NOID Epi Reed-stem

[Leisurely]

Sun rm, I have two that are miniatures. Both are about eight inches tall with six inch spikes when in bloom. One is a cross between our native Epi. conopseum, the green fly orchid, and Epi. xanthinum, a yellow species. The other is Epi. Fantasy Valley 'Sweet Cherry', a bright cherry red that readily makes a thick clump.

[greenbean]

Originally Posted by quiltergal

Evan, I have broken the flower head off of one of mine twice in the last 2 months! Each time that plant sucked it up and tried again. This will be the third try on the same cane. It's about to open so I'm being vewy vewy careful. Yours will probably do the same thing. Watch for it, you'll be surprised at how quickly it sends a new one up.

I don't know...mine wasn't about to flower or anything, I don't think. I just knocked off the tip of the growing cane. But it did seem to swell a bit a few days afterwards, so maybe it's building up energy below the stump to regrow.

I don't even know how big mine is going to get before blooming! It's about 16 inches tall. Unfortunately I know some reed epis get VERY tall. I hope mine doesn't get too big. I don't have room for anything more than maybe 2 feet, unless my parents ACTUALLY build the sunroom or greenhouse they've been talking about soon.

I rescued this from my boss at the nursery. Someone gave it to him at the Saturday market. He didn't even know what it was! And it was in DIRT! It had one stunted, yellowing cane and a newer one (the one that I just decapitated) about 6 inches tall. With the new cane coming in it has a "grand" total of 3 canes, so maybe it needs to grow up a bit more before blooming anyways. I guess I'll just wait and see. I've had it for almost 2 years now, what's another year or two?

Sorry for the novel. Didn't mean to hijack or anything.

[Sun rm.N.E.]

Thanks Jerry.

Now I can put it on my wish list.

[natasha]

i have a red one too and a yellow. both haven't flower since they finish flowering from the market. but both grow so many canes and keikis! i put it outside

[Ranchnanny]

Susanne that is so striking the red and yellow together. I really like it.

Sheridan

[Leisurely]

These plants can sometimes end up a massed entanglement of keikis. I would like to offer a growing suggestion to help keep them neat and erect growing. After the cane has completed it's flowering and starts to make keikis, cut the cane back to about six inches above the pot. This will induce new basal growth instead of a mass of keikis on the top of the plant. Don't be too eager to cut the cane back though because they often re-bloom lower down on the stem after the initial flowering is finished. That is one of the reasons why these plants can stay in bloom for long periods.

[cb977]

Thanks for that information, Jerry

I'd love to b e able to train this one for fuller lower growth rather than the very very tall skinny plant it is right now

[Leisurely]

Susanne, what you would like to accomplish can only be done in costal California climate. You can, though, keep the plant in bounds with the pruning I recommended. I ordered about a dozen of these Epidendrums from Santa Barbra Orchids. They were all a little over a foot tall, blooming in four inch pots and had very short thick leaves that looked like chubby dendrobiums. Within a year, some of them were five feet tall. A nice attribute though was the flower size which is larger than a quarter. I contacted the grower who told me that they responded that way to high heat and humidity.

[natasha]

thanks jerry for the info... i should trim back my keiki producing cane - and pot them! it seem they are growing sideways nows! i mean the canes are going horizontal instead of vertical.

[SP2340]

Very nice, I love the brilliant red and yellow!