Or, better yet, stop in and see Katie’s skill yourself by viewing our collection of beautiful floral arrangements. In addition to providing centerpieces, corsages, bouquets and much more for weddings, birthdays, and other events, we also offer our Living Art program, which allows you to enjoy orchids in your home, cared for by us.

Stop in today!

To see video of the show, including an interview CC Orchids did with WMUR News 9, click on the link below.

If you have any questions about availability, please contact us at (603) 526-8206.

Thank you,

George and Katie Crozer

On a side note, Slippertalk is an excellent website for orchid enthusiasts, but is centered on slipper orchids.

Nows the time to treat yourplants for pests and fungi, especially those that summered outside. Ideally, pest extermination will be complete jus when the greenhouse, or growing area, is finalized for winter. If you live in warmer climates, this will be an ongoing process as plants that are exposed to the outdoors, even through open vents and windows, can contract nasty things.

Lastly, fall is a great time to get caught up on other gardening chores, especially neglected ones. While you are enjoying the foliage, or merely the cooler temperatures, look forward to the wonderful orchid blooms awaiting you this fall/winter. That should be your reward for the time spent caring for the orchids over the long summer.

Pot. Crozer's Royal Wizard 'P'U Yi'

Now is the time to start checking your plants for insects and fungi. Spray your plants before bringing them inside for the Fall/Winter, that way any plants inside will not also get an infestation. Also, remeber to leave you cool lovers like Cymbidiums outside until the nights get into the 40′s F.

I’ll be speaking on September 12th, 2009 at the North Shore Orchid Society open house. Stop by for a visit!

I will be discussing CITES and how it is working to destroy native orchid species worldwide over the next several blog posts. For more in depth discussions of CITES please stay tuned!

I’d like to address a rather pernicious rumor that I encounter on a far too regular basis: that an ice cube or two per week is sufficient water for an orchid. This rumor usually pertains to Phalaenopsis orchids, and according to one client is even printed on the tag’s growing instructions. In my opinion, this is TERRIBLE advice and should not be given out. In my mind, this would be similar to giving one or two ice cubes per week to someone dying of thirst. It seems to me that perhaps this myth is perpetuated by those who benefit most by having orchid plants become “throw away” plants.

Orchids are, indeed, like fine wine. They get better with age. More flowers, more spikes, and more growth, is what can be expected by a mature thriving orchid plant. If you want to get the best possible results from your orchids, it is imperative that a grower follows certain guidelines. The “ice cube” trick does not meet, in my opinion, even the most basic cultural practices for orchids. Please if you practice this method, or know someone who does, please correct the way they care for the plants.

Proper Watering: Depending on humidity levels, your watering schedule will vary. I recommend watering once the medium becomes 85% dry. In other words, when the plants have almost dried out is the proper time to water. For us, in our greenhouse, that means every 4 or 5 days. We water around the sides of the plant, never over the top for Phaleonopsis as it may cause crown rot, until water is streaming out the bottom of the pot.

    

     About this time of the growing season, you may notice that your Paphs (Lady Slippers) may seem to be pushing themselves up in the planting medium. This is a sign that it is time to repot. Don’t be afraid, this is the right time of year. The plants should be in their growth cycle and a repot will give them a chance to get acclimated prior to fall/winter. Be careful though, causing an abrasion to emerging root tips may cause the tip to fail.

     Other orchids should be showing signs that they are ready for a repot. Exposed roots on Phals. and Cats. mean that they need to find medium and moisture. Take the time to repot now, trimming away dead roots, and potting so that the roots will be in the medium. This is the first step in getting your plants ready for their next bloom cycle.

     Don’t forget to lightly fertilize now while plants are growing!

Also, we are starting to see a lot of spiking on the Paph. table. One of my favorite plants from my collection, is Paph. concolor var. hennisianum. This is a loevly species that take generally the same care as other paphs. It is ver importatn for Paph. concolor to have good water, as it is very intolerant of salt buildups in the medium. To prevent this from happening during waterings, look at the pots of other plants. if there is a buldup at he bottom of the pot, water your concolor and an hour later water it again with rainwater or something fairly lite. If fertilizing, use only 1/2 recommended dose and remember to water thoroughly an hour later to leach out potential salts.

Paph. concolor var. hennisianum