Based on my habits and preferences, which orchids do you think I can grow?

[astrid]

Hey everyone!!

All these varied orchid types is still overwhelming to me after a year.

I do very well with my phals and my oncidium type orchids (odontoglossum, brassia, etc). I love these, but in the words of Ariel, "I want more!"

I am curious about growing dendrobiums, cattleyas, miltonias, paphs and phrags, and so on.

I thought, though, that I could list my plant-keeping habits and my likes/dislikes and you guys could come up with different orchid alliances for me to delve into!

– I am far more likely to forget to water than to overwater.
– I only want to water a plant once or twice a week at the most.
–*I want a plant with flowers that last, at minimum, 3 weeks.
– I do not really enjoy miniature orchids.
– I like bigger plants (but not so huge they need to live in a bucket).

I believe that I can't grow vandas because they apparently want to be watered every day and some can get over a meter tall stack of leaves. Am I wrong?

I like miltonias, but I am under the impression that they also require very frequent waterings, which is just a hassle for me.

Is there anything I'm not thinking of that you think would be just perfect for a lazy grower like myself? Thanks, everyone!

EDIT:
I grow my plants indoors in my dorm room, and will not have a greenhouse for many years if ever.
Additionally, the humidity in my area is about 40-60% year round.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Not all Vandas grow big. Some Vandas get very large. There are a few that stay very manageable. Not all of them need to be watered everyday, 365 days out of the year. Some need to have the water decreased during the winters. Overall, Vandas need to be watered more than once or twice a week. They can be grown potted, but they still need water about 4 times out of the week to stay in good shape.

Not all Pleurothallids are miniatures. Pleurothallis titan has been reported to be 5' - 6' tall. They have beautiful heart-shaped leaves, with a nice big clamshell-like yellow flower. The drawback for you with most Pleurothallids would be that they need to be watered more than once or twice a week. A tiny few of these can grow in drier conditions, but they are miniature orchids that don't get larger than 3" tall.

Your best bet would be Dockrillia. Plants in this genus are very closely related to Dendrobiums, (in fact, they were once considered Dendrobiums). They come from Australia, and are more accustomed to arid habitats. Most species are on the miniature scale, but there are a couple species that get to be a decent size. I also wouldn't underestimate the beauty of smaller sized flowers with these guys, in a photo they might look unimpressive, but in real life, they have a charm of their own, imo.

Rupicolous Laelias, (Laelias that are found growing in rocky and scrubby, rupicolous fields in Brazil, exposed to bright sun), are tolerant of drier conditions, but they are miniature orchids that get no taller than 3" - 4". The flowers on these are not tiny. They are on the order of 2" across. Flowers are brightly colored too.

If you're looking for larger plants, Guarianthe and Cattleya are pretty nice. Guarianthe are smaller flowered than Cattleyas are, but they are showy in their own way. Cattleyas and Guarianthe would most likely need to be watered about 3 - 4 times a week depending on how fast the potting media dry out.

Guarianthe aurantiaca are orange in color, and the flowers are arranged in a cluster.

Guarianthe bowringiana are plants that have a cluster of violet flowers.

Cattleya eldorado, C. gaskelliana, C. lueddemanniana, C. mendelii are plants with a large flower.

If you're looking for unusual, Oeceoclades can be pretty showy even if the flowers are on the smaller side. Oeceoclades grow like succulents do. They are very drought tolerant, and they are sturdy plants.

Have you considered growing plants with a strong seasonal pattern? This might cut down on how much you water during the course of the year depending on the season. For example, Catasetum, Cycnoches, and Mormodes all start growing during mid-spring months and stop growing during mid to late fall.

[RJSquirrel]

indoors or outdoors?. I dont know where you growing and thats going to make a big difference.
got a greenhouse or sitting on the porch in the house? its location location location.
where and how you grow are going to be the main factors in growing what you want and figuring out what you cant.
took me 3 years to wittle down what I like and dont like and what I can and cant grow. Not much you outright cant grow but as you say if you want to be a lazy grower, that is going to limit your options.
once I got everything set up in the greenhouse, other than checking them everyday and watering them on occasion I dont find the work to be laborious at all. I think the more endearing you find the orchids the more willing you will be to spend more time with them in the future so dont limit yourself and be efficacious in your endeavors

[astrid]

Originally Posted by RJSquirrel

indoors or outdoors?. I dont know where you growing and thats going to make a big difference.
got a greenhouse or sitting on the porch in the house? its location location location.
where and how you grow are going to be the main factors in growing what you want and figuring out what you cant.
took me 3 years to wittle down what I like and dont like and what I can and cant grow. Not much you outright cant grow but as you say if you want to be a lazy grower, that is going to limit your options.
once I got everything set up in the greenhouse, other than checking them everyday and watering them on occasion I dont find the work to be laborious at all. I think the more endearing you find the orchids the more willing you will be to spend more time with them in the future so dont limit yourself and be efficacious in your endeavors

Hey RJsquirrel,

I am definitely growing indoors in a bedroom setting. I am a college student currently. To re-state my edit in the original post, I live in a climate of 40-60% humidity year round, and I don't intend to have a green house.

I have two windows in my small room, so there is plenty of light.

[Subrosa]

Dendrobium speciosum would be a good choice given your parameters. There is a wide variation in the species in terms of size, ranging from miniatures to medium sized. I personally keep D. speciosum pedunculatum which is a miniature, but other varieties get much larger. The only potential issue is that they like it cooler over the winter in order to bloom.

[Ray]

I'm going to suggest something different, and in your case, you have a "local" enabler:

Have you considered complex paphiopedilums? Theresa Hill (Hillsview Gardens) has some spectacular plants, and she's only about 20 miles south of Portland.

[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by astrid

I do very well with my phals and my oncidium type orchids (odontoglossum, brassia, etc). I love these, but in the words of Ariel, "I want more!"

I am curious about growing dendrobiums, cattleyas, miltonias, paphs and phrags, and so on.

I thought, though, that I could list my plant-keeping habits and my likes/dislikes and you guys could come up with different orchid alliances for me to delve into!

– I am far more likely to forget to water than to overwater.
– I only want to water a plant once or twice a week at the most.
–*I want a plant with flowers that last, at minimum, 3 weeks.
– I do not really enjoy miniature orchids.
– I like bigger plants (but not so huge they need to live in a bucket).

If you can provide just a bit more light (natural or artificial) than general Oncid requirements, Cattleya alliance should be ideal for you. All sizes, all colors, many fragrant. If you have an interest in species make sure to do some research about individual requirements, but most hybrids need nothing special.

[nutgirl]

The Phalaenopsis type Dendrobiums would work also if you have a large bright window.


Maureen

[CA2FLxplant]

Astrid, you said you like the Miltonias...they are in the Oncidium alliance and are grown the same way, and the Miltassias are also. Some of the intergenerics are really, really pretty!!
And if you're potting in sphag and you're indoors, it really cuts down the watering requirements.

[MrHungx]

I'm also a college student and also grow orchids in my dorm room. The humidity here in Davis, CA is usually ~40%. Miltoniopsis tend to prefer being kept slightly moist at all times. Rather than put up with frequent waterings, I repotted it in a sphagnum moss/bark mix. This medium usually dries out in about a week or slightly longer.

I absolutely love the large cattleya hybrids. These are potted in a coarse bark mix with a sphagnum moss top dressing. Cattleyas like to slightly dry out between waterings, so I usually wait a week and a half before I water them again. Keep in mind that the size of the plant, the pot size, the potting medium, and the type of plant dictates the watering needs of the plant.

I'm also not particularly fond of miniature orchids with the exception of the Oncidium Twinkle.