22 



The Florists^ Review 



NOVBMBBR 10, 1921 



The probable value of the right kind of 

 fungi has already been explained; the 

 presence of the wrong kind may be 

 fatal. Hence the necessity of avoiding 

 a sour, unwholesome condition of the 

 compost, which would foster* foreign 

 fungi. A good admixture of charcoal 

 aids in keeping the compost sweet and 

 free from harmful fungi. 



Among the many points in orchid cul- 

 ture that require exceptional knowledge 

 and skill are these: The proper allow- 

 ances for the period of rest of the 

 deciduous species; the regulation of the 

 shade all summer and the use of shade 

 in some cases even in winter; the main- 

 tenance of a continuously humid but 

 healthful, tropical or semitropical at- 

 mosphere, with abundance of ventila- 

 tion, but with no direct exposure of the 

 I)lants to drafts. 



Compost for Terrestriala. 



The most obvious peculiarity of or- 

 chid culture, however, is the nature of 

 the potting material, or in numerous 

 instances the entire absence of potting 

 material, with blocks of wood as sub- 

 stitutes for pots or baskets. Even ter- 

 restrial orchids, though growing "on 

 the earth" in a manner that has an out- 

 ward resemblance to the behavior of or- 

 dinary plants, usually prefer a much 

 more open and porous potting material 

 than do the generality of plants. A ter- 

 restrial orchid is happy if a third or 

 more of its pot is occupied by drainage 

 and the rest of the space is filled with 

 equal parts of chopped live sphagnum, 

 leaf-mold and chopped sod, minus some 

 of the fine soil. To this mixture may 

 be added a little ground bone, perhaps, 

 for some of the hearty-feeding varieties. 

 Or in some cases the compost may be 

 even lighter or less nutritive and the 

 application of a little liquid manure 

 later will make amends for any de- 

 ficiencies. 



How Epiphsrtes Are Nourished. 



Rut the compost used for terrestrial 

 orcliids would seem to be highly nour- 

 ishing compared with the material sup- 

 plied to the roots of the epiphytal or- 

 chids, the genera which naturally "grow 

 ujion" other plants, or upon barren 



rocks or similar places. Note that they 

 grow upon, but do not feed upon, other 

 j)lants. In such positions they derive 

 their food, apparently, from the atmos- 

 pheric gases, from the water, and from 

 any organic or mineral matter that 

 chances to fall upon them. No orchids 

 are parasites. The epiphytal orchids in- 

 clude the genus phalajnopsis, one species 

 of which is shown in the illustration on 

 the preceding page. 



Their Native Homes. 



In their native homes, largely in 

 liumid tropical regions, more or less 

 wooded, the epiphytes not only are 

 found growing on the trunks or 

 branches of trees or the surface of rocks, 

 but many of them also grow in less ex- 

 posed situations, among vines, mosses, 

 or fine open fern roots, where the ele- 

 ments of slowly decomposing humus 

 serve as part of the nutriment and 

 where the air has free access. In all 

 of these positions the epiphytes are del- 

 uged by frequent rains in the wet sea- 

 son; they are watered, also, by heavy 

 morning fogs at other seasons, and by 

 condensing atmospheric vapors which 

 settle on the plants like copious dew. 

 Because of their love of moisture, many 

 genera particularly favor the vicinity of 

 the ocean and of streams. 



Imitating the Tropics. 



In as close imitation as possible of 

 tliese natural conditions, the greenhouse 

 epiphytes sometimes are grown on 

 blocks of wood, to which they are fas- 

 tened, along with a little sphagnum, by 

 means of copper wire. Or they are 

 grown on racks, in open cylinders, or in 

 baskets or perforated pots. The re- 

 ceptacles usually are at least half filled 

 with drainage arid the rest of the pot- 

 ting material consists of sphagnum, peat 

 fiber and charcoal. The peat fiber, so 

 called, is formed generally of the 

 chopped fibrous roots of strong-growing 

 wild ferns. Or the compost may consist 

 of equal parts of peat fiber, chopped 

 sphagnum and leaf-mold, liberally mixed 

 with pieces of charcoal. Eventually the 

 roots penetrate the entire mass of ma- 

 terial, both compost and drainage, and 

 the open-work receptacles become cov- 



Looking from the Workroom in the Idlewild Store. 



ered in time by the wandering, trailing 

 roots. 



It is manifest that such compost, if 

 it may properly be called compost, is 

 not intended so much for the purpose of 

 supplying direct nourishment as for the 

 purpose of holding the plants stea.dily 

 in position, retaining the moisture in 

 which the roots delight, and retainine, 

 also, any residue of decayed organic 

 matter which accumulates among the 

 roots. 



Phalsenopsis, the Moth Orchid. 



Whether or not it is true, as so great 

 a botanist as Lindley declared, that 

 the genus phalffinopsis is "the grandest 

 of all orchids," there is not much doubt 

 that it is the most showy and graceful 

 of the spray orchids and it is therefore 

 in strong demand yrhen fancy sprays are 

 wanted. In the naming of this genus 

 the botanists and the general public 

 have agreed better, perhaps, than usual. 

 It is commonly called the moth orchid, 

 on account of the resemblance of its 

 flowers, in some species at least, to the 

 beautiful, butterfly-like moths. And 

 the botanists did their best to say the 

 same thing in Greek — phalsenopsis, 

 moth-like. P. amabilis is sometimes 

 known as the Indian butterfly plant. 



The propagation of the phalsenopsis is 

 a discouraging problem. Attempts to 

 grow it from seed have bee*i poorly re- 

 warded. The plants are seldom capable 

 of division. One or two varieties, no- 

 tably P. Lueddemanniana, occasionally 

 bear small plants on the old flower 

 stems, and P. Stuartiana sometimes pro- 

 duces little plants on its roots. In either 

 case the tiny plants, after they have 

 formed sufSicient roots, may be removed 

 and potted, but these opportunities for 

 propagation are exceptional. 



The Phalsenopsis House. 



About fifty species of phalsenopsis have 

 been discovered, all evergreen and all 

 natives of the hot regions of India and 

 the Malay archipelago, and more par- 

 ticularly of the Philippine islands. 

 Hence they require the warmest house, 

 the "East India department," as it is 

 known in some thoroughly systematized 

 orchid establishments. The minimum 

 night temperature in winter should be 

 62 to 65 degrees and an average of 70 

 to 75 degrees should be maintained dur- 

 ing the growing season, from March to 

 October, inclusive, with a rise of 10 de- 

 grees in sun heat. 



Phalffinopsis plants thrive especially 

 well in perforated orchid pans or in 

 deep, open, cylindrical baskets, hung 

 from the roof. The drainage, in the 

 form of clean potsherds and lumpy 

 charcoal, should fill the baskets or pans 

 three-fourths of their depth, and the 

 rest of the material should consist of 

 equal parts of fresh sphagnum and rath- 

 er soft fern fibfr. 



Shade and Moisture. 



The shading of the phalu'nopsis re- 

 quires close, discriminative attention, as 

 the plants must be well protected from 

 the direct rays of the summer sun and 

 yet enough light must be admitted to 

 develop good, firm foliage in prepara- 

 tion for the flowering season. The win- 

 ter sunshine, from the first part of De- 

 cember to the middle of February, is not 

 usually harmful. In hot weather the 

 plants may be lightly sprayed once a 

 day — not too heavily sjirjiyed, as water 

 too long retained in the center of the 



