Inherited many orchids, need advice and identification help!

[malteseproverb]

Ooohh estacion I think you at least helped me with another one of my No IDs! It had a tag but I found it tantalizingly unreadable... now I realize it says coelogyne massangeana!

And thanks for assuring me about the humidity. I tend to fret too much about this, since I personally tend to desiccate and shrivel up below 40% RH.

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by malteseproverb

Dolly, you know I really can't figure it out! I have a few in this bunch that I feel confident about the alliance; for example the plant in the upper right corner of that pic I would guess is oncidium alliance. It too came without a tag but I would be surprised if it were something else.

Is the one I'm unsure about a... lycaste? I've never seen one of these in person.

That would have been my guess based in the way the leafless bpulbs look. However, ES is hardly ever wrong. So ES, why do you say that?

[Roberta]

Suggestion on humidity trays... if you get big plastic storage boxes from your favorite big-box store (Home Depot, Target, Walmart.. etc), and sheets of egg-crate light diffuser (1/4" holes, comes from the fluorescent light area of places like Home Depot, in 2' x 4' sheets) over the top (easy to "cut" to size by breaking along the row with needle-nose pliers) you get the effect of humidity tray as well as a place for water to drain. And cheaper than any that might have been designed as "humidity trays".
For Phrags, I put about 1-2 inches (depending on size of pot) of stones or styrofoam peanuts on the bottom, then pot in small bark. And then set in water in a little pan. If the roots are so inclined, they can grow down to the water layer, but start out above it. They do like good water.

Even though you have killed off many bugs, insects were around long before we were, and will exist when we are long gone... all you need to do is miss just one, and infestation can come back. So after all are repotted, I'd suggest following on with a systemic insecticide such as Bayer 3-in-1 (primary ingredient imidacloprid), best alternated with something else every couple of weeks for 2-3 months. I would put de-bugging ahead of light in the short term if you have to set priorities... the plants will put up with less than ideal light for awhile but you need to get the bugs knocked down so they don't either re-infect the plants you have cleaned, or anything else in your growing area or house

[malteseproverb]

I'm absolutely planning on treating them with Bayer, alternating with Telstar, biweekly for months. This, combined with aggressive repotting, is my go-to regimen that has worked in the past, but it's just too cold where I am right now to apply pesticides outdoors. And I agree that getting rid of bugs is a priority that can't wait until the weather gets better.

Gosh if it were warm right now, none of this would be an issue. I could put these plants outside on a porch and rehab them from there without lights or any of this fuss. But on the other hand, this is forcing my hand to try growing under lights, which is new and exciting.

The humidity tray hack is a good idea. I don't have a car, so it seemed easier to order something online, but I should think more creatively. I wanted to use the humidity tray primarily so that I could water in place, since I don't have a sink in my basement. Are these not typically deep enough to achieve this? Amazon.com | Humidity Tray for Bonsai, Orchids, Other Plants HT-102 H-2 1/4'' x L-26'' x W-10 1/2'' Black: Serving Trays

In other news, I just ID'd another mystery plant I got as a Prosthechea cochleata

[Dollythehun]

Here's a thought. Do you have enough plastic bags, or old shower curtain to make a tent and spray them in that? Like a spray paint tent.

That cockle shell orchid will spread wide. A basket or low wide pot might be best.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by malteseproverb

The humidity tray hack is a good idea. I don't have a car, so it seemed easier to order something online, but I should think more creatively. I wanted to use the humidity tray primarily so that I could water in place, since I don't have a sink in my basement. Are these not typically deep enough to achieve this? Amazon.com | Humidity Tray for Bonsai, Orchids, Other Plants HT-102 H-2 1/4'' x L-26'' x W-10 1/2'' Black: Serving Trays

In other news, I just ID'd another mystery plant I got as a Prosthechea cochleata

Suggestion... Home Depot has all the stuff, so you could just have it delivered. One possibility:
Sterilite 6 Qt. Storage Box in White and Clear Plastic-16428960 - The Home Depot
for the container (they have lots of others to browse)
The "egg crate" diffuser they only seem to be selling online in 5-sheet packages
23.75 in. x 47.75 in. White Egg Crate Styrene Lighting Panel (5-Pack)-LP2448EGG-5 - The Home Depot
This would hold you for a long time... but stuff is really, really useful - you can use it for outdoor shelving as well, for total drainage

---------- Post added at 12:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

That cockle shell orchid will spread wide. A basket or low wide pot might be best.

Hmmm... mine stay pretty well behaved in reasonable pots (with vertical spikes that bloom and bloom and bloom for months) Enc. radiata, on the other hand does tend to become a beast, those I whack off front divisions, pot up and donate to auctions now and then.

[Dollythehun]

Does radiata smell like rancid cat pee? If so, that's what I've got. It sprawls everywhere. Whacking sounds reasonable.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Does radiata smell like rancid cat pee? If so, that's what I've got. It sprawls everywhere. Whacking sounds reasonable.

To me it smells like wintergreen. But everybody's nose is different. Here's what it looks like.

[Roberta]

This is Enc. cochleata ("cockleshell orchid") Ok, both of them are Prosthechea but not changing tags...

[malteseproverb]

Dolly is right, it's a wild beast...

And the blooms smell like honey. It's wonderful.