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Post by gj on Jul 31, 2020 8:43:07 GMT -5
Thanks perrywing ! I've always been hesitant to jump into the world of orchids. I've had some phals around for a few years that were gifts, but that was it. Then I saw that these particular Habenaria grow in bog conditions and figured since most of my plants are already bog plants, I should be able to handle that! I would absolutely love to have a highland space to grow Dracula orchids someday, and there's some really dark flowered Fredclarkeara that catch my eye everytime I stumble across a picture of one, but I'm trying to cling to some semblance of self-control for now haha.
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Post by gj on Aug 4, 2020 8:45:30 GMT -5
Just wanted to share some things I've found interesting about these guys so far. First off, the flowers have that subtle grainy sparkle that some other orchid flowers have. Next, the nectar spur is somewhat translucent, as seen in the photo below, which is kind of neat as it allows you to see the nectar level inside of it. Looks like the flower in the foreground is beginning to turn brown. Hopefully a sign that it may have been successfully pollinated!
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Post by gj on Aug 28, 2020 9:47:11 GMT -5
A picture from a couple days ago. Probably the biggest flock I will have this year. The flowers seem to last about a week before beginning to brown and shrivel. They do have a fragrance to them that I'm not sure how to describe other than soapy haha. While the leaves of the outside plants above remained more compact than those in the pots that were moved in and out, the flower stalk of the plant in the center shot up like crazy before developing five flower buds. This plant measured out at 11.5" tall, and the largest flower was a little over 1.5". This plant dwarfs the ones around it, and had many more flowers, so I'm wondering if it was from a corm of a more mature plant.
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Post by gj on Oct 26, 2020 8:36:03 GMT -5
Recently harvested a couple seed pods. No idea if they're viable, and there's not a lot of information out there on growing this orchid from seed, but I'm going to do a little experimentation, along with another member of the forum, and we'll see if we can't get something figured out about these unique bog flowers.
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Post by perrywing on Oct 26, 2020 10:48:28 GMT -5
I would absolutely love to have a highland space to grow Dracula orchids someday, and there's some really dark flowered Fredclarkeara that catch my eye everytime I stumble across a picture of one, but I'm trying to cling to some semblance of self-control for now haha. Well, you're definitely in the wrong hobby, then! I'm actively avoiding looking at photos of orchids and other cp's for just this reason, and yet I'm still failing. I'm seriously thinking that the cp bug is a real virus. Also, good luck with your seeds! I hope you're able to figure out how to germinate them, they truly are beautiful plants and the world needs more tiny white birds, haha!
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Post by gj on Oct 26, 2020 11:54:02 GMT -5
Thanks perrywing! Perhaps one day we'll have to set up a CPnorth plant addicts anonymous to help control our urges haha.
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Post by perrywing on Oct 26, 2020 14:14:57 GMT -5
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Post by gj on Oct 28, 2020 14:44:18 GMT -5
Just a few corms to complete the season for these guys. Hope they survive the winter, and come back full of life in the spring! Probably should have included something for scale. They are basically the same size as an individual peanut (sans shell).
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Post by dvg on Oct 28, 2020 20:26:57 GMT -5
Nice work with showing us what a full cycle of life looks like with this species... Very well done gjdvg
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Post by gj on Oct 28, 2020 21:20:49 GMT -5
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Post by ellsie on Oct 29, 2020 16:48:23 GMT -5
Fantastic job gj! Curious on how you're planning on storing these H. radiata corms....bone dry in vermiculite? Barely moist in sphagnum moss?
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Post by gj on Oct 29, 2020 17:07:15 GMT -5
Thanks ellsie ! For now I've got them in some perlite that got a touch of moisture before being bagged and placed in the fridge. I'm going to try to check on them semi-frequently to see whether they show any signs of being too dry or too moist. Really feels like I'm winging it haha, so we'll see how it goes.
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Post by gj on Nov 3, 2021 19:28:06 GMT -5
Some corms I just harvested from a few of the plants I grew from last years corms. Quite a range in corm sizes, which give a good hint at how healthy the parent plant was. The smaller ones came off a weaker plant that was also grown from a smallish corm. The middle of the group is about average for size, and the one furthest right is the biggest corm I've seen so far, and came off a very sturdy plant. Unfortunately I didn't get much in the way of flowers as some sort of insect decided to drill some perfectly circular holes through almost every single bud as they were nearing bloom.
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Post by dvg on Nov 3, 2021 19:34:13 GMT -5
Nice harvest of corms gj . It's unfortunate that the flowers were sabotaged though. Maybe ellsie can help you ID the culprit and come up with a prevention plan for next year. Those flowers are too precious -- plus, you can't let the little beasties win dvg
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Post by ellsie on Nov 3, 2021 19:53:09 GMT -5
Awesome job on your most recent corm harvest gj!! Ooph.....bit of a tough situation to ID with no pics From the sounds of the observations based on your crime scene, perhaps the culprit is Merhynchites bicolor (Rose weevil)?? I didn't realize these beetles also attack orchids blooms, but since they do feed on pollen, perhaps the scent lured them?
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