Orchid weed

[Sharry]

I liked that poll of favorite genera. Here is another that may be useful: What is do you consider to be an "orchid weed" ie plants grow like mad with out a fuss and consistently flower. You can give them to total unorchid people and they still prosper.

My favorite orchid weeds are a Sharry Baby that I got at auction for $14. It is always bursting out of its pot within 6 months of repotting, it eats its media and flowers twice a year. Onc Twinkle and Potinaria Hoku Gem are also in there.

[WhiteRabbit]

I'm with you on Onc. Sharry Baby. I got mine about four years ago, in a 4" pot. It's currently trying to bust out of the 10" pot it's in now.

Miltonia flavascens is another weed. Got a 3 growth division four years ago... now have three divisions of that - two in 6" pots, one in a 10" basket.

My Epidendrum ellipticum is also quite the weed.

[Sharry]

Does Militonia flavens walk out of the pot like some of the others?

Yes the reed stem Epi's really get giant and produce lots of pieces to give to friends.

[tuvoc]

My Colm. Wildcat 'Bobcat' grows like a weed, refuses to die, no matter what, and is almost always in spike or bloom.

Kim

[RosieC]

Dendrobium kingianum var Alba.

Just keeps growing and growing and producing keikis and keiks... so I have a lot of this orchid now!

[tucker85]

My two orchid weeds were BC. Maikai 'Louise' and Oncidium sphacelatum. Sphacelatum wasn't a frequent bloomer but both plants grew so fast and got so big that I finally got rid of them both. On the other hand I'm keeping Blc. Hawaii Stars which grows like a weed and blooms four times a year.

[NYCorchidman]

Originally Posted by tuvoc

My Colm. Wildcat 'Bobcat' grows like a weed, refuses to die, no matter what, and is almost always in spike or bloom.

Kim

Mines too. It just finished flowering with three spikes and five (including flowering and old old pbs) pbs.
I count total of 12 new shoots starting.
I have no idea what to do!

---------- Post added at 12:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:54 AM ----------

Many of the oncidium types (not just Sharry, which I don't find particularly "weed like" compared to the growth habits of many other oncidiums and related orchid groups and intergeneric hybrids) and many dendrobiums will grow like "weed" if conditions are right.

Flowering wise, dendrobium spatulata types probably beats many others in that they will grow and flower year around when grown in the tropical zone.
Mine stops growing during the winter months (even though temperature does not dip very much at all) but still in bloom from September into March or longer. This year, they are blooming constantly without a pause.
Last fall into this spring, then new sprays came out in Spring which are still in bloom and will continue to be until fall. And another new spray of spikes are developing at the moment.
Not hard to grow but I'm not sure if it is the best for non orchid people.

Dendrobium nobile and hybrids will grow like weed as well, sending up multiple shoots each year, and bloom in the spring. Thing is they only flower once a year, although very long lasting 2-3 months.

I had a cattleya (Susan Fender "Cinnamon Stick") that grew like a weed. It went from about 4, 5 pbs to 17 pbs in less than one year. It never rebloomed for me though, which is why I tossed it.
With the way it grew, the flower show would have been amazing! oh, well...

---------- Post added at 12:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:00 PM ----------

Originally Posted by tucker85

My two orchid weeds were BC. Maikai 'Louise' and Oncidium sphacelatum. Sphacelatum wasn't a frequent bloomer but both plants grew so fast and got so big that I finally got rid of them both. On the other hand I'm keeping Blc. Hawaii Stars which grows like a weed and blooms four times a year.

Bls Hawaii Stars sounds like a real winner!!!

[Picotee]

Brassavola nodosa and BC Maikai 'Mayumi.' I've made many divisions of both for friends over the years, They always seem to prosper.

[Sharry]

Great to hear about the Makai as I am expecting a Makai hybrid in the mail within the wee.

How big do the Wild Cats get- as big as Sharry-Baby?

[NYCorchidman]

Wildcats have quite a few different "versions" in flower colors, spiking habits, plant sizes.

I've seen some really big plants, which they generally are, but mine are smaller than typical.

My wildcat "bobcat" is a little big, I would say nearly the size of Sharry Baby. The size of pb is rather round than oval as Sharry Baby. Leaves are slightly smaller than those of Sharry Baby.