Adjusting and Growing

[articuno75]

Well the plants are acclimating to the new enviroment. The Tolumnias dropped all the blooms except for one, (Enviroment shock I guess) but in a one week time frame it grew a new growth like gangbusters and a couple of the spikes are branching! My house is sooo stinking dry that I have been watering every other day and misting with worm tea every day.

[PhalPal]

For size comparison - what size basket is that?? 4"? Nice looking plant!

[articuno75]

Originally Posted by PhalPal

For size comparison - what size basket is that?? 4"? Nice looking plant!

Yep. I finagled the plant in first, then I put the wire hanger on.

[PhalPal]

I have two Tolumnia on the same cork mount and they are tough as nails! The day I got them (Oak Hill) one of my cats chewed off the buds at the end of a spike and dragged the whole thing down the stairs. CHEWED them OFF and then BONK BONK BONK down the stairs! Believe it or not, this is the first cat damage I have ever endured....I was so mad! Needless to say, the cat is still alive and so is the Tolumnia. In fact, it put out a spike from the side of the chewed area and I have 13 buds on it now, half of them are open and Beautiful! I thought the other one was dead and today went to pull it off the cork and there it was - new growth! These are tough little boogers!

I love yours in the basket! It looks great Jenny!

[articuno75]

Hehehe...Dare I say maybe the kitty needs to chew on the plants more often? LOL

[PhalPal]

!!!!!!!!!! Dont you DARE say that! Don't give them any ideas!

[patticake]

I'm laughing so hard just picturing the BONK, BONK, BONK down the stairs! Oh my God- I'm glad the plant is o.k.- Kitty too!

[PhalPal]

Good thing for kitty he's so darn cute and USUALLY funny!

[articuno75]

My Tolumnias are growing like weeds! Anyone else? Also, one of the spikes did branch out, but I had a freak dip in the humidity. (dropped to upper 20s?!!!) Now the branches seemed to have stalled. I hope they didn't dry up or blast on me. I still water as usual (about every 4-5 days) and mist everyday.

[patlee]

I think mine (three) are doing well. I'm getting new branches off the main spikes and lots of new flowers . They are in vanda baskets ,though, and are all covered with sphagnum moss so it's really hard to see the new growth...My main question is where have these little plants been hiding I just love them!!!

[chefatplay]

I have kept my three in their original pots. All three are doing well. I, too, have branching on two out of the three. The third is trying. Has anyone noticed that when the flower blooms, it's one color and as it matures, it turns another color? These guys are great!

[sandra]

Ellen, the colors change on all of mine, even the patterns/designs on them change! Not that you can get bored looking at these beauties, they just know how to keep your attention!

[articuno75]

I have to scratch my head on this one. They were doing great and still are....Sort of. The center of the basket wasn't drying properly and staying wetter in the middle, not drying as evenly as it should. Well I had to re evaluate the situation cause the roots wasn't liking the conditions. I removed the spagh that was around the plant(s) and placed medium bark around it instead. I have to water everyday to keep up with the maintenence. (Being in a basket, it's like having a mounted orchid.) So far it likes this a lot better. Sadly, I broke a growth that was on it when I repotted, but I have another growth already coming in on it. The plant(s) seems very happy.

[patticake]

I think the bark move was a good one! I know that they like to dry out between waterings, and sphag probably is too moisture-retentive.

Mine (from Jerry) is doing well. When I got it, a lot of the spikes and buds were dried out, so I cut back to healthy buds. Now it's blooming it's little head off! I'm really glad that Jerry sent me this little guy! Mine is in Schultz's mix in a pot.

Good luck with yours! It sounds like it's on it's way to being magnificent!!

[sandra]

Originally Posted by articuno75

I have to scratch my head on this one. They were doing great and still are....Sort of. The center of the basket wasn't drying properly and staying wetter in the middle, not drying as evenly as it should. Well I had to re evaluate the situation cause the roots wasn't liking the conditions. I removed the spagh that was around the plant(s) and placed medium bark around it instead. I have to water everyday to keep up with the maintenence. (Being in a basket, it's like having a mounted orchid.) So far it likes this a lot better. Sadly, I broke a growth that was on it when I repotted, but I have another growth already coming in on it. The plant(s) seems very happy.

It's good that you took it out of the sphag. I don't know what conditions you're experiencing now, the weather here in Fla., has become extremely hot and humid which means, changing the watering habits, especially when in sphag, especially for Toulimnias and all mini Oncidiums. I am trying to save a Toul. that's croaking as we speak also. Took it out of the sphag., treated it with Physan 20, cinammon, you name it. It's now in bark and being kept dry. The safest thing to do with these, when kept in sphag. is to make sure the sphag. is completely dry to the bone before watering again. These plants can withstand dry spells without suffering and too much moisture....just once, is enough to kiss it goodbye. Jenny, you don't have to keep this watered, daily....IMHO.

[solay]

Jenny, those are very long flower spikes and the bloom looks different than the pictures I've seen. I hope they are not as hard to grow as some have experienced. I like them a lot and would like some more later.

[articuno75]

These aren't very hard to take care of Plenty of light and when you water, make sure that it gets a good soaking, but dry out really good before the next watering. Mine's growing like crazy and the one spike starting branching. But when the roots started to not dry out completely, it stalled on me and you can tell it gave me a sour face. Now it's happy again, so we'll see if the branches begin to take off.

[kmarch]

Three cheers for you Jenny! Your Tolumnia is growing very nicely! It sounds like you've really taken their cultural needs to heart and are working to supply them. In my orchid crystal ball I see a good orchid future for you!

[articuno75]

Here's what she looks like with the new growth and in her new bark enviroment

[patticake]

SWEET! That looks really good! I think she's happy!

[articuno75]

She's still growing and the little growth is getting bigger. The last spike finally gave out on me. I have come into a snafu. The rootball has some dead area and I don't know if I should leave it or even attempt to remove it. I thought of just leaving it.....What do you guys think?

[patticake]

In the wild, no one would chop it out... I would leave it for now. If it's doing well, I wouldn't mess with anything!

[articuno75]

Still growing like crazy.

I have treated this the same as usual and never did cut the dead roots out. I just left it. LOL. I now have two new growths and new roots everywhere. the roots are even starting to grow up onto the older growths. Don't think it will cause any problems, but if it does might have to separate the smaller growths (growths are growing sideways???) . I really don't want to do this so I'm playing the waiting game.

[patticake]

The new growth looks awesome! I think mine has a little nub..

You have the touch with these guys!

[patlee]

Jenny, My new growths are growing sideways,too. I wouldn't think of separating the new growths. It doesn't seem to hurt the chids and my biggest Tolumnia, Irene Gleason, I just got from Parkside-- came mounted with seven or eight fans. Anton showed me a close up of his Tolumnia wall and he does not seem to divide the new growths. Everything is full and lush and beautiful. Leave your new growths alone and you'll get a super plant

[articuno75]

I was just thinking that if the side growths kept growing like this that it might drive itself into the medium or something. I know,,, crazy thinking, but a thought.

I'm always going for monster plants now. As the saying goes...."Bigger is better."

[jerrymeola]

The growth will turn up it time to search for light. The sideways is just to get out of the shadow of the original fans.

[articuno75]

I decided to mount this one. It's dehydrated, but growing. I'm stumped.