Orchids A to Z
I confess. I was thinking of skipping our last BGS meeting because I’m not a big orchid fan. It’s not that I don’t like them — I think orchids are gorgeous, especially the dainty ones that grow together along a stem (see later in this post). But they look so fragile that I’d feel as if I’d pulled the wings off a butterfly if I let one die.
However, our March speaker, Terry Kennedy, was enthusiastic and downright fun when she talked about orchids. She has all kinds of qualifications. She grows them, she imports them, she even breeds the things, I think. But she wasn’t a fusspot about them and — best of all — her talk combined practical advice with intriguing facts.
The weird and the wonderful
Who knew there were about a zillion species of orchids, from Angraecum to Zootropheon? Who knew they’ve been around since the dinosaurs? (Imagine a T. Rex with an orchid tucked tucked behind its ear.) Who knew there was an orchid that smelled like chocolate? “Very popular at Valentine’s Day,” Terry said. Who knew wine corks are the favourite growing medium for the lovely Vanda orchids used in Hawaiian leis? Or that they have the truest blue, a colour rare in orchids?
And then there are a Bulbophyllum that smells like rotting meat; the Dracula vampira orchid that Goth kids ask about; and a fascinating Rapunzel sort of orchid that sends down long skinny petals so ants can climb up and pollinate it. (I think of it as Rapunzel, but its real name is Phragmipedium grande.)
A bit of botany
On the factual side, we learned that orchids are very specific about their pollinators — just one to a species. Rapunzel up there won’t let anyone else in except ants. If the pollinator dies off, so does the orchid. The wonders of biodiversity.
I finally learned how to say Cattleya (CAT-lay-a), the classic prom orchid. I also learned that ”orchid” isn’t, actually, the most common colour of orchid flowers. Most are yellow and brown; the pinky-purple shade was developed by breeder selection. I also learned that the dainty, colourful orchids I like are the “dancing ladies” of the Caribbean, a kind of Oncidium orchid. Good news for me, they’re easy to grow indoors and like to be kept on the dry side, Terry said.
Orchid care, simplified
Terry also cut through the mystique of orchid growing with basic tips on care:
- Choose plants with fat, full leaves, not limp ones.
- The more roots a plant has, the more flowers you’ll get.
- Water orchids by flooding the top and letting the plant drain, which draws air through the pot.
- Leave a stick in the pot to check when to water. The stick should be dry at the middle or the end before watering.
- Mist plants to add humidityonly during the day; leave them dry after dark.
- Forget the fancy fertilizer: 20-20-20 is just fine.
- Repot at least once every two years, if not annually. Orchids grow in organic matter, so when that rots, so do the roots.
- Don’t be too quick to cut off flower stems. Some orchids keep blooming at the growing tip of the stem. Don’t cut the stem until it’s brown. If it gets too long, cut back to a node and powder the cut with a little cinnamon to prevent disease.
Throughout, Terry’s mantra was, “The plant will tell you what it wants.” She made it sound so easy, I may give it a try one of these days. (Terry and Doug Kennedy’s business is Orchids in Our Tropics, www.orchidsinourtropics.com.
–Mary Fran McQuade, writer, gardener and BGS member
(Comments? Email to beachgsblogger@gmail.com)
