Growing Orchids

dannyboy602 said:

M grandiflora isn't hardy that far north...is this the one you meant?
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YES!! soooo gorgeous..... something about white flowers that smell pretty makes my brain just blank out (in a good way). hence the gardenia and mock orange collection, i guess. <-- so far, 2 of each.
that picture's making me realise though..... they're kinda like mutant gardenias on steroids aren't they? no wonder i'm obseeeeessed with them.

i think there are only a few cultivars that are hardy up here, but the ones that do can flourish.... anytime i see them around here they're HUGE -- i know they get big, but do they grow quickly as well?

mellokitty said:

YES!! soooo gorgeous..... something about white flowers that smell pretty makes my brain just blank out (in a good way). hence the gardenia and mock orange collection, i guess. <-- so far, 2 of each.
that picture's making me realise though..... they're kinda like mutant gardenias on steroids aren't they? no wonder i'm obseeeeessed with them.

i think there are only a few cultivars that are hardy up here, but the ones that do can flourish.... anytime i see them around here they're HUGE -- i know they get big, but do they grow quickly as well?

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lmao..mutunt gardenias..i never thought of them like that but yes, they have thick fleshy flowers. mb that has something to do with their fragrance???
didn't know you had hardy cvs but hey great. i think everyone should have one. my fav part of the plant isnt just the gawgeous flower but the gynoecium that grows as the petals drop. it is so complex for a fruiting structure. so colorful. like a pine cone stuffed with red skittles.

dannyboy602 said:

lmao..mutunt gardenias..i never thought of them like that but yes, they have thick fleshy flowers. mb that has something to do with their fragrance???
didn't know you had hardy cvs but hey great. i think everyone should have one. my fav part of the plant isnt just the gawgeous flower but the gynoecium that grows as the petals drop. it is so complex for a fruiting structure. so colorful. like a pine cone stuffed with red skittles.

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that's the "grandiflora fruit" right? do you know if it needs cross-pollination for that? because i have literally never seen one up here.
speaking of gardenias...... i brought one home the other day and it doesn't want to flower...... it had dozens of buds but instead of opening, they just pop right off when they're almost ready (almost like some sort of stemrot)..... *weeping*
not sure what i can do; i KNOW it has something to do with removing it from the greenhouse environment @ the nursery with the orchids (they have an amazing envy-inducing ecosystem there; resident frogs and everything) but i don't know what i can do to emulate that other than put it under a light and keeping it misted (i don't have a cloche big enough for it, unfortunately)..... help me?

I have some madagascar jasmines they are pretty, white and smell pretty lol. I dunno the m.grandiflora one you guys are talking about.

Please forgive my spelling. I am at work and my phone does not have spell check. I have been putting in as many magnolias as I can find And time will tell how hardy they are. I have a david and judy As well as a couple of butterfly which i think are Acumulatta. A red skittle covered pine cone. What an accurate description. I cannot bear to pull The hardy gardenia Out of the ground. It survived but does not thrive. I'm usually pretty quick at pulling the things that are not going to work. That's 1 of the problems of pushing the limits of the zone you live in. Azone, Both the chinese and American dogwood Have trouble with the blight around here. A red twig dogwood might work though. Maybe I will just move the monkey puzzle I have But I have to look into it tolerance for wet feet. My monkey puzzle is about 3 feet now But I understand they get very large. Mine is lucky to have survived this long Nevermind get big. There is a funny story about the monkey puzzle But it only makes sense if they are not strictly Native to chile. I just don't know. I would like to try another crape myrtle And I wouldn't mind another hardy orange. I'm the only guy around here who has orange is that produce fruit Not that you would want to eat it. The catalogs are coming full force now!! Maybe there will be something new and unusual in them this year. So many plants And so little time and space. Maybe a swamp azalea?? It is 1 of my favorite fragrance plants But had a horrible habit. It may well be worth it just for the scent however. I hate living in zone 6. you guys have given me a lot of great ideas and input. Maybe a jujubee? Geez, who knows. I will just have to fill up the nursery with new stuff and see what survives. Someday I may even see fruit on my paw paws. WTH

Kitty, slick bunch of flowers and plants you have. What zone do you do well in. What about you danny and azone?

I had a "Mystery Gardenia" that would drop looms, inexplicably. I don't think it's too unusual. Some minor stress issue. Because then it would set bloom and give 20 a day, 4in diameter. I had to pick them, the bush was subject to afternoon sun and the flowers would yellow and crisp in no time.

smokey de bear said:

I have some madagascar jasmines they are pretty, white and smell pretty lol. I dunno the m.grandiflora one you guys are talking about.

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i killed my jasmine vine year before last.... (my own damn fault; didn't realise the spot i overwintered it in had a drip.... drowned it during the spring thaw).

magnolia grandiflora, aka southern magnolia, aka evergreen magnolia -- it's a big tree, with big white fragrant flowers and (usually) big, shiny leaves. the cvs that are hardy up here have flowers that are roughly 5x the size of regular magnolias (uh.... i'm not well-versed in mags but the ones with the pink petal tips are common here).

Ouuf that sucks ill be putting mine outside for the first time this summer, which isnt that long in zone 4 lol

.Last frost is around the first week of April. First frost is mid-late Oct. Average annual precip is about 20 in/yr. I can grow apples here. How's that for an indicator. Average high is 65`this time of yr, but the lows are in the mid 20's

tough gardening...too hot and too cold in the same day

mmmm, crepe myrtle, one of my faves.....
i'm lucky because i get to live vicariously through my landscaper friend who has some hoity-toity clients..... i may even be able to work for her once my momhood is not quite so full time.
the lower mainland of bc is SO HARD to tell what hardiness zone.... every map i look at ranges from 2-9 in such a small space, but i'm guessing where i am we're somewhere on the low end of 7.

Azoned said:

I had a "Mystery Gardenia" that would drop looms, inexplicably. I don't think it's too unusual. Some minor stress issue. Because then it would set bloom and give 20 a day, 4in diameter. I had to pick them, the bush was subject to afternoon sun and the flowers would yellow and crisp in no time.

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my first (i forget what kind it is) was a 6 petal bloom with a yellow heart.... this one has more of a spiral whorl thing going on.

Got a crepe myrtle in my yard. Last year was a voyage of discovery. This property came with some things that nearly died from neglect at the hands of the previous owner. Crepe myrtle, jujubes, pears, asparagus, pomegranates...
And the things I brought....plumeria, citrus, apples, pine trees and a couple hundred bulb flowers.

lol you may as well be looking for anything from tropical plants to northern tree, you guys have some monster Ponderosa pines i believe they are called

mellokitty said:

that's the "grandiflora fruit" right? do you know if it needs cross-pollination for that? because i have literally never seen one up here.
speaking of gardenias...... i brought one home the other day and it doesn't want to flower...... it had dozens of buds but instead of opening, they just pop right off when they're almost ready (almost like some sort of stemrot)..... *weeping*
not sure what i can do; i KNOW it has something to do with removing it from the greenhouse environment @ the nursery with the orchids (they have an amazing envy-inducing ecosystem there; resident frogs and everything) but i don't know what i can do to emulate that other than put it under a light and keeping it misted (i don't have a cloche big enough for it, unfortunately)..... help me?

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nope they don't need cross pollination. Mags are monoecious with male and female flower parts. ya know, i really haven't had much luck with gardenias outside of a greenhouse. there they thrive but in my dry as shit home they don't like it. they can't be that tempermental. when i went to universal studios in florida they were used as landscaping plants all over the park.

Most orchids can absorb nitrogen directly in the forms of cationic ammonium ion (NH4+), the anion nitrate (NO3-), and urea. The nitrogen in the ammonium ion (NH4+) is available immediately to the plant for the production of amino acids and other compounds. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3-) on the other hand has to be reduced in order to be used by plants.


Nitrate nitrogen is more "time released" then urea. Urea&#8217;s nitrogen availability is more the middle ground between nitrate and ammonium. Urea hydrolyses into ammonium (NH4+) and C02. This breakdown of urea can take place in the surrounding soil, bark or coir and in the roots and leaves of orchids. The urease enzyme breaks down the urea in leaves and roots. Urea is readily absorbed by roots and leaves and can be used in foliar feeding. While urea is broken down in a growing medium and the resulting ammonium nitrogen is absorbed by the orchid, it is not necessary as orchid can directly absorb urea and break it down within the orchid. Contrary to older orchid book statements urea does not take a year to break down, and can be used by orchids directly.


Ammonium Nitrate NH4N03 is like a quick fix nitrogen drug for plants, as the plants readily take up both ammonium NH4 and nitrate N03. Because ammonium is directly assimilated into plant metabolism and growth, it benefits only work in very good light conditions or in correcting nitrogen deficiencies. Many orchids grow in a constant swing of moist to dry to moist, and I imagine this is also the case with orchids use of nutrients as they become available then unavailable. The use of ammonium in this situation is probably advantageous. Excesses of ammonium in plants can cause many problems in plants reducing their ability to absorb and utilize other nutrients.

Urea only provides nitrogen in the form of ammonium NH4. Nitrate nitrogen can be stored by plant. Orchids or plant preferences for ammonium or nitrate nitrogen is directly related to their ph preference for growing (acid medium growing plants have a preference for ammonium, plants with a preference for a alkaline growing medium prefer nitrate nitrogen), though both nitrogen sources are used by plants throughout the ph range. For these reason and others, the highest growth rate is a mixture of nitrogen supplied by both ammonium and nitrate.

Dirt..we don't need no dirt. This is the root mass on my dendrobiums. Yeah, they like misting, but not every day. 2-3 times a week is good for now.

oooh. i see a cannabis leaf in that pic. i'm telling...lol

dannyboy602 said:

nope they don't need cross pollination. Mags are monoecious with male and female flower parts. ya know, i really haven't had much luck with gardenias outside of a greenhouse. there they thrive but in my dry as shit home they don't like it. they can't be that tempermental. when i went to universal studios in florida they were used as landscaping plants all over the park.

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*sigh*...... guess i'm shopping for a phototron or something then...... *sigh*

I have been trying to grow crepe myrtle for years and finally found one called Pink Velour that likes it here. I did take cutting of the myrtle and they were doing great going into winter so maybe....I don't even want to add up all the wasted plants of all kinds and their dollar amount for them that I've planted out and did not make it.
kitty.. Visited some relatives on Vancouver Island and hung out under a fig tree in the yard gorging on what for me were giant. Here in Z6 I have tried half a dozen varieties that are "supposed" to be hardy. The nurseries sell them but I sure don't know anyone with figs.

I want to order a couple of jujubes but they are pricey for me and you need two. I may bite the bullet but they would be coming from Raintree or One Green World nursery and they are in the NW. Were just colder here. Dammit.

All the good stuff grows in warmer climates..JK!! I love my plants. Rhodies, Stewartia, Styrex, I could make a long list of haves and be pretty content. It's the don't haves...

Pomegranite!!! Just aint right. Maybe I should just kill ANOTHER freakin Pineapple Guava or give a Ben Franklin tree a try for the third or forth time...

You know.. Just occured to me that I put a Halsia close to a wet spot and it did fine. Maybe thats a possibility for the hole from hell.