Maxillaria tenuifolia – The coconut orchid

Maxillaria tenuifolia is a epiphytic orchid from Central America, typically found growing in trees, but sometimes can also be found seen on the ground. Its common name is the coconut orchid due to the fragrance of the flowers. The flowers, although brightly colored, are relatively small (1”) and not particularly showy. In fact sometimes you would miss the blooms if it wasn’t for the smell of coconut oil with maybe a hint of cinnamon wafting through the patio. When it flowers, I like to bring the plant inside so we can contain the aroma to the house.

Many people who do not grow orchids think there is only one type of orchid: the well-known Cattleya or corsage orchid. There are actually around 30,000 different orchids including orchids that grow on the ground or on rocks, some that can even flower underground, and a even few located near the arctic circle. I was amazed to discover recently that Utah has 14 orchids, of course they go dormant during the winter. I think we have around 140 different species in Florida, although only a handful of epiphytic types here in Central Florida.

Max Tenuifolia plant

I bought my first coconut orchid from a vendor at the Fernandina Shrimp Festival about 10 years ago. It was an impulse purchase. It was late on Sunday and everyone was packing to go. I think I paid 8 bucks for it–all the cash I had on-hand after buying some nice artwork and shrimp, and some nice earrings for my wife, Kat. The vendor wanted more but was willing to part with it rather than pack it back up and haul it home. It was rather small. Maybe three or four bulbs, but it did have two flowers with that coconut fragrance that made me want it.

This was another relatively easy orchid for me to grow. It doubled in size every year and I was soon giving cuttings away or trading for other orchids that I didn’t have in my collection, until one year, when I received some bad advice about my potting media. I should’ve heeded the motto “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. The roots stayed too wet in sphagnum moss and the slugs got to it. When I finally figured out what was happening to my plant, I had to cut out the dead parts which left me with a plant half its original size. I have tried regular orchid bark mix with perlite and have used a mix with coconut husk chips. I find the orchid bark with perlite mix works best for me. It’s allows me to water them a little more often which keeps the plants cooler in the summer. But I have used sphagnum to start cuttings.

Some years my tenuifolia hung in the backyard oak tree. Other times I had it on my screened patio. It seemed to like the tree best. It may have received too much light on the patio and when it was in the tree apparently it also stayed away from the slugs. I water it thoroughly with the house if it hasn’t rained in awhile. Tenuifolias prefer to stay on the moist side, just drying out between watering’s, but don’t let them get bone dry, at least not during the hot summer months. I fertilize them every week, maybe a little on the heavy side.

These plants go through a dormant period, where their growth slows but they still need care. You should reduce watering and fertilizer. The amount varies depending on how much light they receive and how warm it is. The warmer and brighter locations will need water more often, cooler and darker areas (but not too dark) can go longer between feedings. Some people insist on stopping fertilizing until the spring–or at least switching to a bloom booster and Epsom salts regime.
I bring mine inside when the weather gets down to 50^o. I usually bring them into the garage during cold spells and move them back outside whenever it warms up (although this is getting to be a chore when you have 140 varieties of orchids, some as large as 2 feet in diameter). One year after my daughter moved out I put them in her room. It s a south-facing room and although they didn’t get direct sun, I think it was a little too warm. They didn’t flower well the next year.

All and all, I have found this orchid to be one of the easiest to grow. For that reason, it’s one I recommend to new hobbyists. Everyone always loves the fragrance . . . except when mine is in bloom I get this urge to eat some macaroons.

Dendrobium anosmum (or superbum – as in “superb”)

My Den anosmum from Spring 2013

Dendrobium anosmum is a pendant type (soft cane) deciduous orchid that grow native to Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua and New Guinea. Anosmum is a misnomer. It’s a Latin word meaning “without scent” which is actually quite fragrant. This flower, at least mine, has a fragrance I equate to raspberries. In the Philippines they refer to the fragrance as repulsive. Maybe it is repulsive in large quantities – such as when the Melaleuca trees bloom en masse along the Turnpike in Miami. Last year my anosmum had 100 flowers with an enjoyable but not overwhelming fragrance you could enjoy throughout the patio.

Like most orchids the anosmum is an epiphytic orchid–it grows in trees. It does not grow in dirt. If planted in dirt, or if its roots are left in water, it will die from lack of oxygen. In its native habitat the roots grow on the surface of the bark of the trees. The roots need to dry between watering. That isn’t too much of a problem here in Florida, especially if you water early in the morning. The Florida temperature typically ensures that it dries out before night. But the plant should not be watered late in the afternoon or evening since the roots will tend to stay wet, which could accelerate mold or other microbe growth that could damage the plant.

I grow many of my orchids in clay pellets. I find the clay holds water for a short time, as well as retaining nutrients when I fertilize, which will allow the roots to slowly absorb the water and nutrients. But the clay dries out faster than most other planting media.

My anosmum from spring of 2014 with keiki’s

In the wild the stems can get to be 6 feet long, but potted plants usually only get to be 3 feet. My plant is only 20-22”. In their native setting the plants will start to grow new stems at the beginning of the monsoon season, which coincides with the rainy season here in Central Florida. They like a lot of water during the growing season, which starts when the plant begins putting out new growth, and ends when the new leaves stop growing and start to turn yellow. (Growing season is usually March to October). At the beginning of the season you should water the plant once or twice a week and increase watering as the plant gets larger and the summer temperature increases. Sometimes I will water my anosmum a couple of times a day in the hot summer and fertilize every week. Near the end of the growing cycle (September) you might start to reduce watering to only once or twice a week.

If you grow the plants outside they will probably get all the water they need from our tropical rains. If for some reason we go several days without rain, you might want to give them a good drenching of water from the garden hose. I have several of my orchids hanging in my oak tree which allows them to benefit from the rain and keeps them protected from the noon sun while still getting a lot of indirect light.

Orchids need light, but it should be a bright diffused light. Never let them be exposed to direct overhead light from the mid-day sun. This could burn the plant, which will stunt it’s growth, reduce its flower yield, and could possibly kill the plant. The plant can be grown inside but will need to be near an east or west window. This will allow it to have early morning or late afternoon sunlight. Do not put it in a south facing window or anyplace where it will get direct mid-day sun.

Near the end of the season, around September, the stems will start to get too heavy and begin to lie down. It is best if you can hang the plant a little crooked, so all the stems lean over one side of the pot. This will provide the best showing for the flowers.

Den species keiki’s growing in sand

At the end of their growing season, October/November, you should stop watering the plant. It is best to bring them inside your house, or at least under an eave, to prevent them from getting rained on. In their native lands, the rains stop and many of the trees lose their leaves along with these orchids.  If you keep watering the plant they will keep growing and will typically not flower. And in the spring, instead of producing flowers it will develop keiki’s at the nodes of last year’s canes.

Also in its native habitat, the sun’s angle is lower in the sky so they still get light but it’s not a harsh light. Sometimes I put these orchids in the garage or inside the house, where there is not much light at this time of year. They seem to do just fine even with low light levels.

Here in Central Florida, we can still get cold weather. These orchids like a little cold. Cooler temperatures stimulate the plant to flower in the spring. But don’t leave them outside if it’s going to get below 40 degrees. This could damage the plants.

By October/November they should have lost all their leaves and the bare stems will be hanging alongside the pot looking like the plant is dead.  Trust me, it’s not. The canes (pseudobulbs) are full of stored energy, plenty for producing flowers and new growth in the spring.  If you have the plants inside your home over the winter, and you turn on the heat, you may want to buy a water bottle and give the plant a gentle spritz every week.  This will make sureit doesn’t dry out too much. In its native habitat, the air is cool and drier but it still has some humidity. Home heating systems can dry the air out a little too much for these plants.

Keiki’s before potting

When the weather starts to warm up and the fear of any cold fronts is past, usually by late February, you can move the plant outside. When new plants start growing from the base of the old stems, you should start watering moderately at first. Sometime in March or April, you should start seeing small growths on the old stems near the spot where the leaves were growing (before they fell off). That is the flower bud. As the flowers start to develop you can give the plant more water, but do not give them any fertilizer yet. Wait until the flowering stage is complete. Fertilizing could burn the flowers.

Fertilizer: You can buy orchid fertilizer at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I find it works best to put the fertilizer in a small spray bottle and soak the plants. Do not fertilize more than once a week. In fact it probably wouldn’t hurt them to go two weeks between fertilizing. Some people mistakenly believe that more fertilizer will make the plants grow faster or better. This is counter-intuitive. Orchids are not like other ornamental plants. They’re not terrestrial. They grow in trees. They get their fertilizer from composted bird droppings and decayed leaves that get washed across their roots. If they get too much fertilizer it will either burn the roots, which will prevent them being able to transmit water and nutrients to the plant, or give the plant so much fertilizer that it will grow long and spindly instead of compact and healthy. Orchid hobbyists have a saying about fertilizing: “weekly weakly” which means once a week with a weak fertilizer solution.

Den anosmum keiki’s potted up spring 2014

Let me say something about air circulation. These plants do not like stagnant air. They prefer to have a light breeze just above them, which will help keep them dry between waterings. But they don’t like to have a fan directly on them either (this is a concern if trying to grow them inside, under a vent). Drier plants have less problems with mold and bacterial infections.

Most orchid hobbyists tend to grow their plants in a greenhouse, where they can control all these factors: water, fertilizer, light, temperature, and air circulation. One day I hope to have a greenhouse (or two . . . or . . .). This also helps with the control of pests. I currently grow most of my orchids on my patio, and as many as I can on low branches in my backyard oak tree hanging from teacup hooks. I have great admiration for orchidists who grow their plants inside. Although I know one in Canada who grows all of his Catasetinae orchids from South America inside; although  I guess you have to grow them inside when you’re in permafrost.

If all goes well you will be rewarded with multiple 2-inch purple flowers with a sweet fragrance similar to raspberries.

Den anosmum. Large specimen (not mine)

But . . . the plant I gave to my friend Zohair is still young.  It may be two or three years before it flowers. There’s a possibility that one of the larger plants may have one or two flowers. This plant is actually several “keiki’s” from my plant.

A keiki is a plant that grows asexually from the parent plant. After the stems produce flowers. the stems still have energy left to produce more plants. They use this energy to help the next growth especially when there isn’t enough water or fertilizer in the wild for them to grow. But orchidists make sure our plants have plenty of water and fertilizer. So after the flowers have wilted and the current new growth is large enough, I will sometimes cut off the old dry stems and lay them in wet sand, making sure to keep them damp. After some time, new plants will start growing at the nodes where the flowers were produced.  When the roots are about 2 inches long I remove them and put 5 or 6 into one pot. The potted plant I gave Zohair is actually several keikis from the mother plant from this past year.

Since these plants are so young they may not go through a full cycle. So there’s a possibility that the plants will not go dormant but will retain their immature leaves through the winter. Sometimes they will lose their leaves later in the cycle.

Den anosmum flower (Mine)

People think it is hard to grow orchids. It’s actually pretty simple. Give them some water, but not too much. They also need fertilizer, but don’t overdo it. They need light but not too bright. Also not too hot or too cold – just the way Godilocks would like it. If all else fails just stick them out in the trees and let Mother Nature take care of them. Oh, wait, one other rule: not all orchids require the same care. Pretty easy huh? Good luck.

My plant was given to me by a friend, Hugo, as a keiki from his plant. Now I’m giving a kieki from my plant to my friend Zohair. In a few years Zohair should have a plant healthy enough to grow some keiki’s so he can pass on to his friends and family. Who knew orchids could be so contagious.

Note: I gave one of my keiki’s to a friend, Zohair, who is new to orchids. I wanted to give him some information and care, and decided to publish it on this blog. This way anytime I give one of these orchids to another newbie, I can just direct them here. These are just my observations and I found these work best for me. I’m sure there are others who might have different opinions on culture and care for this species. I would be happy to hear any comments or questions. BTW. You can click on the pictures to enlarge.

Wanna see pictures of my kids? . . . my Or-kids that is.

Like any good father I’ve always carried pictures of my kids in my wallet, and of course my beautiful wife. With the advent of smart phones, I quickly changed to the digital format, which conveniently allowed me to update pictures or supplement as the kids grew and changed.  Our children are now grown and moved out of the house. Neither one has any kids of their own yet. I’m sure my family pictures folder will grow if/when they sprout little human kiekies yet.

So let me tell you a little about my or-kids for a paragraph or two – and show you some pictures of my kids.

A few years ago a friend and fellow orchidist (orchid hobbyist) asked if I wanted to adopt one of his small dendrobiums. He said it was a baby orchid, or kiekie, from one of his “Super-Bum” (anosmum) plants. The plant had four or five healthy new growths planted in an Aliflor-type medium in a plastic web basket. Since it was growing so well I figured I wouldn’t change anything.  And as it was in clay pellets I assumed it would need a lot of sunlight, water and fertilizer like it receives with the monsoon rains in its native environment – or as we call it here in Florida, the summer. It has rained every day for the last week, here in Central Florida, and we’re expecting more rain for the foreseeable weeks to come.

Back in Malaysia, at the beginning of the fall season, the rains stop and the trees drop their leaves allowing light from the now sun to reach the orchids. With the onset of the dry season, the canes of the pendulant dendrobium stops growing and the leaves yellow and also begin to fall off. In the winter the temperatures can get down into the 40’s. Some orchidists suggest that the low light lets the plants know it is time to go into hibernation. Others are adamant that it is the lack of water. Maybe it’s both. All I know is that I try to mimic the milieu the plant hail from.

My Dancing Lady Spring 2013

I used to haul my cold intolerant plants into the workspace in my garage during the really cold periods here in Florida. I know my friends in Canada are saying “You call that cold?” but it can drop as low as the 30’s here. I would leave the light on during the day and give them a little spritz of fresh water once in a while. Some of them even thrived, such as my Oncidium sphacelatum.  But I had to learn how NOT to water the soft cane denrobiums.

My Den anosmum Spring 2013 (Click for larger image)

By the second year my anosmum was so big and all grown up!  It made me just beam with pride!  It had eight canes, two-foot long each, which rewarded me the following spring with probably close to 100 purple flowers with a strong raspberry fragrance that even overpowered my Maxillaria tenufolia (coconut orchid). I was very impressed. I know we’re not supposed to have favorite kids, but this or-kid stole my heart.  Don’t tell the others!

After my anosmum finished blooming, it put out eight new growths. Again, I gave it copious amounts of water and fertilizer to maintain its growth. I kept in in a very brightly lit area of my screened patio. The leaves were bright green.  I read an article about using the old canes to create more plants by kiekies. The article said to remove the old canes from the plant and lay them on top of wet sand in a shaded area.  Now my understanding is that the old canes provide energy for the new growth, at least until they develop healthy roots to carry water and nutrients to the new plantlets, so I waited until the plantlets were 5 or 6 inches tall. I put some of the sand from my daughter’s sandbox into a plastic shoebox, and laid the canes on top. I propped one end of the box up to prevent the medium from staying too wet. I would spritz the sand every once in a while to keep the sand moist. Sure enough, I got six plants from this experiment. After the new plants developed adequate roots I separated them from the old canes and potted them in a compot with clay pellets. I just knew my anosmum was going to win awards that I could tack up on the refrigerator with little magnets, and also provide me with kids of its own!

My anosmum 2014

The following year my daughter moved out of the house. I was sad. But then I realized she had just vacated only south-facing room in the house! What a great place for a winter’s respite for my plants! Well not all 140 of my plants would fit in there, especially the aforementioned sphacelatum with its 12 – four foot long flower spikes developing. That plant had a prominent winter location in our atrium. My daughter’s room was bright and spacious – it seemed a perfect winter haven.  Looking back on it, I think it may have been a little too warm and might not have been ideal for some of my plants, especially the soft cane dendrobiums. Instead of flowers this spring I just got a bunch of kiekies. What was I thinking? It was, after all, a child’s bedroom.

Well, when life gives you kiekies . . .

Kiekies 2014

Some of the kiekies are teens now – 6” long already. And the roots are 2” or longer. So I decided to remove them from the mother plant and pot them into compots of their own. I’ve got 15 plantlets which I’ve put into three pots of five plants each. I noticed that the new kiekies from this year are already larger than last year’s kiekies which made me ask, why? Is it because last year the canes used most of their energy on flowering, which didn’t leave a lot for new plants since this year it was able to put all of its energy into just creating plants? Or was it because the old canes were removed from the pot? I don’t know. Just a question I’ll probably never figure out.

Next year I’m going to keep the plants a little cooler to make sure they flower again rather than produce more plants. I already have as many as I need. Maybe I could use these to trade another orchidist for one I don’t have yet.

So, If the anosmum is my or-kid, does that make the kiekies my grand-orchids or kids?

Now I wouldn’t trade my kids for anything – except maybe a rare ghost orchid, or maybe an Angraecum sesquipedale, or possibly a Shenzhen Nongke orchid, or . . .  I’m talking about or-kids of course, not kid-kids. I don’t think my adult kids would take kindly to being traded and mine are not up for trade anyway – they’re very rare flowers indeed.

I bet I don’t get a father’s day card from the or-kids.

My name is Ric and I am an . . . over-waterer.

My name is Ric and I am an  . . . over-waterer.  An impetuous over-waterer . . . well, maybe a recovering over-waterer.

Most of my first orchid pals were hard-core drinkers: Phals, vandas, Epidendrum radicans, Maxillaria . . .  So I was hanging around with a crowd that led me to believe that, whenever there was a problem, drinking was the answer. They enjoyed daily swigs of fresh H2O. During the stagnant summer heat, here in Central Florida, the Vandas enjoyed getting sloshed three or four times a day. The Brassavola nodosa, happily potted in her wood slat basket without any media, flourished with my binge water regime, growing from a $5 cutting to overflowing the basket in three-years-time. Back then, I was living with the orchid equivalent of frat brothers – so my motto was, drinks all around! We were all partying and hearty.

Of course, on my budget, I only had a handful of orchids, so it was much easier to take care of them. I could lavish my attention on all of my pals, with plenty of one-on-one quality time. I thought I was the consummate orchid hobbyist: after all, every one of my plants were prolific and hale. I was proud and young, and maybe a little cocky. I was the expert (among my friends) regarding anything orchid!

And then my collection of orchid-friends started to become an unwieldy crowd.  There were so many of them, I wasn’t spending quality time with some of them and they started feel neglected. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, some of them wanted to change their drinking habits, but were stuck in my kegger conservatory with the taps flowing.

My first relationship-gone sour was with a long-time friend: my elegant Brassavola.  Apparently I hadn’t looked closely at her it in a while – always a mistake. She was covered in some kind of black grunge. I didn’t know what it was – I assumed it was mold – but I did know that wasn’t a good thing and she was clearly unhappy. I yanked her out of her digs and started hitting her with shots of water from the garden hose, until I was sure the offending mold was thoroughly soused. I exfoliated her – removing the dead and decaying parts – and sprayed a weak bleach cocktail over the rest of the little lady.  Next, I sloshed her with a soapy solution to abate the chlorine and maybe wash away any remaining mold spores. Then, with heart-in-hand and hoping it was for the best, I drew and quartered her into four portions and sent them, like William Wallace, to the four corners of the earth (my patio), where they would remain ‘dry.’

After three weeks of H2O abstinence, I found that three of the four pieces had given up the ghost.  Only one piece was still viable. I let her sit a little while longer so she could nurture her new roots, and then I lovingly replanted her. Luckily the nodosa has made a full recovery. I un-potted her last year and gave several divisions to friends. I mounted the remaining plant onto a Cypress plaque where she has grown to a sobering size – almost doubling her growth in just one season.

Recently I purchased several species of Catasetinae, including Cycnodes, Mormodes and a Clowesii, which are staunch teetotalers for 4 months of the year and absolute lushes the rest of the time.  These guys are a HUGH challenge for an over-waterer. Sure they love getting flushed when they’re growing but all the experts say to put them on the wagon as soon as their leaves start to yellow – nary a drop until the new growth is 4” tall and the roots are 3 – 5”.

Now, for at least part of the year, I have two camps:  the guzzlers and the abstainers.  That’s a lot to ask of an over-waterer. But it’s worth it when you see the results of all your hard un-work in the Castasetinae camp.

I still tend to overwater, but by potting in Aliflor I keep most of my orchid pals happy most of the time.

Growing Together

Kat and I do everything together. I believe one of the reasons we have a successful marriage is that we are involved in each other’s interests.  We don’t have a lot of things. We do a lot of things. We enjoy walks in the woods, hiking in the mountains, snorkeling the Florida Keys, camping in the snow line – and recently – our six hour slog in the Everglades. That last adventure was kind of a turning point. Up to that time they were my orchids.

I grew up with orchids. My dad was an avid orchid hobbyist and he instilled in me his love for exotic plants. My interest lay dormant for many years, occasionally manifesting itself in ways other than orchids. During my early years, I grew many ornamentals and tropical plant: ferns, succulents, etc. I even tried my hand (unsuccessfully) at lithops – living rocks. I enjoyed learning how each of the various plants grew and fascinated by the ways they adapted to their environments.

One of my college elective classes was a plant identification course where I had to learn 160 different plants by their genus and species – including the proper spelling of their Latin names.  My then girlfriend, Kat, would quiz me on the names – “Anna had a heart attack,” she would say, using a play on words to help me remember Anacardiaceae, the cashew. It even got to the point that often, I could more easily remember the Latin name than the common name.

Not only did I ace the class, I got extra credit for germinating and growing the threatened Zamia Floridana (now Zamia integrifolia), or ‘Coontie’, from seed. During one of my classes the young, attractive teaching assistant briefly discussed orchids. During a break I innocently commented to her that the word Orchid meant ‘fox testicle’ because of the shape of the pseudobulb (something my father had taught me). She politely but coldly thanked me for that bit of information. But at our next class, she enthusiastically sought me out and exclaimed I was right, proving that I was just a keen student and not a pig.

After Kat and I married and started a family I even grew an organic vegetable garden using some of the knowledge I had learned from growing ornamentals. Later when we moved to the suburbs and the HOA frowned on vegetable gardens I needed an outlet. I went to an orchid show and bought a couple of small plants (my collection now numbers well over 100). Although Kat never seemed to mind, I would still set a budget before going to the shows and then try to somehow stay within my budget – or not eat lunch for the next week if I found something I ‘needed’.  But it still got out of hand sometimes.

Someone should setup an ‘Orchids Anonymous’ group for people like us.

Kat always liked her animals. We had horses, dogs, cats, a Quaker parrot, egg-laying hens, guinea pigs, even a goat. Later we had a hundred gallon fish tank, a Florida King snake, rats, and bearded dragons (and eventually 100 baby lizards).  We even had a flying squirrel we rescued from the wild when the tree her nest was in was cut down and the mother didn’t return.  Our daughter Chelsea got her mother’s love of animals; she now has a small menagerie of dogs, cats, and birds of her own.

Kat says one of her fondest memories is of me pulling weeds in my vegetable garden with baby Kristopher in a ‘papoose’ nestled against my chest. Later Kris would help me plant and tend the garden making him enjoy the vegetables he grew (except onions). Kris grew to love gardening. He now has quite an impressive collection of edibles on a tiny balcony of his condo in the suburbs, delighting his neighbors. His garden is productive, and also aesthetically appealing. He even has a division of one of my orchids. Who knows, maybe he’ll develop an interest in exotic plants too, like his father and his grandfather.

A few years ago I mounted a Florida native Encyclia tampesis on a nice piece of cypress and gave it as a gift to Kat. Of course the understanding was, whenever I gave her and orchid I would take care of it. Last year I took her orchid to one of the Orchid meetings where it won a blue ribbon. Of course I told everyone that it was Kat’s plant. Something happened. She started to become more interested in orchids. She gradually learned their names, how they grow, and how to take care of them. She has become something of an expert at spotting orchids in the wild, with a keen understanding of where they might be: near a stream, growing among resurrection fern, etc.

The great thing now is, my orchid budget (or should I say our orchid budget) has grown. And my wife, whose is a writer, has influenced me with her love of writing. Now I’m sharing my love of orchids via a blog and she’s sharing her love of writing with me. So, Kat is a budding orchid hobbyist and I am growing as a writer . . . growing together

The Accidental Eco-tourist

Last summer my wife, Kat, and I decided to take a short respite from our simple existence in Central Florida. My first thought was . . . Key West. But we had already done that trip a hundred times (maybe more) and decided we didn’t want to go on another snorkel adventure to Leu Key, or do the Duval crawl with a bunch of college students.

Then I thought about southwest Florida. I visited Bonita Springs the winter before, for a project meeting, and was able to take a short detour to the Fakahatchee. My IPad Maps program directed me into the slough via a back road not shown on most maps. In fact when I started down one path, I was stopped by a construction guard informing me that the road had been closed to allow construction to convert the area back to its original environment. Back in the 50’s and 60’s canals had been cut through to drain the areas ‘swamps’ and allow for development. This area used to help recharge the local aquifer which feeds Naples. I’m glad that Naples will have more water, and maybe we’ll have a new area that allow more native Florida orchids to grow in the wild.

First we agreed on a B&B in Marco Island. Then we started researching things to do while we were there. The swamp buggy tours were closed at this time of year due to the environmental damage they cause during the rainy season. A guided boat tour initially sounded good; until we realized it catered primarily to elderly patrons, sitting back under a shade cloth, eating finger food, floating on the ocean waves, listening to a tour guide talk about the Florida we grew up in. We were looking for something more adventurous, more immersed in the environment – something memorable.

Boy did we hit the jackpot.

Kat found a biologist who was willing to take us on a tour, knee-deep in water through the Fakahatchee Strand. When I last visited this area, it was during the bone-dry winter season. Driving along the narrow dirt roads, a huge blinding dust screen chased the car. I remember thinking to myself, “Where’s the swamp?” (By the way, the Fakahatchee is a ‘slough’ not a swamp.) But now, the summer rains had swollen the Big Cypress to over-flowing into the Fakahatchee, creating the slough.

Our tour guide, John, must have really likes us (or maybe he was being a little sadistic and we missed that), because he spent over six hours with us; talking about the history of the Everglades, the geology, the geography, the politics, the fauna and flora. And then he took us on the tour through the ‘slough’. It was so hot and humid when we got out there, I wasn’t sure if we would be able to last three more hours. But as we got into the cool flowing water, our only problem were the hawk-size mosquitoes draining us of our blood. But it was worth it. John showed us many orchids including flowering vanilla – which John said were some of the first to flower since the hard freeze several years ago. Kat even found a flowering tampensis – by initially detecting its honey fragrance with her nose.

Slogging through the Everglades isn’t everyone’s idea of fun and relaxation. Not many people want to deal with the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, snakes and alligators (actually we didn’t see any of the latter two, but most people assume they will) just to see some ‘plants’. But if you enjoy seeing orchids growing wild in their natural environment, and are up for a challenge, this is a great experience.

All the plants pictured were taken in the Fakahatchee. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Ochidaceum Contagium – The Orchid bug

I was a teenager in the 60’s living in Miami when my father, a Coral Gables cop, caught the orchid bug. Over time, he acquired eighteen small sheds full of orchids and dozens more plants wedged in the crooks of the huge Mahogany tree in our backyard and hanging from its branches in wood slat baskets and clay pots. Even our hedge was a densely packed six-foot tall row of terrestrial Epidendrum radicans – of every color imaginable. I estimate he had over 1,000 orchids including Catts, Dens, Phals, and Vandas. Little did I realize, I was living with some of the most exotic and beautiful plants in the world.

I don’t know how he acquired all these plants on a policeman’s salary or otherwise. Even with my salary as an architect I don’t think I could afford that many plants (although I do dream about having that many). One of his cohorts back then was a lawyer who had his own vast collection. I can only assume that Mr. Botts gave him cuttings, backbulbs, and other divisions to help him get started. I remember, at least once, when Mr. Botts and my dad went to “The Everglades” and came back with some native plants – most likely Tampensis, Cigar orchids, Dollar orchids, and some bromeliads. This was before we knew shouldn’t be collecting from the wild.

I can remember some of the names of plants he talked about: Epidendrum cochleatum – he called “cHocKleatum” – (also known as Encyclia, now Prosthechea cochleata); Cyrtopodium punctatum; his Dancing lady Oncidium; and the Catteleya skinneri, among others. Every now and then, when someone mentions a plant name that sparks a memory of one my father had, I try to find one of those plants to add to my collection.

It’s a shame I wasn’t more interested in orchids back then. A few years after he started his collection my father had a stroke, and his orchid collection dwindled due to lack of proper care. One of my brothers managed to save a few plants. Even then, all of them except one – the dancing lady Oncidium – succumbed. My father’s original dancing lady has been divided over the years, and cuttings have been given to all the siblings who wanted one.

Now I mourn my youthful indifference. My father died not long after his stroke and before I caught the bug. I often think about him when I’m enjoying my plants.

 

Sometimes, when I acquire a new plant species, I often imagine him sitting next to me sharing my joy, my passion . . . my ‘infection’- Ochidaceum Contagium.

The Great Polar Vortex of 2014

A polar ‘vortex” is moving into the upper Midwest this week but I live in Central Florida. Although we won’t get the full brunt of this storm, temperatures will drop into the low 30’s here for a few hours. That’s cold enough to damage many of my 100+ orchids – which I grow outside in my screened patio. I will be away on business when the storm hits. So, I’ve had to lug most of them to our guest room on the second floor. This room faces south and has a hard floor and a paddle fan. My three largest plants had to remain downstairs in the atrium, which gets a nice afternoon sunlight though a high west-facing window. Two of the large plants are Epidendrum radicans – one orange and one violet – that have over 20 three-foot long bloom spikes, each. The third plant is a Oncidium sphacelatum that has 14 four-foot long bloom spikes. 

Most of my plants have either recently finished blooming or are starting to develop new flower spikes. Several of the phals seem to flower right through the winter as long as I keep them on the kitchen window sill in the warm west sun.

My son, Kris, gave me a Catteleya several years ago (before I got knee-deep in orchids). I don’t know the variety but it has a very pretty color (yellow center with pink tips) and always blooms well, with a nice fragrance. In past years it has flowered in the spring and late fall. This fall it had 20 sequential blooms, so even though it put on a nice show over a couple of months, I was unable get a picture with all in bloom at one time.

One of the rescued* hardcane Dendrobium is starting to bloom, as is one of my Florida native Greenfly orchids, which typically flowers in the fall.

The only orchid I left outside is my one Cymbidium. I’ve grown it from backbulbs and it has never flowered. Somewhere I read that they like cold. We’ll see. 😉

This time of year is a little boring for orchid hobbyists. Most of our plants are dormant. I’m looking forward to spring and the hot wet humid Florida weather that orchids – and orchidists – love.

*Rescued orchids = big box store plants purchased by novice growers that I inherited adopted to (try to) rehabilitate. If successful I divide the plant once it is healthy enough and offer a division to the original owner with care instructions. I tell them they are always welcome back if they become problems once more.

Made in Taiwan

Although I have over 100 orchids of various species I have only recently decided to try my luck at Catasetums. I have two small seedlings which have grown but not yet flowered. I like the deciduous nature of the plant similar to some of the soft-cane Denrobiums. It was difficult in the beginning not to water the plants during their dormant periods. All my Dendrobiums grew well enough; but the soft-canes never flowered well. They just grew lots of keikei’s. That is until I learned to NOT water them over the winter. The next spring my Dendrobium anosmum had over 200 flowers with an incredible raspberry fragrance which filled the house with its perfume – almost overpowering my Maxillaria tenefolia.

Last spring 2013 I bought a Cycnodes bare bulb from an orchid vendor I had not seen at any other orchid show. As I was not familiar with the species or the vendor I opted for an inexpensive plant. That way if the plant didn’t grow or the flower wasn’t extraordinary my thinking was, “well, at least I didn’t spend a lot of money on it.” Typically when I go to a show I will buy one really nice specimen (maybe two if my wife isn’t looking), and spend a little more money on it and then spend whatever I have left on my budget for the day on small cuttings or backbulbs. If the cutting doesn’t make it, I haven’t spent a lot of money; although I try just as hard to keep the small cuttings alive as I do the larger more expensive plants.

I had assumed the flower would be yellow with a little orange in it. When the flowers started to open they appeared brown which didn’t impress me at first. But as they opened more each day the incredible color and structure developed. WOW. The flowers on this plant totally surpassed my expectations. It has a dark maroon labellum, orange sepals and petals, with a yellow curved column. And the fragrance – it competes with my anosmum.

I love this plant: the flower structure, the color, the fragrance, even the deciduous growth cycle. I’ll be looking for that same vendor at the next orchid show to help me expand my collection of these types of orchids.