Wow, Clara, that is a 'hunk'!!! I have the most miserable sesquip possibly in existence, so I'll be watching your thread for perhaps some assistance in bringing him back. I'll look forward to seeing the blooms of this plant.

Happy growing. Sheila :)

Sheila
What happened to your "Handsome Boy"?

I have tried off and on to find decent info. There is not an abundance of info out there yet for Ang hybrid culture. The only thing I have been able to see from baker's is that they like catt light and don't need a big temp swing like my Spanish guys do. Mid-Upper 70's in winter and Mid 60's at night for sesquip. Fat Boy handled upper 80"-90 without any problems. Actually now that I think about it, the weather was cooler the 1st part of our summer. When it heated up, that's when "Fat Boy" started going nuts. He doesn;t look like he has been previously bloomed. That scares me too. I hope is isn't a "problem child".

I have always been a little scared of him so I let him be until the roots started taking off. Then MB's voice kicked in, "Go by the roots". Even at that, I have been really conservative (for me) with water. A long run through when I do water. He was under a spider palm all summer but took some good light and heat. At best he got watered maybe twice a week outdoors. (concerned about the media)

I am also wondering when to start reducing water? How do I know he is finished making roots? (I see not yet) I wonder if root production just stops 1 day? I remember MB saying when they are not in active root growth to lighten up on the water. Not sure about that either. Let them go dry like a lycaste? Hopefully MB & others will help us out.

Clara

No, not totally dry. Basically what happens is, it stops raining where they live. For a couple months or so, at various times of year, it just stops raining and so the plants go into a 'rest' period. While they may not get drenched with water, they DO still get morning mist/dew/fog. So the problem is trying to strike that balance. If you can manage to mist/fog in the mornings during dry periods, more power to you. But for most, it translates to watering less. Some Angs you can actually go by the leaves and withhold water until the leaves start to shrivel a bit. I'm too much of an over-waterer to do that...so far. Leonis is one that can take significant drying.

I don't have a veitchii so I can't say much about that side of the parentage. I've seen photos of sesquipedale growing on fallen, rotting, logs. So I really wouldn't be too worried about the breakdown of media, it may be just what the Dr. ordered! (but i really don't know...wild vs. cultivated ...who knows??). I think it's smart to avoid bothering the roots by repotting. If you have to, cut away most of the pot and just pot up.

What should I being doing (or not) from now until Bloom time?
Answer: getting more Angs
What should I do for culture after bloom?
Answer: follow the roots, cooler and drier in the winter
How much does one cut back on water when he is not growing new tenticles?
Answer: it all depends on many factors. Significantly.
What should the run time for the cfl's be? Decrease time or stay steady?
Answer: go from a max of 16 hours in July to a min of 12 in late December or so, with gradual increases or decreases
What should I expect in terms of flowers if I get it right on the 1st try?
Answer: you should expect fantastic things to rain down upon you, including the respect and admiration of your fellow man, and moth.
OK, I am being presumptuous. Is he blooming size? ( Jeez, wouldn't that be a shock!)
Answer: I would think so.
What is the most common mistake with Crestwood or his parents? (besides the re-potting tantrum)
Answer: the most common mistake is assuming anyone else has one! (I don't, and i've got over 100 Angs!!) I'd guess using bad water is a very common mistake or not giving enough light.

Oh, your plant is a 'she'. :)
-MB

#1 advice is not to leave water in the leaf axils. That will kill one of these Angraecums almost overnight.

Thank you MB! Wow! Great info. It's being printed as I write.

When I got "Fat Boy", I pulled the Baker's on sesquipedale and eburneum. (Veitchii). I would guess he is more like sesquipedale.? The eburneum seems to require a bit higher temps and more water. (70's vs 80's) Maybe added to temper the plant for non-situ growing.

It seems their driest time comes Feb, - May. Is that consistent with what you see in the roots? Mine did not kick into root production cycle until august. Is he confused or maybe it was from our cool June, July?

May I ask for opinion on the spots? Do Angs freckle like other vanda-types? or is this something I should be concerned about? Its only on the under-side of the leaf

Do the roots always break out so high in the plant?
I can't cover those. I don't have god luck with roots that hang out sometimes, especially with vanda-types.
Can you tell that Crestwood is #1 on the stress list?

I am setting up for winter this week. May I also ask about placement? He is inches away from an 85w cfl. The bulb is very large and sticks out of the bell a good 6". Maybe the light is less concentrated since it does not fit into a 10" work light? This set up is placed at 10" intervals across the ceiling in a west window. (85's & 42's). He isn't burning but other outdoor summered plants did.

{{gwi:196336}}
Pardon the mess. It's temporary.

What is the most frangrant & showy Ang that does not need to be mounted?
In general, How long do blooms last?
What do Angs smell like? Perfume? Spice? Citris?
Why don't I see any evidence that this plant has been previously bloomed?
Do the blooms shoot out like Vanda blooms? (getting ahead of myself)

It's funny, my native language all flowers are boys. If they are pollinated then they are "she". I checked under his leaves, he's a boy ;-)

Clara

Clara, naughty, naughty! LOL. The Sesquip I bought at an auction, an elderly gent that passed away. Plants had been severely neglected for two years and the family kept the best ones. The rest were rescues. I bought six and four of them survived. This plant (I didn't look under the leaves!) was doing OK during the early part of the summer and I was encouraged. Then our heat hit and I was away from home for weeks at a time (family emergency out of town). When I really took notice of 'him' a couple weeks ago I was sick, all the progress the plant had made since last November was gone!!! I intend to start pampering him and see if he'll do a comeback. We should still have a couple months of nice outdoor weather. I'm now headed back to Houston for a brief stay, but will check this thread on my return.

Happy growing. Sheila :)

"I have tried off and on to find decent info. There is not an abundance of info out there yet for Ang hybrid culture." And you won't because they are a book still being written. Still, I can't believe that if you gave the 'Boy culture and care consistent for a known parent for which you do have factoids that he wouldn't survive. However, it is my suspicion that all the data you are finding is for plants grown either in their natural state or in a greenhouse. Your Chicago apartment has no connection with either of those environments so essentially you have to write your own book on how to care for them. Some guidelines: That looks like medium-large bark in that pot. Unfortunately it is a plastic pot but that need not be a deal breaker. You will have difficulty drying out that big a pot as you can see. The only choice you have is to keep the Ang so well supplied with light and heat that it is in constant growth and therefore using as much of the moisture as possible but more importantly that its various immune and damage control systems are working at peak efficiency to keep up the integrity of the plants tissues.

The latitudes that Angs are from would favor a day length around 12 hours. Year round. If your light system is bright enough to deliver enough footcandles in that amount of time for good growth then more isn't needed. The main reason we run lights 14 and even 16 hours is because (especially when using tubes) 12 hours of light would still leave us short a few thousand footcandle hours.

H

Thanks H. You know what I have for lights. I am setting up for winter now.
What config would you recommend for my Baby boy?

Are those spots burn? Does anyone know? I see a few more on the underside of the leaves this morning. I pray this is burn/freckles

I suppose I will have to get a spray bottle out (grrr) and give him a light mist on top, since he is not drying on bottom. I would hate to rot the nice bottom roots. That room is still running well over 80º in the day. Afternoons can hit near 90. Forecast has changed. The warm weather will continue for another week.

Main grow areas will be:

W window w/ cfl's only. 2, 85w's angled at the corners as pictured (that's an 85w he is under). 42w's spaced 10" apart thereafter. (Window is 44"high and 6' long recessed) I run that room at 76 in the day. With the new windows I can't yet predict what night temps will be. I used to use the sill for lycaste's & pleuros.

Would I still need a 14 hour minium run time in that area?

The 2nd area will be a 7' x7' room with no real natural light. It has a small S obstructed window. Going to be running basically 100% artificial. That room will have:
top shelves - 85/42w only hanging from the ceiling.
tube/cfl combo on the under -shelves.
Planning to do 80-85 day and 60-65 night

The 3rd area I will have will be in the kitchen. 0 natural light. It will be my hospital and display area. (mainly phals and intensive care "patients") There will not be enough light for him but it is a very warm area. I suppose I could arrange an 85w for him if I had to.

Sheila, Let me know about your "handsome boys". The only info I have gleaned is that once ses's slide they are tough to bring back. Baby those baby boys!

That new root broke through this morning. Go "Handsome Fat Boy"!!

Clara