First spike ever! Rhyncostylis gigantea - with some concerns...

[SaraJean]

So purchased this Rhyncostylis gigantea from Hausermann's back in July and promptly re-potted it in a leftover wooden basket and some extra ecoweb (I wanted to not have to worry about re-potting this guy for a few years). It started throwing out roots like a champ and has been a pretty non-fussy orchid so far. I was super excited to see that this little protrusion that I assumed was a root, turn out to be a spike! It is the first time I have brought an orchid into spike, hopefully it wont be a false alarm

Now the concerns that I have are the funny little spots on this guy. They were on the plant when I unpacked it. Some of the bumps are raised, some of them are just dark spots. They are mostly at the base of the leaves and haven't gotten any worse, or any better. I did keep it away from all of my other orchids and treated it for scale, just in case. Any thoughts?

[WhiteRabbit]

Congrats on your spike!

I'm not an expert, but my Neostylis Pinky (primary hybrid of Neofinetia falcata and Rhyncostylis gigantea) gets similar spots, which so far (I've had it 3 -4 years) haven't seemed to be a problem. Hopefully those more experienced with this one will be chiming in!
(I'm going to add the species name to the thread title so that hopefully those in the know about this species will see it and chime in!)

[wintergirl]

Sometimes when an orchid gets over watered (the roots take in more than the plant can use) it gets a hard crust on the edema/over watered spot on the plant. They don't really cause a problem, they are hard and really don't change or go away.

[SaraJean]

Great! I will keep doing what I am doing and hopefully this orchid will keep chugging along. Just checked it again today and the buds seem to be more formed and there is a new leaf starting to pop out of the top. God bless 75degree winters (though I think my denrobiums might wind up being a little confused..)!

And thanks for adding that to the title, Sonya

[Fairorchids]

Rhy gigantea is a reliable winter bloomer (Dec-Feb). While temp change might have something to do with budding, I suspect change in day/night length is a greater factor.

Several of mine have similar markings; nothing to be concerned about.

[elisenote]

Funny - I just posted my first post on the 'what is my orchid' board but, since I have no posts yet it won't let me add a picture. Rhynocostylis gigantea was one of my options - but I thought mine was too small. But the plant and flower bud looks very similar to yours. But why is it called gigantea if its rather small - is this a case of 'Little John'

ee

---------- Post added at 01:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------

BTW, mine has the same dark spots but it is otherwise very healthy.

Also, is yours scented?

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by elisenote

Funny - I just posted my first post on the 'what is my orchid' board but, since I have no posts yet it won't let me add a picture. Rhynocostylis gigantea was one of my options - but I thought mine was too small. But the plant and flower bud looks very similar to yours. But why is it called gigantea if its rather small - is this a case of 'Little John'

ee

---------- Post added at 01:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------

BTW, mine has the same dark spots but it is otherwise very healthy.

Also, is yours scented?

You should be allowed to attach photos after your 5th post.

As to the name of Rhy gigantea. I do not know what inspired John Lindley to name it as he did, but it is the largest of the Rhynchostylis species.

Like most other orchids, it can bloom on young plants, but that does not mean that the plant is mature. I have two budded first bloom seedlings, which are only about 10-12" (25-30 cm) across. However, they will grow significantly larger over the next few years.

My largest Rhy gigantea has leaves, which are 12-14" (30-35 cm) long, so that plant is well over 2 feet across. It is currently in bloom with 2 spikes, it also has a mature keiki (with 2 more spikes) and two new keikis started. At this point, that plant is mature. It needs to grow for another 5-10 years before I would be able to call it 'specimen size'.

[elisenote]

Thank you Kim

Mine is already at least 8 years old - but it suffered from very poor care as I tried to figure out how to keep it. I think I have it down now and thats why it rewarded me with a flower. I shall treasure it knowing that this is just the beginning.