Pholidota articulata

Pholidota articulata Lindl. 1828

Common Name: The Articulated Pholidota

Distribution & Occurrence:

Eastern Himalayas to peninsular Malaysia usually seen at altitudes of 300 meters to 2000 meters

Pholidata articulata is used in Ayurveda for treating stomachache, toothache

The Plant

Cool to hot growing medium size epiphyte. New pseudobulbs arise from the apex of last years mature pseudo bulbs

Inflorescence is 6 to 11 inches with broad and brownish floral bracts. Flowers are mild musky fragrance.

Flowers once year during spring/summer.

Cultural Requirements and Nutrition

Grown in partial shade to moderate lights. prefers to be mounted. Water and fertilize during active growth and reduce watering and fertilization during winter rest.

I have mounted mine in a piece of hard wood and fertilize and water regularly during growth stage

Pest and Diseases

No specific pests or disease

Hybrids

No registered hybrids

Bloomed in Jun 2014

Thankful and grateful to my friend Arwan for sharing his beautiful plant with me.

Vanda flabellata

Vanda flabellata Rolfe ex Downey 1925

Introduction

Common Name: The Fan-Shaped Aerides. Earlier this was classied as Aerides flabellata

Distribution & Occurrence:

Western Himalayas extending upto Thailand.

The Plant

Small to medium sized, hot to cool growing epiphyte found in elevations of 300 to 1700 meters. Natural habitat is cooler and drier winters and hot and humid summers.

Flowers once year during summer (April-May) and are fragrant. Inflorescence is long with multiple flowers, which open one after the other

Cultural Requirements and Nutrition

Grow in partial shade and mounted in a plastic Vanda basket. Mist water every day and follow regular vanda culture.

Pest and Diseases

No specific pests or disease

Hybrids

Extensively used as pollen as well as seed parent.

Bloomed in June 2014

DIY Orchid Stand

DIY Orchid Stand

Placing orchid pots on the ground was inviting trouble from a variety of pests(snails/rats), pet attacks and an occational tripping over the pot while watering or checking the plants . Keeping the orchid pots on the ground was also occupiying quite an area of real estate.

I Was looking for an easier and economical way to hang the orchid pots. Orchid pots were light weight due to the materials used and hence a heavy structure was not required. I came up with this idea and has been useful to me to save space and grow orchids better. Added advantage of hanging orchid pots would provide a relatively better environment for orchids as they get aeration from all around.

First time when I constructed this, most of the materials that I used were left over from house construction. Looking at the success story, I had to buy the second and thrid time and make it slightly better.

Once the materials are available, this stand could be made under a couple of hours. Cost of the materials is around Rs. 1200-1300

Components required (1 Single Unit Stand)

S.No	Component Name	Number	Coments
1	½ Inch GI pipe 3 Feet length	6	Ensure that their dimensions are same
2	½ inch T joints	2
3	½ inch elbow	2
4	Mangalore Tile/Jalli	2 or 4	I am using 2 we could use 4 to provide better support
5	Gravel stones	Handful	For using in concrete
6	Cement	½ Kg.
7	Sand	Handful
8	Masons Trowel	1
9	Wrench	1

Step 1

Connect the T-joint to one of the GI Pipes. Use a wrench to tighten the joint

Step 2

Connect another GI pipe to other end of the T-joint. Do another set with a similar approach. We should have 2 pipes with T-Joints

Since we had used 2 * 3 Feet pipes, height of the structure would be around 6 Feet in size. The same could either reduced to 2* 2 Feet or a combination of  one 3 Feet with one 2 Feet.

Step 3

 Connect the elbow at one of the the ends of the GI pipes. I have connected an elbow at the right end in the picture.

Step 4

Now, use the remaining 2 pipes to bridge from one end of T-joint of one pipe to T-joint of another pipe and connect the the eblow joints of the 2 pipes.

Step 5

Place a old news paper on the ground, and place the mangalore jalli on the newspaper. Keep a distance of 3 Feet between one mangalore tile and another. Insert the end of the GI Pipes into the center of the mangalore jalli on both the sides and align the jalli to be in a strightline.

Step 6

Mix cement, water, gravel and sand to get a consistency  similar to that of concrete. Mix using masons trowel in ground or on a small container.

Pour the mixed concrete into the jalli and level using a masons trowel

Step 7

Finished structure should look like this

 

cure the concrete the next couple of days using water and allow the concrete to settle down for a day

Now it is time to hang the pots and use the stand