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Zusatztext "Cullina . . . is extremely well versed in his subject and a skilled writer. His lively text, with its clear instructions, will make orchid growing as irresistible to readers as it is to Cullina." Publishers Weekly Informationen zum Autor WILLIAM CULLINA, for many years the propagator at the New England Wild Flower Society, is the author of four major Houghton Mifflin gardening books. He is an ardent plant curator at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, where he is developing a world-class botanical garden. Klappentext Orchids are the largest family of plants in the world. With 30,000 known species, you could acquire a different orchid every day for eighty years and still not grow them all. Back in the realm of reality, readers of this beautiful book can quickly and easily find the orchids that are right for them -- which ones will thrive on a windowsill, which prefer artificial lights, and which need a greenhouse; which are for beginners, which for experts. And you can pinpoint the species within a particular genus that are the best ones to start with. Once you select your orchid, William Cullina's authoritative guide explains what to do to keep it alive and healthy. Featuring more than two hundred color photographs, Understanding Orchids covers everything you need to know to grow orchids successfully, whatever your level of interest or experience. With improved tissue-culture techniques making orchids more affordable, and the Internet making them readily available to consumers, growing orchids is more popular than ever: membership in the American Orchid Society has more than doubled in the last fifteen years. This is the book orchid fans have been waiting for. Leseprobe Introduction Learning to grow orchids and understand their idiosyncrasies is a true journey. The sheer number of orchid species—estimates range from 25,000 to 35,000 worldwide, not to mention some 40,000 hybrids—means there will always be new plants to explore, new friends to make. You could start acquiring an orchid a day when you were twenty and still not have grown them all when you turned eighty! No other family of plants offers us inquisitive humans such overwhelming diversity. Orchids are a world unto themselves, and I think the almost limitless potential for discovery is one key to their phenomenal popularity. Even after twenty years of growing orchids, whenever I see a new one or a particularly well grown specimen, I still get that spine-tingling, toe-tickling feeling of WOW that hooked me in the beginning. If you are just starting out with orchids, you are in for quite an adventure. How to Use This Book My goal is to lead you on that adventure, and because I am writing for orchid lovers at every level of expertise, from absolute beginner to experienced grower to expert, you may find that some parts of the book are not pertinent at this time. Here’s how the text is organized. Part One contains all of the information you’ll need to choose a place where your plants will grow well, whether on a windowsill, under lights, in a greenhouse, or outdoors. Here you’ll learn about light, temperature, and humidity, the basics of good orchid culture. I have tried whenever possible to explain concepts in a straightforward way in plain English. However, I recommend that you become familiar with some of the terms listed in the glossary, which are in bold type the first time they’re used in the text. After a while, the meaning of words like “pseudobulb” and “velamen” and “footcandle” will become second nature to you. Part Two, “Care and Feeding,” delves into the topics of watering, potting, fertilizing, and dealing with pests and diseases, as well as troubleshooting when your plants have problems. All of this information will help you keep your orchids thriving for years to come. Part Three, “Orchid Reproduction,” covers more ...
