Oak Hill "Ghost Orchid" arrival

[martinvermillion]

I just received two Polyrrhizza lindenii from oak hill. The smaller of the two looks "fair" . Think the largest will be returned because about half of it's "legs" all on same side are gone. They were not in the packing so must have happened prior to shipping. I am still waiting on a plant that is said to be 3 1/2 years old and much more established. Should this turn out to be the case I will post the name of the company so other ghost people may also get one! $35.00 not bad if they are that size. I will post pictures later today. Thanks to everyone for helping me get this far! I am excited like a little kid at christmas isn't that the coolest!

[jay]

Very tricky plant. I can't wait to see the pictures. I am going to try one of these this winter. I think I have an environment suitable for them with my seedlings.

How do you plan on growing it? Have you set something up?

[articuno75]

Oooo! Ooooo!

both of you have to let me know how you are going to do this!!! I have an action plan on how I'm going to do mine, but I want to hear other inputs....

I'm thinking of trying this one this winter too.

[jay]

Jenny, I am going to try 2 or 3 with different plans. I will wire mount one, swampstick one, and bark mount one. I will keep them all in the same light/humidity/temp conditions, the media will be the varying factor.

[articuno75]

I planned on getting a 5 Gal. aquarium and converting it into a terrarium. I thought about the Swamp Stick, but I don't think it'll fit, LOL.

[martinvermillion]

I have these two hanging inside a large glass container with about two inches of water in the bottom. Also have a swampstick on the way, taking forever to get here. Plan to try one on the stick, keep one on its original mount may remove moss not sure yet. O.K. This is where I just cannot control my love of this particular species. Ordered one from a new place as I said before and well..... why not found another mature plant this makes four I think? I am not 100% sure if this one will be mine yet. Then there is a flask pretty sure I can deflask without any trouble. You guy's said this would happen to me but did not think it would be so fast! Anyway here are some pic.s of the first two.

[martinvermillion]

Sorry, I am glad i'm better with living things than computers. Here are those pic.s hopefully

[patticake]

They look good. Mine looked like that forever. Then I went away and left him with my mom to care for. I have the tiniest bit still alive. It's hanging in there, but not doing anything. I'm curious as to how yours will do. I'll be watching this thread carefully.

[markclkk]

Originally Posted by patticake

They look good. Mine looked like that forever. Then I went away and left him with my mom to care for. I have the tiniest bit still alive. It's hanging in there, but not doing anything. I'm curious as to how yours will do. I'll be watching this thread carefully.

Me too. As i have one flask on the way. But have not figure out how to grow it.

[BillC]

Hi Martin, the very best of luck to you in you quest for the holy grail. P.lindenii is not the easiest and I hope that you will continue to post the progress of growth for us. May the force be with you!

Bill

[christinek]

Very neat looking orchid! I too am looking forward to seeing how this plant fairs! Good luck!

[martinvermillion]

Hello Everyone, this job thing sure does interrupt my "orchid time". After close inspection think there are a bunch of little pieces and three maybe four diffirent plants not just the two. It is really hard to find nice Polyrrhizza's. I am still very happy to have these!!
Hope to have the others in a few days will post pic.s Can't Wait!!! I want to master the deflasking process.Like everything else it is probably harder than it I appears.
Patti, so sorry about you're ghost! Total Bummer! they are tough maybe it will pull through.
Mark, hope you will post some pictures of the flask when you get it. When do you plan to deflask? I hope to see some pictures.
Guess we will take this journey together-Martin

[GrowInHydro]

Hey Martin,

I'm sorry your order is taking so long too, I shipped on the 5th. I just tracked your package and the logistics are a little weird.

Your package was out of Kentucky and to Jeffersonville Indiana by 1:42am. It departed about an hour later and was back in state to Independence Kentucky, where it looks like it sat on a truck or warehouse for the weekend.

It arrived in Grove City, OH at 7:21pm today and is scheduled to be delivered to you by tomorrow.

Heck of a trip for something I could have driven to you in about 4 hours.

I usually have only good things to say about FedEx, but the logistics on your shipment were a little odd.

I threw another SwampStick in with your order because I couldn't get it out on the 4th. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Polyrrhizza does on the mount.

Kind regards,
Jesse

[martinvermillion]

Hello Jessee, Don't worry about the Fed-EX people some things are out of our control. Thanks for the extra stuff! I am glad we are not shipping live plants with these people though. We will give it a spin and see how we do? I think ghost will grow on these mounts.Thanks-Martin

[martinvermillion]

Here are a few pics of the new kid. Very nice example of the species I must say!!!! I will do better on the pics tomorrow. I can't believe the quality of this plant in comparison to the others I have gotten. A couple extra jumped in there somehow. They show the two smaller ghost.

[articuno75]

Now for the one on the cork mount are you going to encase this one as well?

[patticake]

Originally Posted by articuno75

Now for the one on the cork mount are you going to encase this one as well?

I would like to know the answer to that as well... That's a gorgeous plant! My little guy is still just hanging in there.

[martinvermillion]

Hey Guy's,
I am not positive but am going to try not to put this one in anything. Have seen others have good results putting them right out in the sun! Cannot do that just yet. I am going to try high humidity and misting with a very good handheld bottle for time being. I am hoping to install nice mister and completly new set-up! If plant changes any toward the bad side will change back to enclosure. I am slowly developing a system that will work and be a little less maintaince. At least that is the plan but we know how that goes sometimes!
Patti, hope you're guy pulls out of it! give it a little time.
Jen, are you ready to take the Poly. plundge?

[digitalgate]

Oak hill dont deliver to my place. URgh......

[martinvermillion]

Hey Digigate, I am sorry also. Just bought the fourth one a minute ago!!! Paid more than I wanted too.Can't wait to show some pics. of this guy! It is larger than all my others. Almost got a flask but decieded it was too expensive. Think I overwater and do not give these enough light. Am going to try a few diffirent things. A little more light for sure. Need a way to get humidity up some without generating heat any ideas?-Martin

[donnaf]

OK, I just ordered a ghost from Oak Hill, plus I just found this forum. For me, this is a lot of excitement to deal with all at once. Too bad it's three degrees outside, and waaaaay too cold to ship anything live (that you want to remain alive). I have no idea when I'll get my new baby. Hope nobody minds if I drool vicariously on their photos.

[jay]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

You should start a "Hello" thread in the introductions section. That way more members will meet you.

Can't wait to hear about your ghost when it arrives.

[digitalgate]

Originally Posted by donnaf

OK, I just ordered a ghost from Oak Hill, plus I just found this forum. For me, this is a lot of excitement to deal with all at once. Too bad it's three degrees outside, and waaaaay too cold to ship anything live (that you want to remain alive). I have no idea when I'll get my new baby. Hope nobody minds if I drool vicariously on their photos.

end of march or april.

[davetheorchidaddict]

I have killed so many leafless orchids that I should be ban from buying any more. Jenny I have tried the aquarium for growing with water in the bottom to insure high humidity, they died in there too.

The last leafless that I bought I decided to not treat it differently than any of my mounted orchids. It hung in the shade house all summer, watered every other day in the morning. When it started getting cooler down here I moved it into the gh and hung it toward the back and top, watered every 3 days, it now has 3 new spikes with buds on them. This will be the first leafless that I have ever been to rebloom. I will post pictures when it blooms. Maybe that is the secret, no special care.

[davetheorchidaddict]

Now I am ready to try the ghost orchid.

[digitalgate]

take everything suggested here with a pinch of salt. Everyone has a different environment, putting into a aquarium is just too wet for you in Florida. May work for other area just not hot and wet FL and Sing as well. Finally my shipment of Ghost has arrived. some has died to to fungus rot. Keep my finger crossed, eye crossed, leg crossed and hair crossed.

[davetheorchidaddict]

I do live in Florida about 3 miles from the Gulf, our area is not wet - all the soil in the area where I live is sand, dry sand. I grew up in Indiana where I lived through many hot humid days and nights, before the days of A/C, many days were 100+, never hits 100 here. I live in centeral Florida, not all of the state is made up of swamp and real wet. I have seen many days where it is hotter or more humid in northern areas in the summer here, people do not really know what it is really like down here. I do agree with you that everyone has a different environment to deal with. Having spent time from 90 miles north of the artic circle to a short distance north of the equator I have seen most of them.

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by davetheorchidaddict

I have killed so many leafless orchids that I should be ban from buying any more. Jenny I have tried the aquarium for growing with water in the bottom to insure high humidity, they died in there too.

The last leafless that I bought I decided to not treat it differently than any of my mounted orchids. It hung in the shade house all summer, watered every other day in the morning. When it started getting cooler down here I moved it into the gh and hung it toward the back and top, watered every 3 days, it now has 3 new spikes with buds on them. This will be the first leafless that I have ever been to rebloom. I will post pictures when it blooms. Maybe that is the secret, no special care.

Was it the fungus that got to them or did they not get enough air from being in an aquarium? My thinking was to make the aquarium semi-stagnant, yet have enough humidity to keep it going. This scenario is also prime for mildew which was what a lot of growers of this species had issues with.

[kid a]

MARTIn, I have apicture of them growing at oak hill from when i went up ther last september Also here is a therad with other pictures from there when I went. http://www.orchidgeeks.com/forum/gen...chid-fest.html

[brookn]

Hi I am not a Ghost expert, but I read of someone growing them in FL that was having problems with them. Someone who successfully grows and blooms the Ghost suggested to them that the problem is they were keeping it in too low light. This person moved their Ghost to hang from the Vandas (gradually raising the light), somewhat shaded by the Vandas. The plant proceeded to grow like crazy, and last I heard was thriving, no sign of fungus lots of new roots.

[Plucky Purcell]

Damn, another orchid type I want. Why are there so many?

[prem]

As an aside, that larger Oak Hill ghost looks good...the roots often will grow out just one side of the protocorm when just getting started. I don't think it's missing anything.

---Prem

[rcb]

For those who like Ghosts, the July Orchids mag has an article on them.

[solay]

Funny thing was I had a Starbucks iced coffee drink yesterday and couldn't get myself to toss the plastic cup with the dome lid. Kept thinking if a ghost orchid could be hung from the straw opening into the cup filled with hydrodon.

Now you guys are really getting me thinking. Not like I need more orchids to occupy my time. Maybe one day...

[wickidgrrl]

So i am wondering, has anyone grown these successfully in captivity?? Anyone know??

[Stelios]

i got two very small ones last August. One is doing great and even started 2 new tiny roots. The other died but i blame one of the kittens. It unmounted it with its nails and was chasing it all over the floor. I returned home to see it playing with it and it was already too late i guess. I remounted it but the next couple of days it just turned black and died.