What do you grow?

[PHRAG]

I am going to attempt to make a complicated subject easy to talk about. I have been through many stages of orchid growing. I have found over the few years I have been growing orchids, that my obsession runs in cycles. Sometimes I am addicted to species, and other times I am enamored with hybrids.

The purpose of this thread is for you to explain exactly what it is that interests you about orchids. The questions you need to answer are...

1. What orchid or orchids did you really develop a love for early in your growing experience?

2. What do you really focus on growing now?

3. If you had unlimited funds, and a greenhouse the size of a football field, what would you fill it with?

Easy as that.

 

[PHRAG]

I will go first.

1. What orchid or orchids did you really develop a love for early in your growing experience?

I will never forget the first time I saw and smelled a Neofinetia falcata. It was actually my second orchid purchase, the first being Dendrobium Andree Millar. When I smelled Neofinetia for the first time, I was addicted. Seriously, I think I may have an orchid addiction. I know that I never want to be without at least one orchid, and that one orchid I can never be without is Neofinetia falcata.

2. What do you really focus on growing now?

Right now my collection is small by my standards. I have under 100 orchids. The majority of my collection is angraecoids and Neofinetia falcata. I have a good number of equestris and violacea species Phalaenopsis. All but three of my orchids are species.

3. If you had unlimited funds, and a greenhouse the size of a football field, what would you fill it with?

If I had a true greenhouse space, my entire life would be dedicated to orchids. I would have a serious problem not buying pretty much anything I could lay my hands on. At one time, I had some oncidium intergenerics, and i would like to have those again someday when I have the room. I would love to have a wall of mounted miniatures. Seriously, I think I could go bankrupt trying to fill a greenhouse. Or two. Or three. I don't know if I could contain myself. I really want to get into breeding orchids, but I know I just don't have the shelf space.

 

[Bolero]

Early on I wanted cymbidiums but soon graduated to Cattleya's. Catt's have kept me going ever since (about 7 years now) and they are the main thing I grow.

I really focus on my Paphs as I'm new to growing them and am keen to learn more about them as a student judge. The cattleya's are cruising along but the Paphs seem very easy for me to kill......I've almost got it working for me.

I would fill it with everything I could get my hands on........probably 50/50 with catt's and paphs of all description.

 

[PHRAG]

What got you hooked on Catts? I never really thought about buying a Catt. Not sure why, as they are very showy and nice looking. They just have not drawn my attention. I think because I don't have room for them.

 

[Bob Wellenstein]

1&2 are Paphs and Paphs.


3 has been in planning in my mind for years, and hopefully will come to reality in the next couple of years, and that is a greenhouse devoted to SA cloud forest species. I already enjoy growing various mosses, and a cloud forest orchid greenhouse will combine them with a huge group of orchids I am fascinated with.

 

[dave b]

1. The Angraecoids and Neo falcata are what caught my attention in the beginning. Something about the simple white flowers contrasted by the green. To be honest, i couldnt stand paphs at first. I visited a local shop owned by one of our societies members often. In time, i became hooked on phrags (he grew lots of them).

2. I now have a small collection, about 50, of various types. I really like Coelogyne, Dendrochilum, Aerangis, and phrags. Mainly species, not much into hybrids.

3. Size of a football field?? WOW, dream come true. Extensive orchid collections of all types. Bonsai and Nepenthes also. Heck, id be growing everything i could get my hands on. Ornamental grasses, Japanese maples Id have a really nice lab for seed propagation, disease and pest research. Promoting research and conservation would be big. Work with universities and local schools to expose students to horticulture and nature.

 

[Ernie]

Paphs
Paphs
Paphs

No I'm not that devoted. I think a little flavor is good. Always gotta have some really nice Phals, select Phrags, and some odd species in the mix. I have a spot in my heart for the Huntleya clade, but have never been all that good at growing them to their potential, so I limit myself to a couple Chondrorhyncha etc. I also like Stanhopeas and the non-Catasetum Catasetinae (ie. Cychnoches, Mormodes...) .

-Ernie

 

[eOrchids]

alright my turn...

1. What orchid or orchids did you really develop a love for early in your growing experience?

At first, I just started with just a Phal. Then Paphiopedilums really caught my attention. Bought a couple of Paphs. Though I tried other genre such as Cattleya; had them for a while then sold them. Had a couple of oncidium as well; sold most of them as well. But through this whole process of buying and selling, Paphiopedlium multifloral caught my attention throughout.

2. What do you really focus on growing now?

Paph multifloral species / hybrids. Slowly working my way into Phrags.

3. If you had unlimited funds, and a greenhouse the size of a football field, what would you fill it with?

Oh boy...just fill with orchids (mostly Paphs & Phrags) and carnivorous plants.

 

[Jon in SW Ohio]

1. That's easy! Psychopsis
I first saw one in a book as a very young child before I could even imagine owning an orchid. Years later I had the opportunity to obtain one. I was hooked the first time I saw it in person...and it wasn't even in bloom or spike! By the time it bloomed I had a dozen or so orchids of all types and will ALWAYS own at least a couple Psychopsis.

2. I now focus mostly on corals and the collecting orchids phase is kinda on halt until I can get a blooming size kovachii. I love whatever is in bloom, which right now is mostly multifloral paphs and phrags.

3. I would own every species, variety, and form of every slipper orchid. Every species of Latourea Dendrobium, every Neofinetia I could get my hands on, Bulbophyllums galore, and maybe a couple nice paph and phrag hybrids.

Of course only half the greenhouse would be occupied with the above...and the other half would be filled with small tide pools of corals. Mostly Zoanthids, LPS and brightly colored Acroporas....I think I should go get another Lotto ticket.

Jon

 

[Rick]

Slippers really were what got me interested in orchids in the first place.

I like specializing on species, and am very intrigued by ecology and pollination strategies of orchids. The weirder the better. I push heavy in paphs and phrags, and someday will get into cyps and selens too, but I also enjoy species phals, bulbos, and a handful of Pleurthalid aliance species.

Given unlimited space and time I'd like to develop an ex situ slipper conservation center.

 

[SlipperFan]

1. My first orchid was a Paph, a gift. That led to lots of Phals and some mini-Catts. Then I started working in an orchid nursery, moved to a bigger house, and became enamored of many different kinds of orchids. Then someone gave me a Phrag, which led to many more and then Paphs. Full circle, I guess.

2. My collection is more than half slippers, but I still love the cockle-shells, Zygopetalum and hybrids, and many of the monopodals, like Neofinitia crosses, Gastrochilus, Renanthera, Ascoscendas, Aerangis and some Phals. There are a few other things, of course, but more of the above named.

3. As large as a football field??? If I could afford that, I'd move to Hawaii and grow everything -- outside!!!

 

[paphioland]

started with phals then oncid, then loved catts. When got to paphs thats all she wrote.

 

[Per]

1. First Paph I bought was a Paph. stonei. It is still with me (barely), despite my first baby "steps" (huge slip-ups) into orchids. I think I may still get it to recover as I saw the first new growth on it in 2 yrs (those baby steps were HARD). I hope that means it is back on track.

2. Species Paphs.

3. I would divide it into a few growing zones and grow slippers, citrus, my titanium, Drac.’s and Masd.’s I do not yet own any of the last two, but when I can find some cooler spaces, I see them in my collection. I would also put in a small lab to propagate species. Oh, I would also grow and cure ALL of my own vanilla!

 

[TutoPeru]

1. What orchid or orchids did you really develop a love for early in your growing experience?

I started with a couple of phals. Then I discover masdevallias and that's when I got all hooked up with orchids.

2. What do you really focus on growing now?

I am into Paphs and masdies. Mostly with species and a couple of hybrids. Lycastes are my new thing....

3. If you had unlimited funds, and a greenhouse the size of a football field, what would you fill it with?

Just with orchids and ferns

 

[the jive turkey]

1. What orchid or orchids did you really develop a love for early in your growing experience?
Dracula and Lepanthes.

2. What do you really focus on growing now?
I dont have a focus but I'm going to start this year focusing rupicolous Laelias, paph micranthum, Lepanthes, Bulbophyllums and flasks.

3. If you had unlimited funds, and a greenhouse the size of a football field, what would you fill it with?
It would have to be in a temperate climate as well but I would grow hardy terrestrial orchids...oh, greenhouse, I'd do the cloud forest thing too but with a hot tub.

 

[isaias m rolando]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. What orchid or orchids did you really develop a love for early in your growing experience?
Cattleya rex
2. What do you really focus on growing now?
Cattleya Hybrids, specially C. rex hybrids
3. If you had unlimited funds, and a greenhouse the size of a football field, what would you fill it with?
I would invest all those funds to create a private orchid reserve dedicated to Cattleya rex and peruvian phragmipedium and their hybrids with selected clones.

 

[NYEric]

1. What orchid or orchids did you really develop a love for early in your growing experience?

I can't remember, I've killed a multitude of them trying to find out what I can grow.

2. What do you really focus on growing now?

Phrag besseae hybrids =100+/- , Parvi Paphs = 35+/-, Pleuros and Masdies=15+/-, Equitant Oncd=15+/-, plus 4,5 miscl others.

3. If you had unlimited funds, and a greenhouse the size of a football field, what would you fill it with?

Moss, Phrags, and Pleuros, Lepanthes, and Masdies.

 

[Wendy]

When i first started with orchids i collected anything I could afford to buy....and kill.

Now that I am more into growing than collecting i concentrate mainly on Paphs (multifloral), Phrags (long petaled) and species Cattleya. I do have a few other things but every one needs a bit of variety right?

If I had a huge greenhouse i would really concentrate on multifloral Paphs and have every species Catt that i could find.

 

[Ron-NY]

My first chid was a Phal but got turned onto Paphs early in my collecting. Love multiflorals. My other love is Bulbo species. The genus has great diversity in size, shape and means to attract pollinators. Star-shaped Catts. Long petaled Phrags, Maxillarias there are many interests.

My focus hasn't changed much but I have broadened into other chids. Gone are most of the Phals except for a few species.

a football field greenhouse I would design it like a rainforest with a waterfall, stream, tropical trees and shrubs and I would then naturalize my collection:clap:

 

[Roy]

My first orchid was a Cymbidium from my father, Bred miniature cyms. Added Cattleyas to show only. Added Paphs, Angraecum, Encyclia, Laelias, Catasetum, Vanda/Ascocenda, Phals, Miltoniopsis. Gained awards with Mini Cyms, Miltoniopsis, Ascocenda.
Changed address to present location, sold all but the Cyms & Paphs, thats all I wanted to grow.. Now I have no cyms but I have Paphs, Phrags, Miltoniopsis, Aerides, Angraecum, Indian Dends, Laelias, Peristeria elata and some rare species of odd genera.
Funny how old habits never change. ( Paphs are the Passion though, would grow by the millions if I could ) ( I have enough land but not the funds.)