I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol

"Pam Moore" wrote

I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!

Whilst moving my Cymbidiums into the greenhouse last week I knocked a flower
spike of one of the standard (big) ones so that's probably another year to
wait for flowers. :-(
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 03/12/2014 10:22, Pam Moore wrote:
I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol


My 2 cymbidiums are now well on the way to having their flowers, the
spikes are 9 to 12 inches long and well budded.
There are 5 on one 4 on the other.
I did everything against the book. they were re-potted in may then kept
in the glasshouse which was probably about 75f a lot of the time and
above this on quite a few days.
They had a little shade but were in the sun for at least 50 % of each day.
They were watered at the same time as the tomatoes and everything else
at least twice a week and every watering they had tomato feed in the water.
I bought another about 6 weeks ago with one flower left on the stem,
it's been re-potted and it will be interesting to see if it throws any
flowers this winter or in the spring.
I noticed that there were a few other flower spikes forming on some of
the other orchids, but don't ask me which.
I'm sure that the feed has something to do with the flower spikes
forming so well.
David @ a frosty side of Swansea Bay

On 03/12/2014 10:22, Pam Moore wrote:
I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol



Well done, Pam! I just know you're going to really enjoy those flowers.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On 03/12/2014 16:59, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Pam Moore" wrote

I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!

Whilst moving my Cymbidiums into the greenhouse last week I knocked a
flower spike of one of the standard (big) ones so that's probably
another year to wait for flowers. :-(


Oh, that's awful! I've done that with a Phalaenopsis and a Cimicifuga
years ago. It's so disappointing. No-one else to blame, either :~(.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On 03/12/2014 20:26, David wrote:
On 03/12/2014 10:22, Pam Moore wrote:
I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol


My 2 cymbidiums are now well on the way to having their flowers, the
spikes are 9 to 12 inches long and well budded.
There are 5 on one 4 on the other.
I did everything against the book. they were re-potted in may then kept
in the glasshouse which was probably about 75f a lot of the time and
above this on quite a few days.
They had a little shade but were in the sun for at least 50 % of each day.
They were watered at the same time as the tomatoes and everything else
at least twice a week and every watering they had tomato feed in the water.



Which just goes to show that plants don't read the gardening books we do.


I bought another about 6 weeks ago with one flower left on the stem,
it's been re-potted and it will be interesting to see if it throws any
flowers this winter or in the spring.
I noticed that there were a few other flower spikes forming on some of
the other orchids, but don't ask me which.
I'm sure that the feed has something to do with the flower spikes
forming so well.
David @ a frosty side of Swansea Bay


Enjoy your new Cymb. and the others you mentioned.
I've got oodles of Phals. and Cambria types in bloom, plus a couple of
Paphiopedilums coming on. Lovely.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On 05/12/2014 17:17, Spider wrote:

Enjoy your new Cymb. and the others you mentioned.
I've got oodles of Phals. and Cambria types in bloom, plus a couple of
Paphiopedilums coming on. Lovely.

This might have been better in the other thread on this subject.

A few years ago we went to the RHS orchid show. My wife bought me a
rather expensive very dark-flowered Paph which was had a nice fat bud on
it. What was particularly intriguing was that the flower stem was
almost black and quite hairy, very similar to the Black Kangaroo Paw -
one of my favourite plants. It was in one of those transparent plastic
pots. I put it in the greenhouse and after a few weeks the flower
opened. It wasn't in the best position for a photo, so I put it on a
shelf where it was better lit, and the background wasn't intrusive. Just
as I clicked the camera button the orchid tipped over in slow motion and
fell off the shelf! Of course the flower broke off (I kept it in water
for a few weeks). I had completely missed that as the bud had grown 30
cm upwards and the flower had expanded, it had made the whole thing
top-heavy.

The rest is history, and the lesson was well learned...

--

Jeff

On Fri, 05 Dec 2014 17:11:16 +0000, Spider wrote:

On 03/12/2014 10:22, Pam Moore wrote:
I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol



Well done, Pam! I just know you're going to really enjoy those flowers.

Thanks Spider. It really is exciting to have a flower after all these
years. When I rescued it from my Mother's house at keast 15 years ago
it had only about 4 leaves and looked at death's door. Now it is huge
and 4 friends have flowerint pieces too.
Of my 5 phals 3 are in flower or bud and one has a new plant at the
base.

On Wed, 03 Dec 2014 20:26:20 +0000, David
wrote:

On 03/12/2014 10:22, Pam Moore wrote:
I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol


My 2 cymbidiums are now well on the way to having their flowers, the
spikes are 9 to 12 inches long and well budded.
There are 5 on one 4 on the other.
I did everything against the book. they were re-potted in may then kept
in the glasshouse which was probably about 75f a lot of the time and
above this on quite a few days.
They had a little shade but were in the sun for at least 50 % of each day.
They were watered at the same time as the tomatoes and everything else
at least twice a week and every watering they had tomato feed in the water.
I bought another about 6 weeks ago with one flower left on the stem,
it's been re-potted and it will be interesting to see if it throws any
flowers this winter or in the spring.
I noticed that there were a few other flower spikes forming on some of
the other orchids, but don't ask me which.
I'm sure that the feed has something to do with the flower spikes
forming so well.
David @ a frosty side of Swansea Bay

That's intriguing David! Who needs a rule book!

On 06/12/2014 08:44, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 05/12/2014 17:17, Spider wrote:

Enjoy your new Cymb. and the others you mentioned.
I've got oodles of Phals. and Cambria types in bloom, plus a couple of
Paphiopedilums coming on. Lovely.

This might have been better in the other thread on this subject.



You may be right, but I couldn't - and still can't - see another thread
on orchids. What was it called? I'm wondering if I didn't get it. The
last orchid-related thread I've found was the McBeans one.


A few years ago we went to the RHS orchid show. My wife bought me a
rather expensive very dark-flowered Paph which was had a nice fat bud on
it. What was particularly intriguing was that the flower stem was
almost black and quite hairy, very similar to the Black Kangaroo Paw -
one of my favourite plants. It was in one of those transparent plastic
pots. I put it in the greenhouse and after a few weeks the flower
opened. It wasn't in the best position for a photo, so I put it on a
shelf where it was better lit, and the background wasn't intrusive. Just
as I clicked the camera button the orchid tipped over in slow motion and
fell off the shelf! Of course the flower broke off (I kept it in water
for a few weeks). I had completely missed that as the bud had grown 30
cm upwards and the flower had expanded, it had made the whole thing
top-heavy.

The rest is history, and the lesson was well learned...



Quite. I'm obviously still learning: I dropped a Catteleya earlier
whilst cleaning, and snapped a small flowering spur branch off a Phal.
The Catt. appears unharmed and, fortunately, the Phal. has lots of other
flowers, so it hardly shows.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On 06/12/2014 15:43, Pam Moore wrote:
On Fri, 05 Dec 2014 17:11:16 +0000, Spider wrote:

On 03/12/2014 10:22, Pam Moore wrote:
I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol



Well done, Pam! I just know you're going to really enjoy those flowers.

Thanks Spider. It really is exciting to have a flower after all these
years. When I rescued it from my Mother's house at keast 15 years ago
it had only about 4 leaves and looked at death's door. Now it is huge
and 4 friends have flowerint pieces too.
Of my 5 phals 3 are in flower or bud and one has a new plant at the
base.


Keep up the good work!. You've obviously got the knack, and enough
patience to shame a saint.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

"Pam Moore" wrote

David wrote:

On 03/12/2014 10:22, Pam Moore wrote:
I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol


My 2 cymbidiums are now well on the way to having their flowers, the
spikes are 9 to 12 inches long and well budded.
There are 5 on one 4 on the other.
I did everything against the book. they were re-potted in may then kept
in the glasshouse which was probably about 75f a lot of the time and
above this on quite a few days.
They had a little shade but were in the sun for at least 50 % of each day.
They were watered at the same time as the tomatoes and everything else
at least twice a week and every watering they had tomato feed in the
water.
I bought another about 6 weeks ago with one flower left on the stem,
it's been re-potted and it will be interesting to see if it throws any
flowers this winter or in the spring.
I noticed that there were a few other flower spikes forming on some of
the other orchids, but don't ask me which.
I'm sure that the feed has something to do with the flower spikes
forming so well.


That's intriguing David! Who needs a rule book!


The most floriferous cymbid I knew was one owned by a friend, he left it out
all summer on his south facing patio and fed it with watered down liquid
from his wormery. Used to stand it inside in the winter next to his patio
doors and it always looked stunning. I'm sure it would have won prizes. For
orchids they are heavy feeders and especially the standard ones with their
4ft tall or more flower spikes .
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 06/12/2014 17:09, Spider wrote:
On 06/12/2014 08:44, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 05/12/2014 17:17, Spider wrote:

Enjoy your new Cymb. and the others you mentioned.
I've got oodles of Phals. and Cambria types in bloom, plus a couple of
Paphiopedilums coming on. Lovely.

This might have been better in the other thread on this subject.



You may be right, but I couldn't - and still can't - see another thread
on orchids. What was it called? I'm wondering if I didn't get it. The
last orchid-related thread I've found was the McBeans one.

It was just the short sub-thread in this one from Bob Hobden about
knocking off his Cymbidium spike!

--

Jeff

On 06/12/2014 17:11, Spider wrote:
On 06/12/2014 15:43, Pam Moore wrote:
On Fri, 05 Dec 2014 17:11:16 +0000, Spider wrote:

On 03/12/2014 10:22, Pam Moore wrote:
I have related before the story of my cymbidium which I've had for
over 15 years, which never flowered after the initial flower when I
bought it. 3 years ago it was so big that I split it into 5 and gave 4
away. All of those 4 flowered the last 2 years but mine did not.
I NOW HAVE A BUD COMING!
Can't say if it was following Bob's advice or just luck, but my
patience has paid off!
Pam near Bristol



Well done, Pam! I just know you're going to really enjoy those flowers.

Thanks Spider. It really is exciting to have a flower after all these
years. When I rescued it from my Mother's house at keast 15 years ago
it had only about 4 leaves and looked at death's door. Now it is huge
and 4 friends have flowerint pieces too.
Of my 5 phals 3 are in flower or bud and one has a new plant at the
base.


Keep up the good work!. You've obviously got the knack, and enough
patience to shame a saint.


Got round to putting canes in to support the flower spikes today and I
had miss counted One has 4 spikes and the other has 6, though 2 only
have 4 buds each, should be open well for Xmas.
A lot of the orchids are in need of re potting so will have to get some
orchid compost. time to shop around.
David @ a wet side of Swansea Bay

"David" wrote in
Got round to putting canes in to support the flower spikes today and I
had miss counted One has 4 spikes and the other has 6, though 2 only
have 4 buds each, should be open well for Xmas.
A lot of the orchids are in need of re potting so will have to get some
orchid compost. time to shop around.

I've bought sacks of bark (course and fine) from these people before...
http://www.ratcliffeorchids.co.uk/Pages/trial.aspx

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK