I didn't need much of an excuse.....
.....to go buy more orchids. I told myself I shouldn't since its winter where I live and its harder for the plants to get established. But here I was, going to a new orchid shop I found nearby. The place I usually go to is more of a wholesaler so they are located in the industrial/flower district of Los Angeles. They're kind of a pain to get to, despite the wonderfully low prices. Orchid Fever is a orchid shop in Culver City, which was a much easier drive.
So my excuse was that I wanted some test subjects to see how an established healthy plant does when switched over to the semi-hydro as opposed to the plants in my collection which are under stress from multiple repottings. I thought it would be a good control group, since I did the repotting only about a week ago.
I went in looking for one phalaenopsis and one oncidium to be test subjects but found an extra special specimen:
A Sharry Baby!
I have such a love for the Sharry Babies, I adore how they smell and the plump pseudobulbs make me so happy. I just can't get enough! If I can get my hands on a Twinkle I would be over the moon. I know I'm going to eventually collect them all.
This particular one is a Sharry Baby 'Velvet Maroon' which is pinker than my current Sharry Baby, Godiva (she's more of the traditional burgundy chocolate color). She is in full bloom at the moment though I did damage her spike while repotting. There are plenty of blooms leftover though so I'm not worried and they smell absolutely heavenly. I swear when the flowering is at its peak, I can smell the chocolate fragrance when I walk through the front door. Intoxicating, I assure you.
Her roots were almost pot bound so I'm glad I decided to repot into s/h asap. Otherwise she's got a great root system, a bushy shape, plump pseudobulbs, and several large new growths. She's a great looking plant in what seems like perfect health (other than a small pest problem which I took care of while repotting). I'm looking forward to watching how she adapts to the new medium. The temperatures have been forgiving so far but the humidity is terrible here in Southern California.
Another member of the Intergeneric Family......
.....I got today was the glorious Oncidinae Volcano Midnight 'Volcano Queen'. The blossoms on this plant are a long tall spike with flowers the color of fire: red, orange, and yellow. Its so rare to see the warm reds so true to color in orchid flowers so I had to scoop her up. No fragrance was a little disappointing but the colors on those blooms definitely makes up for it.
She has so many newly maturing pseudobulbs that all look plump and well-watered. I did accidentally break a couple bulbs from the center but the roots were intact so hopefully they recover just fine. I know the connection to the mother bulb is beneficial for the health of the orchid but the bulbs seemed healthy and a good size. The leaves are bushy, though were was some spotting that I wasn't sure about. I treated them as I would a pest problem but I will have to wait and see if it just turns into freckles or something more. I'm really just hoping for freckles, I don't mind. Pests on the other hand, ugh. Please don't be spider mites...
The Phalaenopsis......
..... I picked up today is a mini! I do love the minis, they are just so endearing with the spray of tiny blooms. This one is a bit darker violet than in the picture but I found the white edges to be so pretty, like a watercolor painted petal.
This one doesn't have an ID but that's alright, she's a beauty either regardless. She was not looking too good before the repotting though. She looked like she was packed in bark but when I pulled her from the pot, a giant ball of sphagnum moss rolled out and dropped to the floor along with the rotted roots. There were a few healthier roots that had been in the bark which is a lifesaver for this orchid but it isn't very promising.
She's in the semi-hydro leca now, but I'm going to probably have to clip the flower spike tonight or tomorrow. I want the plant to focus on root production and acclimatizing to the new media rather than concentrating her energy into blooming. From what I can see of the current flower spike, she seems to be a prolific brancher so it will be exciting when I get her established and reblooming.