Started New Year With Hi-5?

I'm curious if anybody started the New Year with a hi-5. A good hi-5 is awesome and it's hilarious when your friends hi-5 fail.

I was kind of surprised to discover that there isn't already a hi-5 competition. So for fun I created a page on facebook to try and get the ball rolling...

Hi-5 Competition

How would a hi-5 competition even work? I guess there would be two person teams. And each team would need a name. The judges would give points for style, enthusiasm, accuracy, loudness and...? How would the judges be selected?

Ummm...would each team be able to pick a song to hi-5 to? Would that be optional?

Should there be an entry fee? And the winning team gets all the money?

What about a category for random partners? For some reason I'm thinking it would be kinda interesting. We could see which two strangers hi-5'd each other the best . It would be like finding an awesome random arena partner (if you catch that reference you're a geek :D).

While I'm at it...let's consider the more or less relevant economics (haha...any excuse to talk about economics!)...

First up to bat is Kirzner!

Entrepreneurial discovery represents the alert becoming aware of what has been overlooked. The essence of entrepreneurship consists in seeing through the fog created by the uncertainty of the future. When the Misesian human agent acts, he is determining what indeed he 'sees' in this murky future. He is inspired by the prospective pure profitability of seeing that future more correctly than others do. These superior visions of the future inform entrepreneurial productive and exchange activity. The dynamic market process is made up of such profit-motivated creative acts in regard to the future. - Israel M. Kirzner, How Markets Work 

In this case, I'm the alert! :D I became aware of the fact that there isn't a hi-5 competition. So I, the entpreneur, the Misesian human agent...acted. What motivated me to act? Profit. Of course it would be nice to become a billionaire as a result. :D I'd buy a ton of acres in the southernmost part of Texas and create the closest thing to Eden in the US.

But even if I didn't make a single penny...I could still profit by all the enjoyment I derived from seeing unbridled enthusiasm at its finest...and knowing that I was instrumental in bringing that much more joy to the world.

So that's the vision which prompted me to act. But every action has an element of risk. I don't have a crystal ball...I can't see the future. Maybe it's a mistake because there won't be enough interest. Maybe it will be a mistake because there will be unforseen negative consequences. Clearly though I judged that it would be a bigger mistake not to act.

Next up to bat is John Holbo. Here's part of what he wrote during our discussion on selling votes...

Consider three ways of allocating votes.

You get more votes the longer you are willing to sit in a chair in a room for hours on end with nothing but nothing to do.

You get more votes the longer you are willing to do the downward-facing dog.

You get more votes the more you pay.

These are all potential methods of measuring intensity of preference. In some ways they are all better than the system we have got, because they all attempt to measure intensity at all, whereas one person-one vote does not. That said, they are all obviously flawed.

Resources can't be put to their most valuable uses if we don't know the intensity of people's preferences. A hi-5 can help reveal the intensity of somebody's preferences...

"Let's go on a road trip to our favorite orchid nursery!"

Enthusiastic hi-5...right?

Starting a facebook page for a hi-5 competition also indicates some degree of intensity in my preference for this particular use of society's limited resources. This is because I had to sacrifice alternative uses of my limited time. I could have spent that time trying to find orchid celebrities!

Markets allow us to decide exactly how much we are willing to give up for what we want. This accurate input helps ensure that the output will match society's actual preferences/priorities.

Next up to bat...coconuts??

Also in August 2011, the CEO of Milestone Capital, Ved Prakash Arya, was crushed and killed when a coconut palm tree fell on him in Mumbai. Following the incident, the local municipal authority resisted proposals to cut down the trees, noting, "We don't allow chopping down of coconut trees. The possibility of coconut trees falling down is very rare. The tree sustains huge wind velocity and suits the weather condition of city." - Wikipedia, Deaths by Coconut

Is hi-5'ing riskier than sitting under a coconut tree? Did you know that there are some coconut trees in the southernmost part of Texas? Lately I've been thinking more and more about starting a botanical garden down there. It would have tons of coconut palms and orchids. The goal would be to move both of them further and further north.

Is this a valuable use of society's limited resources? Is there a demand for a botanical garden in Southern Texas that's got an abundance of coconut palms and orchids growing everywhere? Would it be worth the risk of some people potentially being bonked on the head by coconuts?

An individual human life has no equivalent. But that is not to say that nothing can be ranked with, let alone outrank, a human life. The French government knows that each year several drivers lose their lives because of the beautiful roadside avenues of trees, yet they do not cut them down. Even aesthetic pleasure is (rightly) allowed to outrank a certain number of human lives. - James Griffin

How many more drivers would lose their lives if those beautiful roadside trees looked like this...or this? Perhaps it will be a moot point though when cars drive themselves.

So which would create more joy? A hi-5 competition or a botanical garden in Southern Texas? I don't know...but I think I know why orchids are so successful.

Each of their seeds represents a unique idea...and they throw a lot of different ideas out there. Each seed pod can contain a million seeds. If you throw enough ideas out there...then you greatly increase your chances of success!

The Symbiotic Relationship between Orchids and Fungus

Comment on: Orchids Are as Finicky as the Fungi That Nourish Them

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vincenzi and McCormick, I have numerous orchids growing on my Cedar tree here in Southern California. For the heck of it I sowed some orchid seeds on my tree. Much to my surprise, some time later I noticed these tiny green blobs growing directly on the bare bark on the sunny side of the tree. What was interesting was that all of the seedlings germinated within 1/2" of the roots of the orchids that had already been growing on the tree.

It stands to reason that the seeds didn't germinate farther away from the orchid roots simply because the fungus isn't capable of surviving farther away from the orchid roots. Therefore, the orchid roots facilitate fungus colonization.

More orchid roots means more fungus...and more fungus means more spore...and more spore increases the chances that some spore will land on suitable microhabitats on nearby trees...which increases the chances that the orchid seeds will germinate on nearby trees.

Imagine hurling a spaceship filled with humans through space in a random direction. What are the chances that the spaceship will hit a habitable planet? Pretty slim. You can greatly increase the chances by launching a billion terraforming drones in the same general direction before you hurl the humans.

Orchids are so successful because they are good at playing the numbers game. They help launch gazillions and gazillions of spore into space...and then send billions and billions of seeds in the same general direction.

If we want to help ensure the continued success of orchids...it would behoove us to think outside the pot.

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See also: We Need More Orchid Celebrities

Growing Orchids on Potted Plants

Reply to: Orchid Seeds Germinated On My Tree!

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Nice!!! I wish I could germinate on my trees, but that would never work in Upstate NY! - cnslr81

Sure it could work! Just bring the trees inside for the winter! In other words, use potted trees. And it doesn't even have to be trees. It can be any plant with a relatively woody surface. For example...I attached orchids to my potted Crassula...




Here's the list...

Broughtonia sanguinea, Bulbophyllum rupicola, Bulbophyllum shepardii, Brassavola nodosa, Campylocentrum sellowii, Cleisostoma arietinum, Dendrobium compactum (x2), Dockrillia cucumerina, Dockrillia linguiforme, Dockrillia wassellii, Encyclia sp (NOID mini), Jacquiniella leucomelana, Laelia sincorana, Lanium avicula, Macroclinium manabinum, Oberonia japonica, Oncidium cebolleta, Oncidium harrisonianum, Pleurothallis minutalis, Pleurothallis teres, Psychilis krugii, Sophronitis brevipedunculata, Tolumnia bahamense, Tolumnia hawkesiana, Tolumnia sylvestris, Tolumnia urophylla (x2) and Trichoceros oñaensis.

The Crassula is mostly potted in 3/4" rocks for excellent drainage. This means that the orchids are thrilled when their roots grow down into the rocks...which now have moss growing between them. Plus, I can also just place an orchid on the rocks and it will grow. Here's what I have growing on top of the rocks...

Bulbophyllum blepharistes, Cleisostoma scolopendrifolium, Sarcochilus ceciliae, Tetramicra canaliculata, Tolumnia variegatum

Maybe I'll replace most of the succulents (Echeverias, Sedums, etc) currently growing on the rocks with miniature rupiculous Laelias.

Probably the first phorophyte candidate that comes to mind is Ficus benjamina. At least here in SoCal they seem to be ubiquitous house plants. I've grown numerous orchids on a F. benjamina that I had growing in the ground. The texture on the bark is perhaps a bit better than the texture on my Crassula...so it's probably more hospitable to the necessary fungus.

But if you visit your local nurseries I'm sure you'll be able to find some potted plants that could make excellent phorophytes. Maybe it's best to find a 15 gallon tree and then cut it down to size. Fruit trees are generally pretty good choices.

Watering mounted plants indoors can be a hassle though. I've never grown any orchids inside but if I did try some mounted orchids indoors then I'd probably set up a DIY drip watering system. Plenty of orchids don't need much water during winter though. When it's warm enough you could just move the phorophyte outdoors. It would be a good idea to pot the phorophyte in quite a bit of bark to provide excellent drainage.

Even with the perfect host...the orchid seeds won't germinate without the necessary fungus. And unfortunately the necessary fungus isn't visible to the naked eye. So when you select orchids for your phorophyte...choose ones that probably have the fungus. Imported orchids most likely have the fungus. For example, orchids from vendors like Ecuagenera and Floralia are good choices. Orchids from Andy's Orchids are also a good bet.

It's always a good idea to experiment with extra divisions. This way you don't have all your epiphytes on one tree. See what I did there?

don't keep all your epiphytes on one tree = don't keep all your eggs in one basket
attach two epiphytes to the same branch = kill two birds with one stone
there's more than one way to attach an epiphyte = there's more than one way to skin a cat

What are the chances that these improved expressions will catch on? How long would it take?

Will growing orchids on potted plants ever catch on? I sure hope so!

Earlier in the year I attached Mystacidium capense and Brassavola nodosa to a potted Bougainvillea. The orchids have white flowers and the Bougainvillea has reddish flowers. When they bloom it should be like a living bouquet.

Maybe one day potted orchid trees will replace Christmas trees. They actually sometimes use Christmas lights to help protect outdoor plants from the cold.

One Echeveria Is Not Like The Others

Reply to: Not Echeveria harmsii?

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I see a lot of different plats on the Google page. Not all are E.harmsii. Some are allied species. Some are hybrids. To which actual picture do you allude?

The only illustration that really matters is that of the original type. - stephenopolis

Like I said, I was referring to the top results for the Google image search. The top results are usually more relevant than the lower results. And they look far more like the original type than the Echeveria in question.

For example, the Echeveria in the photo taken by Palmbob looks just like the illustration of the original type. The Echeveria in question looks completely different. It looks less stout, the leaves don't look fuzzy or show any color...and the flowers are a different color. I grow enough candy corn Echeverias to know that their morphology doesn't change that much when grown in shade instead of sun.

I think this might be karma. I like to give my Platycerium enthusiast friends a hard time by telling them that their dozens of bifurcatum types all look alike. They get flabbergasted and then spend 20 minutes pointing out the differences. When they are done I say that I still don't see it. Now it's just a running joke we have.

A few years ago, my bff was down for the holidays with his young daughter. The three of us went to the shopping mall with my Korean girlfriend. The girl really likes my girlfriend and they were holding hands while walking around. Something caught the girl's eye so she ran ahead to inspect it. It didn't hold her attention for long and she ran over and grabbed some random Asian lady's hand. The youngish Asian lady, who was walking with her boyfriend?, was really surprised that some little white girl was holding her hand. LOL! She stopped walking and said something to the girl. The girl looked up...and it took a few moments for her to realize her mistake. She quickly looked around and spotted the three of us laughing 10 feet behind. I'm pretty sure that I accused my bff of raising his daughter to be rayshist (a bit racist).

If I kissed some random Asian lady...I don't think my girlfriend would believe me if I told her that I thought the lady was her. haha

Do you think you can tell whether a random Asian is Korean, Japanese or Chinese? I'm better than most at telling them apart. But I can tell them apart 100% of the time when they speak.

When I went to the Huntington Gardens this last Monday...in the desert garden I heard Chinese parents saying "Xiaoxin" to their kids. It means "be careful".

My Tree Aloe Agenda

Reply to: Fuzzy Tree Aloe?

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Today when I was pollinating my Mexican Laelia orchid I noticed that its pollinia was gooey. On most orchids the pollen packets aren't gooey. The sticky substance was produced by the adjacent stigma...and somehow it flowed over to the pollen. This orchid, which is probably a hybrid, has quite frequently (always?) had seed pods on it. I've suspected that perhaps a hummingbird or bee had quickly pollinated it. The flowers are quite nice so I'm usually disappointed when they wilt away only after a couple days. This is the first year that I've tried to pollinate it...and now I know that it selfs!

The flowers had already been open for a day or two...and they were starting to look a bit wilty. It seems perhaps that its pollen might have successfully arrived at the destination. For the heck of it I removed the gooey pollen packets anyways and placed some Cattleya pollinia on one of the Laelia flower's stigma.

It's so strange that the stigma produces that much goo. It's also strange that the pollen tubes can go the additional distance.

This is kinda interesting...

An ovule is successfully fertilized by only one pollen grain out of (potentially) many thousands. If fertilization is performed at a sufficiently low temperature, the growth of chilling-resistant genotypes of pollen will be favored over others. These will reach the ovule first so that their genes will appear in the resulting seed. At no other stage of development can selection be made on such large numbers of genotypes. - Chien Yi Wang, Chilling Injury of Horticultural Crops

So all things being equal...an Aloe or orchid that blooms during winter will produce individuals that are more cold tolerant. Therefore, winter bloomers will move North at a faster rate than summer bloomers?

For the heck of it I decided to visit the Huntington a couple days ago. Remind me not to visit on the Monday before Christmas...it was packed.

Coincidentally I saw this arborescens hybrid...



It seems to be a pretty intermediate hybrid. Interestingly enough...erinacea is vaguely fluffy...but you don't really see it in the cross though. So it's not perfectly intermediate!

A few other Aloes that caught my eye...



Nice color!



I had forgotten that this is on my want list. Check out this nice shot of Aloe mawii in its habitat. Really great color! It probably greens up during the wet season but it's still pretty nice.



A cross between two winter growers. Given the vigor of Hercules...I'd definitely be interested in trying more summer/winter crosses.



Perhaps not spectacular but I definitely found it appealing. Maybe it was the nice yellow flowers and the branched flower spike. Also it's an early bloomer. Unless it's a really late bloomer?



This caught my eye even though it was pretty far away.



Some cactus because I'm a sucker for back-lighting.

I remembered that I'd also like to select for some small tree Aloes. Something that would easily fit on a table and be a perfect host for a plethora of miniature epiphytes. The closest thing that I can think of are some of the smaller varieties of Aloe ramosissima. Are there any other species that form small trees?

My Aloe tenuior is about to bloom...maybe I'll try crossing it with some of my tree Aloes. Has that already been tried?

Uhhhh, let me review my Aloe agenda...

• Red tree Aloes. Kinda like Aloe mawii but larger and red year around.
• Variegated tree Aloes. Just like Aloe ferox 'Daley Mist'
• Fuzzy tree Aloes. So fluffy they'll glow when backlit.
• Miniature tree Aloes suitable for a slew of miniature epiphytes.

Which goal is the easiest? Anybody is more than welcome to tackle any of these projects! :D

Red Tree Aloe, Variegated Tree Aloe, Fuzzy Tree Aloe

Comment on: Going straight to the top of my wish list - Aloe ferox 'Daley Mist'

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That is really nice!!  Last year I collected around half a dozen seed pods from my variegated Aloe arborescens.  One of the seedlings turned out somewhat variegated.

These are my tree Aloes that are currently spiking...africana, arborescens, ferox, thraskii, speciosa and vaombe.  Unfortunately my variegated arborescens hasn't started to spike yet!  Last year I relied on my hummingbird to do the grunt work.  The results were mediocre so this year I was planning on pollinating all my blooming tree Aloes with the pollen from my variegated arborescens.  The goal would be to hopefully create a variegated tree Aloe as nice as Aloe ferox 'Daley Mist'.

Unfortunately my variegated arborescens seems to have other plans.  Ack.  But it has some offsets getting some nice size.  I guess I finally ran out of friends that wanted it.  So in spring I'll strategically allocate them around my other tree Aloes...and water them frequently over summer.  Hopefully they'll get large enough to flower by the end of the year.  Then I should have more than enough pollen to spread around.

My other goals are a red tree Aloe and a fuzzy tree Aloe.

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2023 update

in terms of a big red tree aloe, what i have so far are some seedlings that i'm hoping are aloe africana x cameronii, for example...

for comparison, here is what i'm guessing is a pure aloe africana...

aloe africana has fairly serious spines, as does the possible hybrid.  plus both their leaves are more upright than cameronii, whose leaves also grow more densely.

Flying Pixies Sprinkling Orchid Seeds on Trees

Reply to: Next time the Native Plants Tendency starts an argument...

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All of which is very consistent with my own anecdotal experience over the past 25 years.

The hypothetical Native Plants Tendency adherent would inevitably reply with a reference to one obscure species of insect that depends upon one equally obscure species of native plant, thus missing the point entirely. But we can apparently rely upon what we see, which is that, if we grow a lot of different stuff from all over the world, the wildlife will figure out a way to make use of it. - David Matzdorf

Thanks for sharing! The subject was recently discussed/debated over on the XericWorld forum...

Bay Area Xeric Guerrilla Gardeners

...and over on the OrchidBoard...

a horribly ambitious and terribly long project

Here is an article on the subject from Stephen Jay Gould: http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/483.pdf - davidmdzn7

Excellent paper!

I've said quite a bit on the topic...but I don't feel like I've really figured out how to adequately convey my position. It seems just out of reach. Maybe it will help if I brainstorm some more!

Neofinetia falcata is an epiphytic monopodial orchid from Japan, Korea and China. As some of you might remember...Tom Velardi shared a video of it blooming on his tree in Japan. Super super cool!

Unfortunately, too many of you do not have the option of growing Neofinetia falcata on your trees. It's cold tolerant...but it's not cold tolerant enough.

Shouldn't all of you have the option to grow Neofinetia falcata on your trees? Yes...very yes.