[OGD] Speaking of kovachii hybrids . . .
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Re: [OGD] ALGAE CONTROL
Hi, Giles. I did not intend to refer to any form of neglect, but when I have seen algae buildup so bad it affects the plants, it's a case of inattention, at best. I have found that a treatment ever 4- to 6 weeks with Physan at one teaspoon per gallon, or liquid chlorine bleach at one ounce per gallon does the trick. Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies. Books, Artwork, and lots of Free Info! - Original Message - From: "Giles Smith" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 3:47 PM Subject: [OGD] ALGAE CONTROL > Ray Barkalow said: > >>By allowing that severe of a development of algae, you are >>allowing it to suffocate the roots. > > The verb "allowing" caught my eye. In this case it infers passive lack of > action. What we all want to know is what positive action we can take to > prevent that algae growth, especially in a mix of moss in transparent > pots. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. > > Giles Smith > ___ > the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) > orchids@orchidguide.com > http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Illegal imports
"Roger, in Bangkok" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> asked a question well outside my pay grade when he inquired thusly: >Out of all the shipments globally in a year, just how high do you suppose >the incidents of intentional vs, unintentional law breaking do you suppose >there might be? Well, now. If you include the commercial shipments worth $billions, it's probably close to negligible. But it's certainly not zero. Otherwise, why would there be 65 Plant Rescue Centers in the US and its territories? http://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/prc.pdf They only cite statistics from 2002, but note that 281 plant shipments were intercepted, including 10,127 plants- of which 7,702 were orchids. Of those 281 shipments, 280 went to plant rescue centers; one shipment (consisting of one plant) was returned to the country of export. One supposes this number has gone up on the basis of better funding and (hopefully) training on the part of interdiction personnel. It worked in the War on Drugs, after all; the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970, and we've hardly had a problem since then. Nixon declared War on Cancer in 1971, so I expect we'll have a cure for that soon, too. Whether the individuals purchasing these plants were intentionally breaking the law when they did so is unknown. When someone clicks on a dig-em-up in a brown box from Asia, it's tough to know whether either party has a full understanding of the Byzantine laws, regulations, and perpetually unwritten rules of order to which we mere mortals are left to interpret unaided. To borrow some of the context above and to steal from P.J. O'Rourke, it's tough to tell what impact the War on Drugs is having on crime because it's tough to get a urine sample from a crack addict while he's sticking up a 7-11. Warning: if some of the sarcasm included here went over your head, do not attempt to reach for it without proper supplementation with oxygen. No semblance between crack addicts and online purchases of dig-em-up paphs is implied, but it should be. Cheers, -AJHicks Chandler, AZ ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] ALGAE CONTROL
Ray Barkalow said: >By allowing that severe of a development of algae, you are >allowing it to suffocate the roots. The verb "allowing" caught my eye. In this case it infers passive lack of action. What we all want to know is what positive action we can take to prevent that algae growth, especially in a mix of moss in transparent pots. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Giles Smith ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Phalaneopsis question ( Leaf Lesions/Microfungus)
Steve Wilson, I am sorry to hear that all your Phalaenopsis with the problem died, especially the old one you were fighting to keep. Anyone interested in the Phalaenopsis leaf lesion/micro fungus problem (It goes by a few names), there has been plenty written about it (especially around early 2004 when Steve brought it up) on the OGD and can be looked up in the archives, or send me e-mail and I will send you the posts. As some may know I gave a sample of a leaf to the California State Agricultural Dept. They looked at it under a electron microscope, and found nothing. The verdict: no fungus, no bacteria, and no virus. The plant pathologist opinion is that it is a physiological and cultural problem. The test was only done on one leaf from one Phalaenopsis, so the conclusion may or may not pertain to any other Phalaenopsis with this problem. I have three Phalaenopsis with this problem that I have been playing around with and trying to “cure”. After getting the results back from Cal State Ag, I tried a little experiment to see if I could “infect” a Phalaenopsis. I bought two Phalaenopsis hybrids (same size and type). I grew them for about 8 month separate from all other plants to see if they would show any sign of disease. They remained healthy. I then scooped a leaf from an “infected” Phalaenopsis with a sterile gouge. I took the scooped out part of the “infected” leaf and placed it into a scoop I had made in one of these new healthy Phalaenopsis, and secured it with tape. I continued to grow these new healthy Phalaenopsis together away from all other plants. After a year and a half, both the Phalaenopsis I intentional infected and the control showed no sign of the disease. Both remained healthy. I realize this is a n=1 experiment, but that is all I can do. I also tried to “infect” /Cassia occidentalis/, which I got from AJ Hicks, and nothing happened. /Cassia occidentalis/ is an indicator plant that catches just about everything. http://image.fs.uidaho.edu/vide/famly076.htm#Cassia%20occidentalis None of the three Phalaenopsis, I have are “cured”. They often will grow new leaves without lesions that will remain that way for sometime, but eventually lesions will form. I think the lesions are becoming less and not as crippling, but they are still there. I do think that the problem is a physiological and cultural problem. I think the problem happens in other orchids. It just looks different, like the Oncidium Sharry Baby spotting. I am still looking for a follow up to this article: In Orchids Magazine, January 2004, page 54, “What Causes Those Spots?” by Mani Skaria, PhD, Yin-Tung Wang, PhD, and Larry Barnes, PhD, they are doing a “Microscopic Study of Leaf Lesions of Oncidium Sharry Baby ‘Sweet Fragrance’. The conclusion of the article is they have eliminated a number of possibilities and are down to a virus infection or nutrient imbalance. Their next steps are a leaf mineral analysis, and some preliminary virus diagnosis. I have yet to see a Phalaenopsis cured of this problem. Nothing that I have tried culturally to “cure” the problem has worked so far. Some seem to be able to live fine with the lesions. One of my Phalaenopsis with the lesions is in bloom right now with many flowers. The fate of Phalaenopsis with this problem may very well be the same as Steve’s. Mark Sullivan In God We Trust, everyone else bring data. ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Illegal imports
>Out of all the shipments globally in a year, just how high do you suppose >the incidents of intentional vs, unintentional law breaking do you suppose >there might be? >Regards/Roger, in Bangkok Roger no one knows the exact figure, but I imagine the ratio is much higher than one. Let's just consider one of many factors that go into the equation. In the case of Phragmipedium kovachii there are at this moment FIFTEEN legal mature plants plus their divisions in two Peruvian nurseries, actively propagating all the legal seedlings in the world. With an estimated THREE THOUSAND illegal Phragmipedium kovachii plants smuggled out of Peru to countries all over the world, plants for which huge sums of money were paid, many of which, no doubt, reached propagators and reached them one year before the two Peruvian nurseries got their legal plants, I venture to guess that the illegal seedlings easily outnumber the legal ones by a factor of twenty to one hundred. How this translates into a ratio you are looking for, I leave up to you. peter ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Illegal imports
"Roger, in Bangkok" asked: "Out of all the shipments globally in a year, just how high do you suppose the incidents of intentional vs, unintentional law breaking do you suppose there might be?" That is impossible to quantify. But in certain cases, it is extremely easy. Anybody outside Vietnam who has purchased a Vietnamese-origin orchid in the last 15-20 years has broken the law. Same applies to orchids originating in Papua New Guinea and purchased outside PNG in the last 16 years, unless the orchids are in flask. Ditto for Myanmar. Ditto for Laos. Not certain about China, but I could try to find out how many CITES permits for orchids they have issued; I doubt it is very many. Anyone who owns a plant that originated in one of those countries has purchased an illegally imported plant. We are talking here about a significant proportion of OGD subscribers. How often have we seen requests for help identifying (or cultivating, etc) an obscure Viet-origin (Lao-origin, PNG-origin, etc) plant that was recently purchased from xxx nursery ? Yes, those are the very plants I'm talking about. I've said it before ... they're illegal. "Aha", you say "O'Byrne is twisting things again the question was about intentional law breaking, while I unintentionally broke the law when I purchased my little darling". Where I come from (and in every country I've resided in), ignorance of the law is not an acceptable defence. You are expected to know if your little darling is legit or not. So to Frank Thrall, who said "None of us would knowingly purchase illegally imported plants" I would respond "sorry, but your statement is neither credible nor relevant". Peter O'Byrne ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] species (Brasil)
"No Brasil já encontram-se descritas 2435 formas diferentes" URL : http://www.estadoatual.com.br/noticias/mostra.php?id=1843 more news in Spanish, French and Portuguese : http://pages.infinit.net/viateurb/nouvelles_sur_les_orchidees-accueil.htm ** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] illegal orchids
Re purchase of illegal orchids: At a much lower level of "international espionage", and a matter of internal affairs actually I run into the exact same problem when selling on Ebay. I'm not a big-time seller. It's really just a hobby and maybe supplies some heating cash for the winter. However, on every page I list "Not available to residents outside the US or residence of AZ". Now while it's true that some may not know the laws of their state you'd be surprised at the number, who bid to win, and when told I cannot ship to them, act like the child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. They tell me that "It's ok, Everybody does it" or "You're the first to tell me he won't". I doubt both statements but it happens all the time. But I'm sure it happens with significant frequency that it's worth the gamble. What's to loose? Only the shipper looses if the package is caught, not the buyer. If it's ok to ignore "lowly' state laws and not suffer any consequences, what are the chances of getting caught by the feds? If caught, both can loose. There are plenty of states with plant shipping regulations, but they're rarely inforced. AZ is not worth the risk. Besides most AZ residents seem to have a shipping address for contraband outside AZ where they can go to pick it up or where Aunt Susie will ship the friendly package in. I know thei opens a big can of worms, and not all AZ residents are guilty, and residents of other states are guilty of ignoring their state laws as are the shippers, particularly anonymous ones on Ebay,. (I hope this last run-on sentence deflects some of the heat). When you do it, you're guilty at some level.maybe manslaughter and not murder 1. but guilty. Gary ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Leonard Cobb (New Zealand)
"Recreating a natural habitat... has consumed a... gardening guru for nearly 20 years. Well-known within orchid circles, Leonard Cobb has transformed his Pakuranga hideaway into an orchid showcase. ... Leonard has visited jungles, forests and gardens in Hawaii, Japan and Australia in pursuit of beautiful orchid displays. ... Leonard says. Problems dissolve when youre working with plants and stress flows out of you. ... His eagerness to recreate natural orchid ecosystems has prompted him to display orchids in harmonious surroundings as well as depict their beauty in his own artworks. I try to paint two to three days a week and sometimes Ill work at it for the entire day, he says. I like to encourage my grandchildren by creating line drawings of orchids with lots of hidden surprises for them to colour... ... Leonard has Australian pink rock orchids d[D]endrobium kingianum and cymbidiums perched in trees, on ponga trees and over pieces of gnarly driftwood... he admits he killed his fair share of plants when he first started his horticultural hobby. Air circulation is critical and moss is perfect for the epiphytic roots. I dont use any chemicals and soapy water smothers most problem insects. Slug bait is necessary at certain times of the year and oil will control scale. " URL : http://www.times.co.nz/cms/our_homes_today/2007/09/art100017929.php photo : [caption : Leonard Cobb orchid artist at work.] http://www.times.co.nz/cms/image/1/art_gmmTooPZ.jpg ** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
