Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
The Genus Vanda is one of the most popular groups of Orchids grown. Extensive hybridizing has been done within the genus and with other genera to produce orchids of exceptional beauty. There are three distinct groups of Vandas which are easily distinguished by the shape of their leaves.
Strap-leaf Vanda has rather flat, broad leaves growing [...]
Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
There are 3 varieties of Dendrobium bigibbum, var. superbum, var. bigibbum & var. compactum. These varieties are found only from just north of Cairns to the tip of Cape York & some Torres Strait islands. Den. bigibbum var. compactum is a plant that grows on rocks & exposed cliff faces at low elevation (around 300 [...]
Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
Preparing plants for the show bench begins the minute you bring home your new plant, not the week before the show. The following suggestions may serve as a help & a reminder.
Please refer to Bribie Island Orchid Society Inc. Model Rules, Constitution & Bylaws, Nov 2002.
“Show Rules & Conditions of Entry”.
You must own a plant [...]
Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
The genus Brassavola comprises approximately 15 species, most of which are epiphytic. They can be recognized from their habit; the thin, cylindrical stem-like pseudobulbs carry one or two fleshy, rush like leaves with a nearly circular cross section. The flowers are either single or in short clusters and issue from the joints between pseudobulb and [...]
Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
The control of virus disease is essential in orchid growing. To achieve this it is necessary that the grower becomes aware of the seriousness of the disease, is aware of its modes of spread and adopts handling techniques that limit the possibility of its transfer.
Virus infection in Orchids is virtually always due to one of [...]
Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
Miniature and Novelty Cattleyas are not really new. Some of the current small Cattleyas have recently been remade, but were registered almost 100 years ago. Sc. Batemanniana was registered in 1886, Sl Orpetil in 1901 and SI. Psyche in, 1902.
Growing small Cattleyas can become a challenge as they come in such a wide range of [...]
Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
aerial root - Any root produced above the growing medium
bract - Modified leaves on an inflorescence
cane - An elongated psuedobulb, usually used when describing Dendrobiums or Epidendrums.
discolor - Having two-toned leaves, such as green above and purple below.
epiphyte - An air plant; A plant which grows upon another plant, for support, but does not derive [...]
Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
Many growers seem to consider that their orchids are on a different plane from other plants growing in their gardens and fail to realise that the rules for general care and nutrition, which are a matter of practical commonsense when applied to more common plants, must also be applied to the cultivation of orchids. For [...]
Oct 19th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
Oncidium is a wonderful genus for orchidists since it contains sufficient numbers and in such a diversity of plant habit and floral features that a grower can spend a lifetime collecting all the variants and learning how to grow them.
Numbering more than 750 species, these orchids are distributed in South Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, [...]
Oct 18th, 2008 by biosi in Orchid Growing Tips
There are over 100 species in this most interesting genus of deciduous plants. They are also unusual in that some species have perfect flowers while others have separate spikes of male and female flowers. The two sexes may be borne at different seasons of the year on the same plant. As a matter of fact, [...]