My World of Orchids

Orchid Virus Immunostrip RESULTS

2011-12-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, and as a direct result of my previous post on this blog regarding my orchid losses, I was contacted by a representative at Agdia Inc. After reading about my experience with an unknown pathogen ravaging some of my orchids, the rep generously offered me 5 free samples of Immunostrip test strips. The strips test for two of the most common orchid viral diseases: CymMV (Cymbidium Mosaic Virus) and ORSV (Ondontoglossum ringspot virus) which are the most problematic and prevalent viruses in cultivated orchids.

Here are the results for 4 of the tests:
#1
Plant tested: Miltonidium "Isaku Nagata"
symptoms: brown spots on leaves
results: negative for both viruses

#2
Plant tested: Oncidium "Sharry Baby"
symptoms: brown spots on leaves with streaks and sunken areas, yellowing
results: negative for both viruses

#3
Plant tested: Brassia Rex
symptoms: brown spots on leaves
results: negative for both viruses

#4
Plant tested: Oncidium "Sweet Sugar"
symptoms: brown spots on leaves with streaks and sunken areas, yellowing
results: negative for ORSV
positive for CymMV
-this plant was immediately destroyed and disposed of.

The Immunostrip tests strips can be purchased through Agdia's website and costs 120$ for 25 test strips and 32$ for 5 test strips (see https://orders.agdia.com/InventoryD.asp?loc=IN&collection=ISK 13301&attribute_Size=25 ) . The instructions provided are adequate and I found the test easy enough to use but had some difficulty determining the required sample size for different types of leaf thickness only because I lacked a scale that could measure 0.15 grams of leaf tissue.
I would love to test all of my plants but unfortunately, find the tests a bit too pricey for my "hobby" collection.

I am reserving my last and final test for the only affected phalaenopsis that survived (had exhibited symptoms of viral disease about 18 months ago). The orchid has since stopped showing any signs of the disease in the new growth. The plants that tested negative above, still show some varying degree of brown spotting with one plant almost no longer showing any signs on the new growths.

To learn more about orchid viruses and the ImmunsoStrip test strips, visit Agdia at www.agdia.com

Scientific American: The Other Orchid Thief...

2010-05-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Not long following my previous post I was contacted by Daniel Grushkin, writer for Scientific American, to assist him in preparing his next article. He had found my blog entry regarding the orchid virus while searching for keywords and was curious to learn about my mishap.

To read the intersting article, visit
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=virus-ravages-orchids

Update: I have so far lost 5 phalaenopsis and the list might be growing as I keep watch on this devasting culprit.

Tawain Orchid Virus or Microfungus??

2010-03-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

I am completely devastated by this rampant infection threatening my entire orchid collection. So far I have many phalaenopsis plants affected as well as most of my plants from the oncidium alliance. Seems to be spreading where close contact is present as my isolated plants show no signs of this disease. I have to throw out all the plants affected or keep them isolated until it resolves or takes over the plant. Symptoms include blotchy round yellow spots on leaves, silvery white pitted sunken areas on leaves, brown sunken spots on leaves, brown spots on leaves , all spots also appear underneath (through the leaf tissue). No insect pathogens present on any of the plants (no mites, whiteflies, fungus gnats, etc..).

Here are excellent photos of the symptoms exhibited by the affected plants:

(A1)First phalaenopsis affected (advanced stage):

(A2)Close up of same plant leaf

(A3)Oncidium type plant with suspicious spots before my phals got infected:

(A4)Another infected phal, with lighter brown sunken spots as well as yellow blotches.

(A5)My favorite phal with yellow blotches and sunken dried areas.

(A6)Early stages of disease showing lighter spots gradually turning yellowish.

(A7)Close up of same plant

(A8)Oncidium type plant with suspicious blotches, mostly dark brown but some yellow

(A9)Another oncidum type plant with similar brown spots.

Adaglossum beauties!!

2009-10-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Finally, the new Adaglossum Summit "Frenchtown" blooms have started opening. Notice the top left flower, still upside down...the flower stem will twist and turn around until it stands upright; a process called resupination.

Blooms already on my new plants!!

2009-09-26T08:23:00.001-07:00

Yipee!! my Adaglossum Summit "Frenchtown" AM/AOS (Odontoglossum bictoniense x Ada keiliana) has a nice developing flower spike!! These flowers should have chocolate sepals and petals, with bright orange lips. Can't wait to see them open.

Doritaenopsis? Newberry Parfait?

2009-06-30T12:01:00.001-07:00

Plant I received as a gift is now blooming again for a second season. It loves being in a hanging pot.

New Seedlings from Cloud's Orchids!!

2009-06-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

I recently received my order from Cloud's Orchids in Southern Ontario. The plants I purchased are of the oncidium alliance and are all hybrids:

Adaglossum Summit "Frenchtown" AM/AOS (Odontoglossum bictoniense x Ada keiliana)-should have chocolate sepals and petals, with bright orange lips.

Beallara Pacific Bright Star "Willy Nilly" (Odontioda Remembrance x Miltassia. Royal Robe (mericlone))-should produce large, glorious copper stars, tipped magenta and complimentary rose-pink lips. (Odontiodia is a cross of Cochlioda x Odontoglossumm and Miltassia is a cross of Miltonia and Brassia)

Oncidium Sharry Baby "Red Fantasy" (Jamie Sutton x Honolulu)-deliciously fragrant oncidium hybrid in red & fuchsia flowers smell of chocolate and vanilla.

Oncidioda Pacific Panic "Pacific Darling" (Oncidium Pupukea Sunset x Oncidioda Charlesworthii)-flowers whould be bright orange. (Oncidioda is a cross of Oncidium x Cochlioda)

I can't wait to see blooms on these babies!!

Harlequin Phalaenopsis (mini-phal)

2009-06-30T11:17:00.001-07:00

This cute little "mini-phal" has stunning deep burgundy and white flowers. The lower sepals are not speckled and are the deepest burgundy I've ever seen in phalaenopsis. This type of speckling on the flower is refered to as "Harlequin" and the amount of speckling can vary widely.

Dialaelia Snowflake flower changing color

2009-06-30T11:09:00.001-07:00

Very strange how some flowers change dramatically with age. This dialaelia opens as a pure white flower with pale magenta throat and a few days before dropping, the flower changes to a rich salmon color. As each flower matures, it begins to produce a delicate scent.

Dialaelia "Snowflake" /noid

2009-02-24T12:37:00.001-08:00

Spindle shaped bulb in flower.

Close-up. This flower is "diamond dusted".

A noid, this plant resembles very much Dialaelia snowflake.

Kaleideoscope Phal

2009-02-24T12:27:00.001-08:00

Click image for larger view.

This baby opened for me today!! What a beauty!! The sparkles on the petals/sepals is called "diamond dusting".

Keiki hormone paste

2009-02-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

This node was already swelled when I applied the paste so may end up producing more blooms instead of a keiki.

This node was totally undevelopped (flat) at the time of application. At 3 weeks post application, one can already see the swelling or growth of tissue that may form a keiki .

This is my second attempt at producing keikis on phalaenopsis using Keikigrow hormone paste. When the hormone is applied to the nodes on a phalaenopsis flowering stem, small plants called keikis are induced to grow. These keikis are exact replicas (or clones) of the mother plant.

Here the paste was applied at two different nodes, one which already had signs of growth before application (growth that would likely have resulted in more blooms). The second node had no active growth at the time of application. Once can already see the development of some tissue which will hopefully form a keiki.

Keiki formation induced by crown rot

2009-02-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

One year old keiki in bloom!

Doritaenopsis : keiki (baby plant) attached to mother plant (larger plant).

Mother plant showing crown rot.

Thought I'd share some pics of my doritaenopsis keiki that formed as the result of the mother plant succumbing to crown rot. The keiki flowered at about 1 year of age while still attached to the mother plant. I am hoping when I remove the keiki that a second one will from from the mother.

Orchid division

2009-02-20T06:39:00.001-08:00

Well, I had the courage today to finally divide one of my prized orchids (actually, they all are for me). Last year's growth on my odontocidium had produced 2 new growths which were so high out of the pot that they needed repotting. In addition, I was concerned that one of the divisions was at risk of dying as the roots seemed to be drying out.

I was able to carefully remove the healthier growth furthest away from the mother bulb and replanted in a mixture of coarse orchid bark mix and New Zealand spagnum peat moss. The other bulb was left on the mother bulb.

I also removed 2 old backbulbs which don't seem to have any healthy "eyes" left on it. Nevertheless I will give them a try at propagation just in case.

Pink Veined/white Phalaenopsis NOID

2009-02-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

This orchid was presented to me as a gift by a friend. The petals are mainly white but are delicately cloured with soft pink tones and the flower has a dark pink lip. This orchid was very long flowering. Image used by permission from the author.

Phalaenopsis "Brother Saragold"

2009-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

What a beauty I found at our local grocery store! This flower has sepals and petals that are deep yellow gold with fine, concentric rose bars and a dark magenta lip. The yellow and pink gives the impression the flower is orange! To top it off, each flower appears to be "diamond-dusted".

Doritaenopsis "Ever Spring Prince"

2009-02-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

A brightly colored Doritaenopsis! My specimen plant succumbed to crown rot but managed to form a nice little keiki for me. The keiki, still attached to the mother plant, has put up this first spike at only 1 year of age.

Peloric Phalaenopsis

2009-02-06T15:17:00.001-08:00

This strange looking Phalaenopsis has sepals opening as they should but the petals do not completely open! I find it gives the flower a "daffolil" or "cattleya" appearance. What attracted me to this orchid was the beautiful soft pink and yellow tones as well as the unusual looking flower. The phenomenon is called peloria and it is the result of a mutation.

Pinstripe Phalaenopsis

2009-02-03T05:51:00.001-08:00

This pink phal actually has a veined pattern which I find resembles pinstripes. I have yet to coax this stubborn plant to bloom for me. I saved this plant (noid) from certain death when I purchased it and so may take many years to bloom.

NOID Moth Orchid

2009-02-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

I could not resist getting this nice pink flowered moth orchid eventhough it did not have a id. tag.

White Phalaenopsis NOID

2009-02-03T05:41:00.001-08:00

Almost pure white, this phal's lip has a bit of yellow and minor speckling in the throat. Unfortunately, this orchid came with no id tag when purchased.

Phalaenopsis "Mushashino X Hsinying White"

2009-02-03T05:36:00.000-08:00

Another beautiful white phal with yellow and orange throat/lip markings.

Phalaenopsis "Duki Ho's Fancy Leopard"

2009-02-03T05:28:00.000-08:00

A nice white moth orchid with cerise lip.

Cymbidium

2009-02-03T05:22:00.001-08:00

An orchid I don't have but that is on my wish list. This is my friend's cymbidium orchid in full bloom. A beautiful sight to behold.

NOID Moth Orchid

2009-02-01T17:35:00.001-08:00

Put your sunglasses on for this beauty! It is unfortunate that there was no identification for this phal so I classify it as a "noid". One possibility could be "Pink Valentine". The bright magenta color is complimented by a dark cerise lip with a speckled yellow throat.

Miniature Phalaenopsis

2009-02-01T17:31:00.001-08:00

The smallest of moth orchids include cultivars such as this one called "Little Brother Amaglad". It is a real gem and a favorite due to its compact size and abundant miniature flowers.

Yellow Phalaenopsis

2009-02-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

The flowers of this yellow phal has a waxy texture. The blooms open a lime yellow color that progresses to bright yellow with tiny maroon flecks. Although this moth orchid is not fragrant, it compensates by producing many brightly colored flowers which it sports on sometimes up to three spikes per plant! This orchid is a cross of Phal "Talpel Gold Goldstar" x Phal "Goldberry Carmela".

Phalaenopsis "Paul Tatar" x

2009-02-01T17:07:00.001-08:00

My very first Phalaenopsis orchid was purchased as a seedling. I waited 3 years for it to bloom and my goodness, it was worth the wait! The first flower spike had 3 branches and held over 40 rose-scented blooms! Cross is from Phal"Paul Tatar" yellow x Phal "Goldiana".

Phalaenopsis "Brother Mirage Brother"

2009-02-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

The phalaenopsis (phals) or moth orchids as they are commonly called are one of the easiest orchids to bloom in the home. This one is a nice speckled magenta on white.

NOID oncidium

2009-02-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

This oncidium variety is most likely "Aloha Iwanaga" or "Sweet Sugar". Nice compact plant with loads of yellow blooms. Also called dancing ladies orchid because the individual flowers resemble a dancing lady with a ball room dress.

NOID but possibly Dialaelia "Snowflake"

2009-02-01T16:31:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately, this orchid was purchased with a mislabeled tag and so is a no id. It has been suggested by fellow orchid experts that this orchid is a cross between laelia albida and diacrum bicornutum (now known as caularthron bicornutum).

This orchid forms a nice compact spindle shaped bulb with stiff curved strap-like leaves. The flowers open pure white and change to a salmon color at maturity. Slight fragrance is noticeable when the flowers are mature.

Miltonidium hybrid

2009-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

This awesome orchid is another of my miltonidium hybrids. It is so floriferous that I usually loose count of the flowers (from 50 - 100 per spike)! The flower spike measures over 1m tall and one plant can have 2 spikes in bloom at one time. To top it off, the flowers are immensly fragrant and easily fill a whole room. The cultivar is "Issaku Nagata".

Odontocidium hybrid

2009-02-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

flower spike about 2ft tall

Label: (Odo. Durham Supreme x Odo. Crispen)novelty X Onc. Maculatum sp. "Green Selves".

Another of my beloved favorites, this rare (unnamed) cultivar I found by pure chance. I purchased as a seedling and so had no idea of the flowers until it bloomed. What a delightful surprise when this baby put out a spray of exotic looking blooms! Individial waxy flowers measure about 3 inches tall and are star shaped. It closely resembles Vuylstekeara which is an intergeneric hybrid resulting from a cross with Milt Ron’s Rippling Delight ‘Pacific Parfait’ x (Vuyl Mem Mary Kavanaugh x Oda John Hainsworth).

Brassia Spider Orchid

2009-02-01T15:22:00.001-08:00

This has to be one of my favorite orchids. The huge spider-like blooms are very long lasting and delicately fragrant too! The numerous flowers can measure up to 9 inches tall and number over two dozen per flower spike. This spider orchid is called Brassia rex and the cultivar is "Sakata".

Dendrobium hybrid

2009-02-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

Close up of flowers

Potted specimen in bloom

Dendrobium seed pod

Keikis growing on mother plant

Here is one of my very first orchids, a hardy dendrobium hybrid. This plant bloomed reliably for many, many years and the blooms were more and more numerous with each passing season. This dendrobium started flowering around Christmas and blooms lasted until early to late summer.

Dendrobium orchids reproduce sexually (pollen and ovary) to produce seed pods and asexually by forming small plantlets growing on the mother plant. The plantlet is called a keiki (means "baby" in Hawaiian).

Orchids currently blooming

2009-02-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a close up of a popular miltonidium hybrid (cross between a miltonia and an oncidium) variety named "Pupukea Sunset". This hardy little plant blooms profusely on a compact plant and multiplies very easily. An extra bonus is the fact that the flowers are wonderfuly scented!

Welcome to my world of orchids!!

2009-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

I will be posting information and photographs of my orchid collection here so stay tuned!