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I grow my orchids in quite “hard” conditions (all the time outside) although I try to make it a bit nicer for them. Summer here is extremely hot (30-33 degrees C and over) with a very violent sun although there is a very high humidity (I managed to get mold on chocolate!) and often a bit of wind. In winter, there is usually strong north wind bringing temperatures down to 14 degrees (with some extremely cold nights down to 11 degrees). I used to do almost nothing in my previous apartment, but after moving to a new place and getting a lot of orchids burned in summer, I now shade them as soon as the rainy season is over the sun comes again, however this also reduces a bit air flow and tends to delay the evening “cooling”.
I usually prefer botanical species to hybrids although I have quite a few hybrids that I love too…
So what are the orchids that survive under these conditions?
Phal. equestris is doing very well with keikis developing after each inflorescence and flowering the next year already usually.
Basiliorchis porphyrostele seems to love the new place and every year produce larger bulbs and more flowers.
Dend. pierardii is also growing well and flowering every year (although this year I still did not see buds coming out, but I am probably just impatient as it usually flowers rather late).
Den. miyakei is also doing supergood. Most branches stopped growing after 1-2 years (30-40 cm) to be replaced by new shoot, but now in addition of the new shoots, one branch is not loosing its leafs and instead continues to grow. I really look forward for when it will flower! This year the other branchs started flowering in December and after these first flowers a new round is now developing on other branches. This will help me in my aim to always have at least on orchid in flower at any time. It seems this species is a synonym of D. goldschmidtianum, however I am affirmative that my specimen has unfortunately absolutely no smell (but produces a lot of very delicious sweet sugar drops).
Staurochilus luchuensis was growing well and is again preparing lowers this year, hover the main stem seems loosing its bottom leafs while new stems arise from the bottom, I assume it is getting out of space and it will be time to repot.
Oncidium twinkle is also happy in these conditions flowering regularly and expanding although this year several flower branches aborted (maybe due to the rough winter we had?)
Aspasia lunata is very happy but moving out of the pot one side so now I tried to increase the light on the other side hoping to “reverse” the direction and get the back parts to make new shoots, and actually it may be partially working (not slowing getting out of the pot, but a few new shoots on the back parts seem to appear…
Slc. Hawaiian splash is also doing very well and regularly flowering although as soon as the flowers will be gone I will repot it. Hopefully it will not be too traumatised.
Vanda lamellata is also slowly growing out of its pot, but maybe it is not such a problem for it…
Oeoniella polystachys is growing very well with several inflorescences in preparation.
Dendrobium parishii is also healthy and developing well.
Liparis condylobulbon is growing well and until last year I was desperate to see it flower. However last summer it rewarded me with a nice inflorescence.
Then here we go to those who don’t flower…
Neofinettia falcata is in super shape, just not flowering. I think the answer to this one is pretty simple as it needs more light.
Same for my Phal. cornu-cervi.
Arpophyllum giganteum is growing a lot slowly forming a nice specimen, however it never flowered yet…
Angraecum sesquipedale is healthy but still too young to flower, maybe in one or two years?
Encyclia radiata is growing well but I am still waiting it to flower…
Rhynchostylis gigantea is developing nice roots but I think it is on the edge and I need to find if I could make it happier…
Dinema polybulbon, this one I am not sure what to think… It grew and made new pseudobulbs, but not flowering and not looking so healthy while people here told me it is a very robust one… I must be doing something wrong and I need to figure out what…
Dendrobium aggregatum is recovering after having been almost fully eaten by an invasion of grasshoppers in my last place. Since two years new bulbls are coming out and it starts looking like a plant again. I was hoping for flowers this year and really kept it extremely dry but so far no signs of flowers…
Dendrochilum wenzelli, I am trying to grow it “mounted” on a tree fern stub (with still quite some substrate in mesh). It is doing “ok” but I think it is drought stressed and I am considering placing it back in a pot…
Dendrobium trigonopus and lindleyi, those guys are alive, they make a small new shoot everyyear, but obviously they are not superfit. Maybe too hot in summer…
Then I have several orchids since less than one year that I need to see how well they do on the long term such as Maxillaria tenuifolia (looks very happy and I hope it will flower in 2-3 months), Stanhopea jenishiana, connata and florida, Gongora rufescens, Maxillaria schunkeana, Brassavola nodosa and martiana, some unnamed Oncidium nicely mounted on a treefern piece. Another unnamed Epidendrum/Encyclia hybrid (lost tag). Three Brassocattleya Maikai Louise on another piece of treefern. Also I now made one terrarium for an Angraecum distichum, Lepanthes calodyction and Trichosalpinx semilunata to which I may add my Dracula terborchii if outside temp is getting too high in summer. In the new plants there is also a Laelia harpophylla who seems to be happy (especially since I put it inside this winter as I felt it might be stressed by our cold winter this year. One Epidendrum nocturnum that I feel might be stressed by the cold winter and I may try to place it inside just to see if it makes a difference…
Well I think I forgot nobody so here you have a little idea of my orchids growing all on my balcony and that all need to go inside during typhoons (along with our 3 plumerias, 2 mango trees and several planters with herbs and vegetables…). No need to say that jungle apartment is not exaggerated at those times
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こんにちは, hello, bonjour!
What type of orchids are you growing?
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