OOS members love to bring their beautiful orchids to the monthly meeting’s “show table” and share with others their cultural techniques for growing such specimens. OOS Meetings provide the perfect opportunity to do that!
“… It was purchased from New World Orchids a little over a year and half ago. This is its first bloom, and it is a very tiny plant that I never dreamed would actually bloom big enough to see the flowers and look pretty. It has no odor that I’ve noticed. I am raising it as a hanging houseplant in a south facing window.”
OOS member Douglas has grown Vanda Steve Barnes in his warm glasshouse since February 2018. The specimen in the photo has two inflorescences; one with 18 flowers, and the other with 14 flowers and 3 buds. Each flower is approximately 11.5 cm in diameter! Douglas waters the plant’s massive root system every morning with 75–125 ppm N (depending on season) from JR Peters Orchid RO water fertilizer and, then, rehangs the plant near the roof glass for maximum sunlight.
“My Dendrobium kingianum has bloomed annually for the approximately 15 years I have had it. This year it has about 26 inflorescences, and its aroma fills the room with a delightful scent. I bought it at a Tulsa Orchid Society show, where it was one of at least six in deep black plastic pots with no visible tags. I asked someone what to do with it, and they told me to chop off the roots at about 2 to 3 inches and pot in a shallow pot. I did, and it has bloomed and grown and been a delight. I give it a rest period in the fall when I bring it inside. I have repotted it several times over the years, but have never divided it. I found the tag when repotting it. It spends late fall and winter close to an east facing window.”