Hello from very snowy Maine

[karanoff]

Hi,

I'm Karen. I've been growing orchids, or keeping them alive, for about a year. I've had great success getting a Phalaenopsis to bloom again and again but not much success with several of the Cattleyas and Dendrobiums I bought. At this point, I've been reading various posts on this list and trying to gather information and knowledge. I joined the Maine Orchid Society but they meet on a Monday night and are in Portland which is 90 min away. Difficult for me to get to because of work and my animals. So I figure I'm going to have to pick up orchid knowledge from books, and the internet. A year ago, I took a Master Gardener course and completed my initial studies this past Fall. That's been helpful in learning about plant growth in general.

Is there a place on this site where all the abbreviations and abrreviated names are listed? A glossary of sorts?

[mayres]

Welcome to the forum Karen. Try this link for a list of orchid abbreviations - Intergeneric Orchid Hybrid Abbreviations.
With not much information to go on at this point my first question about getting catts and dends to rebloom would be to ask if you are getting enough sunlight to them? Hopefully you are aware they take significantly more than your phal. Look forward to hearing more from you in the future! mike

[patlee]

Hi Karen, Welcome to the forum I'm so glad you asked that question about abbreviations. Just this morning I bought something called a "Cptra." Well, I did some research and now I know what it is--ever hear of a Carpenterara? Anyway, Mayre's list of abbreviations will come in very handy.Think I'll just print it out and stick it with my orchid notes.

Welcome again, and thanks for the info...

[Sharyn]

Hi Karen and welcome to the forum. You'll have lots of fun here and learn from many knowledgeable and great folks.

p.s. I'm sorry about your mounds of snow right now, but better East than Midwest!

[patlee]

Sharyn, You are so on track--I need the Chicago area to have some really nice weather for a change. That grower is probably sick of taking care of my plants until he can ship, LOL. I'm all for leaving the snow and cold on the east coast (Sorry, Karen)

[janice]

Welcome Karen..........you sound like a busy lady. Pat, I too, am waiting for orchids out of the Chicago area...............................maybe our orchids are bonding together!!! Loved the question about abbreviations....

[Tinkerbell]

Welcome Karen, I'm from Georgia and I have never even seen snow like that... I bet it's
beautiful though. But not so good for orchids or delivery people. You will love this site
they have the most knowledgeable orchid experts I have ever seen or heard, and it sure is alot of fun too!

[Debbie Hayden]

Welcome, Karen. This website is awesome. Everyone here is so nice and are always eager to help (even those of us who are orchid illiterates.)

Hate to rub it in, but we had sunny skys and 70F today. I got to work outside with my roses. Heaven!

[Vivienne]

We too had a gorgeous day with the sun and temps in the 70s. The park down the street was jam packed!!
It's supposed to start snowing in a few hours.
Sunday forecast: 70% chance of snow and a high of 38.

Gotta love Colorado.

[Debbie Hayden]

Vivienne, believe it or not, they have snow showers in our forecast for Tuesday. Man, I hate Winter!

[janice]

We reached 60 today but it is suppose to snow Monday morning!!!!!!!!!! Geez!

[patticake]

Hi Karen! Good to have you on board! I hope you'll like it here. Good folks with good info. Out weather has been pretty typical winter. More snow yesterday, but we're supposed to get into the 40's (F) Monday & Tuesday!!!! Yahoo! I'm waiting for some orchids from South Carolina, and they said they might ship them this week. If so, you'll hear me yelling all the way up there in Maine!! By the way, my husband and I love Maine!
We're lighthouse fenatics and as you know, Maine is an awesome place for lighthouses! It's beautiful there.
Good luck with your orchids!

[BunnytheOrchid]

Hi Karen! My boyfriend is originally from Maine!! Awfully cold there right now. Hope you haven't frozen I'm sure everyone would love to see some pictures of your orchids! Enjoy it here!

[kmarch]

Welcome Karen!

[jerrymeola]

Hi Karen

Failure to bloom is almost always the result of not enough light. Cattleya and Dendrobium need twice the light of a Phalaenopsis to bloom.

Sunlight in Maine is considerably lower most of the year than areas further south. The sky filters much of the light since it travels a further distance to reach the ground. This effect is seem everywhere in the difference from summer to winter light levels.

I would put your Cattleya and Dendrobium outside this summer as soon as you can expect night temperatures to stay above 45 degrees. You have a short growing season in Maine but it is an excellent season. Good morning sun with some shade in the heat of the day is what you are seeking. You can measure the light and try to get them in about 3500 foot candles.

Measuring light levels with an SLR camera

I should update this thread to say you can photograph a sheet of white paper with a digital camera that does not give light level readouts, and then see the reading attached to the photo in whatever sofware came with the camera.

I love main in the summer. We will be taking a windjammer cruise this year.

[Rocinante]

Welcome Karen! Don't you worry, spring's-a-comin'...