growing spots, newest plants and etc

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Joined
Jan 22, 2008
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elmer, nj
I hadn't bothered to get all of my growing spots pictured before, hard to get back far enough to get all of my carts into view and the light is never very good. I thought I'd get into the act and get some pics of everything so people could see.

I grow lots of different things, lots of phal species, some paph and phrag species with a handful of hybrids, some central and south american things, some masd's (recently), occasionally a disa or two (while they live :( ) and some trichopilias. I did have a spiranthes lucida that a fellow orchid club member found near her pond and gave me last summer that was outside in a plastic pot in water, but a glance out back didn't turn up the pot (only native orchid though I take tons of native orchid pictures). There are quite a few odds and ends... Most of the plants are on two carts from work in my living room near smallish south windows, some plants (masd's and paph armeniacums) on shelves in my kitchen window and a trough with mostly phrag species in my bedroom window.

Recently new plants

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left to right pholidota imbricata, paph barbigerum 'Obie's Top Hat' AM/AOS, disa uniflora (pink variety x yellow variety) and dendrochilum tenuifolium.
The pholidota I traded an extra phal chibae for at an orchid club meeting, the barbigerum I received as 'photographer fee' from another club member (who has some more seedling/divisions to sell as fund raiser for a family that recently lost their home due to fire), the disa I bought when wally orchard came to our meeting (couldn't resist though not exactly the color I would have planned on), and the dendrochilum I won in Christmas party free plant raffle!

Growing spots

In my living room I've got two big rolling carts that are often used by wholesale hort growers to ship plants on trucks to markets. These were acquired legally from our former manager before our former parent company laid off 40+ skilled managers to save money (in case anyone gets funny ideas about how I got these carts : / ).

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larger cart, mostly warm phal species and others on top, a few phrags and others; bottom has mostly mounted orchids, some potted phal species a coffee tree and a hawaiian tree fern in the back middle


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slightly smaller cart that has more trichopilias, oncidiums, phals and other species/hybrids of various types that like more intermediate conditions (not as warm overall)

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kitchen south window - the top shelf has a bunch of mostly masdevallia hybrids from hoosier's mounted on rocks covered by tree sheet moss (one species from parkside orchids), and my two paph armeniacums in baskets on the lower shelf. I just put the masd's on the rocks/moss about a month ago, and they are starting to look better though I need to use water with less chlorine in it!

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two years ago I started putting my few phrags that like water (except besseae types) in a trough in my east-facing bedroom window. a few times I let things get too dry, and after repotting and changing a few they look better. they do look a bit yellow this winter I think from getting pretty cool, but overall don't look too bad. there are three divisions of a phrag schlimii (plant came apart at repotting) on the left, two pk hybrids that nyeric gave me in trade (huge plants, growing nicely!), a phrag longifolium that has been taking a very long time to grow and an antec besseae hybrid (can't remember the name)

I have very clean water at home from the reservoir up in the adirondacks, but of course they add chlorine and fluoride. I often water with a wand hooked to my kitchen sink but that doesn't allow the chlorine to get out, or have any fertilizer in it. Things don't look so great because I just changed the big cart and the humidifier and lights need rearranging and it was pretty cold this winter to help keep costs down, but I'm finally getting around to dealing with things again. I started out with cheap shelves with some plastic to catch water, and now have enclosed carts with fluorescent lights in addition to the shelves. I was planning to make a covered spot outdoors this summer for orchids but the landlord decided on a new lease which forbid any plants outdoors... (no veggies or orchids..) probably will end up saving me a lot of work in the long run ;) actually

.... and my paph delenatii is still getting taller and buds growing/opening slightly, and my niveum is still going strong! also my two phal equestris are still flowering..... only a few other things in bud (need some sun and warm!)
 
You've put a lot of thought and effort into making your growing space as effective as possible. And don't we always want more???
 
well, i'm in one of the second floor apt's, and there's another apartment in the first floor... or else the plants would be in the basement if I had one!

... and yes, would love more humidity (but with no mildew in apt), more light with less electric bills and less water leaks through holes in plastic! ;)
 
It's always really interesting to see other's growing arrangements; always some good ideas to be picked up. :evil:

Thanks for posting pictures of your growing areas!
 
most effective environment Charles!!!! and ...the barbigerum I received as 'photographer fee' ... > nice deal!! Jean
 
... and yes, would love more humidity (but with no mildew in apt), more light with less electric bills ... ;)

This is what I want too...!!!! Your areas are looking really great!!!And you have improvised well!!!! Congrats:clap::clap:
 
most effective environment Charles!!!! and ...the barbigerum I received as 'photographer fee' ... > nice deal!! Jean

thanks! and I didn't even have a thought in my head about charging for taking a few pictures... I thought at first she was talking about my being paid for taking aos pictures at our last show (since iris is our aos representative). I didn't even know what barbigerum looked like, had to do a google. she has a few more of those small divisions that she wants to sell to raise some money for some friends who lost their house and plants to a fire and I offered to put up an 'ad' here, but will have to get some pictures of the plants first. there was also a barbigerum album or two that she was looking to sell as well
 

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