Stanhopea hernandezii - Orchid Board

smweaver · #1 07-24-2009, 03:27 PM

Three spikes so far this summer, and maybe more to come. Yippy! Yes, I'm probably getting overly excited a bit early, but I can't help myself. Not a very commonly grown orchid (well, perhaps it is in Mexico, but not here in the US). I'll post some more pictures of the buds and blooms (hopefully within the next week to ten days).

Steve

Royal · #2 07-24-2009, 03:44 PM

Steve,

I've got one too, nice and big but NO SPIKES! What's the secret? Multiple spikes on a Stan is quite an accomplishment. I'll be waiting for the bloom pics.

kinknstein · #3 07-24-2009, 04:09 PM

Boy canot wait for the pics! Never heard of this Stan before, gotta love them though!!

dvespertilio · #4 07-24-2009, 05:10 PM

Beautifully grown plant, and with multiple spikes, too. My Stanhopea nigorviolacea 'Black Tiger' AM/AOS has multiple new growths and 3 spikes, the largest about to yield two enormous flowers. I'll be posting pictures of this in the near future. Anyway, congrats on a job of good growing!

smweaver · #5 07-24-2009, 05:34 PM

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback.

Royal, this species likes warm, wet and humid summers (during its growing season), followed by cool (to even cold) and dry winters. In the summer it gets moderate to low light (slightly less than cattleya light) and watered a lot. In the winter it gets watered maybe once a month (and lightly at that). The temperature also goes down to somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 to 53 at night (day temperatures don't climb higher than 70 F), and the plant can handle a lot more light during the winter dormancy. I think the "secret" (for lack of a better way of putting it) to growing hernandezii is to treat it exactly the OPPOSITE from how you would treat the warm, tropical stanhopea species during the winter (in other words, it really resents warm temperatures and anything more than minimal watering during the winter months).

smweaver · #6 07-28-2009, 03:55 PM

The buds are continuing to grow nicely, and the very small tip of a fourth spike is starting to push out from the other side of the basket. I am quite positive that the neighbors have to assume that I'm insane when they see me out on the front porch around 11 P.M. each night with a flashlight in one hand and a pair of tweezers in the other, performing one last snail patrol before bedtime and swearing at every snail that I find. Hopefully some flower photos tomorrow or Thursday!

kinknstein · #7 07-28-2009, 04:32 PM

Looks like its gonna put on a fantastic show, keep the updates coming!!

tuvoc · #8 07-29-2009, 10:44 AM

Looking good, Steve.

Kim

Royal · #9 07-29-2009, 03:25 PM

Any day now...

smweaver · #10 07-30-2009, 11:19 AM

These two opened this morning, and the other four buds look like they should open tomorrow (the "seams" are starting to split). The open blooms are already producing a powerful scent, and I've been wasting quite a bit of time this morning going out to the front porch to admire them when I should be having a productive day. I'll post one more picture tomorrow of the entire plant in bloom.

Steve