Episode 36 Routine tasks, two unusual orchids and two miniatures

My morning routine
Watering and fertilising
My strategy to avoid the worst pests
Oberonia lotsyana
Robiquetia cerina
Phalaenopsis deliciosa var. alba
Ornithocephalus inflexus

[@zamifoliya]

You and your greenhouse have very good energy, you are happy, you live in a good country, always be grateful to God🙏🌿🌸

[@zula6436]

Thank you! Howard 👍😊. Always enjoy watching your videos. Your mini orchids are most unusual and beautiful. If it wasn't for your videos, I would never know about their existance. Thank you for sharing all the information. Much appreciated. Love your garden 🏡🌾. Take care 😊.

[@missagi99]

Hi Howard, what a beautiful garden, thank you very much for uploading these informative videos, very much appreciated.

[@taniapotapova2830]

Thank you so much, Howard, for sharing the piece of your orchid life! The newbies are so cute, the garden is so beautiful!

[@LauraStansfield-tw7xb]

Great video ! Thank you. Love your minis. I just got a phalaenopsis stobartiana !

[@michaeln3125]

Thanks Howard !

[@sameeradhikari7346]

Nice ❤

[@Stwinky]

Glad to see you upload!

[@helloplantlovers]

So interested to see your Robiquetia cerina in bloom and that it's thriving in your climate! I have a seedling which has quite a zest for life so I might try harder with it now! Thanks Howard!

[@PereArcheSabate]

Very good videos of your collection and greenhouse. I would like to know more about the maximum and minimum temperatures you have in your greenhouse and a little more about how you grow them. Thank you so much

[@improbabilitydrive6005]

When I had only 3 plants to care for, in a small apartment, I used a simple aquaponics fertilization system with them. I just immersed each one in my 50 gallon fish tank, every time I wanted to water them. I had awesome results, specially considering they were inside, growing by the windowsill. BUT it was just three plants which I was sure didn't have any viruses or fungi to pass from one to the other... Now I have more than 200 pots, outside under shade cloth, I wouldn't want to have them sharing the same fertilizer water... I do have the occasional pathogenic fungus attack on a pot or another, and it is hard enough to deal with that without increasing the odds of spreading it around.

[@HowardRice]

Yes, that's why I always try to be careful to point out that what works for me won't necessarily work for others.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

The oberonia lotsyana puts on a nice show for such a small orchid. I bet one of those colorful everblooming columnea, and epiphylums would love your greenhouse. I'm starting to find growers not just for orchids but other plants talking about how the ratio of phosphorous has been pushed way too high. There was a study that showed higher phosphorous ratio reduced number of blooms by 30%. A large scale hibiscus hybridizer and grower here in USA says from their study of the literature it makes roots woody and impedes nutrient transfer. It seems a good basic fertilizer ratio is roughly something around "medium" N, "low" P, "high" K, then dilute to the requirement of the plant. Like 2-1-3 would be how the ratio would look. I've noticed my plants being more vigorous and more readily wanting to bloom since I switched about four years ago from a high P and low K, it was a dyna grow that is 7-9-5. I have been using a 2-2-3, and a 2-1-3. Something for people to keep in mind to try, especially with leaf tip burn and mineral imbalance with leaf color, noticed a significant change in my sensitive gesneriad collection the most out of anything, and I had diluted the dyna gro prior.

[@jaspermorse8210]

Love these videos always look forward to them. I’d love more of these long videos going through the greenhouse tours, maintenance etc

[@OsirusHandle]

Cool summer indeed! Last 2 weeks here in Hampshire has been chilly and rainy every day 😢 Wow I love the oberonia!

[@michael_kuhr]

Hey Howard! Glad to see you again! Can't wait to watch :D Greetings and best wishes for both of you from germany :)

[@user-bn4te2oe1n]

❤

[@marylalone7104]

I really enjoyed this video. Yes, it’s interesting to see how you grow orchids in your environment. You have such an interesting collection and take great care of it. Love your videos.

[@HowardRice]

Thankyou

[@karlsorchidparty2395]

Thank u! I've been waiting for this video since almost a month now (you've been late & how stupid of me (?)). Already send postive energy out in hope, that nothing bad has happened? I guess I like your style. Greetings! ❤🎉

[@karlsorchidparty2395]

Btw.: Whey did you film it? Because you have inserted parts, where you say "four weeks later". Just to know, when to expect things happening in your orchid world. I for example do also have an odoardi/edoardi, bought it as a young plant, and desperately waiting for it to bloom... From your videos & the seller himself I know it tends to flower around september; and that's exactly when she matures a bulb for me; but no flowers & fragrance this year, it seems. 😢

[@HowardRice]

Hi Karl, I got a bit behind recently and did most of the filming at the end of August but took ages to get round to editing and then filming the close ups hence, on this occasion, there are continuity issues although it was interesting to note that the Robiquetia flowers progressively over quite a few weeks. Good to see someone was paying such close attention!!! I'm still trying to get my Coel. edoardi to grow really well. I'm trying a bit more light and warmth and moisture - it does, after all, grow in Sarawak at fairly low altitudes and according to the web it gows on branches on canopy trees. Mine always flowers in what is our late summer at the begining of it's growing cycle - as the new leaves are emerging. Best regards Howard @@karlsorchidparty2395

[@karlsorchidparty2395]

@@HowardRice Thanks. I can confirm: Warm grower, not too sunny, I assume, the leaves are very dark green, and a good amount of water, but drying out inbetween. Btw.: Drying out: I now grow almost all my Draculas, Masdevallia, Lepanthes & a Porroglosum mounted on Xaxim in a room I can keep cool; they are watered every 2 days, and dry out inbetween almost completely. Yes, I think they shouldn't stay dry for longer. Before I have grown them in pure Sphagnum. They had always, especially the Draculas fungal issues, since I have mounted them in spring 2022 the new leaves look perfect! Even my Lepanthes, which I grow in a jar; since I water them every 4 days, when they approach dryness in the jar, they flower like mad & look prestine! The other ones are on a reck and the humidity is at least 60 % highest around 80 %, but seldom. I have put my 4 poted Masdevallia from Sphagnum/Perlite into pure bark, water every 4 days (dunk in a bucket) and they also thrive as never! My 2023 lesson (growing orchids since 2017) is: Don't be afraid to let orchids dry out, even Pleurothallids... Though them not for long. I was at the beginning so anxcious to give them the right root conditions, but in fact it is so easy!

[@karlsorchidparty2395]

I have looked it up: Average humidity is 69,4 % highest 81,2 and lowest 48 % since the beginning of june until now. Average temperature is 19,2 °C highest was 24,6, lowest 11,7. I would like to go with the night temperature even lower, now I usually get around 15, but since it is a room in the house it is difficult to manage.

[@zeraus.w.0512]

Robiquetia cerina is actually endemic to the Philippines; I have seen these plants in my hikes around central Luzon. These typically inhabit altitudes of 1000 m and above. The species was described from a specimen with yellow flowers (hence, 'cerina'), but the typical form in reality is much less seen, whether in the wild or in cultivation.

[@HowardRice]

Thanks for adding that useful extra information. That might explain why mine is okay without really warm conditions. I envy you having seen them growing in the wild.

[@patsfreund9164]

I live in southeast Florida USA. I recently purchased 1 Robiquetia cerina. I want to repot this plant which is currently growing in a small pot of sphagnum. Wondering if you can give any comments on whether this would grow in a large bark medium. Thanks.

[@OhhhBugger]

I'm most concerned for bacterial black spot. That's the worst.

[@marygorchidsmore2058]

HI Howard, great update, enjoyed your video as always, thanks for sharing. Just a quick question , is your b.elassonotum blooming now? I got a small orchid which I grew from three bulbs and now she is blooming! I am ecstatic! Just wondered your is doing the same? I love your new bloom @11:45! Does it smell?

[@HowardRice]

Hi Mary, My Bulbo. elassonatum always flowers in the early part of the year Jan/Feb. It was in flower when I originally bought it a long time ago from one of the old London Orchid Shows which were originally in March as far as I remember. Sadly, the Robiquetia doesn't have any scent.

[@jhndr0nia]

I really enjoyed the video. Out of curiosity, do you grow any Catasetinae?

[@HowardRice]

No. They are quite large mostly need heat to grow well and I'm very short on space these days. Fantastic and interesting scent though. Do you watch 'Orchid House Fort Lauderdale'? He has a lot and grows them really well - but that's in Florida.

[@jhndr0nia]

@@HowardRice Thank you very much for your reply! True, that's definitely a valid point. I only saw a couple of their videos

[@PereArcheSabate]

Another question would be how much ppm your irrigation water with fertilizer has and if you also measure the pH. Thanks again.

[@HowardRice]

If you click on the 'About' section for my chanel it gives quite a lot of information about my greenhouse. Regarding water. After adding fertiliser it contains about 300 ppm of nutrients. The ph is about 6.5 whenever I have checked so I don't normally bother. Our tap water is good for most plants but already contains at least 300ppm dissolved chemicals which wouldn't allow any room to add orchid fertiliser so I only use rainwater (unless I've run out in summer in which case I just use pure tap water).

[@kellywheeler7194]

The old saying goes , theres more than one way to skin a cat

[@anallesespeciale1315]

"Promosm"