Hi, welcome to the OB.
Since you mentioned wanting to grow Telipogons, let me start off by saying that these are not easy to grow - an account as you've most likely read about already. And I reiterate that I can attest to and confirm the validity of this claim.
Not only are they generally cool growing orchids that like temperatures below 80 F, (in most cases, not all, the temperatures should be no warmer than 72 F - 75 F at any given point in the year during the daytime hours, at any given hour during the course of the day), but their watering requirements are at this point, are difficult to describe as well.
One of the disadvantages of wanting to attempt to grow a Telipogon is that there are not very many species readily available for sale, and there are only an extremely small number of Telipogon species that can be recommended to start off with.
Like I mentioned in a more recent post where an OB member asked for people's experiences with Telipogons - despite what you've read online or otherwise about Telipogon venustus being an easier species of Telipogon to grow; that is presently, imo, a highly inaccurate assessment.
If you'd like to grow a Telipogon species, by all means, go ahead and try. Just know that it will be a challenge, and the first try may not go the way you'd hope it would.
I recommend to anyone who has ever thought about attempting to grow Telipogon species, that they go seek out Trichoceros species instead (or first, if they still would like to try their hand on Telipogons later). They are more heat tolerant than Telipogons are. They are far hardier and much more forgiving than Telipogons are. Trichoceros spp. also tend to be more robust plants
with pseudobulbs; whereas Telipogons lack pseudobulbs with some species being small, thin, and fairly fragile. Trichoceros spp. tend to have a rambling habit that people who have grown Bulbophyllums are familiar with; while Telipogons grow in a monopodial fashion much like Dichaea spp. do, but growing in an upright, climbing, manner, (since not many people know what a Dichaea is, I will also describe it as growing in an upright monopodial fashion, remotely like a Vanda). And what's more is that Trichoceros spp. look very similar to Telipogon spp. in flower morphology.
Just to get you thinking about your choices - I have grown an unidentified species of Trichoceros for a very long time already. I'd say I've probably grown this species for about 7 years and counting. I've messed up a few times, and have even accidentally broken off some pseudobulbs a few times and it is still going.
Species nut in Puerto Rico
nonetheless. You can always find time for orchids I say
Glad you found us!
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