I'm not sure if it's a problem or not but I have a couple of plants that
have a few little beads of sticky clear fluid on new growth (on flower buds
on the cattleya and new pseudobulbs on the dendrobium). I first thought of
aphids but there is no signs of the insects and the plants appear healthy.
See photos 01 to 03 at: www.riva.ca/orchids
I just got a cymbidium with the intention of splitting it into 2 clumps.
This will be my 1st orchid repotting. Should I do it now or wait to later in
the season. There is a leafless pseudobulb and dead one at the center.
Should the leafless one be retained in one of the clumps? Photos 04 to 07.
Any idea as to parentage?
Finally I bought what seems to me to be some sort of bifoliate cattleya. Any
idea as to what it is? (photos 08 to 10). Thanks for any input.
Marc

Marc,

First, neat conservatory!

The sticky stuff is common and is not a problem.

the Cym, I am not an expert on them by any means, but if it is blooming
now then definitely wait to repot. The best time to repot is when you see
new growth, if you can manage it. As far as the leafless pseudobulbs,
unless they are shriveled dry or soft (rotted) it's best to leave them with
the plant, as they hold moisture and nutrients for the plant's use.

The Catt is lovely, but I doubt that an ID is possible. Big-time rule: Get
Tags!!

Best,

Diana

Hi Diana,
thanks for the advice. What a relief that I'm not dealing with some weird
virus!
I know what you mean about getting tags...in a perfect world...I would
only...
For instance I found this wholesaler today and was able to pick-up a few
plants. Of the 3 only one had a (partial) label.
After a bit of internet research I am pretty sure that orchid is a
Brassiolaeliocattleya Yellow Peli x Sunset Bay (see photo #05 at
www.riva.ca/apr-29 )
The second, unlabeled, I found in a book and I believe is Laetiocattleya
Chit Chat "Tangerine" (photos #01 & 02).
The third (photos #03 & 04), a paphiopedilum, I think, and although
unlabeled (the wholesaler had no idea of even the genus) was so striking I
couldn't pass it up.
Any ideas what it could be? Thanks again.
Marc

Marc,

Some commercial growers on purpose do not tell the name of the hybrid
because they are more interested in keeping their trade secrets and not
interested in awards. This could be the case with yours as well. I bought
one stunning Phal orchid that probably had no tag on purpose for such
reasons, at least the staff person at the nursery where I bought it thought
that that might be the case.

Joanna

"Marc Riva" wrote in message
et.cable.rogers.com...
Diana,
I was surprised myself. Up to this point I have buying from garden
nurseries. I found the wholesaler because of a tag on one of the orchids I
bought. This wholesaler (she is Taiwanese) only sells orchids but I am
pretty sure that the more exotic plants are imported. The phals are grown
on
site and they are labelled. BTW I'm in the Toronto area.
Marc

I would disagree, Joanna.

Someone else getting an award on one of their plants is as good of a marketing device as getting an
award on one they still own.

Granted, they cannot clone it, but they can claim to be superior breeders....

I believe the primary reason tags don't persist is the "mass marketing" mentality and the
expectation that the plants won't survive anyway.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"J Fortuna" wrote in message
...
Marc,

Some commercial growers on purpose do not tell the name of the hybrid
because they are more interested in keeping their trade secrets and not
interested in awards. This could be the case with yours as well. I bought
one stunning Phal orchid that probably had no tag on purpose for such
reasons, at least the staff person at the nursery where I bought it thought
that that might be the case.

Joanna

"Marc Riva" wrote in message
et.cable.rogers.com...
Diana,
I was surprised myself. Up to this point I have buying from garden
nurseries. I found the wholesaler because of a tag on one of the orchids I
bought. This wholesaler (she is Taiwanese) only sells orchids but I am
pretty sure that the more exotic plants are imported. The phals are grown
on
site and they are labelled. BTW I'm in the Toronto area.
Marc

Marc,

The problem with looking these guys up in books or on the net is that so
many hybrids are so very much alike. It's possible in many cases to
determine a particular species (found in nature), but even that can be
tricky at times.

In what area do you live? Odd for wholesalers not to know what they are
selling, unless you're talking about wholesalers of something other than
orchids.

The flowers are lovely. Enjoy them for their beauty and don't worry about
names at this point.

Diana

I didn't know there was a wholesaler around here that sold to the public at
wholesale. Does she have a web site?
Don
"Marc Riva" wrote in message
et.cable.rogers.com...
Diana,
I was surprised myself. Up to this point I have buying from garden
nurseries. I found the wholesaler because of a tag on one of the orchids I
bought. This wholesaler (she is Taiwanese) only sells orchids but I am
pretty sure that the more exotic plants are imported. The phals are grown
on
site and they are labelled. BTW I'm in the Toronto area.
Marc

Gary,
I googled C. mossiae (didn't know it was the national flower of Venezuela).
The photo I found at:
http://www.orchidworks.com/orchids/cattleya/july070.htm illustrates an
orchid very similar if not identical to mine. Could it be I have the
species? The plant came from the same Chinese flower shop I found the cym in
and the pot it came in is the kind associated with outdoor nursery stock,
not orchids.
Took your advice on the cym and divided it. I'm glad I did because the roots
were not that vigorous and I found some rot at the core. I used 2 - 8" bell
clay pots. See the result at: www.riva.ca/cym.jpg

What Ray said, plus:

1. Too many customers not only don't care about them, but actually discard
them immediately after the purchase, intentionally and as a matter of
course -- as if they were taking the pricetag off a new shirt. This is
ultimately the bottom line.

2. Name-tags are an extra expense. The tags themselves are cheap enough,
but then they need to be printed/otherwise treated; put in the right pots
[which requires labor that can do that]; checked and often re-done at
repotting time [which again requires labor that can do that], etc. For
those huge outfits moving hundreds of thousands, or even millions of plants
each year, the savings of not labeling adds up -- and if the customers don't
care, why waste that money?

After seven years, we are now selling mostly plants that we've grown
ourselves, from flask or compot, but we do sometimes buy things in from
wholesalers. I generally have to specify that names are required.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com


"Ray" wrote in message
...
I would disagree, Joanna.

Someone else getting an award on one of their plants is as good of a
marketing device as getting an
award on one they still own.

Granted, they cannot clone it, but they can claim to be superior
breeders....

I believe the primary reason tags don't persist is the "mass marketing"
mentality and the
expectation that the plants won't survive anyway.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

. . . . . . . . . . .
"J Fortuna" wrote in message
...
Marc,

Some commercial growers on purpose do not tell the name of the hybrid
because they are more interested in keeping their trade secrets and not
interested in awards. This could be the case with yours as well. I
bought
one stunning Phal orchid that probably had no tag on purpose for such
reasons, at least the staff person at the nursery where I bought it
thought
that that might be the case.

Joanna

"Marc Riva" wrote in message
et.cable.rogers.com...
Diana,
I was surprised myself. Up to this point I have buying from garden
nurseries. I found the wholesaler because of a tag on one of the
orchids I
bought. This wholesaler (she is Taiwanese) only sells orchids but I am
pretty sure that the more exotic plants are imported. The phals are
grown
on
site and they are labelled. BTW I'm in the Toronto area.
Marc

Diana,
I was surprised myself. Up to this point I have buying from garden
nurseries. I found the wholesaler because of a tag on one of the orchids I
bought. This wholesaler (she is Taiwanese) only sells orchids but I am
pretty sure that the more exotic plants are imported. The phals are grown on
site and they are labelled. BTW I'm in the Toronto area.
Marc

I would guess the Catt to be some sort of C mossiae hybrid. Best guess but
may be way off. On the Cym, repotting is best done after blooming is done
and before new growth. Best doesn't mean only time. As with most garden
chores, best time is the time you have to do it. The cym definately needs
repotting. You could put the whole thing up larger or make 2 nice clumps.
Remove the oldest bulb if it's the least bit soft but retain any that are
firm. In the future, on a bigger plant, firm backbulbs may be removed for
starting new plants. Remove all the old medium along with old soft or dying
roots. I soak in Physan for 10 min before repotting and then treat any major
cuts with powdered sulfur. I've been experimenting with coir dust/ CHC/
sponge rock mix and find that the cyms respond very well to it under our
conditions here in SC. I'd put each of your new clumps in the same or one
size larger pot than what the plant is in now (6"?). They'll outgrow a 6"
very quickly unless it's a mini which your photo indicates it is not.
Gary

"Marc Riva" wrote in message
et.cable.rogers.com...
I'm not sure if it's a problem or not but I have a couple of plants that
have a few little beads of sticky clear fluid on new growth (on flower
buds
on the cattleya and new pseudobulbs on the dendrobium). I first thought of
aphids but there is no signs of the insects and the plants appear healthy.
See photos 01 to 03 at: www.riva.ca/orchids
I just got a cymbidium with the intention of splitting it into 2 clumps.
This will be my 1st orchid repotting. Should I do it now or wait to later
in
the season. There is a leafless pseudobulb and dead one at the center.
Should the leafless one be retained in one of the clumps? Photos 04 to 07.
Any idea as to parentage?
Finally I bought what seems to me to be some sort of bifoliate cattleya.
Any
idea as to what it is? (photos 08 to 10). Thanks for any input.
Marc