Beautiful but finicky orchids
With a but of guidance, orchid whisperer convinced anyone can grow the plant
Raise your hand if you have ever been gifted a beautiful orchid and then, try as you might, it subsequently died in your care after only a few short weeks — maybe months if you’re lucky.
I’ll bet many of us not-so-greenfingered folk have had this exact, or a very similar, experience with these beautiful flowering (and finicky) plants.
Yet, there are many who just seem to have a knack for making orchids happy, who know how to get stunning blooms each year and above all, keep their plants alive — orchid whisperers if you will.
Gonubie Orchid Society member Colleen Midlane is among those who know their way around an orchid’s needs, though she admits to killing her fair share of plants as well.
“It’s all a learning curve with orchids,” she says.
Her Beacon Bay home’s garden is sprinkled with orchids — growing in the trees, between pathways, in the ground. She also has two shade houses, where a wide range of orchid species thrive.
Asked how many orchids she keeps, Midlane replies: “I don't know, there must be hundreds.”
Starting her collection with a purple Cattleya orchid in 2001 after attending the local orchid show, Midlane joined the society the following year, her love and enthusiasm for orchids never faltering since.
“If smoking is an addiction then collecting orchids is a worse one,” she quips.
Midlane insists that it is possible for anyone to grow orchids. The key to the plants thriving is to try to recreate the specific orchid species’ natural habitat.
“Anyone can grow them and they can grow them anywhere. At first I was scared of them because people told me they were difficult.
“Everyone thinks you need the fancy shade cloth greenhouses, but you really don’t.
“With orchids it ’ s really all about ‘you get what you put in ’” , Midlane says.
“Most orchids need high humidity. They like growing on trees, and are less likely to get root rot when they are mounted, the ones that have been mounted have to be watered every day so it can be a bit labour intensive.
“But it really is a wonderful hobby and I love it. I have a stressful job and to be able come in here [my shade house] and just cut out everything else for a little bit is really nice.”
While pests and diseases do cause havoc, more often than not we (those of us who have not learnt the art of being an orchid whisperer) kill our orchids by accident.
Root loss or root rot due to over or under-watering is one of the main causes of orchid deaths.
Because of this, orchids often get a bad rap — one that, according to Gonubie Orchid Society president LynetteKleynhans, isn’t wholly deserved.
“Orchids are misunderstood usually. Just like Bromeliads, Hoyas or African violets, the key is to understand how the plant grows in nature,” Kleynhans says.
She says most orchids are true epiphytes, which means that in nature they grow on a tree, rather than in the soil.
An epiphyte takes no nutrients or water from the tree, it just uses it as an anchor or a mount. Most grow on a tree trunk in a high humidity environment.
“When they are sold in shops they are usually in a pot with what looks like potting soil, but on closer inspection will turn out to be fine coconut fibres or sphagnum moss.
“This retains moisture for a long time and is used by commercial growers to ensure the plants will survive the dry air-conditioned conditions of a shopfront until the plant can be sold,” Kleynhans says.
“Knowing this, you can understand that a plant which is meant to grow in the air with exposed roots can suffer quickly from root rot, especially if you water it like you do other pot plants or herbs.”
Kleynhans, who became an orchid enthusiast by chance after looking after her sister’s plants, now has a collection of over 50 orchids, all which she manages to keep happy in her Beacon Bay apartment.
Though she has less space than Midlane, Klynhans’s orchids thrive just as well.
“I can’t always keep orchids in the same way Colleen [Midlane] can.
“I don’t have many mounted orchids because watering them every day can get a bit much, but it is possible for anyone to keep orchids, even in an apartment.
“It just takes a little bit of know how and some research into the specific species of orchid you want to keep and what they like.”
Kleynhans says in many ways orchids are a bit like people.
“Generally orchids like what you like. If an area is too cold for you, it’s too cold for your orchid and the same goes if it’s too hot.”
Kleynhans says SA is home to many indigenous orchids with the Eastern Cape providing the perfect habitat for several epiphytic orchids and some terrestrial orchids.
These include epiphytes — Mystacidiumcapense, Polystachyapubescens; Eulophiaspeciosa — and terrestrial orchids — Stenoglottisfibriata; Bonateaspeciosa; Disabicornuta.
“Most orchids are found in wooded areas near river beds.
“Some grow on dunes and others on the edge of paths like Disabicornuta which was the first orchid I found on a nature walk; it was growing in a field in the sun.
“Keep an eye out in December and January — you might spot the flowers of Mystacidiumcapense — white star-like flowers — and Polystachyapubescens (yellow flowers) in the trees, ” Klynhans says.
She says it is important not to remove any indigenous orchids found growing in nature.
“They are all protected plants and cannot be removed. When it comes to indigenous orchids, most are endangered or highly endangered.”
She says the easiest orchids to keep in East London are Cattleyas.
But easy shouldn’t be misunderstood as no maintenance as these orchids still require some TLC.
“They [ Cattleyas] come from South America and you should be able to grow most of these outdoors in a tree in your garden.
“Water once a week and you will be rewarded with beautiful blooms.”
Often, the biggest mistake people make is treating orchids like any other pot plant, says Kleynhans.
“They are not like other pot plants and different species like different things, that’s why I say the orchid pot plant industry can be very wasteful.
“Hundreds of thousands of orchids are grown in nurseries all over the world and shipped, only to be bought and taken into households to die after a few months.”
She says most plants sold at a typical store are from the phalaenopsis genus which come from South East Asia — places like the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand.
Kleynhans’s tips on how to get the most out of your orchids:
• Remove your nursery or storebought orchid from the mix it comes in as soon as feasible and repot the plant in something that will allow air to get to the roots and also provide the humidity the plant requires.
• The nurseries in East London sell a bark mix for orchids — please use a fine mix, not the bark sold as top dressing. Usually we look for a bark about 3-5cm in diameter.
• Once you have your plant in the bark you can water the phalaenopsis once a week in winter and twice a week in summer. Tap water can be used if it stands overnight to allow chemicals to gas off, but rain water is preferable.
• Keep it where it gets lots of light, but no direct sun. Another thing which makes a huge difference is allowing natural air movement for the plant so close to an open window is ideal.
“Keep in mind this is general advice, there are over 100,000 different orchid species from all over the world and different environments, so if you have a different orchid your plant may require different treatment,” Kleynhans advises.
Tips for keeping orchids indoors:
You can keep any orchids indoors. There are some tropical species which require a hothouse, but most are just like us — they like nights over 12°C and days no warmer than 28°C.
Orchids like a lot of humidity as they take up all their nutrients through their roots in the air. Humid air assists them in taking in the nutrients this way. This is also why they like a breeze.
Watering:
The frequency of watering your orchids depends on what they are planted in, what kind of orchid they are and what our weather is like.
A common problem is rot — either the roots rot due to the medium it is planted in not drying out, or crown rot.
Crown rot occurs when watering the plant from the top and the water collecting in the V of the leaves.
If the water does not evaporate fast enough it can cause the top to rot. As phalaenopsis only grow from the top of the plant, your plant will never grow further.
Flowering:
Flowering of plants is triggered by various changes the plants perceive in nature signalling the change of the season.
For example, the phalaenopsis requires a definite difference in day and night temperature to signal that the plant is going into winter.
If we keep our plants in a house where the temperature does not drop much or if we have a very mild winter, then the plant never gets the signal that the season has changed and it is time to start producing flowers.
Kleynhans says SA is home to many indigenous orchids with the Eastern Cape providing the perfect habitat for several epiphytic orchids and some terrestrial orchids
A plant can only make a flower if it has strong, healthy roots and good leaves.
Often a plant kept in too shady an area will not make flowers as it cannot produce enough chlorophyll (food) due to the low light. DispatchLIVE
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Finally it’s official. A directive signed by the Judge President of the Eastern Cape, Judge SM Mbenenge, states that all court processes and documents shall be headed ‘In the High Court of South Africa (Eastern Cape Division, Makhanda’. The directive will operate with immediate effect.
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Alas, Makhanda’s (Grahamstown) erratic water supply is definitely not a thing of the past, and continues with water on the one day and off the next day, sometimes even longer.
Numerous households have water tanks with pumps attached to ensure a supply of water, but with the never-ending load shedding the pumps will not work. With this in mind it is not surprising that the water spring just outside town on the road to Stones Hill has been exceptionally busy of late. And, following recent copious rainfalls, the spring is flowing very strongly.
RIPPING UP …
No sooner had the new tar been laid in High Street, along with three other streets in the CBD, than a team of workers moved in, ripped up the new tar, and dug a trench. Hopefully the repairs will be undertaken as professionally as the recent resurfacing.
COURTING MAKHANDA FLOWING STRONGLY LIFE-SAVING FLUID FLOWS FREELY
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The monthly norm for blood collections in Makhanda by the SA National Blood Service (SANBS) is in the region of 140 to 200 units. With schools and the university back in full force, the Gqeberha–based SANBS was in for a pleasant surprise when the figures were tallied for the month of March.
Donor relations practitioner Maryke Harris was elated when she was informed that all of 323 units of blood had been donated in Makhanda during March.
It was a busy month for the SANBS’s mobile unit staff members who made no less than 12 trips to Makhanda, in addition to other centres as well as various suburbs in Gqeberha. In Makhanda, visits were made to 6SAI Battalion, East Cape Midlands College, Gardmed Ambulance Service, Dutch Reformed Church hall, Kingswood College, St Andrew’s College, the Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) and Pepper Grove Mall.
The collections in the Dutch Reformed Church hall in Hill St yielded all of 144 units.
“Thank you, Makhanda donors, you made us at SANBS very happy indeed,” said Harris.
The next visit by the SANBS to the Dutch Reformed Church hall is from 12 noon to 6pm on Tuesday, April 26.
BURSARY TO BOOST RHODES SPORT …
Rhodes University and its UK trust are set to establish the Ally Weakley Memorial Scholarship ahead of the 30th anniversary of the death of the attorney, teacher and sportsman, Alastair Weakley. He died at the hands of five automatic rifle-wielding people at Sinangwana in the former Transkei in April 1993.
As a lawyer, Weakley took on cases for the downtrodden and the dispossessed, campaigning for a non-racial South Africa.
The scholarship was established to honour his memory, and from this year the Rhodes University UK Trust is contributing to the legacy to enable talented young rugby players the opportunity to study at Rhodes while taking their place on the rugby squad. The trust has pledged an initial injection of just under R1,5-million to the fund as a launch pad for a high-profile campaign.
TRIPLE CENTURY FOR PARKRUNNER
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Despite the very cold conditions and the fact that Saturday was in the middle of a long weekend, 71 runners, joggers and walkers took to Makana botanical gardens for the weekly parkrun.
It was a busier-than-usual day for banner bearers announcing the arrival at the finish of three participants who achieved personal goals on the day.
Stavie van Aardt completed an amazing 300 parkruns on Saturday, while Manoj Harjeven and Kesentri Govender each completed 100.
Van Aardt is the first local parkrunner to reach the 300-mark, and to mark the occasion, parkrun organisers brought in two banners – one depicting 250 and the other 50.
Parkrunners nearing their particular goals are Peter Stockwell who has two to go to his 300th, Andiswa (Codie) KauleNyakotyo (149), Patrick Pringle (99), Tonderai Musarurwa (49) and Belinda Tudge (49).
Parkruns are held at 8am each Saturday from the entrance to the botanical gardens in Lucas Avenue.
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There will be plenty on offer at the Brookshaw Home fete from 9am to 2pm on Wednesday, April 27. Among the stalls will be books, pre-loved clothing, needlework, sweets, white elephant, cakes, food and plants, plus a tea garden and a jumping castle. Entrance is only from Donkin Street.
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Grahamstown Veterinary Clinic has advised that it will shortly be moving to its new premises at 18 Park Road from its current abode at 59 Fitzroy Street. The team will remain unchanged when the clinic opens its doors in Park Road on Tuesday, May 3.
FETE AMONG THE FLOWERS ON THE MOVE
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Makana Residents’ Association holds its annual general meeting at Amazwi in Worcester Street at 5.30pm on Tuesday, April 26.
RESIDENTS MEET BATS, RATS AND GIANTS AT THE BOWLS
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Entries for this year ’ s Pick n Pay night bowls league at Grahamstown Bowling Club closed this week, and the organising committee is hard at work drawing up fixtures for the tournament that runs from April 25 to May 20.
Next Monday sees the floodlit greens and banks coming alive with brightly-attired bowlers and cheering supporters. Players and supporters are permitted to down their beverages and munch burgers and chips on the banks and on the greens, supporters are encouraged to give vocal support and players can sledge the occasional wrong bias.
Great fun it has always been, but there’s the competitive edge too. Scoring points gives teams the opportunity of advancing to the final stages and the lure of prizes and local fame!
Among the ‘early-birds’ to enter this year’s event are Super Giants, Bad Boys, Karpkoppe, Old Bats, Operational Rats, Lawn Trim, GBS Mutual Bank, Kelston Motor Group, Blueberry Print, OMNE, Pick n Pay, Settler City Toyota and Venlock.
A STREET NAMED HEMMING …
In last week’s column, a photograph depicted the building site in Hemming Street where extensive alterations and additions are underway at the SA Library for the Blind. The caption mentioned that the “charming old cottage” on the property had been demolished.
It has since emerged that the cottage will be rebuilt to match the façade, roof and veranda that were demolished due to possible structural and safety risks posed on site.
While we’re in Hemming Street, let’s look at the listing of Makhanda streets and check out how the one-way street, leading from High Street to Huntley Street, acquired its name. Hemming Street was named after John Hemming, City
Councillor in 1905.
Running parallel with Hemming Street is Thompson Street, also a one-way thoroughfare. It was named after a Settler, Mr WR Thompson, who was First Chairman of Commissioners from 1837 to 1839.
LOCAL TEAMS IN GAUTENG …
Two Easter rugby festivals in Johannesburg over the long weekend were those hosted by St John’s College and St Stithian’s College, attracting participating schools from all over the country.
Graeme College took part in the St John’s festival in Houghton and on the first day’s play went down 7-10 to Helpmekaar College of Johannesburg, but bounced back quite neatly by defeating the hosts, St John’s, by 28 points to 7 on the second day.
Not too far away, by Johannesburg standards, is St Stithian’s in Sandton, and on day-one St Andrew’s College’recorded a good 29-15 win over St Alban s College from Pretoria, following it up with another victory, a one-point 13-12 win over Wynberg Boys’ High School from Cape Town.
On Monday, Graeme was due to play Welkom Gymnasium and St Andrew’s was scheduled to come up against St Stithian’s, but their results were too late to meet this column’s deadline.
VISITORS WIN ON THE HILL …
In an inter-schools’ rugby clash last week, Mary Waters High School 1sts beat home team PJ Olivier High School 1sts 31-10 after leading 17-5 at halftime.
OBSERVATIONS
During a short stroll in the Somerset Street/African Street area at the weekend the writer observed the following.
The Kowie ditch between Somerset Street and Allen Street is overgrown with weeds and grass, and really needs to be cleared and cleaned up, while large tree branches appear to have been dumped in the ditch. Not too long ago there were railings on both sides of the footbridge over the Kowie ditch near the Somerset/African intersection. One railing of about three metres in length has since disappeared, and this poses a threat to the safety of pedestrians, especially at night.
In Allen Street it was observed through a gate that the building that once housed Roman’s Pizza and before that a beauty salon, has been demolished. Wonder what is planned for that space.
Back in Somerset Street it was observed that quite a few motorists simply ignore the stop signs at its intersection with African Street and just drive through. Maybe the badly faded red and white STOP sign on a pole has something to do with it.
FIRES THAT SHOCKED …
Once upon a time, the slopes of Mountain Drive to the south of Makhanda were covered in forests – mainly pine trees – and over several decades there were numerous bush fires extending from Waterloo farm in the east to Waainek water treatment works in the west. Many of the fires caused damage to property and at least one person died up there on Mountain Drive in a wind-swept blaze. There were also huge bush fires west of the Rhodes University campus, and at one stage students were evacuated from their residences.
Down in the then Grahamstown itself there were numerous building fires over the years where millions upon millions of rands of damage was caused.
The first fire the writer witnessed after arriving in the city from Cape Town was that of a building in Bathurst Street, quite close to Church Square, back in 1963. Since then there have been several catastrophic blazes, among them the 1820 Settlers National Monument; School House at Kingswood College; Blaine’s Building at the corner of High and AngloAfrican Streets; Bon Marche Building (Lewis Stores) at the corner of High and Bathurst Streets; His Majesty’s Theatre building in Hill Street; T Birch & Co robe factory in Froude Street; and a classroom block at PJ Olivier High School.
In an upcoming edition of this column we’ll look at a huge blaze on Church Square in 1999 that devastated three historic buildings.
KEEP ON GROWING …
Each Saturday morning dozens of local runners, joggers and walkers – plus a few four-legged friends on leashes – gather at the entrance to Makana botanical gardens for their weekly dose of parkrun, a fivekilometre jaunt among the trees and plants.
In the book “Grahamstown Reflected” published in 1995, author Emily O’Meara, who has such a wonderful way with words in the publication, wrote the following about ‘The Bots’.
“The first botanical garden to be established in the Cape Colony, it started in 1853 and somehow managed to keep growing through disturbances, droughts and depressions.
“Now it is getting back to grassroots level, as the winds of change whistle through the lofty trees, towering survivors of a past era, majestic in their maturity.”
IRONMONGERY, GUNS AND AMMO
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An advertisement placed in the “Grahamstown 1964 Directory” described CJ Stirk & Sons (Stirks) on Church Square as “the leading hardware, timber and sports store for quality and friendly service”.
Seventeen years earlier, an advert placed in the “Grahamstown Guide 1947” went into more detail about the store. The Stirks ad read: “Leading retail and wholesale merchants – hardware, ironmongery, sanitaryware, enamelware, brassware, fencing, tools, paints, building material, sports goods, guns and ammunition.” Besides Stirks, there were three other hardware stores in town several decades ago. Who remembers AN White in Hill Street, and Hohman’s and Town & Country Supplies in Bathurst Street?