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  • #261
Is that filter floss?
 
  • #262
Is that filter floss?

no. it's actually sponge filter. i've never used filter floss as a media before, as i suspect that it would be too thin....however, it could possibly be used.
 
  • #263
no. it's actually sponge filter.
When you've said 'sponge filter' before, I pictured normal open-cell foam - like you see in pillows (more or less). This stuff appears to be a much more open, pre-filter type of material - or am I seeing it incorrectly? I looked around on Amazon & most of the pics are of horrible quality but I did find several interesting filter materials. This one seems to be the most like yours - although I can't really tell for sure. Do you have any other pics of the stuff &/or any semi-bulk suppliers?

As I mentioned earlier, I'm very intrigued by some of these materials for use as airy, non-degrading media for the utrics.
 
  • #265
Normally, I tend to think that plant size is one of the factors that determine when a plant is ready to flower. However, I recall that RSS had just received his small U. geminiloba when it decided to flower. I had a similar experience with a 1' plug of U. nelumbifolia. Here's a U. asplundii in a 'pot' a bit over 1" (it's one of those coffee 'K-cups')
Uasplundiiwflower022113RS.jpg


Now - here's my original U. quelchii (as of today) - which has yet to even consider flowering in my care
Uquelchii022113RSdk.jpg

This plant has been growing like a weed for years (notice the penny on lower left side of pot). I've got a U. humboldtii with leaves 16-18" high and 2.5" wide -- but it's not the one that is sending up a stalk -- it's the much smaller one in the window ... Plant size may be a factor in flowering but it's definitely not the only one ... :scratch:

Edit: I just noticed that James posted a flowering U. quelchii (aaargh) :headwall:

Later edit: Within a few days of posting that pic, the U. quelchii sent up a flower stalk. Within ~2 weeks, there were two more ... :boogie:
 
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  • #266
holy ishtar.... that is one phenomenal portion of quelchii i have ever seen in my life.
 
  • #267
U. nephro x nelumbi
DSC_0005_264.jpg

DSC_0004_263.jpg


same bulging eyes like the one that Ron posted :)
 
  • #268
Cool beans!
 
  • #269
Hey Ron, any progress on the synthetic slabs? How are those working for you? I think I have enough to start propagating campbelliana and was wondering if you've had a positive experience thus far
 
  • #270
Hey Ron, any progress on the synthetic slabs? How are those working for you? I think I have enough to start propagating campbelliana and was wondering if you've had a positive experience thus far

I'm not Ron, but I've been unimpressed with orchid growth on them so far. They stay quite wet, and I've actually rotted Lepanthes mounted to them :censor:
 
  • #271
Oh no.... How often were you watering goods?
 
  • #272
I don't water the mount at all. The only moisture I was providing it was through the passive wicking from the bottom.
 
  • #273
I'm not Ron, but I've been unimpressed with orchid growth on them so far. They stay quite wet, and I've actually rotted Lepanthes mounted to them :censor:
I've wondered about that since I saw the one guy's setup where he trickles water down the Hygrolon panels - how do they not rot for him? While I'm not sure, I suspect that Utrics in growth mode will not have an issue with the wetness. When I've propagated U. james or campby on slabs, one of the first things they do is send roots down into the water or at least to the bottom of the slab where it will be most wet. Once they have water taken care of, they can proceed to take over the rest of the area. On the jamesoniana treefern slab that I placed in the auction, the plant grew down to the bottom and then used it's roots like stilts to keep the tubers away from the mostly-constant moisture down there.

Hey Ron, any progress on the synthetic slabs? How are those working for you? I think I have enough to start propagating campbelliana and was wondering if you've had a positive experience thus far
Well, the jury is still out. Nothing really counts until I've gone through a rest period (or 2) since that's when I typically lose a plant. The two campby tubers I placed on the Hygrolon over epiweb slab ended up fading away. However, this has been my experience each time I've tried to propagate with naked tubers -- so I can't really say it was the fault of the Hygrolon slab. I have better luck with roots than I do with tubers. Roots with leaves are better & roots with leaves & tubers are golden. Sadly, the mother plant has been in a very slow growth mode & I've been unable to get another reasonable root or root/tuber combo. The root of the U. jamesoniana that I placed on the Hygrolon over closed-cell foam has taken off & is currently growing like a weed.

Hopefully I can get a campby piece soon for the Hygrolon/epiweb slab (LOL - I should have snatched the long dangling root off the one in the auction) :crazy:

U. campbelliana slab (formerly) on left, U. jamesoniana on right (generating lots of leaves & new tubers)


In addition, here's a campby on treefern (left) & a young hybrid I made (U. asplundii x U. jamesoniana -- hopefully) - (I also have several growing in LFS)


I previously mentioned that I had some U. humboldtii & U. quelchii stalks coming along. I had some bad news with both. The 2nd humbo flower never fully developed & the 1st fell off before I got decent pics (I took one quick snapshot - see below). The quelchii put up 3 stalks - however the 1st wilted when the buds got a bit over 1 cm. A few days later, the 2nd did the same thing. This has never happened with any other utrics that I can recall - major bummer. However, now that I was resigned to the 3rd also wilting - it didn't (a few pics below).

U. humboldtii (windowsill plant)


U. quelchii

++++++ Sunday edit/add
Took the U. quelchii out for pollination & found another stalk that was buried & unable to get out - LOL

Two more pics in a better light
 
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  • #274
I've wondered about that since I saw the one guy's setup where he trickles water down the Hygrolon panels - how do they not rot for him?
I catch myself wondering- if water is trickling down the panels in your friend's setup it seems to me that water would end up getting oxygenated in the process- seems to me that could help prevent rot.

(added afterthought)
Those photos are incredible by the way
 
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  • #275
Sorry, Ron...I hadn't seen this until today. I'd have to agree with utricularia. It is often stated among orchid growers that water actively moving across a substrate does not cause rot because it does not get stagnant. Look up how well things grow on those Epiweb IIS systems. The dripping may actually be more beneficial than wicking in this case, and his plants on that stuff are doing much better than mine. I'm struggling to grow moss on it so far.
 
  • #276
Look up how well things grow on those Epiweb IIS systems.
Those look pretty slick!

I just got a U. asplundii in a trade (thanks Dominic!)- prompted by this topic, when it gets large enough to divide I am tempted to try doing something like a modified deep water culture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_water_culture) or nutrient film (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_film_technique) with it to see how it effects its growth. I put together a small DWC a couple of years ago and grew a VFT in it for a short period. The effect on growth was significant enough to attract the attention of my apathetic (to CPs) girlfriend. If such oxygen rich techniques work- perhaps they can be used on some of these pickier species.
 
  • #277
Of course, I am relatively new to cultivating species from section Orchidioides- so my ideas are necessarily naive ;)
 
  • #278
Those look pretty slick!

I just got a U. asplundii in a trade (thanks Dominic!)- prompted by this topic, when it gets large enough to divide I am tempted to try doing something like a modified deep water culture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_water_culture) or nutrient film (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient_film_technique) with it to see how it effects its growth. I put together a small DWC a couple of years ago and grew a VFT in it for a short period. The effect on growth was significant enough to attract the attention of my apathetic (to CPs) girlfriend. If such oxygen rich techniques work- perhaps they can be used on some of these pickier species.
I tried this with VFT myself a few years ago, see here: http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?118193-VFT-Hydroponics-Experiment. I would be interested to see how you get on with Utricularia using this technique.
 
  • #279
I tried this with VFT myself a few years ago, see here: http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php?118193-VFT-Hydroponics-Experiment. I would be interested to see how you get on with Utricularia using this technique.

Actually, I had meant to mention it (but evidently neglected to), my experiment with the VFT DWC was largely motivated by your experiment with the Cephalotus. Eventually, I would like to try to duplicate that experiment. When I can set up the space for it- I think it would be very interesting to try some hydroponic/aeroponic techniques on some of the more root sensitive species like drosophyllum.
 
  • #280
My U. campbelliana is growing like mad... subsurface! Fortunately I have it in a jar, so can still see it :)

Vym0Sq7.jpg


6ke4Fik.jpg


1BzX12I.jpg


xPWfUPF.jpg
 
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