What should I grow?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If you are interested in growing the deciduous Disas or Satyrium, I really recommend starting with Disa bracteata. I know I've recommended this species before, and I understand it may not be a spectacular orchid, and that this is pretty much considered a noxious weed, but this is the only Disa species I've had the good fortune of being able to continue growing.

I got my Disa bracteata some time last year. I grew out a small shoot from the original tuberoid I obtained, and I got a new daughter tuberoid to play with. This new daughter tuberoid had been over summered, and made it past dormancy. I'm now trying to wake it up and see if it will produce a shoot this year. From past experience, it starts sprouting around mid-winter, and continues growing into mid-spring before dying back. So we'll see what happens this growing season.

I've only bloomed a Disa once, and that was with a blooming sized plant of a red Disa uniflora, and this was not easy. I almost didn't pollinate the orchid, but luckily I did. I will have a small number of these to deflask when they are ready some time next year.

---------- Post added at 08:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:42 PM ----------

Otherwise, I really, really recommend growing Cynorkis or Stenoglottis first.

[disalover]

I've tried finding them but the thing is that the only species really for sale here are the unifloras and tripetaloides. Seed of some species are available online here, disas, satyriuma, eulophias and bonateas but I do not really trust the seed they might just be selling dust.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Don't buy seeds. I know who you're talking about, and they're for real. But I just cannot recommend this to a newbie to Disas. I'm not kidding when I say they can be excruciatingly frustrating to grow.

If you really want to, try growing a Disa uniflora. This is a more commonly grown species for a reason. I've found this one to be the easier species to bloom, but a bit more difficult to grow vegetatively.

Try growing Disa tripetaloides, I honestly find this one to be a nice one to grow. Vegetative growth on this species is aggressive. Flowering this species can be challenging enough to make you hit your head against the wall.

If you can get a hold of Disa aurata, try this one.

But otherwise, I'd really start with Stenoglottis to get accustomed to growing orchids that grow like Disas do.

I currently own a Stenoglottis woodii, I love this orchid. It is dormant right now.

I'm thinking about getting Stenoglottis fimbriata and Stenoglottis longifolia soon.

[disalover]

I have a cynorkis fastigiata and had a stennoglottis before but killed it when i thought it was dieing in the winter and gave it too much water. Later i found out it was natural but it already died.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Disas will not be any easier. They will be far more challenging.

Try growing Stenoglottis again, and get good at it. Make it come back year-after-year. They're not that hard to grow if you observe their dormancy periods.

After that, try the other Cynorkis species.

After that, try Disa. Try Disa aurata, Disa bracteata, Disa tripetaloides, and Disa uniflora.

[disalover]

Thanks, I have always wanted a disa uniflora and I'm going to buy one in the future many next year, I might order from duckitts they sell unifloras and tripetaloides. Or from exotic plant company. I will also buy a stennoglottis Venus from them.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I will impart some clues on how to grow Stenoglottis…

They like it airy. Do not grow in potting soil.

In the wild, they grow as lithophytes, much like some Disas do.

[disalover]

That's maybe another reason why it died the seller planted it in potting soil

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

All the more reason to try growing Stenoglottis again and get it right.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

@disalover: Forgot to tell you…

If you're gonna try growing Stenoglottis again, I recommend buying it right at the cusp of the orchid just about breaking out of dormancy. This way, you can repot if needed, and not disturb the orchid, all the while still giving you the opportunity to grow the orchid all throughout its active growing season.

Growing season for Stenoglottis is mid-spring through mid-fall, btw. The rest of the times it is dormant.