September 2019

"Giant World of Miniture Orchids & Growing In Simple Setups"

Hi to all orchid lovers! To introduce myself — my name is Tomas Bajza and I am the orchid addict — I call it lover though I originally came to the USA from the Czech Republic, and settled down in hot tropical Miami, Florida some 16+ years ago. I adored orchids during my teenage years, but there were not many to see in my country at the time. My neighbor grew a few of the Paphs and Phals amongst her windows, and when they bloomed, I could just go across the street from our house to hers and stare at that window for hours! I always dreamed about growing orchids somewhere warm one day!

My orchid beginnings were funny and sad at the same time. I managed to obtain few orchid plants back in the Czech, two Phalaenopsis plants, and one Cymbidium plant. I had neither knowledge nor options to do some research (the Internet was really nowhere), so I grew as I felt. That approach was of course totally wrong. My poor Phals were over-watered constantly and kept by the window right above the

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Cypress Park Hall

1300 Coral Springs Drive

Coral Springs, FL 33071

heating, so the humidity was at zero. They must have hated me all these year as they were suffering and barely surviving, but I got at least one spike once, before they both went to the orchid heaven. My Cymbidium was even “better”. That sucker did nothing except growing leaves for years. Then I went to college and moved out of the house, completely forgetting about that plant. Once I came back home in the fall, and my mom called me outside to our courtyard. When I got there, she pulled out from behind her Oleander bush my forgotten Cymbidium with absolutely amazing long spike carrying some 40+ green waxy blooms. I was shocked, as I was not able to bloom this plant for many years. So I asked her what she did with it. She replied, “I just throw it outside behind the Oleander bushes early spring, water it with the hose when watering oleanders, and fertilize it with chicken poop when fertilizing my oleanders, that’s it!” I was laughing my ass off about my over-caring this plant for some four years with no success whilst my mother just threw it outside behind the bushes. And that’s it, she gets the blooms! Even though I am living in Florida surrounded by orchids for some 15 years, I got into growing orchid only 9 years ago, starting with the usual grocery store selling Phalaenopsis and Dendrobiums, slowly adding some Cattleyas and Vandas since these were the orchids that everyone in Florida grows! All of these were large orchids and mostly hybrids. Some 8 years ago on one of the orchid forums, someone posted about Lepanthopsis astrophora — that was the very first time I have ever seen a miniature orchid. I had no clue that such a thing even exist! I fall in love totally and completely, and immediately ordered a few. When they came, they were even smaller than I ever imagined! That was it, I’ve got bitten by a “huge” miniature orchid bug — and in the past years I was fortunate enough to collect hundreds of micro and miniature orchid species, many of them pretty rare. I am a very stubborn grower — I do not listen to anything, and I do not like the word “impossible”. I like all orchids, but I do love huge amount of cold- or intermediate-growing species. Many growers in Florida told me that I cannot grow this and that here, because it is too hot or they are too hard to grow. I do not believe any of this till I try myself and either succeed or fail! Through extended research, reading and being active on different orchid boards and in orchid groups, I’ve learned tremendously. I do not consider myself in any way orchid expert, but someone once told me that a beginner orchid grower is someone who killed less than 10 plants, advance orchid grower is someone who killed more than 100, and orchid professional is someone who killed over 1000 and doesn’t count anymore. By this yardstick, I do belong to advance growers I’ve been very fortunate with meeting and becoming friends with many international orchid growers and nursery owners. At the beginning, I bought only plants sold by the US nurseries. But in the past 6+ years, all of my orchids come from abroad. Buying orchids from the US growers is safe and the majority of the plants come nicely established. Unfortunately there are no offerings for the species that I am looking for at this stage of my growing. I was really pushed to search and start my own importing because I could not just find any of the plants I wanted to own. Imported plants are 99% bare root divisions and they need extra love and care. There is another "love" I do have, love for photography. With growing miniature orchid collection, there were endless opportunities for taking the pictures of these amazing, sometimes microscopical blooms. Posting my pictures online caused quite a "buzz" leading to invitations from various orchid societies to provide speeches for their members about growing miniature orchids and cold growing species in hot Florida environment.