nonblooming Aerides quinquerulnerum and Brassia Chiefton - Orchid Board

adinner · #1 01-24-2009, 04:21 PM

nonblooming Aerides quinquerulnerum and Brassia Chiefton

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. I bought these plants in bloom in Santa Barbara, CA in October 2006 and brought them back to Indiana. I keep them indoors in south light until June, then outdoors in an east exposure until September. They have not bloomed again,

but the aerides, in particular, does seem to be growing. What should I do to get them to bloom?:

Roly0217 · #2 01-24-2009, 05:30 PM

Hello adinner !!! Please tell us about your watering and fertilizing regime. Aerides is in the vanda family and they are heavy feeders and sun lovers. I've got 2 of them with my vandas and they are growing fast. They like warmer weather and not direct midday sun but they could get strong morning and afternoon sun. As far as the brassia goes. I keep my oncidiums with the cattleyas; maybe a bit more shaded but I think that it's all in the light. East and west windows are probably the best ones to grow on or at least look for the windows that you get the most amount of sun from.

adinner · #3 01-24-2009, 05:46 PM

HI. I treat the aerides and Brassia the same with regards to light and feeding. They are both potted in rocks, so every 7-12 days I plunk them in water for 2-3 minutes. I feed about 1/month with 11-35-15 half strength fertilizer. What do you think?
thanks so much
Alan

Roly0217 · #4 01-24-2009, 06:13 PM

Hey Alan !!! How are the bulbs on the Brassia looking??? Are the a little shrivelled??? If so they need more water. I think that the rock might not be the best midium; and the Aerides needs to be watered on a daily basis. They don't have any water storing parts so they absorb only what they get when you water it. I would increase the feedings with a better balanced fertilizer like a 13-13-13 or a 20-20-20 or something similar. I know that Home Depot has a pelleted one that you can you sprinkle or mix in the midium that's 17-17-17. It's called Vigoro. Basically you are giving them a bloom booster. If you use the pellets water daily on the for the Aerides and every 5 days or so for the Brassia. If they bulbs on the brassia are too shrivelled check the roots. Do you have any

of the plants as of now???

orchideric · #5 01-25-2009, 01:47 PM

Dear Alan,

I agree with Rolando - water the Aerides daily during the summer. Not quite daily indoors unless it has lots of aerial roots. If so, go ahead with the daily watering.

Hope that helps, Eric

Lagoon · #6 01-25-2009, 01:56 PM

I can't help you're Aerides but can with the Brassia.
In late may - it goes outside. I give mine southwest lighting no shade all summer long. Keep this really well watered. Bulbs should be plump even the older ones.

I leave it out til the end of sept or until the nites go into the 60's nothing below. Normally for me it takes 2 weeks of cool weather then I bring inside and give it NO light & NO water for 7 days.

I generally see a spikes with 5 days of doing this - then it gets water and full lighting 14 hrs per day.