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Poor-man's orchid Question
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Posted by hijole 9 (My Page) on Thu, Feb 2, 12 at 20:40
| Hello Orchid community... I recently purchased what is called the poorman's orchid and when I purchased mine it was in bloom and about 3 months later it remains to be in bloom.
My Q. is when I first saw this orchid I noticed it because of it's LARGE & lusious blooms which were about the size of a Soft ball and brilliantly bright orange in color, mine however even though they have maintained there flowers they have not gotton any bigger than the size of a hard ball,( baseball) or a little smaller. the way they originally were the day I brought it home.
I planted it in the same size of pot that I saw the soft ball size flowers growing in and still no change in flower size. I've placed Miracle grow in the water and I've been using rain water to do this with.
It has been in the bigger pot for about 1 1/2 months I know I'm alittle antsy but I just want to see if there is any thing else I could be doing.
The only other thing I can think of is, I am using soil called E. B. Stone cacti and succulent soil which I thought would be fine since I've heard this particular orchid grew like a weed and would not require all that exotic bark and other mix that other Orchids need. Also it sits in full sun and patial sun through out the day.
Can someone shed a little light on Poorman's orchid please.
Greg |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Depends on what you are talking about. There is a garden plant Schizanthus that has a common name of Poor Man's Orchid. But, maybe you are talking about something that looks like these, if so it doesn't need any special care. Too much shade and TLC will result in lush growth and not many flowers. Needs lots of light to look its best. An all year out doors garden plant in frost free climates. Hope this helps.
 |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Arthurm,
Thanks, yup that's the one in the picture you provided, so more light the better, ok so beam me up Scottie is the key, I can do that. Thank you, for the picture to clear this up. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Hey, Greg, I hope you'll share a pic of your blooms. I've never heard of this type, but I find the name to be fun.
I grow every single one of my plants in a mix of bark, perlite, pumice....basically orchid style mix, which makes it
easier to re-pot. With everything in the same mix, the only variables are watering and fertilizing intervals, and light
exposure. Makes it easy to keep track of everything.
Josh |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Hey Josh, they are similar to the Orange ones in the picture a couple before your post, except the ones I saw are larger and look very nice and full. Have a nice weekend. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Arthur, I was wondering, my plant is like those in the picture, so what are their real names if you know . I just always thought that was their name.
Can you or someone give me the real name that arthurm provided a picture of, thank you, Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Most of them are just Reed Stem Epidendrum Unknown. Even if you get a plant with a name tag it might be just a made up name not registered by the Royal Horticultural Society. If you are looking for quality clones try some of the reliable orchid nurseries in the USA because breeders are trying to reduce the plant size while increasing the flower count and quality. As i said previously just garden plants in a sunny spot in a frost free Climate but will tolerate a few temps in the 30 winter nights. . Some people collect colour variations. Yellow, Red, orange, Purple, Salmon etc. See link |
Here is a link that might be useful: Epi. King Salmon (registered in 1952)
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Arthur, thank you again and for the link also. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Just a question:
Is it possible to propagate epidendrums from stem cuttings? And I was wondering if I could, would taking cuttings from the plant I saw with the huge clusters of flowers likely produce the same size of blooms for me too. If anyone could answer this Q. I would appreciate the help on this thank you. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Hi
The short answer to both ?? is yes lol. Epidendrums will grow in almost any situation . Actually they don't even require a media at all Just take a cutting stick it in soil or just hang it in a corner. The real ?? is what is the best way lol. In my case the best performers are those grown in a trough with a mix of pine bark and crushed lava rock. Though they also will grow very well as completely epiphytic. I always stick a few stems in with almost all my potted or basketed orchids or broms. How are the ones you're seeing being cultured?? gary |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Pine bark and crushed lava rock sounds perfect ;-)
Pine is more difficult for us to find on the West Coast....but we have an abundance of Doug Fir bark
available. Pumice and lava rock (Scoria) are also readily available.
Josh |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Ok guys this might sound silly but here goes, when you say pine bark, are we talking about bark off a pine tree?
What about pine needles all chopped up will that work ok too? My neighbours tree has plenty all over the place or should I remove the bark from his tree instead ? LOL.. don't tempt me.
mixed with lava rock too of course. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Yes, the bark off a pine tree ;-)
Conifer bark is rich in Lignin and Suberin, making it ideal for long-term plantings. But a resounding NO! to the pine needles. Pine needles must be composted first,
and by the time they are sufficiently composted they no longer have proper durability
or structure to be used in a container mix. Save them for mulch around the yard.
Josh |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Thanks josh, you have quite a bit of good info. Josh , how long have you been into plants? I know your a young man so that's great , have a wonderful day , today I'm doing a little repotting. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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Thanks, Greg ;-)
I've been around plants my whole life. My grandpa is a renowned Hoya and Orchid collector,
and he and my father collected plants in New Guinea/Solomon Islands back in the day.
My grandpa still travels throughout southeast Asia in search of plants. My father, himself,
has always been a gardener, and I picked up a love of outdoor gardening from him. As far as
indoor plants are concerned, I've been at it for about a decade...but the past five years have
really marked a turning point in my depth of research and application of container principles.
I love to teach, and I love to learn.
Josh |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Josh, It's a pleasure to be linked up with you via the garden web society, I can pick up your wisdom and experience that you have gain through your upbringing. You have a lot to offer and I for one am enjoying your knowledge and learned experience. P.S
My sans lost another stem that I had to cut off due I guess to my last watering, it turned brown so I removed it by cutting at the base. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Hey Josh, greenman. Ok, so today I went to some park and gathered up some pine tree bark, then crushed it up, and mixed it with a little compost, are you supposed to let it dry out Or is it ready to go once I chipped it off the tree and crushed it? And should I notice anything different with the tree bark added to it like more flowers BIGGER and better growth in the stems? thanks Josh, Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Hey, Greg! Don't let the bark dry too much. A little moisture is good.
I keep my bags of Fir bark outdoors, and there is always some moisture in the bark.
Also, great job of collecting your own bark! Big points for that, man. I can't promise anything, mind you, but the overall vitality of your plant
should increase as a result of a more aerated, durable potting mix.
Josh |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Josh thanks man, I like your answer too, not sure if I ever mentioned before but the poormans orchid is actually called: Epidendrum. I'm really hoping the pine bark will help in the size of the blooms. I'll let you know for sure, I've actually noticed alot of new buds forming on the stems so there getting ready to bloom. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| It may well be an epidendron radicans which I grow terrestial in potting soil as well as an epiphyte |
Here is a link that might be useful: Epi radicans
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Ken ny, Wow nice garden you have there I was trying to open up some of the other pictures. Thats the plant I was referring too alright, any idea on how to make the blooms increase in size, thats what I was trying to accomplish. Thanks Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| the blooms wont increase in size much but you can make more of them with lots of sun, lots of water (moist but not wet soggy) AND LOTS OF FERTILIZER - I use dynamite controlled release 13-13-13 with micronutrients |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Ken ny , thanks I'll keep it moist and It's already in the sun, thanks for the tip. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| I agree...if you aren't fertilizing, you should! ;-) Josh |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Ok, Josh , and Ken ny here comes the Miracle grow thanks for all the help & tips guys. Greg |
RE: Poor-man's orchid Question
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| Reduce the dose...1/4 or 1/2 strength to start..... Josh |
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