Orchids in my garden

[sonjack2847]

I think to grow anything here it is best to ask the locals as the methods I used in the UK don`t work well here.I am at the moment trying to grow Avocado seeds I have 2 very small ones bursting through,I am waiting on the rest hopefully I will get a few trees from them.We are looking at Orchids in Valencia marketbut they don`t have many.What would be the going rate for a young Orchid, say about 8 inches tall does anybody have a ballpark figure I could work from.

[Queenie O.]

12 hours ago, Gator said:

Beautiful orchids Queenie!

My great aunt who lived in Venice, Florida had a very nice collection of orchids. I recall her making her own fertilizer for them. She'd boil a large potato (grated; with the skin too), about a dozen egg shells, a mashed ripe banana, some molasses (maybe a tablespoon or two) and pinch of epsom salt in a large pot. After letting it cool and steep overnight she'd pull out the egg shells. She would also sprinkle some bone or fish meal into pots and then add her special brew.  

Commercially available fertilizer already has the right mix of nutrients so I doubt adding egg shells would provide any noticeable benefit to your orchids. 

My SO's mom puts eggshells over new buds and over the stems right after the flowers drop off (she lives in the northern part of Bohol). I asked her why and she gave me two reasons - the calcium and to protect them from slugs/snails. She also buries any leftover fish around her garden. 

 

Our little guy was fascinated with grandma's orchids. But we had to be careful as he would try to eat them, lol. 

So sorry Gator--just came across this post! Thanks! Those are great ideas from past to present. I guess the calcium from the eggshells, maybe magnesium from the potatoes, potassium from the bananas?  Only recently did I start adding a teaspoon of molasses to water in order to fertilize too, that I'd read about on the internet. We'll see how it goes. I guess there are many ways to add nutrients naturally to your orchids. I should try that recipe too. Yes--I also see a lot of people putting those egg shell halves on their orchids here too.

Your little guy seems attracted to a miniature orchid called dancing doll or dancing ladies! Cute...

[Queenie O.]

4 hours ago, mogo51 said:

Sorry Queenie, could not get them across to here or onto my computer from phone for that matter.  The SO will have a go for me tonight.

Only if you can Mogo--they would be fun to see! Just saw your posts--we had an unexpected and rather long brownout from early morning to just now..

[Queenie O.]

2 hours ago, sonjack2847 said:

I think to grow anything here it is best to ask the locals as the methods I used in the UK don`t work well here.I am at the moment trying to grow Avocado seeds I have 2 very small ones bursting through,I am waiting on the rest hopefully I will get a few trees from them.We are looking at Orchids in Valencia marketbut they don`t have many.What would be the going rate for a young Orchid, say about 8 inches tall does anybody have a ballpark figure I could work from.

Sonjack--I think anywhere from 200 pesos and up depending on the orchid vendor I'd think. Sometimes the public market vendors are selling orchids at pretty reasonable rates, so I'd keep looking there. I've had some luck with a sidewalk vendor in a nearby city area too. Orchid shops might have a nice variety, but could be pricier. As Dave mentioned, those people that you see carrying orchids down the street in the city will say that they had just harvested the orchids from the mountains, but they want ridiculous amounts for them!

I started an avocado like you have from a seed in a glass, and it's a couple of feet high out in the yard, after a couple of years. Could be a long while to be big and bear fruit, but maybe some day. I like growing fruit like that too--I have a couple of pomelo trees in the yard, and a lemon tree in a pot that I started from a supermarket lemon seed.

[Gator]

On 6/13/2017 at 0:12 AM, Queenie O. said:

So sorry Gator--just came across this post! Thanks! Those are great ideas from past to present. I guess the calcium from the eggshells, maybe magnesium from the potatoes, potassium from the bananas?  Only recently did I start adding a teaspoon of molasses to water in order to fertilize too, that I'd read about on the internet. We'll see how it goes. I guess there are many ways to add nutrients naturally to your orchids. I should try that recipe too. Yes--I also see a lot of people putting those egg shell halves on their orchids here too.

Your little guy seems attracted to a miniature orchid called dancing doll or dancing ladies! Cute...

Thanks Queenie. If you do try it I'd be interested to know if made any difference. Good luck and keep up the good work, your garden is beautiful and is certainly a reflection of your passion as well as your dedication.  

I didn't know the name of those orchids my little guy was so fascinated with, but I am extremely glad to learn they're called "Dancing Ladies" and not "Dancing Lady Boys"!

If you ever visit the Tampa Bay Area of Florida then a must see would be the Marie Selby Botsnical Gardens in Sarasota. Largest collection of orchids in the world. My last visit there was about 10 years ago and I still recall the breathtaking beauty of the gardens. 

http://selby.org/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Selby_Botanical_Gardens

 

Edited June 14, 2017 by Gator

[sonjack2847]

On 6/13/2017 at 0:31 PM, Queenie O. said:

Sonjack--I think anywhere from 200 pesos and up depending on the orchid vendor I'd think. Sometimes the public market vendors are selling orchids at pretty reasonable rates, so I'd keep looking there. I've had some luck with a sidewalk vendor in a nearby city area too. Orchid shops might have a nice variety, but could be pricier. As Dave mentioned, those people that you see carrying orchids down the street in the city will say that they had just harvested the orchids from the mountains, but they want ridiculous amounts for them!

I started an avocado like you have from a seed in a glass, and it's a couple of feet high out in the yard, after a couple of years. Could be a long while to be big and bear fruit, but maybe some day. I like growing fruit like that too--I have a couple of pomelo trees in the yard, and a lemon tree in a pot that I started from a supermarket lemon seed.

I saw some avocado plants in Valencia last sunday. They were about 18 inches high and had 1-2 fruits on them.I think I will try that with the lemons and pomelo as my daughter likes Pomelo. How should I start the seeds off?

[mogo51]

On 6/13/2017 at 11:16 AM, Queenie O. said:

Only if you can Mogo--they would be fun to see! Just saw your posts--we had an unexpected and rather long brownout from early morning to just now..

Still trying Queenie.

[Queenie O.]

18 hours ago, sonjack2847 said:

I saw some avocado plants in Valencia last sunday. They were about 18 inches high and had 1-2 fruits on them.I think I will try that with the lemons and pomelo as my daughter likes Pomelo. How should I start the seeds off?

Not difficult to do Sonjack. Jut get a flower pot or container and add some decent garden soil. Just plant the seeds of a fruit that you particularly liked the taste of-- maybe one to two per pot, about 2 inches deep. Place them in a part sun spot and wait for them to sprout. Once they've sprouted, just water them every day. Can't remember how long it took. Once they get about six inches, you can put your plants in a permanent spot in the ground if you want. The lemon can stay in a larger pot or go in the ground too. Some dried cow manure can go in the hole or pot when planting too, to give a head start.

Have fun!

[Gratefuled]

1 hour ago, Queenie O. said:

Some dried cow manure can go in the hole or pot when planting too, to give a head start.

There's a lot of that here. I read it every day.  and, and  I've added my share. 

Sorry Queenie, I couldn't help my self.

Edited June 15, 2017 by Gratefuled

[Guy F.]

On 5/17/2017 at 7:32 PM, intrepid said:

My mother back home had a hard time with her orchids.  After several years of attempts someone told her not to use city water because the small amount chlorine will kill the orchids over time.  Apparently they are sensitive to the chlorine.  She started collecting some rainwater or I would take her water from my stream and she never had a problem with them after that.

Let a jug of water sit for a day and the chlorine will evaporate.