OrchidSafari ARCHIVES*

1. PRE-DISCUSSION MAILOUT

2. PHOTO LINKS

3. TRANSCRIPT

PRE-DISCUSSION MAILOUT

This is a repeat, of sorts, of a talk given for OrchidSafari on 27 May '98. Part 1 of the series can be found here if you haven't seen it yet. A few of the graphics from that talk are incorporated into this one, though not all by any means. The original text file of Part 2 sorta disappeared into cyberspace, but for some unknown reason the graphics for it remained on the server. So I was asked to repeat it. The pictures, by the way, were taken in 1997 by the lady who lived on the property next to that shown in Part 1.

This page, with its explanations on how to navigate the site, can always be accessed by pressing the "Home" button which can be found on each page. Any comments or suggestions can be emailed to me. I prefer to view this page and its links at a resolution of 800 X 600 because the graphics are larger, using Netscape as the browser, and with several levels of "Decrease font" dialed in. Whatever resolution you prefer, do use the browser's feature to decrease or increase the font (found under the "View, Decrease (Increase) font" menu in Netscape) to make the page appear the way you like it. Since it is written in pretty simple HTML, it will probably look the same in MSIE.

Just so you know, clicking on "Safari" will always return you to this Safari's Start Page. You can also use the "Left Arrow" keys, or the browser's "Back" button, which does the same thing if you are mouse oriented. I would also recommend minimizing the Window's Toolbar and the browser's Personal and Location bars (or Explorer's equivalents), and even the Navigation toolbar as well, and use the keyboard to return to your place: this gives the pages the whole screen and I think it looks best this way. If there are any critics out there, let me know what you think. *G*


If you feel like discussing any part of the chat, please drop a line, and I'll get back to you. Information and links to various other Orchid resources can be found on the OrchidSafari History and Archives Page, and of course you are cordially invited to join us at our regular Wednesday and Saturday chats.

Let us begin our Safari!

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UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Aloha, all. Has everyone seen the mailout/prechat page? Well, for those who didn't, here it is. button! Questions/comments?

JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
I read it, Earl. Really nice pictures. Exactly what is a hapu'u fern and what part of it do the plants grow on? I know my spelling is probably wrong. I'm doing this from memory.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
(a href="http://www.ochidsafari.org/earl005.html"> Hapu'u is a native Hawaiian tree fern which can get quite large. Usually plant the orchids on the trunk. This is a photo from http://www.wheeler.k12.hi.us/hplant/hapuu.htm
"Hapu'u -
Scientific name: Krajina
Family name: Dicksonia
Hawaiian name: Hapu'u
English name: Tree fern
Description: This species of tree fern is called Hapu'u and grows only in Hawaii in shady parts of forests. Their trunks grows from 6-20 feet tall..."

http://alaike.lcc.hawaii.edu/millen/bot130/learning_objectives/lo02/PICTUREPAGE.2.8.HTML
page from "Learning Objective 2 - Define a plant in terms of the major kingdoms of life forms ...", part of "Plants in the Hawaiian Environment, Botany 130, University of Hawaii Distance Education Web Page", which can be checked out at
http://alaike.lcc.hawaii.edu/millen/bot130/default.html I would recommend the foregoing University of Hawaii page for anyone interested in plants in Hawaii, though no sure yet if orchids are mentioned, and there are 30 objectives, each with multiple links! And if you want to see a really well laid out educational site!...earl]

AORCHID (art, simpsonville sc)
Do you just plant these as single specimens or do you plant in groups or masses Earl?

sparkysteve (TOPIC:LANDSCAPING WITH ORCHIDS IN HAWAII)
Hawaii is a great place to grow orchids, but it hasn't been around long enough to have many native species.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Zeynep - can't remember anymore; sorry. Art - usually planted out as single plants, tho occasionally did masses.

Steve - it's more a case of being so very isolated.

JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
So the trees get rather tall?

sparkysteve
Earl, how much did you care for the orchids? Or did they mostly fend for themselves?

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
They can get up to 20+ feet if they have a tree to lean against. Often see them like that in the older forested areas in HI.

Steve - I planted them out so I wouldn't have to care for them once they got established.

zeynep3
Earl, they look like Australian or New Zealand fern tree.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Zeynep - they are very closely related.

poln8r (Robert from Long Beach, MS)
Earl, where in Hawaii are we talking about?

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
The coelogyne (4th from right on the bottom row of the topic page) was forgotten for many years. As you can see, it has done quite well.

JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
The coelogyne is huge!

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Pollen - it was a place on Big Island where I lived back in 1979 - 1984/5. Except for choosing the place to plant it (coelogyne), I can take no other credit, Janette.

poln8r (Robert from Long Beach, MS)
I lived on Oahu in 72-73. Lots of people planted orchids in the trees in their yards. I remember Dens, Catts and Oncidiums.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Ascos, Vandas, Miltonias, many others. Hawaii is definitely the place to be to grow orchids, IMHO! JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
Some of the FL folks might argue that point with you, Earl. :-)

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Let them! Florida is okay, but.... *BG*

Lanceps
California?

poln8r (Robert from Long Beach, MS)
Every place has its advantages and disadvantages. Where you need a gh you get to control conditions and, hopefully, keep the bugs under control. Outdoors is a whole different game.

JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
Seems like you would have to have some pretty hardy plants since they are subject to all of the elements and any varmit that happens to come along.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Some parts of Calif. maybe. But definitely *not* Vacaville! Too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. They're subject to all that in the wild, Janette, and they do quite well. Maybe not CCM, but who cares!?

JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
I agree, Earl. In landscaping you are trying to accomplish something entirely different than what you would by growing plants in a gh under controlled conditions. At least that is what I think....and I could be wrong.

poln8r (Robert from Long Beach, MS)
Earl, I liked the Maudiae in the ground. I have a Paph in the gravel under the bench and it seems to be doing fine. Been there about a year or so.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
My objective was not so much to beautify as to get me out of having to care for them, Janette. Lazy.

JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
Not necessarily lazy, Earl. Lots of folks want their yards to look nice with a minimum of upkeep and then there are others who are not happy unless they are out puttering around in the yard. Just depends on what you want.

Fleur (Tasmania)
Earl, how much time would you spend looking after your plants on an average week?

JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
What exactly is the tree fern that you can buy to mount plants on?

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Actually, Janette, it wasn't totally laziness; I wanted to see how they would do, and the beauty was a bonus. I'm too sarcastic for my own good, sometimes.

Once they were established, Fleur, none. Unless they had gone a long time with no water; then I might take the sprayer out and give 'em a drink if I thought they needed it. Usually only the Paph's and some of the more sensitive species.

kbbarrett
That's quite a dense jungle Earl! Looks pretty cool! Where is this on the map? I thought it was interesting that the house backed on the jungle and was built in the savanna.

poln8r (Robert from Long Beach, MS)
Earl, did you have many Paphs outside?

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
I don't know what tree fern they use now. Hapu'u isn't used much anymore. Over harvested. [Tree ferns are found in Hawaii and Australia, but in few other places in the world. They were prevalent during the dinosaur age, but few exist today. ..earl]

JanetteH (Pilot Mtn., NC)
'Over harvested' is getting to be the story with more and more things.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
The hapu'u pic? Robert - no, only the one Maudiae. Had an argus out, but it died. I didn't grow many Paphs.

poln8r (Robert from Long Beach, MS)
Earl, did you ever have any flowers get pollinated by the local bugs? Any seeds germinate?

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
The house was mostly windows, so it was great. It was built from salvaged lumber from some old cane shacks.

yoshiko2 UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
None that I knew about, Robert. KB - 4, 5, 6 on the map.

No, Yoshiko. Just for pleasure. Though I did landscape the ex-wife's place, her mother's place next door to her, and several friends' places. No money involved, though.

sparkysteve (TOPIC:LANDSCAPING WITH ORCHIDS IN HAWAII)
Earl orchidseed of Hawaii????????????

kbbarrett
At that point in time you didn't do much with Vandas or ascdas. Think they'd grow there? Naturalize, I mean.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
While I didn't grow many of them, Kathy, they were all over the place on Big Island as landscape plants. There are/were many famous breeders of Vandas there, and they often gave them away. Hilo, for instance, had 20 or 30 places that I can remember where vandas were used for landscaping.

kbbarrett
Do they grow them in the ground, like Jags says they do in Singapore?

poln8r (Robert from Long Beach, MS)
Earl, what's the Vanda they grow in big beds in the ground for leis? I think it's a terete one.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Most were planted 'in' the groud (beds, actually, usually of stone), though sometimes high in the trees (Akaka Fall State Park, eg). Robert, that's V. Miss Joaquim. I think it's actually supposed to be Agnes Joaquim. Yes, it has teres in it. Primary from it, as I recall. I think it was Robert Warne who brought it to Hawaii originally.

marylois
Yes, V. Miss Joaquim is hookeriana x teres.

poln8r (Robert from Long Beach, MS)
We used to see some beds of it when we rode from Honolulu to the country-North Shore. Hadda get a shave ice and almond cookie at Haleiwa Store.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
My first job in orchids was taking care of a 7 acres farm of Miss Joaquim for Orchids of Hawaii, which is now out of business, I think.

kbbarrett
Earl, you make mention of hi/lo light requirements, plants killed by drought or rain. How much care (thought?) would you give to plant placement? It seems just so easy, like hanging them where you'll think they'll do OK, but is there more to it than that? In A GH you can move them into a more proper niche, some outside? Tearing roots? Other pains in the neck?

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Not really, Kathy. Just lucky but educated guesses, based on what I knew about their needs and preferences. Sometimes I guessed wrong, but no pictures of those. *G*

kbbarrett
Well, its settled, I'm buying land in Hawaii.

UncleEarl (Earl from Vacaville, CA)
Need a caretaker?

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