Update

Phal. Firecracker Blue Martini

The hydroponics systems are all functioning well and so far the various orchids are still thriving in their new conditions. Phalaenopsis Blue Martini is in bloom. Several of the Dendrobiums are about to bloom.

The Disa Safron offshoots which I treated with a 10% bleach solution earlier this year to combat rot have survived and are doing well.

The various seed sowings have produced mixed results and I guess some of my crosses didn't produce viable seed. Those that did are currently germinating and producing small leaves. I have trialled various sowing media and conditions. Some sown in moss, some in sand, some in peat/perlite mix. One batch are in the same conditions as the mother plants, the rest are in conventional seed propogators. It will be interesting to see the results later in the year. Currently all methods are producing seedlings.

The Blue Phal seedlings have been transferred into the main hydroponics tray.

Three trial sowings in with the mother plants

Disa Safron survivor

Disa Seeds and Germination

The trials I started last month using moss and sand as sowing mediums seem to be working out OK. Some of the seeds from my first crosses and self pollinations have begun to germinate so it would seem that both methods may work. Several pots are not showing any signs of life yet but this may mean the seeds were not viable or they may need a longer time to get started.

The seed pod from a cross made with Riette has produced a large volume of seed. A cross made with Red Uniflora has also produced the same. I'll be sowing some of these today. As a first try at producing some of my own plants from seed I must admit a sense of satisfaction so far. I do realise however it is a long road from pollination/germination to mature plant we'll see how things go over the next few months.

A couple of other plants flowering this month are shown below, these are Zygonisia, Phal. Cornu-cervi Aurea and Aeranthes. A dendrobium transferred to hydroponics is flowering. Many of the phals have put up new spikes. The blue phal seedlings are still making good progress.

Germinating Disa Seeds

In a search for more info on sowing Disa seeds I contacted Ed Merkle who kindly sent me details of his method of germinating seeds. He was very helpful in sending the following info that I hope he won't mind me sharing.
"I pollinated a cut-flower stem of Disa and it produced seed in about 5 weeks. As soon as the capsule started to yellow a little bit and looked like it was going to split, I took the capsule and sowed the seed.
I used New Zealand sphagnum moss for growing media. I took the moss and boiled it in distilled water for about fifteen minutes, to kill any moss spores or fungus. After cooling, I filled a 15cm pot about three-quarters to the top with moss, and firmed it down very tightly. I then sowed the seed over the surface of the moss. After sowing, I covered the pot with plastic saran wrap from the kitchen, and held it in place with a large rubber band. I placed the pot about 40cm below a pair of 40 watt fluorescent lamps. I put the pot in a shallow dish with about 2cm of distilled water in the dish at all times. Temperature was about 20C.
I saw seedlings growing after about 45 days and they reached about 1cm in about 100 days. When they reached this height I started picking out the larger ones and placing them in community pots of about 10 seedlings each. They reached blooming size in two years.
Hope this helps - Ed"

I will try this method and post here the results of my trial. I also read that in South Africa some growers use just sand. I purchased some aquarium sand recently so will try this too.
I hope to have plenty of seeds to experiment with - pics show pods ripening from various crosses and self-pollinations done over the past few weeks.

The Disa Safron that arrived in poor condition - described in an earlier post - seems to have survived its radical treatment. New leaves are beginning to appear. A second bloom opened on Orangeade but like the first, the pollens were damaged. However I used the blooms to pollinate with Brides Dream on the first and last week with Riette which I bought last weekend. Riette's pollens were separated from the plant onto the packaging so they had to be used.
Being a beginner with Disas I have little idea whether or not any interesting results will be forthcoming with the crosses I have made. At this stage I am just producing fresh seed to experiment with and if a nice plant results I will be doubly pleased.



Above Orangeade with a swelling seed pod and below Watsonii and Kewensis with seed pods nearly ready for sowing.



One of the Safron splits showing new leaves after the weak bleach treatment.

New orchids bought at the Show

We always attend orchid shows with good intentions - not to impulse purchase! We ordered most of our orchids beforehand for collection at the venue. Nevertheless we still managed to come home with more than we set out to bring. It is very difficult to resist - just another one. Here's a couple that were in flower and difficult to resist.

Cirrophyllum
Phal Cornu Cervi Aurea
Ho's Black Cherub
Disa Riette

We ordered several Phal species plants and two others that I am looking forward to blooming - Chingruey's Morning 'Palace Dragon' a young plant and Doritaenopsis Fire Cracker Blue Martini which is in spike.

Disa Riette had lost its pollen to the packaging so I used it to pollinate Orangeade, Brides Dream and Watsonii blooms to see if some seed is produced. I now have some 10 or so seed pods ripening and have to get to grips with choice of media to sow some on and experiment again with germination. I think it is probably safe to say my first try with purchased seeds will be a failure no signs of movement under the magnifying glass and many seeds with mould covering. Moss and sand next I guess.

Suffolk Orchid Society Stand at the Peterborough Orchid Show

Some pics of the Suffolk Orchid Society Stand at the Peterborough Orchid Show.

Peterborough Orchid Show

Looking forward to visiting the Show tomorrow and picking up the orchids I have ordered. If anyone reading this is from the UK and is going to the Show as well - we would be pleased to say hello. We will be manning the Suffolk Orchid Society stand from 1 til 3 Saturday only.

Disa Update

I decided to take radical action with my Disa Saffron - having used anti-fugal spray the rotting didn't seem to be stabilising so I have split the plant. I also took the risk of treating the pieces with a dilute solution of bleach, just to see what happens. Well the leaves didn't take too kindly and within hours the tips turned brown, I've trimmed them back and so far the transplanted pieces are surviving. I feel this was probably the worst thing I could have done to the plant but if it was going to die anyway I thought this might be worth a try. The more experienced Disa growers viewing may wish to comment and maybe suggest some alternative strategies.
The Disa seeds I purchased and have tried sowing on a 50/50 peat and perlite mix don't not seem to be doing too well either. Under a magnifying glass it looks as though a bluish mould is growing around the seeds. I will try some other media with the seeds I hope are in the swelling pods of the pollinated Disas I am nurturing. May try sand next. Perhaps the seeds were not stored correctly or maybe I should have sterilised the peat. Any help would be appreciated from other Disa growers who have successfully germinated seeds without going the in-vitro route.

More Pictures

Bulb. in full bloom now.









Buddhas Treasure
Ching Her Buddha

Some more Phal pics

Problem Disas

I bought these Disas via E-Bay from Europe. Unfortunately they took two weeks to arrive and suffered as a consequence. They are Orangeade and Saffron. Orangeade in the first pic seems the better of the two but the flower is damaged (since removed). Saffron in the bottom three pics has contracted a fungal rot - treated so I have to wait and see. Buyer beware - be sure the post is fast if you buy online.

Non Hydroponic pic - Bulb. Frank Smith

We bought a Bulbophyllum Frank Smith (carunculatum x lobbii) last year and it has now flowered for the first time for us.

Disas

I am trialling a small home made continuous flow tray for the Disas at the moment. If this works satisfactorily I will continue with this method when we set up the new greenhouse for them. I have purchased some Aurata and Uniflora seeds to have a try at germination on compost. I have also had a first try at pollination with the Disas I have so far, to produce more seed to experiment with. Cross and self pollination has seemed to produce some healthy seed pods on Kewensis and Watsonii. Brides Dream and Orangeade are pending. I am going to see if I can source some Uniflora plants as well to increase my collection. The last photo shows a pot with seeds sown this week.

More pics

Paph roots showing healthy signs of regeneration





Some trial media with seedlings














Blue phal seedlings progressing satifactorily three weeks out of the flask

Progress so far

So after a month the new system seems to be settling down and some promising signs that the phals at least are happy with their new conditions. Healthy root growth, new leaves and flower spikes are showing. The systems – shading, heating, feed etc. are set up for phals - so I would be disappointed if this was not the case. Other genera are taking their chances!
I knocked over a paph which gave me the opportunity to observe the roots. Old roots were trimmed back on transplant into the hydroleca pellets. Healthy new ones are now developing. One or two of the dendrobiums are showing signs of not liking their new conditions and expect to lose them. One or two others seem to be thriving at present.
A sederia japonica young plant is doing well as are oncidiums and others.
I have deflasked four sets of seedlings and transferred them to four different types of hydroponic media to see which suits early growth best. Only problem so far seems to be algae growth on two types. This is also occurring in the main trays in the same media types. I will be taking steps to counteract this.
A big learning curve is taking place in basic chemistry. Balancing all the components with one another has taken some experimentation with tanks of different sizes.

The new greenhouse

Pics of the set-up

Welcome

This will be a Blog for anyone interested in growing orchids using hydroponics systems. Please feel free to comment, ask questions, offer advice etc. I am an amateur orchid grower who has just transferred a smallish collection of orchids into a new greenhouse. Foolishly, probably, I have decided to place all my orchids into flood and drain hydroponic systems as an experiment. They are mostly Phalaenopsis so the conditions are set up to maximise conditions for this species. Other orchids are however in amongst them - I expect these to fail over time.
I am using different media in the pots to see how the orchids flourish or not as the case may be. They have been re-potted and in their new environment for two weeks now. They have been watered but no feed has been introduced during this transition period. I have not yet tested ph values for the water (rainwater). This week I intend to begin feed and then automate the watering system which has up until now been manually undertaken.
I have done some Internet and book searches for information on this subject but not much information is available. Most relates to hydroculture, it will be interesting to discover the differences between the systems and I may obtain some hydroculture pots to try this too.
Here are a couple of pics taken while setting the system up. There are two types of manufactured trays in the greenhouse - later I will show two homemade trays one for seedlings and one for Disa. The Disas will have to be moved to a cooler enviroment when I have erected the second greenhouse.