is this a trichoglottis? how do i care for it?

[razzer13]

so i got a pair of orchids from my friend. he bought it from a local nursery with no ID.

Lots of its roots had died off except the air roots and the leaves are really wrinkled. he underwatered it and at times overwatered it but was kept at a place with bright indirect light.

Also there seem to be two keikis growing off from the base. lots of buds came out but all died due to carelessness. the orchid was kept in a loose medium of coconut husk, cotton and charcoal.

there also seems to be some sort of pseudobulb(?) in one of the plants.

can someone help me identify it and how should it care for it?

[Roberta]

It appears to be Vandaceous... beyond that, I don't think that I could guess the genus, quite a few branch like that. The care will be the same, regardless. The loose medium should be fine, what is now needed is regular watering. There are enough roots that I think that you will be able to keep it hydrated while it grows some new set. So I think you can pot it up, with a loose medium that will maintain both moisture and air in the root zone. It also probably would like to be kept warm. What are temperature and humidity where you live?

[razzer13]

Originally Posted by Roberta

It appears to be Vandaceous... beyond that, I don't think that I could guess the genus, quite a few branch like that. The care will be the same, regardless. The loose medium should be fine, what is now needed is regular watering. There are enough roots that I think that you will be able to keep it hydrated while it grows some new set. So I think you can pot it up, with a loose medium that will maintain both moisture and air in the root zone. It also probably would like to be kept warm. What are temperature and humidity where you live?

its getting warmer nowadays but its still quite cold at night. the temperature here ranges from 21C-25C in daytime and 10C-15C at nighttime. the humidity stays around 80% - 90% most of the time except in noonn when it reaches 65% - 70%

[Roberta]

Definitely it needs to be kept indoors until night temperatures get close to 20 deg C and days are warmer. Once the weather becomes warmer, it will enjoy the outdoor humidity. But indoors is still quite good.

[razzer13]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Definitely it needs to be kept indoors until night temperatures get close to 20 deg C and days are warmer. Once the weather becomes warmer, it will enjoy the outdoor humidity. But indoors is still quite good.

thanks a lot for the help! do i keep a humidity tray under it while its kept inside?

[Dimples]

Humidity trays don’t actually do what is claimed. Unless it’s in a small closed case/tabletop greenhouse, only a full-room humidifier will make a significant difference.

Low humidity is the last thing to address when it comes to growing plants. Other things are more important.

You can pop a clear plastic bag over the whole thing to slow transpiration. That’s much more effective than a humidity tray.

[Roberta]

Humidity trays are not very useful. Don't bother. Your inside humidity is adequate. Just keep it well-watered. Maybe every two days. The loose mix provides "humid air" in the root zone, and that is what the plant wants.

[Louis_W]

I just want too add that the structure that looks like a pseudobulb appears to be a seed pod. I would remove it so the plant can focus on growing.