Gongora Chocoensis 'Columbia' Water/Humidity Question - Page 2 - Orchid Board

Dalton · #11 08-10-2016, 08:57 AM

isurus79, I don't have experience with other Gongora and very little with this one. However, the man I bought it from had two greenhouses full of healthy orchids and the ones with pseudo bulbs were plump and healthy. I specifically asked about this one and he said that they were supposed to look like that on this orchid. The mother plant was a huge specimen and all of the bulbs appeared to be corrugated like this, new or old.

Also, I found the link I'll post below. It's from IOSPE. It says that they pseudo bulbs are "deeply, longitudinally sulcate". I hadn't run across that term before and had to look it up. It basically means grooved, as best as I can find. I also found another site that said they like to be damp, but not dry and the best media is medium fir bark, which they're in.

IOSPE PHOTOS

Subrosa, no there is no reason for me to put it in the woods. I was just saying that the only place I could put it outside and guarantee all day in 100% shade is in the woods. We have a front and back porch, but no mater what corner of the house I put it on, it'll get sun for some portion of the day. The one I mentioned above gets the least amount of sun of all of them and is all morning sun.

isurus79 · #12 08-10-2016, 03:46 PM

I understand what IOSPE says, but these guys have ridges that smooth out significantly with good watering. The corrugated look in your photo is indicative of too little moisture.

Dalton · #13 08-10-2016, 04:26 PM

Well, I've definitely picked up on my watering. I'm watering twice as often and as of a couple of days ago, I started trying to use a wooden skewer to monitor the moisture content. I was going to water it yesterday, but upon checking the skewer, it was still damp, so I'll water it today. I also plan to start tracking my watering of all my orchids. Like usual, though, I'm over complicating something and I'm programing a lot of VB into excel to make a nice little program.

Subrosa · #14 08-10-2016, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dalton

isurus79, I don't have experience with other Gongora and very little with this one. However, the man I bought it from had two greenhouses full of healthy orchids and the ones with pseudo bulbs were plump and healthy. I specifically asked about this one and he said that they were supposed to look like that on this orchid. The mother plant was a huge specimen and all of the bulbs appeared to be corrugated like this, new or old.

Also, I found the link I'll post below. It's from IOSPE. It says that they pseudo bulbs are "deeply, longitudinally sulcate". I hadn't run across that term before and had to look it up. It basically means grooved, as best as I can find. I also found another site that said they like to be damp, but not dry and the best media is medium fir bark, which they're in.

IOSPE PHOTOS

Subrosa, no there is no reason for me to put it in the woods. I was just saying that the only place I could put it outside and guarantee all day in 100% shade is in the woods. We have a front and back porch, but no mater what corner of the house I put it on, it'll get sun for some portion of the day. The one I mentioned above gets the least amount of sun of all of them and is all morning sun.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dalton

Well, I've definitely picked up on my watering. I'm watering twice as often and as of a couple of days ago, I started trying to use a wooden skewer to monitor the moisture content. I was going to water it yesterday, but upon checking the skewer, it was still damp, so I'll water it today. I also plan to start tracking my watering of all my orchids. Like usual, though, I'm over complicating something and I'm programing a lot of VB into excel to make a nice little program.

If you think you need a skewer to check moisture on a Gongora you're keeping it too dry. The surface should never be dry.

---------- Post added at 05:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:26 PM ----------

I tend to look at things logically, and since ime putting a Gongora outside is beneficial to the plant, and given that putting them outside requires acclimation to outdoor conditions, and since your woods would make an excellent first stop on the acclimation train, I see very good reason to put your plant in the woods. I was just wondering if you had any good reasons not to?

AvantGardner · #15 08-10-2016, 06:45 PM

Dude, his woods are obviously haunted. Just drop it...

Dalton · #16 08-10-2016, 06:59 PM

Haunted by deer and squirrels. My Jack Russell completely ignores them now. I'd pick her up and point her toward them she'll turn her head like she doesn't even see them.

Seriously, though. I have squirrels that try to dig up and tip over my carnivorous plants and they're right by the house. Granted they're near a bird feeder and they think there are seeds in them, but I wouldn't trust it that far from the house. I think I could come up with somewhere better to acclimate it outdoors. I just really don't want to risk it till I can get a back up.

I don't necessarily need the skewers, it just gives me a better idea of where it's at. Whether it's soaking or damp.

Subrosa · #17 08-10-2016, 07:17 PM

Well deer and squirrels are a good reason, but not difficult to get around. A birdcage for instance. Strange that a a Jack wouldn't want to kill squirrels on sight! My Anatolian would kill them if he had to, but with a bark like a 12 gauge he doesn't have to.

isurus79 · #18 08-10-2016, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvantGardner

Dude, his woods are obviously haunted.

Dalton · #19 08-11-2016, 08:13 AM

I actually meant she doesn't chase the deer anymore. She used to be all over them and turkeys. One doe chased her up onto our porch when she was bothering it's baby. We thought we were going to have to spray it with the water hose.

She'll still chases squirrels and obsessively bark up the tree for long periods of time, though I think after 13 years, I've almost got that trained out of her.

Dalton · #20 08-22-2016, 02:30 PM

Just a quick update. My flower spike is getting pretty long and has 6 for sure buds and maybe another that could form on the tip. I don't think the most mature one is but about 1/2-3/4 bloom size from the pictures I have of the flowers before I bought it.

One or two of the bulbs seem to have started plumping back out a bit. I hope so, and I hope it's not just my imagination.

Also, a quick question, while I'm posting, since I mentioned it in the OP, but two of the three new grows have slightly wrinkled tips. I was worried that they might be dehydrated, but I don't think that's the case. I've been checking a bamboo skewer and I've never let it fully dry out. It looks like the leaves wrapped around it when it was growing were just tight and like it's finally busted out. Both tips were perfectly tight till they reached a certain size. It's a leafy plant, so that just may be how they do. They may come out a little crinkled and then fluff out into a bigger leaf. I don't know as these are the first PB's I've ever gotten on it in my 2 months of owning it. I didn't know if anyone else knew if this was normal.

Edit: Here are photos of the new growths.