ORCHIDS

My goal is not to present a nth page of councils o for phalaenopsis, cymbidiums and another “Cambria”cultivation.  I prefer to present  you “my plants”, my tricks, my blows of hearts… Speaking to you about my orchids, to include/understand my successes, but also my failures, it is necessary to present  you the way I do.

It is full south exposed, protected by a fence east side . Half build under à sherry tree that gives shadow all summertime and lets the fullsun all along winter.

The ground received flagstones of washed fine gravels layed on sandy natural ground. So the ground is easily kept moist while being easy to clean 

 

During  winter I ensure an insulation: double  bubbles film inside, lined with wintering veil. This device, supplemented by an electric radiator  and a forced ventilation provided by a standard extractor vmc in closed loop in the greenhouse made it possible to guarantee minimal temperatures of 10°C while avoiding containment. This year (winter 2006/7) I added a new radiator. Regulated in ventilator position  as long as  cold is not too hard, it is put on  heating since December 10. Result: better circulation of air - it is very important to prevent rots - and less risk of breakdown of heating. More, as I invested too mutch al this year long in small fragile plants  rather liking heat, I aim at a higher temperature, about 15 °C now.

 In summertime  I put  an "ombrière"  which greatly overflows  the greenhouse to receive  plants  and bonsais that don't  appreciate  full sunshine but feel best outside. I had to test the “peint” for few years: the results are very satisfactory when the product was good quality. Two years ago I fell on a product more than poor which left to the first downpour. Distress two days before leaving for Morocco, because without protection in 15 days in spring it was the salad cooked with the return. I “arranged” in urgency with an internal protection containing hessian for this period.

 

By the way, as soon as winter protect is remove, sun protect is put on. So th green house never be without protect.

 

 

 

 

 

The pine bark  comes from the surrounding forests, it is not what misses in north  of Gascogne, close to  Medoc. When I am a little less courageous: I buy it in garden-center , taking great care so that I buy: not “colored”, minimum of chips of wood , never with large side bark, never  “special orchids mixt,  alway  made up of a little barks and much of peat including one large amont of small parts falling in dust to constitute a circle closed and gorged with water. 

Barks are collected  at the base of the stocks after demolition. these barks are thick, those which are detached easily come from falling trees  for years and do not contain any more gasolines nor resin . I keep them in general a year, stored in the open air  all the bad weather time long before use . Kind ,I never yet encountered problem of parasite or another disease.

 

 

Barks are cut if needed  (with the hand…) to have good side: fine for the orchids with thread-like, larger roots like cymbidium and other plants with thick roots. I add  it some  "perlite" (~5%) for his  durability, water retention  and his capacity to keep the mixture opened even when the barks start to be degraded. This constitutes my basic standard  mixture. 

Occasionally, for particular cases this basic mixture is arranged by addition of other materials: Pouzolane, same properties as the perlite, but larger. This porous volcanic rock is however very aggressive  - to avoid on the tender plants with root like the phalaenopsis. Sphagnum because of its marvellous air and water retention , counterbalanced by a poor durability.

 

I chose not to use neither rockwool, nor clay balls, polyurethane foams, polystyrene… not because these materials aren't goods, but it is a choice to limit the selection to ensure  reproducibility . In my cards, if there is no  indication, I use my “standard” mixture.  Particular cases are specified.
Last substrate and not the least: cork plates for the mounted orchids. I 'm luky to have found in the neibourhood several places with non exploited cork oaks, with dead trees lying whose wood almost disappeared, remains whole trunks only made up of the cork.

 Orchids eat no more , their epyphytic practices did not prepare them with copious menus. These same practices prepared them to absorb NUTRIENTS systematically as soon as  moisture and temperature conditions are favorable. The orchids go better if they  permanently have what to nibble, but in small quantity for not hurt  roots. The option would be the daily contributions of manure with low rate. It is what do  “industrial” horticulturists. The large range of  plants i have(and money too) cannot agree with this technology. I chose  the lazy way: encapsulated manures with slow diffusion (standard rose tree, strawberry plant, … ) These manures (of osmocote type) diffuse by osmosis through a porous wall. Broadcasting capacity is optimal with temperature between 18 and 25°C. It is stronger as the wetter medium is  and is low in minerals. This manure is thus delivered at good time to the growth of  orchids. Waterings,  wash possible  excesses salt from the substrate.

 

"Osmocote" is incorporated in the substrate at  repotting time. The amount is enough for one year . The years without repotting, some balls sown on top of the substrate get manure for one year more. 

This process is not an universal one: some orchids do not like  this way - mentioned in their cards.

This process is not good for mounted plants, so I use soluble manures balanced in N P K,  with low dose in  pulverizer which ensures also waterings.
This is my way. I obtain good results . It does not mean that other processes are bad. It is the only means which I found not “to forget” too often to nourish my plant. I would add to I have a very good water neither too soft, nor too hard. (the quality of water is an essential factor so that a manure can express its active ingredients with respect to the plant.

 

 

 

Here 2 examples of my culture cards. These cards are "Word" created and I manage each plant  day after day by writing  events, stage of growth, flowering, potting, treatments, pests and diseases…with symbols, Every one classified in  alphabetical order 
I use the same type of card for all my plants. That ended up  a remarkable bank of informations. I simply regret  today having destroyed a great number of cards following losses of plants: the failures give richer informations  than  successes. So I learned much - and thus undergone a great number of failures.