‘Pterostylis baptistii’
‘Pterostylis baptistii’ Grand-Champion of the Show
On the 6 & 7 September 2002, I entered my plants into the Eurobodalla Orchid Club Inc. Spring Show at Batemans Bay. This being a new venue for our club based at Moruya on the far south coast of NSW. It represented a bold move to show off our Society and the Orchids that the members grew to the general public.
I, as a novice grower, did the 80 km trip north to Batemans Bay with my precious entries on the back seat, in the box were two pots of Pterostylis baptistii. The 500 mm long stems were staked for the journey, but they were still swaying alarmingly at every bump, threatening at any moment to snap off.
On arriving at the show venue, I took them with my other entries inside and placed them on their correct position on the show benches, then off home and now it was up to the judges.
I, at that time did not have any idea what the 2 precious pots of Pterostylis baptistii would bring me.
Next morning at 7 am, the phone wakes me from a good deep sleep, one of our committee ladies had rung to tell me the good news.
First thing she said was that my Pterostylis baptistii, had won Champion Native Orchid, great I said, but wait she replied, it then went onto win you, Champion Novice Grower.
Better still I said, but wait there is more she said, (Sounded like that add!) It has won you the Grand-Champion of the show.
I was speechless; nowhere in my wildest dream did I think I could win such an honor after only a few years growing orchids, this show being only the fourth show I had entered orchids into.
I had seen a few plants of Pterostylis baptistii at my very first show and liked them. On inquiring to the owner about them I learned they were an Australian Native Terrestrial Orchid.
He had only a few that he had bought up at Gosford and did not know where else you could obtain them.
As at that time I was starting to buy a few other types of orchids from Florafest Orchids up in Queensland, I checked with them and they had a flask 50 plants for $50.
Well, I thought that would give me a few to grow and maybe I could get a good one out of them when they all flowered. This flask being one of the first lot of flasks I had bought and deflasked.
My first priority was I had to deflask them, no easy task as some tubers were dormant and some were growing with tall thin stems and a long thin root. A quick phone call to John Woolfe and he reassured me they could be deflasked any time of their growth without harm or could be left until the start of March, their growing season.
This resulted in them sitting in the flask in my office for the next four months. By now I was getting more concerned as some of the growths were winding around the inside of the flask. I checked with our club President and he put me in touch with who he said was the best native orchid grower on the coast, Mr. Alan Stephenson of Nowra. Over the phone Alan gave me a quick rundown on deflasking and what type of mix to grow them in. I deflasked them and put them about 20 tubers to a 120 mm port squat pot with the recommended mix.
The plants all came up that autumn and winter; the rosette’s filled the large community pots I had planted the tubers in.
By early summer they all died off, I allowed the pots to dry out, periodically watering them only, mostly letting them remain dry. Come February this year (2002) I repotted most of them, six to a 120 mm port squat pot, in the mix Alan had recommended to me.
This mix being 50% cleaned sieved river sand with no fines, 25 % good compost and 25 % old sheoak needles, no fertilizer was added.
Come March this year I gave them a good soaking with rainwater and within a week the green heads were poking through the thin cove of sheoak mulch. I then gave them six pellets of Terra-Firma’s ‘Organic Life’ fertilizer, watered well in and from then on to flowering I only watered with no other fertilizer used.
The rest is history but my love for growing Australian native orchids had just begun, imaging a year ago that with a plant valued at $1 each I would win Grand-Champion of the Show.
On Monday the 9 of September Alan Stephenson drove the three hour trip down from his home town of Nowra, to photograph this plant for me. This being so I may enter it in the Bill Murdoch Trophy for Australian Native orchids.
The plants by now had travelled up to Batemans Bay, sat on the show bench for two days and then the 80 Klm return trip. The plants were five days older than when they were judged but still of good quality and shape to justice to Alan’s photographic skills.
The Plants horizontal measurements of the flower 55 mm, vertically 50 mm, Length of inflorescence 520 mm, Galea 30 mm across top. Galea tips free pointed 35 mm long.
Such is the great mates you make in the Orchid World, for without the help of Alan the Pterostylis baptistii may have ended up fading away in an incorrect potting mix.
I would also like to mention the help given in bringing home this plant from Batemans Bay, 80 klm away, as I was unable to go due to other commitments. My wife Rose and good friend Edna Adams struggled to get them safely into their car, it was blowing a gale and the first pot of Pterostylis baptistii, not the champ’s pot, had their tops broken off as soon as they walked out the door, such was the strength of the wind.
After searching for a box high enough to put them into, they very slowly came out of the building and put the pot safely in the car, then followed a very slow trip home as at every bump they thought the tops may snap off.
Finally a very worried and nervous Edna arrived with the plant safely at my home. Thanks Edna, if I name the plant I will call it Pterostylis baptistii ‘Edna’s Terror.’
Finally I would recommend to anyone growing orchids, give our Australian natives a try, they would be among the prettiest and easiest orchids to grow. They may be difficult to find but if you search out the nurseries and small breeders and growers you may end up one day with grand-champion of the show with a tall standing proud Aussie native orchid.
Credit for the photographs must go to Alan Stephenson.
Good Growing.
Ronald Boyd
On the 6 & 7 September 2002, I entered my plants into the Eurobodalla Orchid Club Inc. Spring Show at Batemans Bay. This being a new venue for our club based at Moruya on the far south coast of NSW. It represented a bold move to show off our Society and the Orchids that the members grew to the general public.
I, as a novice grower, did the 80 km trip north to Batemans Bay with my precious entries on the back seat, in the box were two pots of Pterostylis baptistii. The 500 mm long stems were staked for the journey, but they were still swaying alarmingly at every bump, threatening at any moment to snap off.
On arriving at the show venue, I took them with my other entries inside and placed them on their correct position on the show benches, then off home and now it was up to the judges.
I, at that time did not have any idea what the 2 precious pots of Pterostylis baptistii would bring me.
Next morning at 7 am, the phone wakes me from a good deep sleep, one of our committee ladies had rung to tell me the good news.
First thing she said was that my Pterostylis baptistii, had won Champion Native Orchid, great I said, but wait she replied, it then went onto win you, Champion Novice Grower.
Better still I said, but wait there is more she said, (Sounded like that add!) It has won you the Grand-Champion of the show.
I was speechless; nowhere in my wildest dream did I think I could win such an honor after only a few years growing orchids, this show being only the fourth show I had entered orchids into.
I had seen a few plants of Pterostylis baptistii at my very first show and liked them. On inquiring to the owner about them I learned they were an Australian Native Terrestrial Orchid.
He had only a few that he had bought up at Gosford and did not know where else you could obtain them.
As at that time I was starting to buy a few other types of orchids from Florafest Orchids up in Queensland, I checked with them and they had a flask 50 plants for $50.
Well, I thought that would give me a few to grow and maybe I could get a good one out of them when they all flowered. This flask being one of the first lot of flasks I had bought and deflasked.
My first priority was I had to deflask them, no easy task as some tubers were dormant and some were growing with tall thin stems and a long thin root. A quick phone call to John Woolfe and he reassured me they could be deflasked any time of their growth without harm or could be left until the start of March, their growing season.
This resulted in them sitting in the flask in my office for the next four months. By now I was getting more concerned as some of the growths were winding around the inside of the flask. I checked with our club President and he put me in touch with who he said was the best native orchid grower on the coast, Mr. Alan Stephenson of Nowra. Over the phone Alan gave me a quick rundown on deflasking and what type of mix to grow them in. I deflasked them and put them about 20 tubers to a 120 mm port squat pot with the recommended mix.
The plants all came up that autumn and winter; the rosette’s filled the large community pots I had planted the tubers in.
By early summer they all died off, I allowed the pots to dry out, periodically watering them only, mostly letting them remain dry. Come February this year (2002) I repotted most of them, six to a 120 mm port squat pot, in the mix Alan had recommended to me.
This mix being 50% cleaned sieved river sand with no fines, 25 % good compost and 25 % old sheoak needles, no fertilizer was added.
Come March this year I gave them a good soaking with rainwater and within a week the green heads were poking through the thin cove of sheoak mulch. I then gave them six pellets of Terra-Firma’s ‘Organic Life’ fertilizer, watered well in and from then on to flowering I only watered with no other fertilizer used.
The rest is history but my love for growing Australian native orchids had just begun, imaging a year ago that with a plant valued at $1 each I would win Grand-Champion of the Show.
On Monday the 9 of September Alan Stephenson drove the three hour trip down from his home town of Nowra, to photograph this plant for me. This being so I may enter it in the Bill Murdoch Trophy for Australian Native orchids.
The plants by now had travelled up to Batemans Bay, sat on the show bench for two days and then the 80 Klm return trip. The plants were five days older than when they were judged but still of good quality and shape to justice to Alan’s photographic skills.
The Plants horizontal measurements of the flower 55 mm, vertically 50 mm, Length of inflorescence 520 mm, Galea 30 mm across top. Galea tips free pointed 35 mm long.
Such is the great mates you make in the Orchid World, for without the help of Alan the Pterostylis baptistii may have ended up fading away in an incorrect potting mix.
I would also like to mention the help given in bringing home this plant from Batemans Bay, 80 klm away, as I was unable to go due to other commitments. My wife Rose and good friend Edna Adams struggled to get them safely into their car, it was blowing a gale and the first pot of Pterostylis baptistii, not the champ’s pot, had their tops broken off as soon as they walked out the door, such was the strength of the wind.
After searching for a box high enough to put them into, they very slowly came out of the building and put the pot safely in the car, then followed a very slow trip home as at every bump they thought the tops may snap off.
Finally a very worried and nervous Edna arrived with the plant safely at my home. Thanks Edna, if I name the plant I will call it Pterostylis baptistii ‘Edna’s Terror.’
Finally I would recommend to anyone growing orchids, give our Australian natives a try, they would be among the prettiest and easiest orchids to grow. They may be difficult to find but if you search out the nurseries and small breeders and growers you may end up one day with grand-champion of the show with a tall standing proud Aussie native orchid.
Credit for the photographs must go to Alan Stephenson.
Good Growing.
Ronald Boyd