Hello everybody

[GuRu]

I have had a look to this forum from time to time - now I'm registred since four days ago. I live in Germany and I grow orchids now for about 25 years. In the eightees of the last century (what a long time ago) I grew many orchids in my greenhouse. But due to moving house in 1989 I had to go back to indoor growing. I'm focussed on the genus Paphiopedilum - at the moment I grow about 80 different species of this genus plus 3 hybrids. Beside them I grow a few other orchids (e.g. Catasetums, Cattleyas, Ascocentrums and so on).
At the moment Paph. purpuratum and Paph malipoense are in bud in my collection and the flowers of Paph henryanum, P. hermannii and P. helenae are just fading.

That's for the first - best regards from Germany (the other side of the pond)
GuRu

 

[Marco]

Welcome to the forum guru glad to have you here

 

[NYEric]

Wilkommen! Are you anywhere near Berlin?

 

[PHRAG]

We are happy to have you here!

 

[Heather]

Hello!
Sounds as though you have a fine collection. Welcome!!

 

[NYEric]

By the way, watch out for that Heather. If she finds out you have a Paph Stoned Addict she'll try to loot you. oke:

 

[GuRu]

Wilkommen! Are you anywhere near Berlin?

Hello NYEric,
No I don't - I live about 330 km south of Berlin in the northern part of Bavaria.

Best regards from Germany, GuRu

 

[SlipperFan]

Welcome, GuRu! Nice to have you here.

Poor picked on Heather...

 

[Rick]

Welcome GuRu

How long has your malipoense been in bud?

Unfortunately the bloom on mine has only opened up 1/2 way, and has been stuck like this for a few weeks. I'm starting to see some browning on the dorsal sepal, so I think that's it for this year. New growth coming along nicely though.

 

[NYEric]

I visited Munich (Munchen) when I was 12. My girlfriend lives in Berlin. A cool climate to grow orchids. Again Welcome.

 

[GuRu]

How long has your malipoense been in bud?
Unfortunately the bloom on mine has only opened up 1/2 way, and has been stuck like this for a few weeks.

Hello Rick,

I can't remember exactly when I saw the sheath appearing on my P. malipoense- probably 8 weeks ago. At the moment the flower stem has a height of ca. 32 cm and the bud is ca. 3 cm long. I think it will take another 4 weeks till the flower will be evolved. So far everything is ok. I herd about a 'stuck bloom' of malipoense from another guy some time ago. The cause was a massive roots rotting in the case of his plant. So the plant was unable to grow on the flower.
But other causes are possible, too.

Best regards from Germany, GuRu

 

[GuRu]

I visited Munich (Munchen) when I was 12. My girlfriend lives in Berlin. A cool climate to grow orchids.

Hello NYEric,

The climate in Germany isn't as cool as you may think. We have regularly in summer spells with more than 30°C . The lowest winter temperatures and the probability of snowfall differ from the region you live in. Snowfall occurs seldom in the western and north-western regions of Germany. Berlin is situated more in the north-eastern part and the climate there is more continental i.e. with more cold and snow in winter.
At the moment we have day/night temperatures of 15°/11° C.
Last week I read a e-mail from a lady in Pittsburgh and she wrote about the first snow in this fall.
By the way I saw in your profile your occupation is civil engineering - the same is mine.
Best regards from Germany, GuRu.

 

[L I Jane]

Welcome GuRu!!!

 

[plntlady]

Welcome GuRu glad to have another newbie on the forum

 

[Rick]

Hello Rick,

I can't remember exactly when I saw the sheath appearing on my P. malipoense- probably 8 weeks ago. At the moment the flower stem has a height of ca. 32 cm and the bud is ca. 3 cm long. I think it will take another 4 weeks till the flower will be evolved. So far everything is ok. I herd about a 'stuck bloom' of malipoense from another guy some time ago. The cause was a massive roots rotting in the case of his plant. So the plant was unable to grow on the flower.
But other causes are possible, too.

Best regards from Germany, GuRu

In this case the roots are OK. Its in a clear aircone pot, so I can see its got some good root growth. I may just chalk this one up to another case of "out of season blooming syndrome".

 

[NYEric]

Keep building!!!

 

[Gideon]

Hi GuRu. Welcome