Encyclia Renate Schmidt (Ency. Orchid Jungle x Enc. alata), one of the few plants that survived hurricane Maria in good shape.

It bloomed very well but for some reason the flowers are paler than in previous bloomings.

Encyclia Renate Schmidt (Ency. Orchid Jungle x Enc. alata), May 2015 blooming

This plant struggled for a few years with a stubborn scale insect infestation.  Last year, thought a combination of strategies, I was able to completely rid this plant of the pesky brown scales that had stunted its growth.  The 2015 flowers are the largest and more numerous it has ever produced.  It still has a way to go before it matches the size of the inflorescences of its parents but it is getting there.

Encyclia Renate Schmidt (Ency. Orchid Jungle x Enc. alata)

It is almost a miracle that this orchid survived and grew large enough to bloom.  I brought it as a small seedling from Kawamoto orchids around eight years ago.  Unfortunately this plant went through a streak of unremitting bad luck.  At first it grew vigorously but then its media stayed too wet and it lost its roots, this was a severe set back for the orchid.  Then it had to slowly rebuild its root system, when it was on its way to recovery it was attacked by brown scales.  I removed every single scale and treated the plant with insecticide, but the scales proved to be an stubborn foe.  Finally, last year things started looking up for this plant and it produced its largest pseudobulb to date, which by normal Encyclia standards is of a mediocre size, but nevertheless it was pleasing to see the plant do some progress.  The plant produced just three flowers, this is the first to open, certainly not an impressive performance, but hey, it's a start!

Encyclia Summer Stars (Encyclia Orchid Jungle x Encyclia nematocaulon)

I brought this orchid last month in an agricultural festival that took place in the old sugar mill called Coloso in Aguada, Puerto Rico.  I was surprised to see an Encyclia among the Phalaenopsis, Cattleya and Dendrobium that are the standard fare at such activities.  The orchid had several inflorescences and this is one of the first flowers to open.  It was labeled as the clone 'Jungle Nights' but the flowers of my plant are different, smaller and not as well proportioned.  It remains to be seen if this is caused by cultural factors. 

Encyclia Orchid Jungle (Ency. alata x Ency. phoenicea)

I brought this Encyclia as a tiny seedling.  It grew vigorously and eventually turned into a large plant.  Then root rot struck and almost all the plant died.  Only a single scrawny two pseudobulb piece with hardly any roots survived the debacle.   Having learned my lesson, I potted the pseudobulbs using medium sized pieces of charcoal and a few stones so that even if the media decayed somewhat it would still remain relatively open.  The plant responded well to the repotting and has been blooming for the last two years.  This year inflorescence is larger than the one it had last year.  The plant has develop a good root system and I expect and even better blooming next year.  After I water this plant I don't water again until the media is approaching dryness.

These plants grow well in the hot coastal lowlands of Puerto Rico.  I live near the coast and the wind and humidity is favorable for these orchids.  They tolerate the worst of the dry season and, if potted in the right media, the wettest spells of the rainy season don't bother them either.  Perhaps the only thing that can be a bit bothersome is the long inflorescences which can become damaged when the wind blows strongly.