Orchids How To: Phalaenopsis Schilleriana, new seedlings.

Phalaenopsis Schilleriana, orchid species, seedlings just purchased, in pot with bark mix

Phalaenopsis Schilleriana,
orchid species,
seedlings just purchased
(picture of 1 September 2012)

At Orchids & More, or the paradise of orchids, as I call it, every inch is full of wonders! I never know where to look! There are thousands of plants, from giants Dendrobium with more than a meter long steams, to super miniatures such as Macroclinium Aurorae of 3 cm. Inside the last greenhouse there are often young plants, sometimes come from their own sowing! This time I was captured by these tiny Phalaenopsis Schilleriana. It took me about half an hour to choose the vessel that promised better, they were all very nice but these have nice new leaves and roots, and they are three instead of two!

I love the color of the leaves of this phalaenopsis, that you see already they are so small, in fact higher pages are silver speckled with dark green while the lower ones are tinged with a dark purple. The flowers, though it will take a few years for them, will be a delicate pastel pink and if I'll be able to do everything well they could appear like a waterfall, up to 250!
By now I just have to cultivate and watch them grow, if I'm able, is already a satisfaction! I brought it out of the pot to check the roots below the surface because the vase was black and I can see nothing inside. I found a principle of black rot but it was dry, thanks to treatment with systemic fungicides given in the greenhouse, and I do not think that will give much trouble.

I decided to repott them in only sphagnum moss, (read the details on how to repot a Phalaenopsis in sphagnum) first because, reading on the net, many experts say that the young plants grow better and faster in sphagnum than in other types of substrate and second I seem to have it easier to manage the watering of pots filled so; maybe because the high dryness of the air? For a while I will keep them just barely moist, being careful to never send water in direct contact with the stem not to give way to the rot to attack them back, I'll do all of that? I hope so!

Phalaenopsis Schilleriana, orchid species, seedlings repotted in sphagnum moss, new roots growing

Phalaenopsis Schilleriana, orchid species,
seedlings repotted in sphagnum moss
(picture of 1 September 2012)

Going around the benches brimming over with plants I spotted a group of small Phalaenopsis Stuartiana, were all more or less the same size of the Schilleriana but looking closely there was a tiny seedling completely outside the substrate of the pot, with the older roots black and empty but three new roots growing. I had already bought the Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi and the Phalaenopsis schilleriana but this baby did not have much hope if left there. I took it and flow with the other at the checkout ...
More in: Phalaenopsis stuartiana, a mini seedling.