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

[mremensnyder]

Everything I have read suggests deeply furrowed hickory bark slabs from older trees are the best (by far) substrate for ghost orchids. I have seen both Carya tomentosa and Carya glabra bark recommended for this purpose. The bark will last many years, as it is very rot resistant and will retain the perfect amount of moisture and harbor beneficial symbiont fungi and other life as well.

I was fortunate enough to attain several nice-sized pieces of Carya glabra from a member on here recently (Thank you John!), so I should be able to mount my ghost baby to the center next year. Until John helped my out, I had no luck finding an online source, and other possible sources seemed like a hassle living in the city and all.

[LinesOrchids]

We have been growing our Ghost for about the last 15 years or so...its been neglected recently but has some new growth!!

[Subrosa]

If anyone in the US is interested I have plenty more Carya glabra bark. Pm me.

[mremensnyder]

LinesOrchids,

That is incredible! What a magnificent plant. At 15, your ghost is certainly the oldest plant in cultivation that I am aware of. I just had to sit and admire the photo for a few minutes. Has it bloomed? How many times?

Since you clearly have mastered the art of keeping Dendrophylax lindenii alive long term, please share detailed info on its origins and culture. What sort of growing environment is it kept in? You must have the humidity it needs, since it is just barely on cork and mostly hanging in mid air.

Subrosa, I will definitely be contacting you within the next month or so for more of the bark slabs. The leafless I have attached to it so far, including my small ghost, have done really well.

I will be posting my 30-day update on my ghost shortly. Finally, I have managed to keep one alive long enough to get acclimated to my growing conditions.

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by mremensnyder

LinesOrchids,

That is incredible! What a magnificent plant. At 15, your ghost is certainly the oldest plant in cultivation that I am aware of. I just had to sit and admire the photo for a few minutes. Has it bloomed? How many times?

Since you clearly have mastered the art of keeping Dendrophylax lindenii alive long term, please share detailed info on its origins and culture. What sort of growing environment is it kept in? You must have the humidity it needs, since it is just barely on cork and mostly hanging in mid air.

Subrosa, I will definitely be contacting you within the next month or so for more of the bark slabs. The leafless I have attached to it so far, including my small ghost, have done really well.

I will be posting my 30-day update on my ghost shortly. Finally, I have managed to keep one alive long enough to get acclimated to my growing conditions.

Glad to hear it helped William, lmk when you need more.

[mremensnyder]

I have now been able to keep my new ghost orchid alive for a month! It did help that I started with such a robust, healthy plant and it seems to be enjoying life on pignut hickory bark. Does anyone want to venture a guess at the age of this particular plant. I am thinking 1-2 years, but it would be nice to know, so I can get a rough idea of how many years it will need before reaching blooming size. I am really eager for the one actively growing root to adhere to the bark and start growing along it.

Anybody on here with a ghost orchid should post pictures and comments so we can all compare notes.

[LinesOrchids]

mremensyner,

It has bloomed just about every year since we have had it at our facility. We are a smaller commercial grower in Signal Mountain, TN. Sometimes with more than one flower. It just hangs at the end of one of our big greenhouses near the evap cooling pads. Temp stays above 60F year round. Around 700-800 FC light and gets watered once a week...probably could use a little more water but we get quite busy doing other things. Other than that it doesn't get any special treatment.

[mremensnyder]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Glad to hear it helped William, lmk when you need more.

I need more! Just can't get over how well the leafless orchids do with the hickory bark.

My ghost is still alive 62 days after receipt. The one actively growing root seems to have grown straight into the bark. I am hoping I start to see new root tissue emerging in one direction or another from where the root grew into the bark head on.

[Joe46winks]

I would like some of the hickory bark. I have several small Ghosts growing & others in flask. I can send money for postage, book rate is best. Thanks,
Joe Himes

[mremensnyder]

My ghost orchid has been going strong now for over 3 months, currently with two robust, healthy actively growing roots (will post pictures shortly). I attribute this success (at last) to the following main reasons, perhaps in this order:

1. The pignut hickory bark: The plant never stays too wet (or too dry) and benefits from the moisture slow released by the bark slab. One of the plant's active roots burrowed into the bark and has emerged about 1/2" away and is continuing to now grow along the surface of the bark.
2. A very healthy juvenile plant to start with: The plants I had received in quick succession and failed with prior to this one were in questionable health and looked okay (one looked sick out of the box). This latest one had/has the look of a plant I would grow for a long time from the start (extremely healthy).
3. The microclimate in which the plant and slab have been kept (tall glass cylinder, usually with a piece of paper over the top), maintaining tremendously high humidity most of the time, to fairly high at the lowest. This combined with a steady diet (water on average once per day) of rain water with 1/4 MSU every watering and a high output compact fluorescent bulb with a full spectrum daylight color temperature of 6500K ($16 shipped from eBay) to increase the length of daylight for the plant to around 14 hours per day.

I am wary of ever moving the plant to an outside location since I got it right as is and even "favorable" summer conditions can be harsh and scorching, not to mention the ever-present threat of pests, especially slugs!!! I have lost numerous ghost orchids outdoors during a robust summer rainy season pattern (not to mention a hot, sunny droughty pattern, the worst) and I am not exactly sure specifically why in many cases. Too much hot sun may have been a key factor.

As a side note, regular slug hunts in the growing area really do help dramatically with the problem.

I would like to again extend a thank you to forum member Subrosa for being so kind as to provide me with the hickory bark which has been so incredibly helpful.