Trichosalpinx chamaelepanthes questions

[Paul Mc]

I've seen a few posts on here of people growing this, but I was hoping to get some details and better understanding of how to grow this one.

It came to me in a very small net pot with some bark in it, but not much. It was probably just enough bark to hold the thing in place, lol... It's about 6 inches long and I have noticed small roots all over the length of the "vine". So for all intents and purposes I am assuming it was basically grown bare-root.

My research seems to indicate it likes to be in about 2500 foot candles of light, moist and never go dry. Ummmm... I'm not sure if that is truly possible given how it was being grown and my growing spaces. Once I read this, I moved it to my terrarium where the humidity stays between 80 and 90%, a fog covers everything for about a total of three hours every morning intermittently and I have a very strong air flow in there since my previous terrarium had a serious issue with rot which I associated with lack of air flow.

My concern with how it is currently potted and where I am growing it is that once the fan kicks in and the fog is completely gone, it is dry within an hour. My other plants in pots don't usually get dry (or at least too dry) due to the pot choices I used given the stronger air flow.

So how do you grow them? What recommendations would you have for changing anything? Thanks in advance!


Paul McMahon
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[WhiteRabbit]

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

These were tough for me to grow, but I do understand this…

1. High humidity (70% - 90%).

2. Intermediate temperatures (55 F - 85 F).

3. Bright shade.

4. Moderate air circulation.

5. Do not dry out fully.

They grow like Lepanthes. If you are a wiz with Lepanthes, then these should be no problem for you.

Yes, they are vining, miniature orchids, and they should ideally be mounted. They have very sparse root systems, and each root is pretty short.

[Paul Mc]

Thanks! That's about what I concluded as well, so seems on the right path. I don't grow Lepanthes, so I guess this will be a test. LOL... Time will tell.

[Paul Mc]

As a side thought, I'm thinking about securing a bed of sphagnum moss on a piece of cork, then hanging that in the terrarium. I'm thinking that the moss should assist with keeping the roots moist, as long as I keep looping the overhangs back until filled.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I believe that a layer of moss one strand thick covering the mount should be adequate for your goals. I wouldn't overdo it with the moss. They can still rot out if kept too wet. There's a very fine line of keeping the plant moist enough and keeping it too wet.

[Paul Mc]

Thank you, and understood. Rotting was my main concern, so I will line it with one strand attached together over the cork and see if it can stay at least a tad more moist than bare root as it is now. I will post a pic once it's completed to see what you think.

[tropterrarium]

I have mine for about three years in an cool-intermediate terrarium (55-80F). Came mounted on tree fern. It now thrives in 80% humidity and at the top of the terrarium about a foot from a 4x T5 bank. It is also situated right under a Mistking nozzle, and gets thoroughly soaked every day for a minute and a half with RO water. High humidity is not enough, it needs to be soaked every day. High light is also key to flowering. I have some fans in the terrarium, but overall airflow is moderate.

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[Paul Mc]

Good info again! Thanks! My main concern with the terrarium is changing what has thus far proven to be a working time set up to keep this particular plant moist enough. So here is the mount I just constructed using cork, single strands of moss to cover it entirely, and invisible thread. The next step is to attach the plant to it.

[Paul Mc]

And here is the final mounting and resting spot, at least until my much larger terrarium arrives at the end of the month, lol...