Specimens.

[Brabantia]

The insigne guy:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/jvinoz/7379701466/

Interesting: have you read the fertilyser composition? not poor in K!

 

[quietaustralian]

Paph. insigne, 40 blooms

Grand Champion.Paph. insigne, 40 blooms. Grown by Les & Yvonne Burgemeister

This plant was exhibited at Gawler Districts Orchid Club, Winter Show, last week.
This is a true specimen (not a number of plants potted together)that we have seen exhibited each year for the last 12 years. There were 42 buds but 0ne blasted and one was damaged during cleaning. This plant is always in pristine condition with no blemishes or cut leaves. It's a credit to the owner who is elderly and legally blind. Grown with the owners Cymbidiums and fertilised regularly with a 15:5:24 fertiliser.

 

[Ozpaph]

how good is that!

 

[Rick]

Interesting: have you read the fertilyser composition? not poor in K!

It doesn't make much difference what the K concentration is if you keep it in continuous water 11 of 12 months of the year, and feed a "little" once every month and a half during the growing season.oke: Is that maybe 4 fert applications for the whole year?

Compare that to the "weakly weekly" regime that we've been indoctrinated with, with the definition of "weak" as 100ppm N. And that's for everything including our single growth seedlings.

Now if he feeds a 100 growth plant 4 times a year with a weak solution of 100ppm N and K, then that's a miniscule exposure compared to what we aspiring specimen growers are generally putting on our own plants. Seems like another lesson in "less is more".

 

[Stone]

It doesn't make much difference what the K concentration is if you keep it in continuous water 11 of 12 months of the year, and feed a "little" once every month and a half during the growing season.oke: Is that maybe 4 fert applications for the whole year?

Compare that to the "weakly weekly" regime that we've been indoctrinated with, with the definition of "weak" as 100ppm N. And that's for everything including our single growth seedlings.

Now if he feeds a 100 growth plant 4 times a year with a weak solution of 100ppm N and K, then that's a miniscule exposure compared to what we aspiring specimen growers are generally putting on our own plants. Seems like another lesson in "less is more".

Yes when I asked him what he was giving it, the first thing he said was ''not very much'' It's strange but I'm STILL catching myself holding a seedling in my hand and thinking ''You must be hungry, I wouldn't want you to go without, so here have some of this''. Even after all these years it is still hard to resist!!! And with the very large plants in big pots, they almost seem to feed themselves. I'm sure I read a paper about orchid size and growth efficiency somewhere? I will look for it.

 

[Stone]

Well I found the paper. Did not read all of it (I dare anyone to!) but found some very interesting concepts. It seems photosynthetic capacity increases substantially as the plant grows. Smaller plants are much more exposed to water deficits due to larger surface area to volume ratios but similar tranpiration rates. Leaf N contents are higher in larger plants of the same species. PC was up to 500% higher in larger plants than small of some species studied!

In other words, (very generally) the plant needs to reach full size before its real growing and multiplying potental is achieved. That explains why seedlings start off seeming increadibly slow ( and there is not much we can do about it but give near perfect conditions with 100% humidity, 15 hours of light etc. ) and the big specimens need hardly any attention.

Very heavy and yawn worthy reading.
http://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/volltexte/2002/200/pdf/schmidt.pdf

 

[Rick]

Yes when I asked him what he was giving it, the first thing he said was ''not very much'' It's strange but I'm STILL catching myself holding a seedling in my hand and thinking ''You must be hungry, I wouldn't want you to go without, so here have some of this''. Even after all these years it is still hard to resist!!! And with the very large plants in big pots, they almost seem to feed themselves. I'm sure I read a paper about orchid size and growth efficiency somewhere? I will look for it.

Is this the maternal side of your nature kicking in Mike:wink:

 

[Rick]

In other words, (very generally) the plant needs to reach full size before its real growing and multiplying potental is achieved. That explains why seedlings start off seeming increadibly slow ( and there is not much we can do about it but give near perfect conditions with 100% humidity, 15 hours of light etc. ) and the big specimens need hardly any attention.

Very heavy and yawn worthy reading.
http://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/volltexte/2002/200/pdf/schmidt.pdf

This looks like a good one Mike.

Also to consider, that large vs small in this paper is for an individual growth. A specimen plant is a collection of growths (that may not be that big),so I don't think they are referring to clumps of growths as large plants. From a total water/CO2/nutrient uptake that would certainly be an additive effect, but not the effect presented of the single growth seedling compared to the single growth blooming size plant.

 

[Stone]

True, but if say a paph has 3 growths all comming from 1 root system (which often is the case) , that could be seen as a unit and retain all the benifits of a single large growth with the same volume. I always wondered why it can take 6 years for the initial maturation from seed to flower and from then on 1 or maybe 2 years. So once you reach full size its much quicker to get to double and quadruple to specimen as there is always a mature growth behind to push it. I have had a couple of paphs that for one reason or another went from mature multi growth back to 1 single growth. (from root loss or whatever) Even though they may have roots, its like raising a seedling all over again.

 

[Stone]

More specimens:
http://forum.theorchidsource.com/ubbthreads.php/posts/74042.html

 

[reivilos]

Ouch

 

[emydura]

I could never have imagined fairriieanum could ever get so many flowers. I'm not sure I have seen a better specimen. Simply amazing.

 

[Rick]

More specimens:
http://forum.theorchidsource.com/ubbthreads.php/posts/74042.html

Plants pictured in the 1970's and 1980's too.

 

[eggshells]

canhii! :evil:

Just kidding. hirsuit is the clumping champion.

LoL! I wish... henryanum is a great clumper. Wilhelminae/gardinerii not so much for me.

 

[The Orchid Boy]

Can't remember who it was, but someone posted a nice big armeniacum grown in a basket. They said it had been in and out of bloom fairly constant since 2010. I can only one day hope for a specimen plant, especially a parvi specimen.

 

[atlantis]

Although they usually grow slow, I find P. helenae very prone to clump too.

 

[Paphman910]

I find stonei clumps easily!

 

[Justin]

Philippinense and its hybrids are great clumpers. Here are a couple on their way...

Philippinense 'Alford' AM/AOS. Majorly overgrown in a 6" pot. Last bloomed with 15 flowers on 3 spikes.

Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Paph Saint Swithin in a 1.5 gallon pot.

Uploaded with ImageShack.com

 

[Trithor]

Impressive growing