Koellensteinia graminea

[brookn]

Recieved the plant 4/3/08. Some of the leaves were crimped from shipping. Good size plant, with healthy leaves, and a brown dried spike. Visible, healthy roots, and a lot of them. Watered with tepid water treated with Superthrive, sprayed then soaked 30 min. Followed with cinnamon spray. Killed a small centipede that crawled out of the medium when I was watering. The plant measured about 9 inches across from leaf to leaf.



This has not been watered again, as it is a larger plant, and it is still moist in the middle. I have not decided on a medium, and after it is given some time to adjust to my conditions, and it gets over the stress of travel, will repot. I plan on repotting this within a month also.

[kmarch]

If I remember this plant correctly, this should be a flowering size plant, correct?

The mix looks really fresh as is, what's it in?

[brookn]

Kevin, it's in a mix of bark, spagh (looks like it), and perlite as far as I can tell. I am afraid the mix will hold too much moisture, as we are entering into our humid time of the year. That's why I said probably a month, I of course reserve the right to change my mind . I should have put previously bloomed brown dried spike, so yes blooming size. I saw a reference to this being a perennial the other day, any clue?

I count 8 new growths started, and what looks like the beginning of a spike started. Whoo-Hoo!

[Rocinante]

Same with mine. Lots of new leaf growth, I trimmed out the old spikes and it was so neatly potted that I think I want to leave it for a while. No new spikes as yet that I can see...for some reason I cannot post pics to this thread, but it looks identical to brookn's.

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by brookn

I saw a reference to this being a perennial the other day, any clue?

Perennial eh? Well Hmmm...maybe I have a Michigan-centric understanding of the word perennial but I would be of the opinion that the word perennial does not apply to most orchids. I've always understood perennial to mean that it will "come back" year after year without reseeding or replanting. In Michigan it was things like Delphinium which would completely die off in autumn but regrow in spring. I don't know if the word means the exact same thing in more temperate zones. I don't even know if it is a scientific term or a horticultural term. Even by the Michigan definition though I suppose there are some orchids that could be considered perennial, some terrestrials for instance like Bletilla. My Australian Pterostylus completely die off spending about 4 months looking like nothing more than a pot of dirt. I now think I have over-thought the thing and it's probably just a misapplication of the word perennial.

[brookn]

It's been a week since it arrived, and it grows quickly in my opinion. I can definitely see a difference. Here is a pic of some of the new growths, and what I am hoping is a new spike.

[Greenhouse Gal]

Perennial means living for more than one year, needing more than one season to reach maturity and flower, set seed. As far as I know all orchids are perennial. Yes those of us in temperate regions usually think of the herbaciouse perennials in the yard, they die back in winter and come back in spring, hopefully for many, many years. But technically speaking tropical plants that have long life cycles are also perennials. In that case the term is often ammended to tender or tropical perennial so hopefully people will not expect to leave them out through snow and have them come back.

[brookn]

Thanks for the explanation, I too had the same type of Michigan-centric/ Missouri-centric ha ha, understanding of the word also. That makes much more sense to me.

[patticake]

Your plant looks great, brookn! It's the only one of the four that I didn't get... maybe I should have!

[arleneg]

I received my Koellensteinia graminea on 4/2/08, watered with Superthrive, sprayed with worm tea; repotted on 4 /6/08 and treated with worm tea. The potting medium it's now in is small coconut husk chips/perlite/charcoal mix. My Koel. graminea is now in the girls' bathroom's counter top, in a corner, and getting indirect light. I'll see in a few weeks if it likes it there.

I'll take a few pics of its growing area and will post later.

[brookn]

Not much change. It's growing, and the new growths look great. Nice roots, and it seems happy. The spike turned out to be a root . That's okay with me though, I will see one when it's ready.

[Tobi]

Hi Brook,
Yours looks great!! Mine is growing a lot of new growths, but I'm concerned in that
most of the new leaves have some pleating on them. I have the humidity in my room
at around 50-60% (I got a new humidifier 2 months ago). I'm wondering if this little
guy needs even more humidity? A lot of the leaves were pleated when I first got the
plant. Hope it's not genetics.

[brookn]

Tobi-I do have some major humidity going on. It is 75% on the hygrometer over by the Koell. right now. No humidifier. I have really wanted to turn on the AC! The bill is stopping me, and the fact that I have not gotten all the plants out yet, because the tree I put them around is not quite finished opening it's leaves. I have tried the Koell. in a drier area under lights on my desk, but it did not really appreciate the higher level of light. The leaves got lighter, but they also took on this brown tinge, and when I moved it back in front of the window it greened back up. It doesn't have any pleated leaves, but it didn't arrive with any either. If humidity is the key, it's going to be mad at me this winter, because the humidity will bottom out here then! .

[brookn]

Well it's still chugging along. Lots of growth, and roots. I am noticing some roots looking brown, and I am wondering if I should repot. I don't want to, cause it seems to like the mix, but brown roots? Any thoughts anyone? I notice some of the new growths are kind of wavy from me moving it around when I water (I rotate the plants in the area to different spots, and I don't keep them in the same angle). I took a few pics from diferent angles so the new growths could be seen. There is some browning on some areas of the plant, but it is not of concern as far as I can tell. The browning is on some leaf edges, outer older leaves, and leaves that have gotten bent. It is very easy to inflict mechanical damage to this plant, as it really does have leaves like blades of grass.

[solay]

Brook, I can see the growing it's been doing from the pictures and it looks happy. Now just if it would just spike for you it'll be perfect. Hoping for you.

[articuno75]

Okay I'm jealous. Mine looks like a bunch of scraggly leaves compared to that mini bush you're growing

I guess I'm going to have to ignore my plant and see what that does.

[brookn]

Jenny, if ignoring it is the key, I am doing a wonderful job of it. I forget about it for days at a time, then walk over to the plant table and think hmmm, maybe I should water that one lol. I am trying to be a reformed underwaterer, but some days I just get too busy to check everyone out. I know, I'm a bad mom. The ones on my desk get more attention, simply because they are right in front of my face.

[Rocinante]

I have been having trouble with my graminea lately. Some of the leaves have been yellowing and falling off. I'm not sure what I've been doing (or not doing) that has my plant acting differently. When I first got her in the Spring, I had some healthy new growth; but this is now clearly a disturbing setback. It has been brutally hot here in NY lately, high 90's with 70% humidity . While the humidity has been ideal, I suspect it is a bit too hot for her.

[brookn]

John, I have had to step up the watering with mine, I have had some browning leaves and crimping. I just watered it and was looking it over when you posted.

[articuno75]

Isn't the standard temps similar to a Phal (around upper 70s) for this little fella? I think the temps are suppose to be intermediate.

[Rocinante]

You're right, intermediate temps and keep hydrated. Gotta find a way to cool her down better. But the heat is gonna break soon. I'll just have to keep an eye on her till then.

[brookn]

I am going to try updating my project plants in the next couple of days. I thought I would start with this one as no pic is necessary lol. It has gone to orchid heaven. I will try again with a new Koellensteinia someday, but this one was a real mystery. It grew wonderfully for a while, then went into steady decline. I actually think I left it too long in the medium it came in. It was freshly potted, but I don't think the medium was suitable for my conditions. I repotted the plant, but it was already in too much distress. May it rest in peace.

[Rocinante]

Mine's in orchid heaven too, brookn...

[brookn]

I'm sorry to hear that John, I was hoping yours made it. I think they are just tricky little buggars.

[Rocinante]

I think it was one of those things to do with the need for very high humidity. I grow in an apartment where it's difficult to provide those conditions. I have similar troubles with Masdevallias. My Den Cathy Beck is still going, as well as my Phal amboinensis.

[articuno75]

My Koellensteina is alive. (Clears throat) That's all I can say about it. It's pathetic looking but living. I repotted in cocohusk and perlite a while back and it has several new growths. I just hope that it will survive to bloom

[brookn]

Hey!!! Good to see you made it! I am glad that one of us has managed to keep the silly thing alive. BTW alive is still way better than brown and dead LOL.

[arleneg]

Make that two. I'm sure it looks just like Jenny's.

I'll be gone for a week at the end of this month. Mine might just go to orchid heaven then.