# Neo- Collection



## Lycaste53 (Sep 27, 2011)

Today I got 7 Neos, to start a collection. The plants were shipped from the US to Munich, that took 11 days, as there was a german distributor in between. The plants arrived in good condition and look like this:

´Benisuzume´






´Hanagoromo´





´Hisui´





´Kibana Fuuran´





´Seikai´ blue Ocean





´Shutennou´ Red Emperor





´Suruga Fukurin´Shizuoka Prefecture





And now, let´s waite for some flowers...
Best regards, Gina


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## Shiva (Sep 27, 2011)

They all look very nice. Will be fun when you start posting their flowers. :drool:


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## Marc (Sep 27, 2011)

Oooooh nice plants, did the German in between ( I presume a nursery ) order some special Neo's to sell himself?


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## Wendelin (Sep 27, 2011)

Hi Gina!
Who seduced you? The pink roottip ? :wink:
Nice haul!


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## Lycaste53 (Sep 27, 2011)

Marc said:


> Oooooh nice plants, did the German in between ( I presume a nursery ) order some special Neo's to sell himself?



I don´t think, that he sells for himself, as it is a nursery which sells out everything at the moment, the owner retires. 

That´s the problem with the neo´s in Germany, there are no nurserys which provides them. 

Best regards, Gina


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## Marc (Sep 27, 2011)

Lycaste53 said:


> I don´t think, that he sells for himself, as it is a nursery which sells out everything at the moment, the owner retires.
> 
> That´s the problem with the neo´s in Germany, there are no nurserys which provides them.
> 
> Best regards, Gina



Which nursery in Germany is closing down then if I may ask?


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## Lycaste53 (Sep 27, 2011)

Marc said:


> Which nursery in Germany is closing down then if I may ask?



Kenntner Orchideen, Steinheim, in the South-West of Germany


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## John Boy (Sep 27, 2011)

Well, that's some nice stuff!!!

Here's my shipment:


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## W. Beetus (Sep 27, 2011)

Very healthy looking plants!


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## NYEric (Sep 27, 2011)

Very nice. Good luck.


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## SlipperFan (Sep 27, 2011)

Oh my! Two instant Neo collections!


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## Jaljala (Sep 27, 2011)

Very nice plants indeed, lots of growths per plant !
May I ask where you got these plants ? J.Fischer or another seller ? Not that I need more Neos right now :evil:


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## Lycaste53 (Sep 28, 2011)

John Boy,
your collection looks very nice too, may I ask you for the names of the plants? 

Jaljala,
the plants came from J. Fisher

Best regards, Gina


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## Jaljala (Sep 28, 2011)

Thank you Gina


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## biothanasis (Sep 28, 2011)

Cuties!!! Happy flowering (them)...


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## Lanmark (Sep 28, 2011)

SlipperFan said:


> Oh my! Two instant Neo collections!



Indeed! Congratulations to you both! :clap:

Now my recipe for perfect success... :wink:

Do not keep these plants always sopping wet in their moss! They need and appreciate humidity in the atmosphere, but they will not tolerate continually-saturated-wet roots. During periods of active growth and blooming, allow the surface of the moss to become very nearly dry (but still tender, not crunchy) before re-watering. A warm, bright, buoyant atmosphere with good humidity is what they love best during spring, summer and autumn. Shield from direct midday sun. Evening and early morning sun rays are generally well-tolerated and appreciated. There are exceptions, most notably amongst some of the blotchier-patterned and white-toned tiger stripe varieties, some of which can sunburn easily.

During winter dormancy keep your plants cool and bright _whilst still maintaining good atmospheric humidity_. Keep the moss and roots consistently very nearly dry with very little application of any water until you see signs that growth is beginning to resume. You can accomplish this by allowing the surface of the moss to become crunchy-dry before promptly misting it again with just enough water for the surface to become just tender again. Moss mounds which have only just recently become crunchy-dry on the surface are still a little bit damp underneath! Once growth has resumed, you can water your plants normally again.

Many growers also notice a shorter period of semi-dormancy in mid-summer during which watering can be reduced (keeping your plants dryer but not quite as dry as in winter) as long as good humidity is maintained.

The main season for active growth generally begins in early spring and continues into mid-summer. A shorter secondary season for active growth usually occurs from early autumn into mid or late autumn.

Air circulation is important. These are Japanese _Wind_ Orchids. A nearby fan which gently circulates the air in your growing area is extraordinarily helpful in preventing disease. Humidity should be supplemented as needed, preferably with a humidifier and/or humidity trays -- frequent *light* misting will do in a pinch, but be cautious of applying too much water during those periods of dormancy. Also remember that water droplets standing overnight on the leaves of indoor-grown Neos is a sure recipe for disaster in the form of disease/rot, both fungal and bacterial!

I grow my Neos indoors under supplemental lighting in front of eastern-facing windows in a centrally cooled and heated home, but the room in which I grow them is kept partially to mostly closed off from the rest of the house. The heating/air conditioning vents are kept closed. I open the windows as needed to allow heat and humidity to come in during the summer season and to keep things cooler during the winter season.

Fertilizer is a controversial issue when it comes to Neos. Some growers say it is not necessary as long as the plants are grown in moss and the moss is changed annually. I think a little bit of fertilizer does not hurt. For those who grow their plants mounted, and especially for those who grow in LECA, I suggest fertilizer may be a necessity.

I prefer to apply fertilizer in liquid form (none of these slow-time-release pellets for me, although I know there are professional Japanese growers who use pellets on their mounds of moss). I use the MSU Formula, alternating it with "Dyna-Gro Orchid Pro".

Fertilizer for any Neo, in my opinion, should only be applied at 1/4 to 1/2 strength and only when active growth has started, stopping all applications before the plant has entered a period of rest. Plants growing in sphagnum moss probably need no more than one application of fertilizer to the moss at the beginning of each season of growth followed by only one or two additional applications given one to two weeks apart after the first. A fine foliar mist of your fertilizer solution can be applied concurrently with your moss applications. Follow this protocol for both the spring and autumn periods of active growth and you should have great results. Use RO, distilled, or rain water for all other applications of moisture.

Mounted Neos get fertilizer from me more frequently than those growing in LECA, and those in LECA get it more freqently than those grown on mounds of moss. I tend not to grow my plants in bark or coir.

Mounted plants and those in LECA always get flushed to excess with fertilizer solution when I apply it, the excess being allowed to drain away. Plain RO water is applied in this same manner to mounted or LECA-grown plants for waterings given between the fertilizer applications.

Again, I suggest applying fertilizer only after active growth has started and stop applying fertilizer when you notice the active growth is slowing down or has stopped. I use from 1/3 to just under 1/2 teaspoon of MSU RO Formula granules per gallon of RO water or from 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Dyna-Gro Orchid Pro liquid per gallon of RO water. Too much fertilizer can cause weak, disease-prone growth or even burn your plant.

That being said, more Neos die from rotted roots than from anything else, so be cautious about keeping the roots too wet. I lost a lot of plants using semi-hydro. It worked great at first, but I should have kept the reservoir drained during periods of dormancy -- especially during winter dormancy!

I still think LECA (such as PrimeAgra or Hydroton) works great as a growing medium for Neos, but the plants I have growing in it are in baskets or pots with plenty of holes in the sides and bottoms for ventilation and drainage -- no reservoirs in the bottoms. The pots or baskets get flushed with water or dilute nutrient solution and the excess is allowed to drain away as wastewater for the garden. How often I flush them depends on whether or not they are in active growth. When it comes to Neo roots, I'd rather err on the side of dry than to rot them with too much moisture.

Nothing is carved in stone, however, and there will always be certain people who succeed with certain plants in atypical situations. Rules are meant to be bent, so do the best you can and have fun learning what works best for you and your plants within your own unique situation.

Good luck!


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## SlipperFan (Sep 28, 2011)

Thanks, Mark. Lots of experience there in your words!


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## Lycaste53 (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanks, Mark
I will follow your recommendations
Best regards, Gina


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## goldenrose (Sep 30, 2011)

Thanks for the info!


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## Heather (Oct 1, 2011)

Can I ask at what temperature do you consider starting the winter dormancy period? I grow year round outside here (it only falls below freezing very occasionally and I bring the plants in on those nights.) We are starting to begin to get some nights in the 40s as of next week so I'm starting to think about drying them out a bit more now before misting. They're all in moss. Thanks!


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## Lanmark (Oct 1, 2011)

Heather said:


> Can I ask at what temperature do you consider starting the winter dormancy period? I grow year round outside here (it only falls below freezing very occasionally and I bring the plants in on those nights.) We are starting to begin to get some nights in the 40s as of next week so I'm starting to think about drying them out a bit more now before misting. They're all in moss. Thanks!



I'd say dormancy should be starting right about now or soon hereafter with night temps like that. The plants should tell you by their behavior, like when root tips are no longer actively growing, for example, and when new growth has come to a noticeable pause. I'm assuming your days are probably still quite warm, but the plants should be able to take the signal from shortening daylengths and cooler nights.


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## Heather (Oct 5, 2011)

Thank you!


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## Roth (Oct 5, 2011)

Lanmark said:


> Indeed! Congratulations to you both! :clap:
> 
> Now my recipe for perfect success... :wink:
> 
> ...



Three things:

In Japan they use fertilizer for bonsai for their neofinetia, like Biogold, etc... and they have some proprietary receipes too. So far they are feeding their plants indeed ( serious growers I mean). The sphagnum releases etc... is not completely true, though sphagnum has a lot of nutrients when it decomposes ( including surprising amounts of calcium and magnesium). In the ancient times the growers were not feeding their plants because the live sphagnum contains bacterias, which I suspect releases amino acids directly... and some others elements provided by the decomposition of the old part of the moss. When it was mixed with Osmunda roots, it was even better, as Osmunda releases a lot of elements...

In Thailand, they grow neofinetia like vandas, more and more growers are using orchiata power in baskets. They have indeed huge specimens, that bloom very well, including of the variegated and bean types ( especially in the North). They are using vanda feeding schedule.

As for rotting roots, I have seen neofinetia richardsiana, whatever it is, in the wild. They grow on limestone, and the dying roots in sphagnum you mention suggest that they may not be acid loving plants at all. The ones I have now are in my paph mix ( along with some phals, and vandas, that I found to be lime or at least alkaline loving). 

I ll make a post one of those days about sphag and alkaline loving plants. So far sphag can maintain a correct growth as long as it is on the dry side, though not as fast as growing the plants in something else... Many people tend to grow many species on the 'dry side' in sphagnum to 'avoid rot', because in fact the plants they are growing do not like acidity. That's extremely long to explain, but that's logical.


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## Lanmark (Oct 6, 2011)

Roth said:


> In Japan they use fertilizer for bonsai for their neofinetia, like Biogold, etc...



I have Biogold pellets from Japan. It reeks like cat urine so strongly that it burns my eyes and nostrils, hence I don't use it! :rollhappy:




Roth said:


> As for rotting roots, I have seen neofinetia richardsiana, whatever it is, in the wild. They grow on limestone, and the dying roots in sphagnum you mention suggest that they may not be acid loving plants at all.



I grow many of my Neos in open baskets or heavily perforated pots filled with large spheres of hydroton with a few large chunks of granite mixed in and sometimes a few large pieces of natural cork bark in there as well. Sometimes I throw in a few very large pieces of orchiata as well. I grow a few mounted on grapevine wood and a few mounted on large rocks. Those few plants which I still grow on NZ sphagnum moss (because they seem to like it better) are done so on very hollow, high, thin mounds of moss and allowed to dry between waterings. I do fertilize my plants, but only during active growth and only using dilute liquid fertilizers. I've been using these methods for about 13 years now. I consistently get good healthy growth and heavy blooming. :wink:


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## Ozpaph (Oct 10, 2011)

Fantastic and very helpful information, Lanmark and Roth! Thank-you, that's how we all learn.


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## Roth (Oct 10, 2011)

Lanmark said:


> I have Biogold pellets from Japan. It reeks like cat urine so strongly that it burns my eyes and nostrils, hence I don't use it! :rollhappy:



Despite the smell, it really works well...



> Sometimes I throw in a few very large pieces of orchiata as well.



Good boy, good boy 



> Those few plants which I still grow on NZ sphagnum moss (because they seem to like it better) are done so on very hollow, high, thin mounds of moss and allowed to dry between waterings.



I think it confirms too that there is colony variations in each species regarding their requirements in cultivation... I got the same, and was under the impression that some of the bean leaf types prefer to be more wet and acidic, where some of the bigger types seem to grow better in pure orchiata for me, which is more 'neutral'...


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