Blooms throughout the year

[IB STRAMEZI]

Hi. I just built a 2'x4' orchid bench and hung a T-5 lighting system over it to supplement pretty dim natural light. I am new to orchids. How do I select plants now that will bloom at different times during the year? If I buy from a nursery, I'll just get varieties that bloom at this time, no?

Also, about how many plants can I expect to fit? I do have four oncidiums in a windowsill that I bought from a private party recently, and the leaves on those are quite large. Do phals and phaps grow to the same size?

Thanks.

[trdyl]

Welcome to Orchid Board!

How high above the table do you have the fixture and is the hight adjustable? Also temperature is another concern. Do you have an idea of what the daytime highs and nighttime lows are where your table is? And do you plant on putting the plants outside during favorable weather?

[Royal]

Hey IB, welcome. Paphs and Phals are much more suited to under-light culture. They will stay fairly compact when not flowering. Particular species and hybrids have more compact growth and some are known to get pretty large. How many will fit depends on how big the ones you choose will get. I bet you'll be surprised how many you can cram into a small space.

[IB STRAMEZI]

I can adjust the height of the light. Since they are an array of 4 4' T-5 tubes, I can only set one height for the entire array. Winter daytime temperature in my house is set to 68, and I would not want to go above 70. At night it can fall to 55.

[trdyl]

IB, Sounds like the intermediate temperture range orchids would be good for you. As Royal mentioned Phaleanopsis and Paphiopedilum are good. Many Cattleyas are another good choice. If you have not visited the IOSPE site yet , link below, please do there is a wealth of information about orchid species.

Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia

[Undergrounder]

Yeah Phals would suit that kind of growing well.

If you get them from a florist or a supermarket though just because they're in flower now doesn't mean they will flower every year at the same time... many are forced into bloom and sold out of their natural season.

With Phals you're likely to have most of them blooming from the end of winter through Spring, but lots of the species and hybrids close to species will flower all through the year. Give BigLeaf Orchids a go for those kinds

[quiltergal]

Many species Phals and novelty Phals bloom during the summer. Most of the Phals you would likely get at a nursery are going to be late winter/early spring bloomers. Big Leaf has an excellent selection though they are a bit pricey. If your summers don't get too hot Masdavallias do very well under lights, and most are small to compact. Paphs are also a good choice for growing under lights.

[IB STRAMEZI]

Thanks, I didn't know about Masdavallias. (There's a lot to learn, which is one of the reasons I'm doing this...) I live in the Pacific Northwest, so hot it's not. Speaking of which, has anyone patronized Seattle Orchid?