Gross Justicia and Orchid 101

Weather: Sunny

First thing in the morning I continued grafting Ivy onto Fathedera. The grafts I completed yesterday still looked good so I am hopeful, but only time will tell. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to do some grafting. It is a delicate, skilled task. I can see that it would be rewarding and satisfying if your grafts take well.
After that I helped Jason and Dave (a volunteer) pinch the flowers off some Justicia carnea. J. carnea are native to tropical South America. They are herbaceous perennials. They are grown for their pink flower spikes. I have seen them before in the Begonia House in Wellington, however these are much different. They are tight and compact, as opposed to the leggy specimens Ive seen before. They are a pretty plant, BUT...
They have a major greenhouse whitefly problem (the worst Ive ever seen it), and because of the whitefly are covered in black sooty mould. Quite frankly, they look shit. They were meant to be displayed on July 1st but weren't due to the whitefly. Display has said theres still the possibility that they will get displayed, and for this reason we are deadheading them in order to get them to flower again, and also to allow them to be sprayed (the whitefly hide in the flower heads). I am sceptical that they will be displayed. Jason seems a bit put off, not only is it a horrible job, he has other jobs (such as pinching mums) that need attending to. Ah well.

After lunch I went to 'Orchids 101', a talk and walk given by Marie (of indoor display) and summer intern Kelley. It was a good talk and I learnt a lot. Marie is very knowledgeable about orchids. Some notes:
-All orchids are monocots and are always herbaceous perennials.
-orchid flowers have 3 sepals, 3 petals. One of the petals is always highly adapted, for example the pouch on slipper orchids.
-The stamen and style are fused into a 'column'. In some orchids its tiny. A column is a key identifying feature of orchids.
-Many orchid seeds have no endosperm and rely on an association with a mychorrizhal fungus to provide energy to germinate.
-There are thousands of orchid hybrids. Hybridisation can take place up to a tribe level (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Tribe, Genera, Species...). while orchid breeding has been taking place for a long time now (orchids first became a craze in the 19th century), new and original hybrids are still being produced. And even new species being discovered! Marie gave the example of Phragnopedium kovachii, which was discovered in 2001 by American James Kovach in Peru. It was then smuggled back to the US (the CITES treaty bans all movement of orchid species) and formally identified and named by the Selby Gardens. Kovach was then arrested for taking the orchid out of Peru and was eventually sentenced to two years probation and a fine. But well he go his orchid named after him. Apparently Selby gardens is now in financial difficulty...
-Orchids growth habits are either monopodial (grow vertically from a single bud adding leaves each year, eg, Dendrobium)  or sympodial (grows laterally from shoots forming at the base, eg, Cattlya).
-Some sympodial orchids stems thicken to form a psuedobulb.
-Many orchids are susceptible to viruses such as Cymbidium Mosaic (which doesn't just effect Cymbidium) and Black spot. About 80% of Longwoods collection is virus contaminated.
-Another major pest is Bois Duval scale which I have encountered in the Begonia house in Wellington. Marie said is very very hard to eliminate, and they have outbreaks every three years or so. It cause yellow leaf spots and a heavy infestation will weaken and possibly kill plants...
-Some orchid genera mentioned on the talk. Stanhopeas (very cool), Disa, Paphiopedlium, Phragnopedium, Cyprepedium (those last three are the three are the slipper orchids), Cattlya, Laeliocattlyas, Prosthechea radiata, Encyclia adencaula, Toulumnia... And more
-Repotting orchids. Example, Cattlya variety. An epiphytic sp, it is repotted in a mix (specific to orchid sp/variety) of Redwood bark, Douglas fir Bark and Charcol. The mix should be pH neutral. Cattlyas are repotted once a year after flowering. It is a sympodial grower, and therefore should be put on one side of the pot in order to allow it room to grow. As it flowers once off a new pseudobulb, old growth can be taken off, but making sure at least 4 or 5 psuedobulbs and a good root structure are kept. When repotted it should be packed in tight so it doesn't move, and its crown should not be buried.

Stanhopea sp

Disa sp

Cattlya house

They are a just a few basic notes I took during the talk. Orchids are a huge and specialised field. I am looking forward to working with Marie as I feel there is a lot to learn.