"an apartment patio packed with... orchids... a succession of five such patios, one flowing into the next...
Bill Bartlett... tenant in the one-story, five-apartment complex 45 years ago... bought the place in 1964. In a conversion that evolved over 30 years, his living quarters expanded to take in apartments A, B and C... Apartment D became an immaculate potting "shed"... Apartment E... guest quarters... hanging orchids... Bartlett gradually took down the brick walls separating the outdoor spaces. Today the 97-foot-long and 16-foot-wide space is a showplace for approximately 1,000 orchids... twin-skin acrylic roof... stretches over the five-in-one patio... To decrease intense rays in summer, Barlett covers the roof with clay-based shade paint that washes away over time. Floor fans and panel vents at each end give the orchids good air circulation. ... Tolumnia urophyllum he brought home in 1975 is still with him. The species had one inflorescence... In 1996 the plant produced 92 spikes. Last year, a succession of 256 spikes set off fireworks of iridescent golden blooms from Feb. 11 to June 22. Bartlett keeps his accounting skills sharp by counting and recording blooms throughout the months. He tapes flowering charts to a closet door in the potting shed and stores reports in his computer. Rarely is he without flowers. Dendrobiums and cattleyas are the heaviest bloomers in January. Oncidiums join them in February, increasing in March. By April, phalaenopsis are in the majority... September brings the fewest flowers last year, a mere [!!!] 79 plants were in bloom. ... the dendrobiums and cattleyas will surge again come fall. ... watering... Bartlett gets the job done in 45 minutes to an hour. In winter he passes the water wand over each plant once every week or two; less if it's cool and rainy. In late April he waters every five to six days; in summer, twice a week. ... A five-gallon fertilizer tank attached to his simple garden-hose system allows Bartlett to fertilize with every other watering. He alternates low-phosporus Peat-lite Special with BR 61 ( 1/4 strength) and supplements with a diluted seaweed concentrate. Bartlett shares his experiences with other enthusiasts at monthly meetings of the Houston Orchid Society." URL : http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/gardening/features/5749412.html _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
