Comments on: Cattleya “Imperialis”

By: Romeo

Romeo — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 07:05:39 +0000

That is a very nice cattleya! Reblooming them however is quite daunting, however you should not miss the essentials. First, light – expose them to sunlight, how much of it is a skill you should learn. Most experts say, “as much as they can have without burning the leaves”. Test the cattleya leaves if they are warm to touch during exposure, it means they are near to burn. Move them to shade ASAP! The best however is to filter the sunlight if you wish to expose them the whole day. I place them under a tree that filters the sunlight, not totally blocking them, if no tree exists there, black net placed above them will do, try 2-ply first then decrease if your catts seem to need more. Now, if the foliage exhibit a light-green colour vs. the dark green, then it shows you are giving them right amount of light.

After the light requirement, considering that they have developing pseudobulbs that are candidate for pregnant sheaths, fertilize weekly but weakly with bloom booster, foliar type for me is good. Twice monthly, with the use of a sprinkler, “flush” them with very clean water for a minute of more to flush out mineral deposits that accumulated in the whole pot. Remember that not all of the fertilizers are utilized, some are deposited and is unusable.

Good tip, the fish-washings encourages blooming due to the minerals it contains. I have learned that Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate) sprayed weekly at 1 Tsp/gallon works wonders. I have proven it already since i experimented not giving Epsom and the sheaths produced are devoid of flower buds!

Lastly, care for the watering cycle, as it may rot valuable pseudos candidate for blooms. Along with well-ventilated and lighted environment, your catts will not have reasons to rebloom.
Best wishes!

By: Jay Martin

Jay Martin — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 12:42:31 +0000

Anyone who has an idea of the prices of red roses in Dangwa this month?

By: Jay Martin

Jay Martin — Sun, 21 Jul 2013 12:39:52 +0000

Hello everyone! Can anyone please recommend a good store in Dangwa that has the widest variety of flowers with reasonable prices? Also, what flowers do well with crimson red roses? Thank you so much in advance to all who will share their thoughts! :-) I just urgently need to finalize the flowers that will be used at my uncle’s wedding on August 18.

By: Risa

Risa — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 05:25:04 +0000

Footloose, you may want to check out fpn-p.org in your search. This is a group of fountain pen enthusiasts in the Philippines. The site has a forum which covers vintage and new brands, repair and sources.

By: Footloose

Footloose — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 00:09:18 +0000

Memorizing lines of poetry now seems as extinct as writing legibly. Both too quaint for an age where memory is what you carry around in portable bytes and sentiments are hastily tweeted or texted via alphanumeric codes. But I, still try to commit to memory as much as my fading faculty can hold, am still on the look out for antique German writing implements and continue to do the things my fathers learned to do.

By: EbbaBlue

EbbaBlue — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 17:21:32 +0000

Before Manila Seedlings closed I bought 5 kinds of catleya plants, all with very nice blooms, brought them to Quezon province and they all died. Ang mahal pa naman non. Now the other kinds of local orchids, sus ang dami dun sa barangay na yon. Mostly the residents plant them in “tuod” woodings.

By: Thel from Florida

Thel from Florida — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 14:41:37 +0000

Simply beautiful! Everyday I say “I Love you, thank you for being so beautiful” to all my flowers indoor and outdoor.

By: Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 07:56:01 +0000

Such beauties… I was able rebloom quite a few
Cattleya ,when we live back home.I sure miss these flowers,Orchids are very affordable now here..They usually worth your money for one to two month of blooms,like a lot of you,these lovelies remind me of my mom.

By: Malou

Malou — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 20:21:40 +0000

My mother loves orchids as did my late grandmother. They always saved the bloody water from washing fresh fish bought from the wet market with some of the gills and innards to boot and used that as our organic, chemical-free fertilizer for the orchids. For days after this nutri-boost, our house, with its windows open, would smell like a ‘palengke’ everytime there was a breeze but we didn’t really mind that much since the plants thrived and gave us blooms, sometimes nearly all at once.

By: Connie C

Connie C — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 14:50:18 +0000

As always Footloose, thank you for your elephant memory and your gift of prose….and poetry, and your sharp wit and humor. Now you remind me of my English teacher too. How MM’s cattleyas draw out poetic memories!

BTW Footloose, are you by any chance related to Oscar Wilde?