NEW HYBRIDS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2013

New hybrids registered for the month of November.

 Phalaenopsis E.L.A. Benz

(Phal Michael Chamorro x Phal Valentinii)

This star-shaped flower measures 3 x 3.5 cm. Petals and sepals are chilli red in colour. The column is light yellow and the side-lopes are of a darker yellow colour. The lip is pink.

This hybrid was donated to ICM Ministry (International Care Ministry) as a blind auction to raise funds for the poor in the Phillippines in a banquet held on the 10 October 2013 in Hongkong. The naming rights for this hybrid drew 40 bids and was finally won by Me Michael Benz with a bid of HKD40,000. 

For further information please go to the following link:
www.caremin.com/events/2013hkbanquet

Phalaenopsis Chin Peng Sung

(Phal Goh Chin Chye x Phal Penang Ruby)

When I attended my Uncle Peng Sung's birthday dinner in Kuala Lumpur, I was so embarassed as I was not inform of this happy occasion and went empty handed. Although he said that our presence is more important than our present, we felt that 75 years of age is a very significant year and as such Jessie and I decided to quietly register and orchid in his name for what he represents. The bold red colour of this orchid hybrid shows his strong character, always campaigning for truth, honour, and righteous conduct. Its has been my greatest pleasure to have an uncle such as he for his caring advice and guidance.God will bless him with many more birthdays to come.

This showy orchid hybrid, round in shape, measures 6x6 cm Petals and sepals are chilly red (Tan Lee Moy type of red) with a fine greenish lining along the edges. The column is white and side-lopes are yellow whilst the lip is pink.

NEW HYBRID FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

New Hybrid Registered in July 2013

Phalaenopsis Ivan Lee Hoe Yinn

(Phalaenopsis Jessie Lee x Phalaenopsis Zheng Min Etching)

The flower measures 6 x 6 cm. Petals and sepals are dark red in colour with fine pink concentric broken lines. The column is white and side-lopes white with yellow tips. The lip is red. This showy hybrid is registered in the name of Jessie's nephew.

My New Hybrids Registered in the Month of September

 New hybrids registered in the month of August.

Phalaenopsis Rachel Rui Qi Ang
(Phalaenopsis Eleanor Loh x Phalaenopsis Soo Kee)

The flower measures 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 cm. Petals and sepals are white in colour with thick reddish-pink broken circular tesselations. The column is white and side-lopes yellow. The lip is reddish-pink in colour. This hybrid is registered in the name of my niece ( My brother's only daughter)

 Phalaenopsis Joel Zhu En Ang
(Phalaenopsis Billy Wang x Phalaenopsis Yungho Gelb Canary)

Flower measures 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 cm. Petals and sepals are yellow in colour with some white around the column. Side-lopes are yellow and column and lip are both white in colour. This hybrid is registered in the name of my nephew. (My brother's youngest son)

Phalaenopsis Joshua Zhu Ci Ang 
(Phalaenopsis Jessie Lee x Phalaenopsis amboinensis)

Flower measures 5 x 5 cm. Petals and sepals have a base yellow-green colour with thick brown broken circular lines more concentrated nearer the column. Side-lopes are yellow and column and lip are both white in colour. This hybrid is registered in the name of my nephew ( My brother's eldest son) 

Phalaenopsis Rochelle Vandyke
(Phalaenopsis Penang Jewel x Phalaenopsis Billy Wang)

The flower measures 5 x 5 cm. Petals and sepals are white with a greenish tinge towards the tips.The side-lopes are yellow and column and lip are both white in colour. This hybrid is registered in the name of my friend Terry's daughter whom I knew since  childhood.

Phalaenopsis Singapore Ruby
(Phalaenopsis Ipoh Wonder x Phalaenopsis Tan Lee Moy)

Flower measures 4 x 4 cm. Petals and sepals are dark chilli-red in colour. The column is white and side-lopes are yellow whilst the lip is red in colour. As I am a Singaporean I want to honour my country by registering an orchid befitting its status. There is a Phaleanopsis Penang Ruby, Taiping Ruby, Ipoh Ruby,and Singapore Ruby stands out both in form and colour.

My New Hybrids Registered with RHS (June 2012- June 2013)

Coconut Husk Chips

Coconut Husk Chips As a Media.

I use all kinds of media for my orchids - charcoal, fernroot, oil palm shells, wood, moss, polystyrene chips, artificial sponge chips - and I found coconut husk chips to be most suitable. Apart from being the cheapest, compared with all other types of media, it's water retention quality and light weight makes it very suitable for me as I have thousands of seedlings and matured plants to be planted. You can refer to this site for further information nregarding coconut husk chips : http://www.ehow.com/how_8623523_use-coconut-husk-chips-orchids.html

I bought pre-cut chips from Sri Lanka, Thailand and recently Malaysia but found that most of the chips are cut too fine. It is alright for pots up to 4 inch but if you want to use it for pots from 6 to 10 inch, they tend to retain too much water causing the roots to rot.

I tried sourcing for bigger chips but just cannot find them. I then decided to make my own cutter. After discussing with one of my friends from Singapore, who is a mechanical engineer, I designed a cutter made with local materials. I bought a chopper made from spring steel (Spring absorbers from cars) which is really sharp. I then sharpened it until its like a razor. I also bought a pair of right angled stainless steel brackets with pre-drilled holes.

I aligned the hole in the bracket and made a mark on the chopper after which a hole of the same size is drilled into the chopper. The chopper is attached to the brackets by a bolt and nut. This gives me the mechanical advantage in turning the chopper into a kind of guillotine to give me enought strength to cut the relatively hard coconut husk with ease into any size I want.

Using coconut husk chips as a media is good, provided certain rules are observed:

1) The chips have to be soaked in water for a few days. This is to ensure that excess salt in the husks are dissolved in the process. As most coconut trees thrive well in saline coastal areas, the intake of salt is present in all parts of the coconut and this have to be reduced by soaking in water.

2) Watering have to be controlled. The husk must be given a dry period and must not be wet all the time or else it will decompose very quickly. Once it is dry completely, watering, even in excess, will not allow the dry chips to  absorb the water competely.

3) Coconut husks decompose with time and it should be changed within a year to get the best out of it.

4) The orchid plant shoud be secured with a string when planted with coconut chips. Any excessive watering will make the chips float and this will dislodge the plant eventually.

5) The chips should be washed out periodically to prevent excessive builtd-up of chemical fertilizer. A thorough wash with lots of water and then allowed to dry should do the trick.

6) Coconut chips provide an ideal place for snails and slugs to hide. A periodical sprinkle of snail pallets (metaldehyde) will solve the problem.

Root growth is good

See how well my plants grow in coconut husk chips