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Got some orchids starting to bloom :D

When I was about to water my Tolumnia "Red Berry", I noticed a lil flower stalk coming outta the leaves, and I was ecstatic! Haha anyways I can't wait for the lil flower to come out soon, but it seems to have developed pretty fast.

I got this plant and also some Oncidium earlier in the year in April. The Oncidium is almost blooming, and I'm just really amazed that I've managed to get them to do that. In the past I haven't really been good at growing orchids, but now I'm just glad to see that they're happy.

It's kind of funny, actually, since everyone says to keep Tolumnias DRY DRY DRY. But with this one, I water it once a week, but I keep it in a shallow dish of water overnight so that it really soaks up all the water (it's in a tiny 2" pot with some bark). And what do ya know, it decides to flower :p

I'll get some pics tomorrow prolly.

-Ben
 
I love Tolumnias and used to have several species. I gave away/traded all of them as I reduced the collection, but it's a great, overlooked genus. I lok forward to the photos. By the way, some growers think Tolumnias are especially sensitive to chlorine in water. I never convinced myself one way or the other.
 
Well no flowers yet but I got some pics of the buds and plants

Here's the Tolumnia
DSCN7055.jpg


Bruce, I dunno if I've ever watered it with tap water; I think mostly just distilled.

And here's the Oncidium
DSCN7052.jpg


I'm surprised this thing even flowered; I left it outside and it got burned, and then sometime afterward it sent that flower stalk up :p Oh but the flowers smell sooo good. They smell up the whole room haha.

-Ben
 
I have a few Onc. "Carnival costumes" in spike, a Catt. is budding too! Just bought a few new Oncs. in the past few weeks as well:

Onc. Tsiku Vanessa
Onc. Sweet Sugar "Angel"
Hwra Lava Burst 'Puanani
 
That Oncidium is going to be quite the show. I can't wait to see the pictures when it is in full bloom. :D
 
I have a few Onc. "Carnival costumes" in spike, a Catt. is budding too!

I'm kinda new to this orchid thing, so is this time of the year when orchids normally bloom? What cues do they rely on? Temperature? Light? Should I not water them as often now or what?

That Oncidium is going to be quite the show. I can't wait to see the pictures when it is in full bloom. :D

Yeah it's pretty nice when they all open up. Agh but it takes sooo long. The Tolumnia is growing very fast though; I think its flowers are a lot nicer than than the Oncidium's. They're purple and very ornate.

-Ben
 
I'm kinda new to this orchid thing, so is this time of the year when orchids normally bloom? What cues do they rely on? Temperature? Light? Should I not water them as often now or what?


Yeah it's pretty nice when they all open up. Agh but it takes sooo long. The Tolumnia is growing very fast though; I think its flowers are a lot nicer than than the Oncidium's. They're purple and very ornate.

-Ben


Orchids bloom at different times of the year. My Oncs.,Catts and Dens bloom fall-Winter. Cyms in winter. In cool temps they need less water. In warm/hot temps they need more. Water the same regardless according to their needs. Dens dry out between watering, Oncs dry almost completely between waterings. Etc.

Cues seem to be light and temp. related.
 
How you care for your orchids really depends on your growing conditions. I live in a very dry area, so I grow nearly all of my orchids hydroponically using the S/H (semi-hydro) method. I tried in bark and sphag with mixed results. The S/H method helps them from drying out and dying.

As Tommyr said, orchids generally bloom the same time each year. There are exceptions to this. There are sequential blooming orchids like Psychopsis and Paphiopedilum primulinum that bloom one flower after another. I have a Psychopsis that has been in bloom now for a year and my primulinum has been in bloom since April of this year.
 
Well all the flowers are pretty much open today.

DSCN7062.jpg


DSCN7063.jpg


Smells AMAZING.

And here's the lil one
DSCN7064.jpg


-Ben
 
  • #10
Wow! Gorgeous!
 
  • #11
Is that Oncidium Twinkle? Should have a chocolate like smell, actually closer to real cocoa.

Very nice blooms.
 
  • #12
Is that Oncidium Twinkle? Should have a chocolate like smell, actually closer to real cocoa.

Very nice blooms.

Yeup, that's Oncidium Twinkle. It does smell sort of like chocolate, but I'm not sure exactly how to describe it. It sort of has a vanilla/lemony smell to it. It's reallllly good.

-Ben
 
  • #13
It is really closer to real cocoa or carob powder, something most are not familiar with. It is very strong though. Very nice display, thanks for sharing.
 
  • #14
i thought that i would offer my contribution to this thread! my oncidium twinkle has also started to bloom. i think it smells kind of like vanilla.



edit: forgot to say that i got this from drosera36. thanks!
 
  • #15
Oh wow, I'm glad it's blooming for you!

-Ben
 
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