal some canes off it very soon and try again 🤦🏻‍♀️. Your story about MS Sunlight does not surprise me, I bought one many years ago and killed it. This was truly a chance find, in bud with some blooms open, I was the first to see it that day so bought it - now we wait and see if I can get it to look the same next year, I hope so it was truly glorious and the scent was unbelievable - in fact nothing surprises me with ORchids any more.

That is really good news Mari, I love this time of year.

Thanks Martina, my species Sarcochilus are not doing too good so far this year but we shall see what happens. I don’t have the flower count this year due to splitting a lot of plants and also slug damage. I am currently using polenta in glass jars on the staging which is a good way of getting rid of them. The past two days have proved promising but previously I did not think it was working but apparently I need to go out after dark and see what has been caught, they gorge on it then disappear so by checking every night you can see how many are have been caught. Watch this space.

I know who knew 😄

No it was Marjorie Gourley’s. In terrible condition but lots of flowers and it flowers every year for her. Mine was bought at the same time and was a third of the size but not as shrivelled as hers. Have done more research and the key with this is keep throwing water at it. I am keeping it mounted and I have hung some Spanish moss on the mount as well so that will keep more water on it. I have another one I think will be happy in that environment but it grows in a bark mix and in terracotta pot. Grows like a weed if you keep it that way. Not worried about being in the shade, goes down more in the cool house but it will grow in intermediate conditions too. I will try and remember to bring it next week. I like coelogynes but not their size.