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You're considered by many orchids growers as one of the best, perhaps the best of Rio de Janeiro, when and how did you get interested in orchids' cultivation?

My father was the responsible person for the Binot's nurseries and we lived there. On Sunday, when he was free, he always took me to see the orchids. When I was 12, 13 years old, I started to help him, removing the weeds from the pots. At that moment, I realized that it was exactly what I would like to do in my life and here I am, I've never got away and I don't want to. I am just interested in cultivating orchids because that is what I like to do.
I stayed at Binot's nurseries for 44 years, 22 years under my father's instruction and since 1966, when he died, as the responsible person for more 22 years and I have been staying here for 8 years. Every thing I know about orchids, I learned day by day, by experience, in practice. I've never followed a course to learn how to cultivate them. 52 years dealing with orchids, every day with them and a lot of observation because plants practically tell us their needs. I have been feeling what is good for them, listening what people are talking about orchids' cultivation, learning little by little, every day along all those years. And I'm still learning and I have much more to learn yet. I am 65 years old and I think I've done something for the orchids but I guess they have done much more for me.

Could you tell us about your experience in cultivating?

The fundamental to orchids is light and ventilation, if you have those two conditions, you have, at least, half of the way done to a successful culture but feeding, sanitary cares and watering are also very important points. Concerning the ventilation, I saw experiences that showed me how important it is to the orchids.
I saw big greenhouses constructed in a wrong way, completely closed, without ventilation and for 12 years, the orchids suffered with this condition. It was a disaster. A hail broke the roof glass and immediately the orchids reacted. The greenhouses have been raised again but this time, there were openings around them, sufficient to allow the suitable ventilation. The orchids thanked and became wonderful. There was short of ventilation.

For that reason, when I was asked to come for constructing the greenhouses, I decided to make them entirely opened, not to use a brick because I realized that orchids need a very well ventilated place.





Quinta do Lago's private collection is extremely healthy and beautiful flowered, is it due to the fertilizers? Which is your secret ?

In my opinion, there is no fertilizer which can make a plant flowers without suitable light. Orchids need much light. If you take one of those orchids over the staging which blooms normally and put it beneath, beside the shade plants, it won't flower again. The fertilizer is used to make the plant stronger so it could make it to bloom best but the flowers are due to the light.
I just use Ricinus communis' bran , without any mixture in all greenhouses. There are some people who use it mixed with ash and bone dust, mainly bone dust but we don't. I've been doing it here for 8 years and did it at Binot during about 24 years. At the first 20 years, we used chicken manure but it is much harder, reek, you must collect it, put it to dry naturally by the sun, to sieve it and wait, at least 30 days, to use because of the problems of burning the roots. It is also very good and I think that it gives the same result as Ricinus' bran because both are high nitrogen fertilizer however the last one is more practical.

Could this fertilizer, spread over the potting medium, scorch the roots?

Some people have already told me that we must use it around the pot otherwise it can burn the roots. I've been using used it in this way, all this time and it has never happen, I've never seen a root burnt. I've heard some people saying it happened to them. They also said hat it would be impossible to use in hot weather but my experience shows exactly the contrary. We have some nurseries in Maricá, hot weather, where we use this with a great success. Another example, I took successfully care of a collection for long time in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, under hot weather, with this fertilizer.
And I will explain why. In my opinion, the orchids, to bloom well, need strong light, the maximum you can give to them, the maximum they can stand but when it is too strong, as we have here and mainly Rio de Janeiro, it will cause leaves scorch if they are not fertilized with nitrogen. Ricinus' bran, rich in nitrogen, counterbalance the intensity of the light. Without the nitrogen, the plant will have a poor vegetative appearance. Using this fertilizer, you can give them the high suitable intensity of the light in order to encourage a wonderful blooming and keeping them so green as ours.

Can the very thin and delicate roots orchids like Miltonia, Dendrobium, Oncidium and those which are in slabs also receive this fertilizer?

We use for all without problem.
On the slabs is harder because before the application, they need to be soaked in water in order to keep humidity. Then we put the bran, wait for half an hour to allow the product fixes and finally you hang them back. If they aren't moist, the product goes away with the first watering. If in a pot, you have l00% penetration, in a slab, you'll have between 85 to 90% because 10 to 15% is lost in the first watering.

Do you thing the performance is the same with monopodial orchids like Vanda, for example?

Yes, it works well but if they are in hang basket without any compost, it will be difficult unless you put, as I put, small pieces of tree fern inside the wood basket. We don't have Vanda here but I take care of some friends' private collections here in Petrópolis.
One of them had Vandas in wood baskets without any compost and they were extremely dehydrated. I saw the plants getting worse, yellowish, dried. I put some pieces of tree fern to maintain the humidity and to allow using the bran. Every thing changed, they sent out roots and nowadays, they have another appearance. It have been done 2 years ago so we can have an idea of the result we can obtain with this method.

Which is the periodicity and quantity of the application?

We use every three months except during cool periods. We started to fertilize on March and finished on April because the nurseries are very big and we take a month to fertilize all plants. We will start again in August. The quantity varies according to plant height, for big plant, you will spread very well a soap spoon of fine bran over the compost, a dessert-spoon to the medium ones and a tea-spoon to the small ones. After the application, you need to water to allow the product adheres to tree fern which is very dry however this watering is normal, nothing different from the usual one.

Do you use phosphorous to encourage blooming?

Nothing but Ricinus' bran, we have this blooming without using phosphorous. I don't have nothing against people who say that the orchids need phosphorous to bloom but, in my opinion, no matter the quantity the phosphorous you give, if they don't have light enough, they won't bloom. If you give them suitable light and don't fertilizer with phosphorous, they will bloom. May be you can get a longer blooming, I don't know.



I can show you an one year and half Cymbidium blooming without any phosphorous, just providing them intense light and using Ricinus' bran. It's in a very a small pot inside another one bigger to be equilibrated in the staging.






What could tell us about watering?

Well, watering is a very important factor. During this cooler period of the year, we water twice a week. Our system is entirely manual because in the same greenhouse, there are small pots (called 5) and big ones and if we have an automatic, uniform watering, we'll water every one in the same way. The day after you water, the small pots will be dry and will need to be watered again but the big ones don't, so we'll water pots which are in need and those which aren't. If the watering is manual, you can have the control and when you water the small pot, you can double or triplicate the dose because it will dry out faster. To have a automatic watering, you must unify, in one greenhouse you only have small pots and in another, the big ones.
I have been observing watering problems for long time and I see a serious trouble with the collection's care-takers I give assistance. I tell them to water more because the orchids are too much dehydrated. Three months latter, I return and have to tell them to reduce the water because they are watering too much. I told them the orchids were thirsty, they need one or two glass of water not a cistern. People don't have a notion about water quantity.
The Vandaceous orchids, for example, if you can water them, many times a day, during the hot period, they can grow in a hanging wood basket without compost. If you intend to water them only when you water the others, they will dehydrate because, in a sunny day, you water and ten minutes after, they will be dried. There is no retention of moisture. During this cooler period, the plants which are cultivated in a traditional way (with tree fern fibers) can stay three days without watering because there is moisture enough to stand all this time but the Vandaceous have to be watered, at least, once a day. If you want to unify the watering, you have to put small pieces of tree fern inside the wood basket.
Some people use to put a small dish filled with water, hanging above the wood basket in order to keep a humid environment but the plant is an alive been, if it is thirsty, it must receive water, put water beneath it isn't enough.
The water we use here is natural.

It is a great advantage, isn't it?

No doubt, the natural water is a great advantage but I'll tell an experience. I have taken care of a collection, in Petrópolis, where the water was white because of the chlorine presence and the orchids were wonderful, the blooming were magnificent. This collection started with 50 plants and finished with 3.500. For 20 years, I had the experience of watering them with chlorine water so I can say that if I can choose, I'll choose a natural water but it isn't matter that serious.

And about Catasetum which potting is considered as a problem not very well solved, you have been putting it in small slabs of tree fern, what could you tell about?

I have, indeed, put some Catasetums in small slabs of tree fern and they grow very well but I also put many in usual pots (in the same way of Cattleyas) and they performed very well too.
There is nothing different with our way of fixing it. The only thing I have experimented, but I also did it with other orchids, is to fix them in small slabs of tree fern.
When I constructed the greenhouses, I thought about utilizing the sides and for that, we have to fix the orchids in slabs or small pieces of tree fern in order to hanging them. In the same way I have done with Cattleya, I've done with Catasetum, it worked well. If you go to Maricá, you'll see them hanged, their roots climbing around the plant which is a good signal. They are very beautiful but those which are in the pots, have a good performance as well. I didn't notice any difference between which are fixed in the pot and those which are in small pieces of tree fern.
The most important point is to be careful with the watering mainly in cooler periods, it must be superficial. You must reduce a lot the watering comparing to Cattleya's need. In general, they are cultivated under a warm conditions but we have Catasetum cernuum which is originated from here. I think it is the only one, the others come from hotter environment.

And about the small and micro orchids?

You must know if it is from a shade place in the nature as Pleurothallis, in this case, you have to provide a little more shade. If it comes from a high place, as some Sophronitis which grow on the top of the trees, like Sophronitis coccinea, find a illuminated place. Sophronitis mantiqueirae, for example, grows in the lower part of the trees so it needs less light than coccinea. Isabelia requires the same conditions as Pleurothallis. Concerning the watering, when you have small pots or small pieces of tree fern (where they grow very well), you must water a little more. During the summer, you need to do, at least, a good watering a day. A bigger slab can be watered one day and stay two days without water because it takes three times more to dry out. This is observation, you realize that you have to water much more the small pot or slab. Don't forget, observation is very important.

And about pest and diseases?

You need be very careful. That is why I told before that one of the principal factors is the sanitary conditions of the collection. The orchids are attacked by tenthecoris, by the Eurythoma orchidearum, fungus, insects, snails and mites which attack and chew the roots, a small caterpillar which is terrible. Finally, they are attacked by many pests.
There are also many kinds of fungus which can attack an orchid and the leaves show their presence with dark spots and dark round blotches.
There is also rust fungus, rare but it can happen. You need to learn what you have to use to control those attacks. I use Benlate and consider it the most efficient of all. We have had some fungus here and used other products which didn't work. I used Benlate, two sprays were enough and the problem solved. For me, nothing is better. I've already read and listened to take care because if we use twice a year, we will damage or provoke orchids atrophy but I have been using for 40 years and I've never had a problem at all.
This collection which I cultivated from 1964 to 1984, with chlorine water, has finally came to us when I didn't take care of this any more. The owner died and the collection was offered to us. When we bought it, it had all kinds of problems, viruses, fungi because it has had being without a suitable care for 6 or 7 years, the person who was responsible for it, knew nothing about orchids. I felt that I needed to use Benlate and used for 10 times during a year and half and never happened with the plants. The most part recovered and those which were with viruses have been eliminated because there is nothing to do with this.

A plant infected by virus must be incinerated and how could we recognize this problem?

On the flower, it is easy to recognize because irregular light patches appear on it.
The virus' presence is more visible when the flower is colored, so it is easier to identify because the patches are white. In a white flower is more difficult because it is quite the contrary, small dark spots, black pints appear as it was attacked by fungus. Although it is harder, you can recognize by observing the plant, it becomes deformed, the foliage is restricted growth, rough. However, it blooms normally.
The virus is transmitted by contact (the knife, scissors or even the grower's hands)If someone cuts a flower's spike or a pseudobulb of contaminated plant and then he manipulates another one, it can lead to one plant contaminating another. I don't know if the possibility is of 10, 20 or 100% but there is no doubt about the transmission from orchid to other.

And about the insect you said which is the collection's nightmare?

This insect is terrific and multiplies itself in a very easy way, it attacks, put its eggs inside the eyes and the larva and pupas undermine the plant. If you buy a plant with this problem and put it in your collection without notice it, in a year you'll have all your plants contaminated.
The orchid has its self-defense, in the nature, for example, when a branch drops and breaks an eye, the plant will grow again by a dormant eye. In the case of this insect's attack, when an eye starts to grow, it attacks, the plant atrophies and defends itself, another dormant eye appears from the side, it attacks again and goes on attacking every dormant eye. The propagation of those insects is very rapid, the environment becomes quickly infected. Or you noted it, cut the shoot away and spray one, two or three times a systemic insecticide to struggle with or you will have a very serious trouble.

How recognize those attacks?

The new shoot becomes deformed since it is small, at about 2cm height. It doesn't grow up normally and becomes atrophied, very deformed, very large at the base (because the larva is inside) and thin, pointed at the top. Only the practice can make you able to identify it. You have to learn how to recognize if the shoot is robust because the plant is strong or because the plant is infected. I can't define it exactly because sometimes you have a gross shoot because it is really robust, the plant is vigorous. We can't start to cut away every robust shoot. You can identify best when the shoot has at about 2 or 3 cm height. When you see the small holes, the fly has gone and is infecting another plants.

I notice that the root system of those plants are exceptional and some of them seem to be pruned.

Well, you do a general pruning of the roots when you re-pot but you can also do a clean pruning without reppoting. It is good for the plant's wealth, it seems to thank for it.

Those roots of the pot , for example, have been cut 4 months ago. It is a superficial pruning, at about 10% of the roots' extent . Every old root must be pruned but don't cut the new, the small ones.
The orchid has an incredible facility to recover itself. Sometimes, people, when repotting, are afraid of breaking a root but it has I don't know how many roots, perhaps a hundred and if you break one it is almost the same thing to pull just one hair, there is no problem at all. When we repot, if you don't cut the roots, they will break and in this case, it will difficult to them to grow again. When we remove the plant from the pot, using a knife to run around inside the to dislodge roots that are attached to the pot, we already cut some ones. After getting out the pot , we have to cut roots off with adequate scissors and just leave 4 or 5 cm, maximum, may be not so much.
Sometimes, I try to maintain a new root in conditions to get in the tree fern without break. The new container must provide room enough to the orchid growing for 3 years. When you repot, if the plant has two segments, you have to make your decision about dividing. If you have just few plants of the species, you put the segments in different pots and in this case you have the advantage of avoiding a too much big container. If you have many, put the two segments in the same pot, you will have multiple bloomings, two or more instead of one.

Do you use some antiseptic product for treating the wound?

I've never done it. I just cut and the roots grow again. In my whole life of 52 years of cultivating orchids I've never used antiseptic product or even washed a pot to reutilize. You can see the sanitary conditions of our plants, it is, at least, reasonable.

Which are the native orchids of Petrópolis?

Sophronitis coccinea, mantiqueirae, Pleurothallis, Laelia crispa, perrinii, Maxillaria, Gomesa crispa, recurva, Zygopetalum intermedium crinitum, Oncidium, Scuticaria, Leptotes, Miltonia spectabilis, clowesii, a myriad of them. There is also Miltonia cuneata before said to be endemic to Espírito Santo.

Which Brazilian orchids are well adapted here?

Almost all of them, only those which come from Amazonas, from hot weather, suffer a lot with our weather conditions and they are hard to be cultivated here. Those which come from the northeast, like Cattleya labiata, aclandiae, amethystoglossa or even nobilior, although it comes from Goiás and Mato Grosso, all of them are well adapted to our weather. I would tell that the most part of the orchids, from every part of Brazil, grows well in Petrópolis. Concerning the foreign, like Vanda, for example, I think we can cultivate here although the weather is not the ideal, but Phalaenopsis we can't.



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