Any Suggestions For My Conditions?

[Mountaineer370]

I started another thread recently asking what a reasonable length of time was to give an orchid to bloom before you figured maybe it just wasn't going to bloom in your particular conditions. I understand there is no easy answer, and I got a variety of interesting and informative responses. A few of you suggested I start to look for orchids that would be most likely to do well in my conditions, and I said I would start a new thread to ask for suggestions, so here I am.

Two of my Phals are the only orchids that have ever rebloomed under my care. I'm thinking I probably do not have the right conditions to bloom oncidium types or cattleya. I don't mind sticking with Phals if I have to. I do have a few Paphs that I haven't decided if I will keep or not. They deserve a bit more time here.

So here are my conditions, which cannot be changed for a variety of reasons that I went into in the previous thread:

(1) I grow everything on my dining room table, which is in front of a south-facing window with no obstructions. There are lacy curtains I can close to dilute strong sun, but I usually leave them open. The sun shines in more directly in the winter than in the summer. Adding artificial overhead lighting is not an option.

(2) The temps in my house remain constant between day and night. Heat is on in the winter, set at 70. AC is on in the summer, set at 74. On nice days, I will open all the windows in the house in the daytime, as I much prefer the fresh air. Because the table is right next to the window, it's possible the temp drops a degree or two at night in the winter.

(3) My humidity seems to run in the 20s and 30s in the winter, and the 50s and 60s in the summer. A humidifier is not an option.

(4) Because of the very limited space, any new plants I get will have to be of the more compact variety. I'm not really attracted to true minis, but something that is about 6 to 10 inches high at maturity and doesn't spread too much would be ideal. Fragrant blooms would be a nice bonus but not required.

I know these are less-than-ideal conditions, and if the answer is I should not be trying to grow orchids, period, please don't hesitate to tell me so. I enjoy other types of houseplants, too, and everything else I've had or currently have does well here. Even the orchids do well as far as growing new roots, leaves, and pseudobulbs, just no blooms.

[katrina]

Jewel orchids! Ludisia discolor being one I can remember the name. Easy growing, shade loving, terrestrial orchids. There are others and all have beautiful foliage so they are really nice even when not in bloom.

[Ray]

I suspect the primary issue is light intensity. If the light of your direct, southern exposure isn't burning your phals, it's pretty low. You should be OK with paphs.

As to the winter, don't forget that at your latitude, the intensity of the winter sunlight is far, far less than in summer. In the summer, when the sun's incident angle is high, much of the light reflects off of the glass, rather than working its way through it, and if you have any coatings on the glass, that effect is magnified.

[estación seca]

Gesneriads: African violets, Episcia, gloxinias, Sinningia, Streptocarpus. Some are fragrant.

Some Bulbophyllum.

[Paphluvr]

Like Ray said, light intensity is a likely culprit. If I remember correctly from physics classes (a very long time ago) light intensity is the inverse square of the distance from the source. In other words, if you have a four foot wide table pushed right up next to the windowsill, the light intensity at the edge of the table furthest into the room is only about 1/16 as strong as the edge nearest the window.

I'd also be concerned about the lack of winter day and night temperature differential. Many plants need the shorter days of winter and a temperature differential in order to initiate flowering.

You didn't discuss what sort of fertilization regimen you follow.

[Mountaineer370]

Originally Posted by Paphluvr

You didn't discuss what sort of fertilization regimen you follow.

I don't keep written records for when I fertilize, but I use the MSU granules for tap water and follow a regimen of approximately weekly at half the recommended strength.