How to save my Holcostylis?

[camille1585]

I bought a Holcostylis MS Sunlight in February. It was potted in bark, and I left it that way. As it's been looking more and more dehydrated, I took it out of the pot. Nearly all of the roots were rotten. I cleaned it up, and there is 1 good root left as well as a new one starting.

What's the best way to grow this plant? Potted in coarse bark? In a basket with no media as with Vandas?

[Pattywack]

Camille, I probably won’t be of much help but I’ll just give you my experience, so far, with a Holcoglossum nujiangense. I purchased my plant last October from J&L at a show locally. The plant looks like yours, maybe a bit smaller. I have no other experience with Holcoglossum.

Anyway, I grow my plant mounted as it came that way. It is hanging on my shelves with my Neos under t5 ho’s. I spray it daily as it dries fairly quickly. The mount is cork and there is a teenie pinch of moss hidden among the many roots. It currently has two spikes just beginning to show but has blasted once before. I hope it will flower this time. It seems happy so we’ll see otherwise I’ll move it into my greenhouse where the humidity is higher. This plant is from China.

Your plant might like to be mounted, it looks like it will survive especially with the new root growing. Was the bark it had been potted in old? I agree, it looks a bit dehydrated. I hope it will recover for you.

Here is my little nujiangense:

[camille1585]

Yours is tiny! How adorable, with those big fat roots.

I like your suggestion of mounting it. I think I have a decent sized piece of cork in my crate of orchid supplies, I'll have a look and wait to see what others have to say about it.

The bark looked rather fresh when I recieved it. I had unpotted as soon as I had unwrapped it to check the roots and they were in decent condition. I do remember thinking that the plant didn't look established at all.

[Pattywack]

Hahaha it is small! There are as many fat roots as there are leaves. Hopefully someone else will come along soon with better advice. I’ve only had limited experience with half of your plant. A basket with bark should be good as well.

[SundayGardener]

For what it is worth, I have a holcoglossum that is in tree fern, in a basket lined with loose coir fiber. The nursery told me not to change the potting medium and I haven't.

I've been treating it similar to neofinitia, which I soak (they are also in basket-coir-tree fern), except that I don't soak as long or as frequently. It doesn't like as much light as neofinitia either.

So basically I treat it like a vandaceous type orchid but with lower light (the nursery told me they had it in 70% shade) and fewer shorter soakings. It was looking great over the winter, but it does not seem to enjoy the summer. Its roots stay green for about 5 days right now after a 30-minute soak. Oddly, in the winter, it needed more soaking. But the roots HATE staying wet and they're not fond of touching things or being touched. Finicky! Right now, the neos get soaked 3-4x week and they love it.

[Fairorchids]

Holcoglossums like to grow mounted. They need lots of water during spring & summer, but significantly less water during fall & early winter.

Rhynchostylis is one of the few vandaceous orchids, that needs to dry out between waterings (it has thick leaves, and should be treated a bit like succulents).

I have about 6 of MS Sunlight. I grow them in small net pots with all spaghnum, and let them dry out between waterings.

[camille1585]

Thanks for the tips! Having run out of net pots (I used them all as Neofinetia pots) I put the plant in a plastic pot, with very loosely packed sphagnum to keep a bit of humidity. I'm not sure if I'll keep it that way, move it to a net pot once I have more, or mount it.