Has Anyone Successfully Kept A Ghost Orchid? (Dendrophylax lindenii)

[Bud]

Only seven of my most sensitive orchids and my largest Euanthe sanderiana hand carried in a sturdy large Kawamoto Orchid box(it shows the certificate clearly and no one gives me grief when they see it in the airport=they think its flowers for a wedding)....the rest can survive it all alone in my apartment but I have to drench all of them and fill up with water all the trays and vases.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Originally Posted by Bud

Only seven of my most sensitive orchids and my largest Euanthe sanderiana hand carried in a sturdy large Kawamoto Orchid box(it shows the certificate clearly and no one gives me grief when they see it in the airport=they think its flowers for a wedding)....the rest can survive it all alone in my apartment but I have to drench all of them and fill up with water all the trays and vases.

Interesting, I know these kawamoto boxes, had so many of them, true, they have all the stamps! Can you share what is your 7 most sensitive orchids? I am thinking how to set up my balcony when I leave for 7 days to California the end of September, but at that time it won't be so hot as july and august was and I think most of them can actually survive without watering, the few that will need watering at least 2x will be marked with stickers and my hubby promised to water them, although with him you never know how he will do it:-) Anyway, it is only 7 days this time, so no worried so much

[brianwstephens]

I love this one! Its so crazy that its leafless.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by TOMMYMIAMI

Interesting, I know these kawamoto boxes, had so many of them, true, they have all the stamps! Can you share what is your 7 most sensitive orchids? I am thinking how to set up my balcony when I leave for 7 days to California the end of September, but at that time it won't be so hot as july and august was and I think most of them can actually survive without watering, the few that will need watering at least 2x will be marked with stickers and my hubby promised to water them, although with him you never know how he will do it:-) Anyway, it is only 7 days this time, so no worried so much

my mounted Lepanthes nycteris(miniature)

Oeniella polystachys

Zootrophion dodsonii

Trisetella nodulifera

Stelis congesta

Pleurothallis allenii

7 days is nothing that is enough time to water the orchids as long as you drench them before you leave....besides you have high humidity in your atmosphere the morning dew alone will nourish your plants.

[DaRealKevinGibson]

Originally Posted by Bud

my mounted Lepanthes nycteris(miniature)

Oeniella polystachys

Zootrophion dodsonii

Trisetella nodulifera

Stelis congesta

Pleurothallis allenii

7 days is nothing that is enough time to water the orchids as long as you drench them before you leave....besides you have high humidity in your atmosphere the morning dew alone will nourish your plants.

You guys are REALLY KILLING a NEWBIE LIKE ME with the scientific names of these plants!!! I went on Phals.net to get some scientific names but I'm still in the dark. I downloaded some ebook torrents but I haven't read them yet. You guys need to help me REALLY UNDERSTAND what all of this means...I just discovered that my Phal "Lana Del Rey" is what is called a "Da Chien Spider Beauty" what does that even mean? What hybrid is this???

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Originally Posted by DaRealKevinGibson

You guys are REALLY KILLING a NEWBIE LIKE ME with the scientific names of these plants!!! I went on Phals.net to get some scientific names but I'm still in the dark. I downloaded some ebook torrents but I haven't read them yet. You guys need to help me REALLY UNDERSTAND what all of this means...I just discovered that my Phal "Lana Del Rey" is what is called a "Da Chien Spider Beauty" what does that even mean? What hybrid is this???

for the beginning, start with this website, if you do not know it yet:
Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia
Than, my main source is Google, there is also other forums, and tuns of books. Recently I purchased amazing Dendrobium and it's relatives, suggested by Bud, and it is absolutely awesome, I can not put it down, reading it before heading the bed every day now. That book helped me to help already others identify the orchids they had no clue what they are. Also, every single day, when I am here on the board and see or read about the orchid I have never ever heard about, I immediately Google it, check the basic info, growing conditions, and if I like it I put it on my list - but to come clean mostly I do find it and buy it immediately:-)))) By checking all the new names immediately you will learn a lot of new species and you will start to be more aware of different orchid families. Plus, you will start to spend much more money, if you become one of us, bitten by huge orchid bug! I did purchase over 70 orchids since I joined orchid board in July:-))))

---------- Post added at 12:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 AM ----------

Lepanthes nycteris is absolutely amazing, I am getting hooked, after Draculas that I can not grow, and Masdevallias with some mix success I am starting to love Lepanthes family. This one is cold growing, so not for me, but truly amazing, I do get why it travels with you! Oeniella polystachys looks to me like Vanda mix with Brassavola little bit, very cute. Zootrophion dodsonii, another amazing "space" orchid, I admire Trisetella nodulifera for quite some time as well! Stelis congesta is totally new to me, cute mini, and I love love nearly all Pleurothallis. But must say, happy to have at least someone to take the basic care for my orchids when I am gone, I can not imagine to travel with any of them, even in Kawamoto box:-) Great Care Bud!

[naoki]

Bud, thank you very much for sharing your experience. So it is possible to grow them without greenhouse. It gave me lots of ideas I should try next time.

Do they grow best when it is really hot in NYC and stop growing from fall to spring? I'm guessing that one possible cause of my failure was lack of enough heat (max of 86F). Also, I kept modifying the grow condition, which probably wasn't a good idea.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by naoki

Bud, thank you very much for sharing your experience. So it is possible to grow them without greenhouse. It gave me lots of ideas I should try next time.

Do they grow best when it is really hot in NYC and stop growing from fall to spring? I'm guessing that one possible cause of my failure was lack of enough heat (max of 86F). Also, I kept modifying the grow condition, which probably wasn't a good idea.

I don't have a greenhouse, naoki. I am a windowsill grower. Dendrophylax fawcettii don't stop growing or go dormant = I only lessen water in winter because of fear that it might rot, in fact if not for the early heatwave I could have succeeded in blooming it this year....my plant has 14 inches root already whereas it was merely 8 inches when I got it....
I do the vase culture in winter for humidity and maintain my room temperature and the fans help too....in summer it is happy because Manhattan has high humidity and heat....but I still have to spray it every morning in summers

[DaRealKevinGibson]

Originally Posted by TOMMYMIAMI

for the beginning, start with this website, if you do not know it yet:
Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia
Than, my main source is Google, there is also other forums, and tuns of books. Recently I purchased amazing Dendrobium and it's relatives, suggested by Bud, and it is absolutely awesome, I can not put it down, reading it before heading the bed every day now. That book helped me to help already others identify the orchids they had no clue what they are. Also, every single day, when I am here on the board and see or read about the orchid I have never ever heard about, I immediately Google it, check the basic info, growing conditions, and if I like it I put it on my list - but to come clean mostly I do find it and buy it immediately:-)))) By checking all the new names immediately you will learn a lot of new species and you will start to be more aware of different orchid families. Plus, you will start to spend much more money, if you become one of us, bitten by huge orchid bug! I did purchase over 70 orchids since I joined orchid board in July:-))))

Thanks Tommy!!!!

[Lia23]

Originally Posted by Bud

I don't have a greenhouse, naoki. I am a windowsill grower. Dendrophylax fawcettii don't stop growing or go dormant = I only lessen water in winter because of fear that it might rot, in fact if not for the early heatwave I could have succeeded in blooming it this year....my plant has 14 inches root already whereas it was merely 8 inches when I got it....
I do the vase culture in winter for humidity and maintain my room temperature and the fans help too....in summer it is happy because Manhattan has high humidity and heat....but I still have to spray it every morning in summers

What type of bark would be good for mounting dendrophylax? Can you advice please.