I'm a newbie at this orchid thing, but so far things are going O.K. At
least I think they are.

Yes my phal is from Home Depot (not the place to buy orchids -- I
know) but it bloomed for most of the summer. After the blooms dropped
off, I waited a bit and cut the orchid down a few inches. I debated as
to whether to cut it right down, but I decided I could always take
that step later if I needed to take additional action.

At this point I have new growth -- about 1 1/4" inches long starting
at the node where I cut the spike/stem (forgive me, I still learning
the language) and it looks healthy. The new growth has one node about
a half inch up and a cluster of three nodes at the end.

My plant also is starting to grow a new leaf, so pretty soon it will
have five.

Now my question is a pretty simple one. The plant was repotted shortly
after bringing it home (as per the instructions of the sales girl who
said she grew them at home). It was moved from its slightly smaller
plastic pot into a clay one with decent drainage. The clay pot came
with the plant. I didn't change the growing medium, as everything
still looked to be in good shape. While I'm happy with the pot, since
it seems to be exactly what the plant needs at the moment, it's not
the prettiest thing to look at, and this orchid sits right in my
living room in plain view.

Right now I've got the clay pot and plant (the tag reads something
like P.Golden Pe_ker__EL__ -- I can't read the missing letters -- and
I have no idea if the tag is accurate or not, knowing how hardware
stores treat their plants) sitting in a decorative container. When I
water it I take it out of the container and I make sure the plant has
stopped dripping before I return it to the container, so I'm not
worried about standing water. Instead what I'm worried about is am I
depriving the roots of precious air? Right now, as I said, it seems
happy and healthy, and I'm loathe to change my routine, but I also
don't want to be harming the plant just for the sake of appearance.

So can I leave the plant in its decorative shell?
Thanks.
Vic

Hi,

I think your plant is okay....just go with the rule: if it ain't broken,
don't fix it. Check the plant every once in a while, and if after a few
months everything is kosher, then just continue like you always have.
As for the name, it is Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker. I'm not sure about
the cultivar, as I'm not aware of any clonal names that have 'el' in it.
There is a 'BL' which is a famous, and I think awarded, cultivar.
Perhaps the B looks like an E now if the tag has faded?

Cheers,
Xi

da wrote:
I'm a newbie at this orchid thing, but so far things are going O.K. At
least I think they are.

Yes my phal is from Home Depot (not the place to buy orchids -- I
know) but it bloomed for most of the summer. After the blooms dropped
off, I waited a bit and cut the orchid down a few inches. I debated as
to whether to cut it right down, but I decided I could always take
that step later if I needed to take additional action.

At this point I have new growth -- about 1 1/4" inches long starting
at the node where I cut the spike/stem (forgive me, I still learning
the language) and it looks healthy. The new growth has one node about
a half inch up and a cluster of three nodes at the end.

My plant also is starting to grow a new leaf, so pretty soon it will
have five.

Now my question is a pretty simple one. The plant was repotted shortly
after bringing it home (as per the instructions of the sales girl who
said she grew them at home). It was moved from its slightly smaller
plastic pot into a clay one with decent drainage. The clay pot came
with the plant. I didn't change the growing medium, as everything
still looked to be in good shape. While I'm happy with the pot, since
it seems to be exactly what the plant needs at the moment, it's not
the prettiest thing to look at, and this orchid sits right in my
living room in plain view.

Right now I've got the clay pot and plant (the tag reads something
like P.Golden Pe_ker__EL__ -- I can't read the missing letters -- and
I have no idea if the tag is accurate or not, knowing how hardware
stores treat their plants) sitting in a decorative container. When I
water it I take it out of the container and I make sure the plant has
stopped dripping before I return it to the container, so I'm not
worried about standing water. Instead what I'm worried about is am I
depriving the roots of precious air? Right now, as I said, it seems
happy and healthy, and I'm loathe to change my routine, but I also
don't want to be harming the plant just for the sake of appearance.

So can I leave the plant in its decorative shell?
Thanks.
Vic

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 06:52:30 GMT, Xi Wang
wrote:

Hi,

I think your plant is okay....just go with the rule: if it ain't broken,
don't fix it. Check the plant every once in a while, and if after a few
months everything is kosher, then just continue like you always have.
As for the name, it is Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker. I'm not sure about
the cultivar, as I'm not aware of any clonal names that have 'el' in it.
There is a 'BL' which is a famous, and I think awarded, cultivar.
Perhaps the B looks like an E now if the tag has faded?

Cheers,
Xi


Thanks Xi,

While you've lost me on the "cultivar" bit (I'm a newbie with a
hardware store orchid remember ;-) ) -- is that the grower/breeder?
-- I do appreciate the information. The tag was faded when I got it,
and I just had to take my best guess at the name. The "E" could very
well be a "B" and as I said, for all I know it could even be the wrong
tag.

The "if it aint broke..." rule is pretty much the one I apply to all
my plants and it's a part of the reason I was even hesitant to ask my
question. Because my orchid seems happy right now, I was afraid be
being told "you're doing it all wrong, you must change everything
you're doing."

It's funny but as a newbie I keep hearing "orchids are simple" but the
more I read, the more paranoid I get about what I'm doing with mine,
and the more my initial belief that "orchids are complicated" is
reinforced. Even at the orchid show I attended I got a complete bag
of mixed messages: "yes orchids are simple but you must remember
x,y,z" and the "x,y,z" turned out to be entirely different every time
I talked to a different person.

Thanks again for your advice.
--Vic

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 06:52:30 GMT, Xi Wang
wrote:

Hi,

I think your plant is okay....just go with the rule: if it ain't broken,
don't fix it. Check the plant every once in a while, and if after a few
months everything is kosher, then just continue like you always have.
As for the name, it is Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker. I'm not sure about
the cultivar, as I'm not aware of any clonal names that have 'el' in it.
There is a 'BL' which is a famous, and I think awarded, cultivar.
Perhaps the B looks like an E now if the tag has faded?

Cheers,
Xi


Thanks Xi,

While you've lost me on the "cultivar" bit (I'm a newbie with a
hardware store orchid remember ;-) ) -- is that the grower/breeder?
-- I do appreciate the information. The tag was faded when I got it,
and I just had to take my best guess at the name. The "E" could very
well be a "B" and as I said, for all I know it could even be the wrong
tag.

The "if it aint broke..." rule is pretty much the one I apply to all
my plants and it's a part of the reason I was even hesitant to ask my
question. Because my orchid seems happy right now, I was afraid be
being told "you're doing it all wrong, you must change everything
you're doing."

It's funny but as a newbie I keep hearing "orchids are simple" but the
more I read, the more paranoid I get about what I'm doing with mine,
and the more my initial belief that "orchids are complicated" is
reinforced. Even at the orchid show I attended I got a complete bag
of mixed messages: "yes orchids are simple but you must remember
x,y,z" and the "x,y,z" turned out to be entirely different every time
I talked to a different person.

Thanks again for your advice.
--Vic

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 16:22:01 GMT, da wrote:

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 06:52:30 GMT, Xi Wang
wrote:

Hi,

I think your plant is okay....just go with the rule: if it ain't broken,
don't fix it. Check the plant every once in a while, and if after a few
months everything is kosher, then just continue like you always have.
As for the name, it is Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker. I'm not sure about
the cultivar, as I'm not aware of any clonal names that have 'el' in it.
There is a 'BL' which is a famous, and I think awarded, cultivar.
Perhaps the B looks like an E now if the tag has faded?

Cheers,
Xi


Xi,

I've just looked up "Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker" and I can definitely
say that's not my orchid. As I suspected the tag wasn't entirely
accurate. :-D Mine is a very white orchid, without the red/pink spots.


But thanks again for trying to decipher my plant.
--Vic

Hi,

There are many variations of Golden Peoker, just because it's white
doesn't mean the tag is wrong....although, there's a higher chance that
the tag is wrong.. Could you please describe the flowers in more detail?

With regard to your cultivar question: think of it this way, when two
people have kids, the are not all the same (assuming no twins).
Similarly, when you cross two plants, all the progeny plants have the
same name, but they are all slightly different from each other. To
distinguish them, they are given cultivar names. Not all are named of
course since there are probably millions of Golden Peokers out there,
but the good ones that have won awards or have been cloned extensively
for whatever reason, are given names. The cultivar, or sometimes called
clonal name, identifies one specific plant or its clonal progeny from a
cross.

Cheers,
Xi

da wrote:
On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 06:52:30 GMT, Xi Wang
wrote:


Hi,

I think your plant is okay....just go with the rule: if it ain't broken,
don't fix it. Check the plant every once in a while, and if after a few
months everything is kosher, then just continue like you always have.
As for the name, it is Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker. I'm not sure about
the cultivar, as I'm not aware of any clonal names that have 'el' in it.
There is a 'BL' which is a famous, and I think awarded, cultivar.
Perhaps the B looks like an E now if the tag has faded?

Cheers,
Xi



Thanks Xi,

While you've lost me on the "cultivar" bit (I'm a newbie with a
hardware store orchid remember ;-) ) -- is that the grower/breeder?
-- I do appreciate the information. The tag was faded when I got it,
and I just had to take my best guess at the name. The "E" could very
well be a "B" and as I said, for all I know it could even be the wrong
tag.

The "if it aint broke..." rule is pretty much the one I apply to all
my plants and it's a part of the reason I was even hesitant to ask my
question. Because my orchid seems happy right now, I was afraid be
being told "you're doing it all wrong, you must change everything
you're doing."

It's funny but as a newbie I keep hearing "orchids are simple" but the
more I read, the more paranoid I get about what I'm doing with mine,
and the more my initial belief that "orchids are complicated" is
reinforced. Even at the orchid show I attended I got a complete bag
of mixed messages: "yes orchids are simple but you must remember
x,y,z" and the "x,y,z" turned out to be entirely different every time
I talked to a different person.

Thanks again for your advice.
--Vic

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 06:31:16 GMT, Xi Wang
wrote:

Hi,

There are many variations of Golden Peoker, just because it's white
doesn't mean the tag is wrong....although, there's a higher chance that
the tag is wrong.. Could you please describe the flowers in more detail?

With regard to your cultivar question: think of it this way, when two
people have kids, the are not all the same (assuming no twins).
Similarly, when you cross two plants, all the progeny plants have the
same name, but they are all slightly different from each other. To
distinguish them, they are given cultivar names. Not all are named of
course since there are probably millions of Golden Peokers out there,
but the good ones that have won awards or have been cloned extensively
for whatever reason, are given names. The cultivar, or sometimes called
clonal name, identifies one specific plant or its clonal progeny from a
cross.

Cheers,
Xi


Hi Xi,

Thanks for the explanation.

I wish I had dried a flower so I could look at is while I attempted to
describe it. The best thing I can say is think of the lowest rung,
standard white phal that is for sale at every hardware or grocery
store on the planet.

I can also say that at the one orchid show I attended, it seemed to be
the standard white "filler" orchid in all the complex arrangements.
The usual reponse I got when I tried asking people about it was "I
don't grow THOSE" or "THOSE are cheap and I don't worry about trying
to get them to rebloom." Please note, I'm not saying the people
weren't nice, and weren't helpful, but I got the feeling I was at a
car show where I was attempting to ask Rolls Royce drivers their
opinions on restoring my Kia. Some could talk about mechanics in
general, and some recalled their early days when they started with
small cheap cars, but most had developed long past that stage, and
could offer little in the way of specific information.

Going by memory, the flowers had colouring something like
http://www.1888orchids.com/detail.ph...87&view=detail
although the yellow wasn't quite as yellow. It was a bit more
pinkish/peachy -- although that can just be my monitor/their digital
camera.

I don't think all the petals were as full (or round) as on the one
above. The overall shape was a little closer to (but not identical to)
http://www.doweryorchids.com/orchids...0lowii%203.JPG

The more I look at pictures of plants (and I've been looking at a lot,
especially the ones mentioned in this group) the more muddy my memory
becomes of the actual details of my plant's blossoms, so I may be
entirely off base and could be describing something that doesn't
really exist.

The reason I suspected the tag wasn't the right one to start with was
because the plant I bought was the only white one mixed in a tray with
plants that looked more like those red spotted Golden Poekers that I
get pictures of when I do a web search for "Golden Poeker."

If I'm not able to properly name my plant, that won't bother me too
much. The main reason I mentioned the name in the first place was
because I wanted to make sure that I was giving the group as much
information as possible to evaluate my orchid's situation.

Thanks again for all your help. If I ever get it to rebloom -- which
is my goal -- I'll try to borrow a digital camera so I can share some
pictures with you. I realize it won't be the most spectacular or rare
orchid you'll ever see, but I'm sure I'll be thrilled with it. And if
you'd be willing, you can take a better shot at making a positive
identification of it. Don't worry, I've been on Usenet a long, long
time, and I won't post pictures directly to this group, unlike other
newbies around here. grin
--Vic

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 06:31:16 GMT, Xi Wang
wrote:

Hi,

There are many variations of Golden Peoker, just because it's white
doesn't mean the tag is wrong....although, there's a higher chance that
the tag is wrong.. Could you please describe the flowers in more detail?

With regard to your cultivar question: think of it this way, when two
people have kids, the are not all the same (assuming no twins).
Similarly, when you cross two plants, all the progeny plants have the
same name, but they are all slightly different from each other. To
distinguish them, they are given cultivar names. Not all are named of
course since there are probably millions of Golden Peokers out there,
but the good ones that have won awards or have been cloned extensively
for whatever reason, are given names. The cultivar, or sometimes called
clonal name, identifies one specific plant or its clonal progeny from a
cross.

Cheers,
Xi


Hi Xi,

Thanks for the explanation.

I wish I had dried a flower so I could look at is while I attempted to
describe it. The best thing I can say is think of the lowest rung,
standard white phal that is for sale at every hardware or grocery
store on the planet.

I can also say that at the one orchid show I attended, it seemed to be
the standard white "filler" orchid in all the complex arrangements.
The usual reponse I got when I tried asking people about it was "I
don't grow THOSE" or "THOSE are cheap and I don't worry about trying
to get them to rebloom." Please note, I'm not saying the people
weren't nice, and weren't helpful, but I got the feeling I was at a
car show where I was attempting to ask Rolls Royce drivers their
opinions on restoring my Kia. Some could talk about mechanics in
general, and some recalled their early days when they started with
small cheap cars, but most had developed long past that stage, and
could offer little in the way of specific information.

Going by memory, the flowers had colouring something like
http://www.1888orchids.com/detail.ph...87&view=detail
although the yellow wasn't quite as yellow. It was a bit more
pinkish/peachy -- although that can just be my monitor/their digital
camera.

I don't think all the petals were as full (or round) as on the one
above. The overall shape was a little closer to (but not identical to)
http://www.doweryorchids.com/orchids...0lowii%203.JPG

The more I look at pictures of plants (and I've been looking at a lot,
especially the ones mentioned in this group) the more muddy my memory
becomes of the actual details of my plant's blossoms, so I may be
entirely off base and could be describing something that doesn't
really exist.

The reason I suspected the tag wasn't the right one to start with was
because the plant I bought was the only white one mixed in a tray with
plants that looked more like those red spotted Golden Poekers that I
get pictures of when I do a web search for "Golden Poeker."

If I'm not able to properly name my plant, that won't bother me too
much. The main reason I mentioned the name in the first place was
because I wanted to make sure that I was giving the group as much
information as possible to evaluate my orchid's situation.

Thanks again for all your help. If I ever get it to rebloom -- which
is my goal -- I'll try to borrow a digital camera so I can share some
pictures with you. I realize it won't be the most spectacular or rare
orchid you'll ever see, but I'm sure I'll be thrilled with it. And if
you'd be willing, you can take a better shot at making a positive
identification of it. Don't worry, I've been on Usenet a long, long
time, and I won't post pictures directly to this group, unlike other
newbies around here. grin
--Vic