SILVER SQUILL LEDEBOURIA SOCIALIS (formerly Scilla violacea)

NOT an Orchid this one but one I simply had to own due to the similar Pseudobulbs but more importantly the stunning leaf patterns of silver and green.

Now these two specimens started out as 99p plants in 2 inch round pots and very small but as you can see from the 8 x 8 inch square pots not so now.

Now the plants live OUTSIDE in the summer in a well lit, but protected from direct sun, spot. There are no drainage holes in their pot and I literally leave them unattended, unless we go a long period WITHOUT rain in which I water them heavily.

They care not how much rain there is though this year may have been a little too much but seem to go crazy when left to their own devices?! The Aloe plant went mad too but this year did not do so well and some leaves vanished. Whether this was down to dropping leaves from being too wet or the constant rain allowed something like SLUGS to devour them I do not know.

Incidentally each plant can have a dozen flower stems or more and each with a dozen flowers. The flowering pictured below is out of the ordinary as I had brought the plants indoors which seem to spark it into a semi flowering period?!

I will remove the Aloe and the Cactus and do a soil change and let them have these pots to themselves from then on in! Be interesting to see what they will then do with new soil and much more space?!

This one potted with a Cactus. Was originally occupying one small corner.

This one potted with an Aloe plant, which has not done so well outside this year!

Spectacular foliage and really admire this plant!

Hopefully the Aloe will regrow missing leaves or pruning back is in order.

The aforementioned Orchid like Pseudobulbs.

Close up image with some new growths appearing.

Stunning leaves.

The more it spreads the happier I am!

Another close up of the plants base.

Here are its flowers and an example of Macro Photography that is surprisingly good, considering I use a Nikon S8200 Compact Camera and NOT an SLR or a Bridge Camera?! I still plan on purchases of the other two mind you!

The flowers are Bluebell like in appearance and are but 2 or 3 millimetres across.

The flowers are normally a light green with the blue stamen but at times can be more blue, not nailed down what this is down to just yet but Spring 2013 I will.

Last image shows a Dendrobium nobile cane in the background.

LIGHT METER TESTS

I mentioned previously regarding the impressive light production of Toshiba E-Core LED spot lights and I will now post some pictures to show the difference.

I used a Draper Light Meter and i know not the method of measurement as it does not quote and numbers do not tally up to Foot Candles or Lumens. Needless to say it is used primarily as a comparison of the difference in light output of the different bulbs.

Tested are both 16 Watt and 19 Watt LEDS and a 20 Watt Compact Flourescent and a 26 Watt Flourescent would not make a great deal of difference to the 20 Watt version.

REMEMBER UNDER STAIRS...NO DAYLIGHT!

6 to 8 inches from 16 Watt LED...

6 to 8 inches from 20 Watt Compact Flourescent Energy Saving Bulb, Sylvania.

60 to 8 inches away from 20 Watt Flourescent..

6 to 8 inches away from 26 Watt LED Toshiba E-Core...

6 to 8 inches away from 19.6 Watt Toshiba E-Core LED bulb, tips over maximum?!

Forgot camera flash was on for this one but makes no difference as you can see from other photos!

Now all lights WERE fluorescent previously but nowhere could I place the light meter and even reach half way on the meter scale...

But with the meter on the FLOOR under LEDs, around 18 inches, meter reads just over half way, around 400 to 500, whereas a fluorescent light set would be 150 to 180 at the same distance.

So for light loving Orchids I recommend a Toshiba E-Core Spotlight. Do not buy the 12 Watt Cree Spots as they seemed no brighter then the 9 watts while being double the size. I have 9 watt Cree bulbs and are OK but only received one ever of the 12 watt and it FAILED after two hours?!

At 2700k colours these are perfect for plants too as the red and blue frequencies I was told about is not quite correct.

ORANGE is the best light frequency, 2700K roughly. 4000K is white and above heads towards blue while below heads towards red.

BLUE is a secondary light frequency for plant growth and orange the primary. These Toshiba E-Core LEDs have certainly shown me that this IS THE CASE!!

Mosses & Lichen Growing with Orchids

Yes it IS possible and i seem to have gotten it off to a 'T' despite being neglected from time to time due to other commitments.

My Bulbophyllum echinolabium still sits there in the Moss Garden, or one of the Moss Gardens! Hopefully that will develop roots and become a new plant while accidentally breaking it of the main plant, with that being only its third bulb and first one since I had it hence may self hatred after doing it, resulted in the main plant going a bit mad. It then produced not ONE but TWO new bulbs after that so is now a four bulb plant and if this one produces roots and another bulb I would have almost trebled the quantity I have of this species?!

LMAO!!

Stunning colour and changed from the dirty orange colour it was.

Picture above is the typical lichen green, like a light mint green.

Now that these have loved and grown I must collect more and go on a little excursion. These were just small specimens I collected to see how they did. Always been fascinated by Mosses and Lichens.

Here is the little Bublophyllum bulb bathed in Autumn sunshine. Hopefully this will stir it into life at some point, fingers crossed!

Pictures of the Moss Garden the single Bulbophyllum ... errr bulb now resides. This particular vase was low and wide but with a narrow neck which i realised would allow humidity to last much longer inside. In the warmest months I place a plastic lid just to big to fall through to help the humidity remain inside.

Dendrobium victoriae-reginae 2ND FLOWERING

Here are a few CURRENT photos of my stunning Dendrobium victoriae-reginae now flowering for the second time and with TWO flowers instead of just the one previously.

These can produce SEVERAL BUNCHES of flowers with 3 to 5 in each bunch!!

I will also add a curious thing I find with the two BLUE Orchids, the other being the blue Vandas, in that light of particular importance to how the colour is perceived.

Looks more blue to look at than it does in these pictures?!

This plant I purchased from a nice chap called Ray Creek or www.raycreekorchids.com

I also have had stuff sent over from various nurseries on the continent too, mainly Germany of all places.

VIDEO of Orchid Setup

Video of my Orchids under artificial lighting by way of Toshiba E-Core LED Bulbs of 19 and 16 Watts.


Water Mister, or Fogger, was purchased from Maplin for £15 and that had LED lights on it. Think they did a LED-less one for £9.99 roughly, or did at the time.

My Two Setups Work STILL in Progress

Well I will show pictures of my two Orchid arrangements, one in the south window and the other under the stairs well away from the window.

I will also explain more about the lighting I use currently, which averages around £30 a year give or take, recently reduced from about £60 per year.

This setup was quite inexpensive as I made it out of some surprising materials and items!

 

The shades are Exo Terra Glowlights supplied by Reptile Suppliers.

The light RIG is actually an adjustable height clothing rack I found and turned on its side and supported in place by the shelf underneath the table top?!

 

 

Below is my Bulbophyllum echinolabium I have moved out of a 'handmade in Poland' glass vase I do not trust as the other I bought, both from TK Maxx, exploded in my hand with no force whatsoever.

 

 

The big central glass vase is of high quality and intended to have a Blue Vanda hybrid in it, like a Sansai Blue, Delft Blue or New Blue but as yet I have not acquired one!

 

 

 

I failed to notice the previous photos were older ones and this setup now looks like this...

 

 

 

 

In the Moss Garden is the Bulbphyllum err bulb I knocked off, hopefully it will produce roots and become another plant?! No idea but it has remained like this for 6 months!

 

 

 

Some lichen I placed in the humidity tray in the setup beneath the stairs and seems to live there happily!

 

 

 

Back the the setup under the stairs..