12/30/12 Update!

   Well, it's the Eve of New Year's Eve, and I hope all is well with you and your orchids! I know this coming New Year is going to be awesome. I'm debating on whether or not to include my New Year's excitement in this or the next post, so I'll guess we'll see by the end of this post. . . I'll most likely save it for the next.

12/19/12 Update!

   Well, I'll admit that I've been a tad quite lately, but not much has happened to warrant a new post. . . or so I thought! I have 11 pictures alone to share from my phone, plus two pictures taken with the Canon D70, which I may or may not include in this post. . . I guess we'll see, won't we. Ooohhh, about that D70 my teacher has! He has been telling me that he and his wife may be getting a more modern one, so my picture quality should jump quite a bit with the new equipment at hand!

Top 10. . .

   I'm sure people have heard of the book series called Top 10, a compilation of a years top 10 biggest, fastest, coolest things in a large spectrum of categories. We have several of these books in our classroom, and we are totally addicted to it!!! Anyways, I thought I would start a semi-regular serious where I would post pictures of my 'Top 10' of some type of orchid, breeding line, breeder, etc.

   Anyone who has been keeping track of the novelty Phalaenopsis world probably recognise the name Yaphon, a breeder/s in Taiwan who have been making some pretty cool stuff, and since I know where their own forum is, I have been able to see pretty much everything they've made. So, I think to kick this series off I'll do my Top 10 favourite Yaphon hybrids!!! Qualifications include uniqueness of the hybrid compared to similar breeding lines, attractiveness of the hybrid, and what I will dub 'revelation hybrids', a cross between two different parents that reveal unique breeding qualities of either parent.

12/02/12 Update!

   Ugh, winter is beginning to set in here in Saskatchewan. . . we just got like 8" of snow last night, and we are supposed to be getting more. . . thankfully I have my Closet Paradise to get me through the winter!

Rarashati Princess 'Soan Bronze Goddess'

   Well, here is my other Rarashati Princess that bloomed, and I am going to have to say that I think I got two of the best from the cross made by Patrick. This picture was also edited in Light Room, as my photography skills aren't the greatest yet.

Rarashati Princess 'Soan Bronze Goddess'

   I have yet to decide what I am going to pollinate this with

Rarashati Princess 'Soan Rustic' and B. Grand Stars 'Soan Polaris'

   Yaaaaay, here are the two plants that I was talking about that I took pictures of with the Canon D70. Also, just an FWI, I will start adding page breaks to any posts that contain pictures, as I can imagine how slow it can cause a computer to run when all visible posts on the homepage have several pictures each. EDIT: I have updated the Rarashati Princess picture.,

11/25/12 Update!

   Well, I found a resonably easy way to get pictures from my phone to my Photobucket, so I'll be able to get back to updating more frequently!

Ugh!!!

Sorry for the silence of late, but I haven't been able to make any posts with pictures via my phone, so I've been (not so) patiently waiting for the issue to be fixed.

Anniversary-ish!

   Wow, I don't know how I missed it, but November 7th, 2011 was the date of my first post here on this blog, and gosh. . . so much has changed. I've gained, lost, sold, and chucked many plants since that first post, and while some of those first shown plants haven't made it to this day, there are some that have valiantly grown since then. It has also been just over two years since I've started growing orchids, and the amount of experience and knowledge that I have gained since then is quite astounding. I surely hope to be growing orchids for many, MANY, more years to come. I even have my own seedlings at a friends house in flask and germinating, and I have another pod that looks full and nearly ripe to be sent off to flask, in addition to some new flowers coming that I will be pollinating, so in a few years from this post I hope to be able to share with you all my own breeding efforts, and I really hope to make some outstanding crosses in the years to come. To all of you that have supported me in my endeavours in some form or fashion, thank you, it really means a lot.

   As a side-note, the latest update of Blogger mobile is refusing to cooperate, so I won't be able to share anything from my phone for a while, which sucks because a lot of stuff decided to happen all at once!

Just five more to go!!!!

This is kinda random, but this blog is just five views away from beating the all time views record in one month in the whole history of this blog. The record is currently held by the first month I started this blog.

Spikes and buds!

So I thought I would share some pictures of the phals I have in spike and bud!!! Since while posting pictures on Blogger mobile the pictures just get put at the end of the post, and I can't get on a computer today to arrange the pictures properly, I'll just have to hope that they appear in the order I talk about them! Lol! I have now arrange the pictures to go under their own description.

   Phal. Sogo Vivien: I am so ridiculously happy this is in spike, as I have many interesting breeding ideas for this one that I want to get started!

  
   Phal. pallens 'Mellow Yellow': This one decided to not do much for a long time, but now its making up for that! Two new spikes, roots, two kiekis, and a leaf make me happy!

   Phal. Rarashati Princess 'Soan Rustic': This is a quite large plant that had two spikes when I got it, and had just began a third right after I received it. Not too complex of a hybrid, its (((amboinensis x violacea) x venosa) x (equestris x venosa))

   Phal. Yin's Green Jewel: I bought this one from Paramount ages ago, and it made tons of roots and many leaves, and now its finally decided to bloom for me! Can't wait!

   Phal. Kuntrarti Rarashati 'Copperstate' mother: This plant is also going crazy after a long rest. After it stopped blooming, it did nothing, then started on its kieki, then the mother made a spike, and then another spike.

   Phal. Kuntrarti Rarashati 'Copperstate' kieki: And then a whole later, I found that the tiny kieki decided it wanted to bloom too! Since this is half equestris, I expect each new spike to eventually form a kieki at the end, so I should have kiekis to trade/sell eventually.

   Phal. Yungho Gelb Canary: Another I'm ecstatic about, this large plant looked like it would be one that sat and sulked, but was I wrong!!! New leaves, roots, and two spikes later, I'm uber happy!

   Phal. Rarashati Princess 'Soan Bronze Goddess' (front) and amboinensis 'Oriental' (back): Both are in the picture, so I'll just use the one for both. This other Rarashati Princess had one spike when I got it and now had a smallish second one growing, and the amboinensis has two spikes that appear to be itching to bud, as well as new roots.

   Phal. fasciata 'Shaffers': This one has finally decided to make a bud on one of its many spikes that it has. I have one potted kieki for myself, and then one promised to a friend, so I should have the other two available eventually.

   Phal. lobbii: Finally, last but not least!!!! Another one I'm pumped to see and breed with, but the spikes are sooo slooow!!!

More contemplation.

   So I am still in that same creative mood as I was yesterday, and in addition I am listening to Kishi Bashi - I Am The Antichrist To You, so I might be in a rambling mood, although I might correct it before I actually post this.

   I think I'm going to expand on my last little statement from my last post: giving back to the orchid world. I'm not too sure what causes it, but I have noticed that when two people have a common hobby/interest, it is much easier to form a strong friendship with them in a shorter time than it would take with a person that you have a common interest with. Two people who both actively grow orchids are going to get along together much faster than two people who like orchids from a distance. I know that for myself, this is quite true, as I would consider myself 'different' from your average teenager, and at least for myself, I have a close-knit group of friends I've known for years, and outside that, I am not the best at making new ones, unless of course, they grow orchids. I have a few friends that I have met via an orchid forum, and in such a short time they have become very good friends of mine.

   I think that this common hobby, and it almost seems peculiar to orchid-growers, is what causes such friendliness in general. People already tend to do whatever it takes to get something done or do something when it comes to a hobby they love, so how much more motivation will there be when that thing you are doing not only involves the hobby you are passionate about, but a person that you know and care about. I can't even begin to talk about all the great things that have happened and the generosities that have come about from fellow orchid friends. It is simply amazing knowing there are people who will enjoy your company regardless of your beliefs or the way you live your life at home. I don't think it is often that you can get a group of people who are willing to put down their walls of beliefs and prejudices and get along with others, that, in other circumstances, you would have never talked to. This is one of the reasons that I love this hobby (more so a passion) so much.

   Keeping this in mind, who wouldn't want to give back to the orchid world? I know that for myself, it is a great motivating factor. For the past year I have been making sure to arrive at my orchid society meetings early, as I want to help with things that seem so simple and sometimes being unappreciated. However important doing the small and simple things is, I can't but help feeling that this isn't the most that I can do. I have a strong desire to do things even greater for this hobby that so many people share, and it isn't not out of a desire for fame that I am wishing to do greater things, but a true, genuine passion. I know for sure that one of my desires is to become an accredited AOS judge, and if there was a center in my city, I can tell you for sure that I would be there in training if I was permitted to. I am not going to be satisfied with my life sitting back and watching a world of opportunities pass by. . .

Some random pictures.

   Well, even though I am normally a critical thinking and scientific person, I do have moments when I feel creative and 'flowy', if you will. Since I don't actually have anything to make anything artistic, these moments usually get channeled into interesting conversations. However, being that there is really no one to talk to at the moment, all you lucky people who read my blog will reap the benefits of this mood!!! So, I'm going to post a few random pictures from my phone.  .  . and then talk about them!

   First off is a few pictures of Calypso bulbosa, a native orchid species of Canada. We went to Jasper National Park for our year end field trip last school year (2011-2012) at the end of May (not really the end of the school year, but we have our reasons). The first thing we did our first day there was take a hike through Maligne Canyon, and oh my goodness was it amazing! I loved the cool, humid environment there around the falls, and if I could find a metropolitan place that had that environment for the majority of the year here in Canada, I would totally move there! This hike is also where I saw my first native orchid, and those moments are still vivid in my mind
   For the majority of the hike I was kinda at the back of the group, taking my time to observe the path we were walking on for any signs of anything orchid-like. However, not knowing the native species of the area, I was relying on general knowledge and knowing what an orchid flower looks like to identify anything I came across. While we were walking along, we came to a part where the path split in two; it had a path keeping at the same level, and another path going down and over about five feet closer to the edge of the water-carven rock. In between those paths was an area with a few trees, some moss, and a few wildflowers, but in the middle of it, even from far away, I could tell there was an orchid, Calypso bulbosa, amongst the other plants. When it first registered that I was indeed looking at a native Canadian orchid, my jaw dropped and I literally was on the verge of tears (yes, I am serious)! It was just one, small, single plant with two fragile looking blooms, but for me, it was the most spectacular thing I had ever seen. I was truly awed by the magnificence of that one flowering orchid, and I was actually at a loss for words for quite a bit afterwards. I was telling my friends that I would be content if that was the only thing we did for the week long trip. However, I'm glad I didn't go home then, because at the end of the week and three different hikes later, I saw, and took pictures of, nearly 450 Calypso bulbosa.

   I was going to post pictures of my cornu-cervi 'Red' and fasciata 'Shaffers', but I'm too enraptured in the memories of that trip to deviate from the original track of this post.

   And here are the pictures I was talking about!

   Here is a picture of the waterfalls of Maligne Canyon. I could have stayed there forever basking in the cool mists coming from the falls. . . it was that awesome!


   Here are the two flowers that put me in a sense of awe and left me without words for at least 10 minutes, which is quite rare when I am with my friends.


   Here is an average sized clump (compared to all that I saw) at Horseshoe Lake/Canyon.


   And here is another clump from Maligne Canyon that was farther down the trail from the falls.


   I wish there was a legal source of this orchid, as I would love to grow and cultivate it!! I wonder if it would be possible and legal to collect some seeds from an open pod without actually removing the pod from the plant. . . of course, although tempted (and who wouldn't be) I never dared to touch any of the plants or remove a flower or plant, in part or whole from the wild.

   The more I think on this and remember those moments, the more I am motivated and the more I want to do for the orchid world. I don't know what exactly just yet, but I have received so much from the orchid world; the people, the plants, the satisfaction of growing and blooming my own orchids. I just need to do something, anything, to put this passion to use.

Shopping spree!

So I had my Dad drive me half way across the city to go to the larger of the two Early's (a garden supply center here in the city) because I know they have a better selection of plastic pots. So, coinciding with my recent repotting of some Bulbophyllum, I decided that I would get a couple of shallow pans/azalea pots for some of the scrambling Bulbos that I have. I ended up with four each of the 8", 7 ", and 6" azalea pots, as I'm hoping that one day my Bulbophyllum get to be massive specimens of many growths. I also got a few smaller pots, as well as another bag of sphagnum and a cool new misting bottle with a cool nozzle! Lol!!!! I spent way more than I was planning on spending! I enjoy shopping for my orchids (as well as shopping FOR orchids)!!!

Phal. Gelblieber 'Arianne'

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! This little plant was #3 on my most anticipated to bloom list (behind violacea var. indigo and Sogo Kaiulani), and I wasn't expecting any spikes until at least next summer, but here it is, WITH A SPIKE!!!!!!!!

Bulbophyllum

Let's be honest here, I haven't had any of my Bulbophyllum bloom for me yet. I don't know if its because they are all too small, or I just haven't been giving them what they want. This summer I went into a very Phal focused mindset, and I kinda neglected everything else. Although nothing died, none of my Bulbophyllum or Cattleya could take full advantage of the summer weather. Slowly but surely I'm getting back around to better caring for everything else, as I realize its highly unlikely for me to sell any unless they are in bloom (if I want to sell them after I bloom them, that is). Just a few weeks ago I took off the slightly opaque plastic sheet I've had above my Bulbos, and I've noticed that their leaves have firmed up a lot. Also, I plan on repotting a bunch today after school, so I hope this also sets them faster along to bloom, as almost all are making new growths and roots.

Almost finished under the stairs!

Well yesterday I bought the white eggcrate, and today I bought the black trays to go underneath. All I have left now is to buy some leca pellets and some small desktop fans, but I've found out that stores have taken down their desktop fans and put heaters in their place!! How ridiculous and annoying. Now I need to find one somewhere else somehow.  .  .

Pictures of my current growing spaces.

This post and pictures are brought to you by Blogger mobile! Here are pictures I took of my growing spaces just a few minutes ago!!

Here is the upper level in my closet with most of my Phals, and there are a few more out of sight behind the left closet door.


Here is the bottom level with more Phals and a few other randoms.


Here is the solitary stand (I can never think of a good name for it). This is where the rest of my non-Phal orchids live.













And here is a future growing space! This is an empty space that is beneath the stairs in our basement. At my last Saskatchewan Orchid Society meeting (a.k.a. OS meeting) a friend gave me an old high intensity discharge light with ballast, so I decided to mount it where you see it here. This is only temporary, as I do plan on changing some stuff around down there. At the back and to the left there is an additional space that I plan on putting some T5's in. However, since it is so far back and kinda out of reach, I wouldn't be able to have plants in the area that you see in the picture, so I plan on making shelves to go along the right wall in the picture, extending back towards the door.

Trying out Blogger mobile!!

Haha, yes yes yes!!!! Now that I have Blogger mobile, I'll be able to post much more often and upload more pictures with ease!! Such as this picture of Calypso bulbosa I took with my phone at the end of May.

Some changes to my growing spaces.

 Well, I think I had mentioned that I was going to post some updated pictures of my growing space, so here are some from earlier this spring (?).

Here is my latest genious idea (at the time of the picture) that was meant to increase the amount of usable space in my closet. One word (or I guess it's two words) CHICKEN WIRE. I took a section of some chicken wire we had sitting in our garage and stretched it out, put some bamboo through the edges, and then hung it up with my trusty plastic yarn (nylon yarn. . . synthetic thread . . . ?). I then poked holes in the back of the pots and bent scrap chicken wire into hooks to hang it off my rack. Ok, enough chit chat and here are some pretty pictures. Oh, by the way, since these pictures are months old, I have added many more plants since then!

 

And here is the open stand, with lots of new plants! (which is also much more filled with plants than it is in my picture) I also have chicken wire in here too, so I have some stuff hanging around in there too. (If you haven't realized yet, I am in a slightly hyper mood, which explains my rambling. . .)



Hello again!

Wow, I'm not sure if many still visit this blog regularly, but I am going to try to start posting here regularly. So much has changed since I last posted it is ridiculous! Not only has my free-stand filled, but I have had to hang chicken wire in it as well as in my closet to fit in all of my orchids! I now have nearly or just over 100 orchids, and my Phal collection has exponentially grown! I have pictures from so long ago that I could share, so I don't know if I should start posting some of the pictures I have on my Photobucket from ages ago, or if I should first start fresh with an account of all that I have and idividual pictures of them, which is quite handy for record keeping. I think for now I can at least post what plants I currently have. I have now updated My Growlist and Most Wanted. Still need a little tweaking to the plant list, as I have to attached some clonal names and clean some other things up, but I am pretty tired, so I'll leave that for later. And as an incentive to check in more often, take a gander at this fancy picture!!!

This is the first bloom of bellina ('Ingrid Ohh' x 'Joy'). Recently I have had the opportunity of getting access to a friend's DSLR, so I have been able to get some nice pictures! I have two others finished and edited that could be posted, and three others sitting on the camera memory card waiting to be edited (by me) and sent to myself so I can post them. (Keep in mind that you might not be seeing accurate colours. The picture I edited on my friends Mac looked identical to what it was in real life: a pinkish magenta. However, on my laptop it appears dark purple near coerulea, and on other computers I have seen it somewhat closer to magenta.)

SUPER AWESOME DEAL!!!

Ok, so when I first got into orchids, I had a general interest in all orchids, so I had collected many Catts and Bulbos before I got devoted to Phals. Now that I am solely interested in Phals, I kinda lost interest in everything else, so I am offering practically all of my Catts and Bulbos up for sale, lest they die of neglect! (which I don't think I could honestly do, but they wouldn't thrive as well as they could in the care of someone who wants them) You can see the details in the thread I made at Orchid Board: Selling all my Catts and Bulbos, but what I wanted to say here is that I am willing to sell all the Catts to one person for $100 instead of the total individual price of $112 (which is WAY less than what I spent on them), and all the Bulbos for $105 instead of the total individual price of $117. Finally, for anyone who wants to buy everything, I will sell them all for $190, which is another $15 off of the already reduced prices. You can see the list of what is for sale in the thread, as well as some pictures I took today, and for those who want to, they can do some searching through my blog to look at the individual plants (which have undoubtedly grown a lot since I posted their picture). And of course, due to CITIES and all those regulations, it is pretty much for Canadians only, although there is a way for Americans to get them, but you would have to drive or fly into Canada to get them. . .

I'M BACK!!!

Wow, it sure has been forever since I did anything here! If there was anyone who was really following my blog, sorry for dropping off the face of the earth! There has been a lot of stuff that has gone on with my orchids, so once I start updating, there will be LOTS to see! I am also updating my wishlist to reflect my more focused wants!

The building of my new plant stand!

Well, I was hoping to get a much more detailed picture process of me and my Dad building this, but we were constantly doing something, and after 2 1/2 hours of straight working, I was a little tired!

Here is the hardwood planks that were made into the legs of the stand. The eight taller ones where for the four legs of the bottom, and the shorter ones for the top (which hasn't been finished yet).

Hehehe, a picture I snapped of the main architect of this stand. (I had the ideas, he had the tools)

Here are the three pieces of 25"x48" plywood that would make the base, middle level, and top of the stand.

Here are the legs for the bottom and top level.

And now skip forward many more building hours to the completed stand (I think. . .)

Since the last picture I screwed the legs into the top piece of plywood, which had the light-bulbs screwed onto. I taped aluminum foil to the sides and back to create a wall of shinyness to reflect extra light back. I then covered everything with a thick plastic wrap that came around my parents new mattress, and I also taped that onto the legs and front to create a moisture seal. I also filled two of the trays with leca to aid in the humidity, and I siliconed one of the fans to the corner of a leg so that it can be elevated. The front piece of plastic is in three pieces, one complete one running across the whole bottom third, and the top two being cut down the middle so I can open it while it still being closed off. This is now fully functional and permanent home to two orchids and two common plants.

Spike update for the Phals

Here is my Phal. ATL Crossing working away on its' spike. So far I think I can see a total of 6 or so buds developing, an improvement on the 4 and 3 on last year's spikes (which makes sense, as the two spikes have a total of 7 buds, so hopefully this one spike has many more buds).

My Penang Girl working on a new spike after the other one dried up!

Phal. NoID #1 I am still debating whether to sell this or not. . . I think I might, as I would be able to fit an ID'd chid into this spot that I could use for breeding.  .  .

Phal. (Tying Shin blah blah blah) is working on a new spike that recently hit a growth spurt.

Yeah, I totally forgot to take a picture of the Mambo.  .  . well, now the next time you see it it will be WAY bigger than last time!

Guaricattonia Lawless Gloriana 'Yellow'

YAY!!! In the past few weeks my Gct. Lawless Gloriana 'Yellow' has been fattening its sheath! Just in the past couple of days, the sheath split, so I felt it was sufficiently safe enough to peel it away (flash-backs of my Loddiaca 'accident' still present).

From the looks of it, I am going to be getting three buds from this spike.

Some blooms

Well, as stated just previously, I haven't updated this blog/journal in a while, so these have been open for a while. First is my Phal. tetraspis 'C#1' (or speciosa var. christiana) that had made three buds, but one blasted early on. It also has another spike beginning!!! I just love how vigourous this plant is!

Here it is with a .  .  . geometry tool.  .  . that has a ruler on it to help with size scaling. Since you can't really see the measurements, its slightly longer than 15cm. (I am going to try to incorporate this into all my plant shots, and probably flower shots too).

And, here is an attempt at a semi-professional picture with our lame point-and-shoot. It is interesting to note that now it is blooming in the winter, the flowers are all white. Compared to it blooming in the heat of summer (literally), I was getting flowers that had much more red on them. With a difference of the day temps being around 7-9C* from summer to winter, its interesting to see how much temperature affects the colour of the blooms on this little guy.

(I just measured and the flower is about 4cm. NS)

Here is the first to open Grand Stars #2 bud to begin to open with aforementioned.  .  . geometry thingy.

And here is a semi-professional attempt to get a good shot of the flower.

Approx NS of 25cm.

Oncidium spikes!

Ugh, once again due to my lazyness, I haven't uploaded photos to my Photobucket in a long time! Anyways, here are updated pics of my spiking Oncs.

Here is my Onc. Gold Dust with its spike just beginning to show buds!

And because I was bored and I could, I unpotted the Gold Dust and mounted it on some Epiweb!

And you can see a new growth starting from last years p'bulb to the right of center.

Here is my Tol. with its spike getting ever longer.

I really don't like this one's NoID status, I think I may sell it at my OS meeting on Sunday.