Odontoglossum 



( 124 ) 



Odontoglossum 



Odontoglossums at home, more light will be thrown 

 upon the interesting question of parentage. Pollina- 

 tion is easily effected, but a plant must be carefully 

 tended if the seed pod is to ripen. Having 

 ripened, it may contain unfertile seeds only, 'or 

 there may be a small percentage of good seeds. 

 Sow these on the compost in which a sturdy 

 Odontoglossum of the same or an allied species 

 is growing, selecting one that will not need re- 

 potting for some time to come, and subsequently 

 watering it with the greatest care, or the very 

 minute seeds will be washed away. The first 

 sign of germination is seen in the formation 

 of small, green, bulb-like bodies, and at this stage 

 moisture must be regularly supplied, or failure will 

 follow. When roots and tiny leaves appear, remove 

 the seedlings, placing each one in a little peat and 

 sphagnum in an Orchid thimble pot. Except that 

 extra attention must be paid, the subsequent treat- 

 ment after the second pseudo-bulb has formed 

 does not differ materially from that given to the 

 established parent species. 



Cultural Requirements. Formerly it was re- 

 garded as essential that the Odontoglossum house 

 should be a lean-to, facing north, but, granted 

 suitable ventilation, shading, and moisture, the 

 plants will succeed if the aspect be west or south, 

 or even if the house be span-roofed and running 

 north and south. The disadvantage of the north 

 aspect is that it deprives the plants of a large 

 amount of light during autumn and winter. Double 

 staging, as advised for Cattleyas, should be pro- 

 vided, with plenty of material, kept moist, on the 

 lower one, so that at all seasons a moist atmosphere 

 is insured. The house must be fitted with ample 

 means of ventilation, at top and' bottom ; and 

 the piping should be sufficient to keep up at 

 least a minimum temperature of 45 without hard 

 firing. With a few exceptions, hereinafter men- 

 tioned, Odontoglossums should never be allowed to 

 become dry at the roots ; indeed, not a few of the 

 failures with the orispum group are due to lack of 

 moisture during the winter, amateur growers fre- 

 quently erring in this direction in their anxiety to 

 avoid over-watering. The best time to pot Odonto- 

 glossums is when new roots are being formed, and 

 as a general rule early September is a good time 

 for the operation, as the plants, resenting inter- 

 ference during hot weather, have time to become 

 re-established before winter arrives. The next 

 best time is February or March. Avoid over- 

 potting ; a pot one size larger is usually an ample 

 shift, but frequently the same size will do again, 

 merely giving new material and a new receptacle, 

 and at the same time removing useless back 

 bulbs. Fill two-thirds of the pot's depth with 

 clean crocks or cut bracken rhizomes ; then place 

 the plant in position, using a mixture of good peat 

 and sphagnum about its roots, and making this 

 moderately firm, but without pressing it down with 

 the fingers, taking care that the bases of the 

 pseudo-bulbs are kept higher than the pot rim. 



Temperature and Ventilation. Presuming that 

 a house is devoted to Odontoglossums, the tem- 

 perature should range from 45, as the irreducible 

 minimum during winter nights, to 70 during 

 summer days. The latter will probably be exceeded 

 during very hot, bright weather, in spite of shading, 

 ventilation top and bottom, and damping all pots, 

 paths, and staging within the house, as well as 

 moistening the paths, etc., immediately around the 

 house. As so many species are growing steadily 

 during winter, it is most desirable that a tempera- 



ture higher than "just sufficient to keep the frost 

 out" should be maintained during that period. 

 The aim should be 50 at night, with a fall of from 

 3 to 5 about 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. in severe weather, 

 followed by a rise to 50 or 55 by midday, or even 

 to 00 if the day be fine and ventilation increased. 

 Except in foggy weather, the bottom ventilators 

 should always be more or less open (only on the 

 leeward side if cold winds prevail) ; they ought, of 

 course, to be close to the hot-water pipes, so that 

 the air is warmed as it enters. 



Moisture and Shading. When growing freely, 

 or carrying spikes, Odontoglossnms need much 

 more water than when in a state of comparative 

 rest, but at all times the amount must be regulated 

 by the season and weather. Healthy plants can 



4iS* > >W 



ODONTOGLOSSUM SOUVENIR I>E VICTOR HYE DE 

 CKOM. (see p. 126). 



hardly be overwatered during summer, and it will 

 be frequently necessary to examine the collection 

 twice a day to guard against drought. At this 

 season an occasional overhead spraying will assist 

 the plants, but syringing in the general sense must 

 not be practised. Pathways, walls, and other 

 surfaces, including the pots, ought to be moistened 

 several times a day in summer to maintain the 

 moist atmosphere so necessary to secure good 

 results ; in winter such damping need not be done 

 more than twice a day, and even then the pots in 

 which the plants are growing need not be moistened. 

 For watering use rain water at the same temperature 

 as the atmosphere in which the plants are growing. 

 The lath blinds, so much in use on the Continent, 

 provide the best means of giving shade, but 

 whether these or canvas blinds are used, they must 

 be kept 6" above the glass by means of light 



