Orchid haul from Andy's Orchids

I haven't posted in a while it's been quite busy with the holidays.  There was a 40% off sale at Andy's Orchids.  So of course, I had to purchase more orchids.  I purchased these in November, so sorry the sale is no longer going on.  But it seems to happen every November, so remember to check next year.  I could have paid for 2 day shipping, but if it was delayed for any reason the third day had below freezing temps so I went for overnight shipping.  It was pricey, but I did get 40% off, so I think it was still worth it. 

I know this picture doesn't show any details, but I'll post new ones when I posts updates on the orchids.

Here are the orchids I purchased (from left to right):

holcoglossum flavescens

ascocentrum pumilum

leptotes pohlitinocoi
haraella odorata
gastrochilus somai

Non-orchid purchase (top):
Myrmecodia (Ant Plant)

The plants are all very small, the largest was the gastrochilus which game in bud.  So excited about the buds.  They are miniatures, so they won't get big, but it will be a long while before they become specimen size.  Besides the leptotes, all the other genera are all new to me.  Hopefully they'll grow well for me.

Winter is always difficult though as the air is extremely dry.  Even with a humidifier on, its about 30%.  I wish we had a longer growing season.  It's so much easier to grow outside. Because it's so dry, everything pretty much dries in a day, so I water daily.  Watering is also difficult since I grow inside and I have to water each mount individually and try to get the hardwood floors all wet.  I usually get water everywhere. 

I have thought about transferring the mounts to pots, but it seems like it'd kill most of the roots and I would set the orchid back.  Potted plants will not have to be watered as often, but it takes a while for an orchid to recover after a re-pot so stripping it off a mount seems like it would inflict trauma to an orchid.

The ant plant is also new to me.  The caudex is supposed to grow large and it has all these crevices and tunnels that ants live in.  I'm not sure I want ants living in my plant, but I really like the shape of the fat base.   Like my orchids, this plan also likes humidity.  Hopefully it can tolerate my conditions.

Well that's it for now.  Good luck growing!

Orchid hual from Andy's orchids

This past weekend, there was a Friday orchid sale at Andy's.  A list of about 100 plants were 40% off.  I have purchased too many plants recently, but couldn't pass up the offer.  I purchased them online on Sunday, they were shipped Monday and I got them today 11/23.  I was a little worried about the cold temperatures at night, they dipped into the high 20's.  But all the orchids arrive live and well.  These genus are very new to me so I hope that I can grow them well. 

The plants were packaged very nicely.  It did come with a heat pack, but it was no longer warm.

After removing all the packing peanuts the plants are on the bottom.

Schoenorchis tixieri - A true miniature orchid.  And it looks like it already has a past flower spike.  

Paphiopedilum spicerianum - I think I count about five growths.  I was hoping that it would be in spike as this is the right time of year for it. But I guess I'll have to wait.

Neofinetia falcata (Onamisecai) - This has five fans as well.  So I think it should be a pretty mature plant. 

Leptotes bicolor - This one is supposed to be very floriforious.  I'm hoping it is large enough to bloom.

Chamaeangis (Microterangis) hildebrandtii  -  This had two old flower spikes so it is definitely blooming size.  I found a bunch of tiny snails in the moss, so I'll have to try and keep this away from the others. 

Schoenorchis juncifolia - Weeping plant that has blooms that are supposed to remind you of wisteria.

Sophronitis Cernua  - Smaller than expected.  I believe the bulbs are supposed to be about an inch, but they are a lot smaller.  I think I will probably have to wait a while for this one to bloom.

MOS Orchid Show and more new plants! 😜

I went to the MOS Orchid Show on Nov. 5, 2016 and of course I can't leave empty handed. This was my first orchid show.  It was exciting, but seemed a little small.  Here are a few pictures from the show.

The show had a small number of vendors. My first purchase was from Andy's orchids. They are well known for their 'orchids on a stick' and specialize is species orchids. Andy was very helpful and spent time showing me plants when I asked for easy to grow orchids as I still consider myself a beginner. I ended up buying a couple from his recommendations.

Dendrobium tannii. The color of the flowers differ from plant to plant. But I believe Andy said the ones they had were pink.  The flowers are supposed to last for months. The canes looked a little shrively and did plump after watering. But I'll need to keep them dry as winter is coming. I also pulled away some of the brown dried bits from the canes. I figure that it will give the plant more area for photosynthesis and I also found a tiny dead bug crammed in between one of the canes and the dried stuff. So cleaning up the orchid will help it harbor less pests. Good thing I didn't find any live ones.

Encyclia bractescens. It should have narrow star shaped flowers, red-brown sepals and petals, and the lip is white with fine lines of purple radiating from the center. I just love the moss that has grown all over. It looks like a very established mount.

Sphagnum moss (tillandsia usneoides). Not an orchid and actually an air plant but I always wanted some so I had to grab it.  I see people grow them in their vanda baskets along side the roots and this is what I plan to do with some of it. I'll also use some on a grape wood branch that has a few mounted air plants. I'll have plenty of leftovers. It was an enormous amount for only 5$. I know down south they can't get rid of this fast enough. But up north a tiny handful probably cost 15$ at a nursery so I was lucky to get it for such a deal! I hear it's hard to grow indoors during the winter due to the dry air, but Andy says it is easy, so we'll see.

Piping Rock Orchids specializes in Paphiopedilums & Phragmipediums but I didn't get any.  

Butterwort (pinguicula).  I purchased a butterwort.  Again, not an orchid but I'm also a fan of carnivorous plants. I have fungus gnats that will hopefully fall prey to the plant. They also have pretty flowers which remind me of violets. Carnivorous plants do not like too much mineral and salts in the water.  I'm hoping tap water will be ok as I don't have a tds meter and don't plan to buy one anytime soon.  It wasn't labeled with the name of the cultivar so if u know please let me know in the comments.

From Fair Orchids I purchased an orchid.  I was actually on my way out and saw this little guy and wanted to get just one more.  

Dendrobium jenkinsii.  It's a miniature orchid with golden orange flowers. The flowers don't last long but are supposed to cover the plant. Look! I see some growing root tips.

I wanted to purchase more, but controlled myself.  There was a vendor there that specializes in orchids from japan.  I was very tempted to buy a Neofinetia falcata orchid, but will hold off for a future purchase.