I think Sarcochilus falcatus sounds interesting as well. I have a lot of orchids, but for some reason always overlook Sarcochilus and do not own one!

Only my 2 cents on the Sarcochilus is that I have one I bought last year and it still looks just like it did when I got it. Reminds me of the Ameseilla Monticola, doesn't grow !

How about an Oberonia? This group is known as the fairy orchids :)

I thought it might be fun to see what orchids were already mentioned. If I have missed any, please add to the list. :)

Dens. loddigesii (spring 2010 project)
Den. Monileforme
D. senile
Den. infundibulum
Amesiella monticola part 2 (recent project--for those who don't want to miss a moment of their plant's progress but are never around)
Cattleya or member of Pleurothallis group
Vanilla
Ascocentrum pumilum (another past project)
easy bulbophyllum
Sarcochilus falcatus
Soph. coccinea
Oberonia

Sarcochilus still sounds fun to me
Thanks for taking the time to get all the proposals together

How about I start a project properly in a new thread, and start an official sign up thread? :)

I now have plenty of free time to organize the project again this year. I handed in my dissertation a few weeks ago, and other than job hunting and preparing for the defense in 3 months, I don't have much to do.

Also, is there anyone in the US willing to pitch in and help? Usually it means helping research suggestions for availability/price, and calling vendors to check stocks. With the time difference it's not easy (or free) for me to make calls from Europe.

That would be great Camille.

I can help Camille, I happen to be across the pond :)

But they are hard to come by!

(...unless you know something we don't know and are willing to teach us the secret handshake...)

I was quite "gung ho" about sarcochilus last year and got one, and it still looks exactly like it did when I got it. Slow, slow, slow.

How are you growing (or as the case may be not...) yours? I find them amicable to most conditions, provided they are kept reasonably moist.
Adam

I have it in my grow space with all my other orchids. Temps are 70+ days and 60 nights. T-5, 4foot 4 bulbs on 10 hours plus what comes through windows. (West windows, so afternoon, evening ) Humidity runs 58% to 78% depending on how much the heater runs. Have been watering twice a week with kelpmax and incocure and fertilizer every other week.

They are pretty hard to find and many that are out there are mis-ID'd so even if you find one there's a good chance you can just chuck the tag and call it a NoID. Plus, they are notoriously difficult to grow. Fussy and temperamental would be an extreme understatement. And, unfortunately, once they go into decline...it's very hard to bring them back. Personal, and very disappointing, experience here. I have 2...one never has grown or flowered well and the other did great for the first few years and then last year it decided it was going to commit suicide...a very long and drawn out suicide.

Couple of follow-up questions; i. is your plant on a slab/mount or potted (and if potted, what is it potted in); also, regarding light, distance of the plant from the bulbs & total duration of lighting (ie are we talking 10 hours of light total, or are we talking the light is on at 6am and off at 4pm, plus the ambient light from 2-7pm...)

I have grown sarcs both in the gh and under lights--I believe that they bloom better in the gh, but think it has more to do with the cooler night temps that I am able to give them in that space. I grow them both in a bark:perlite mix (2:1) and in long fiber sphagnum; usually in plastic pots. They need to be kept moist at the roots, the media should just begin to dry--under lights I water every 2-3 days most of the year; it just depends on how high I have the fans circulating. In the gh, I water them daily when day temps are above 75F and night temps are above 60F; during the winter they get watered every 10-15 days, as I run the gh cold (60F day/45F night)
Humidity under lights usually runs 60-70%; the gh usually runs 50-60%; higher in the evening hours than during the day. I use kelpmax once a month, Alaska Fish fertilizer once a month and plain water the rest of the time.
I don't use supplemental light in the gh; plants are under 50% shade year round. I grow under LED lights 16 hour days mid February-mid November, 14 hour days late November-early February.
If you are growing on a slab, the above culture will work as well, but increase watering to every day; twice a day (early morning and again mid-afternoon) from about mid May to the end of September.
There are a couple of species sarcs that are aberrations to these guidelines; Sarc. cecilae being one; it's very finicky regarding media as I believe it is a lithophyte in nature--I've killed a fair share of the them, they need to essentially sit on a small pad of moss on a chunk of granite and receive only ro/rainwater with very very little fertilizer.
Hope this helps; I'd try cutting back on the fertilization schedule and increasing the duration of your lighting.
Adam

Thanks, StoneDragon, Mine is potted in a bark mix, has some perlite in it. It is about 2 feet from the lights. Lights are on from 6:30 am to 5 Pm and sun comes through the windows til 7 or so. It's a beautiful bright room especially when the sun comes in. It's been really cold this week, so humidity is lower because the heater has been running more. It's been around 60%. I'm afraid to have it closer to the lights because I'm afraid of burning the leaves. they already have a couple of small spots on them. I do try to keep it moist, but don't want to rot the roots

I'd like us to consider adding Cattleya walkeriana & Laelia sincorana to the list as well. Both should be available on both sides of the pond.

I know Leptotes bicolor has been suggested in the past and I still wouldn't mind trying that one.

I think this is the list.
Dens. loddigesii (spring 2010 project)
Den. Monileforme
D. senile
Den. infundibulum
Amesiella monticola part 2 (for those who don't want to miss a moment of their plant's progress but are never around)
Cattleya or member of Pleurothallis group
Vanilla
Ascocentrum pumilum
easy bulbophyllum
Sarcochilus falcatus
Soph. coccinea
Oberonia
Cattleya walkeriana
Laelia sincorana
Leptotes bicolor

I've pasted in availability to the list; quite a few of these are also availabe from Ecuagenera and Floralia, but as you've mentioned, the window for ordering is fast closing--until the autumn months. Please let me know if I can help in any additional way,
Adam

Dendrobium infundibulum: Hausermann's has it
Vanilla planifolia: Hausermann's and Seattle Orchid both have it on sale

if we do the Leptotes bicolor, I'm gonna cheat and use the one I already have

If you cheat you're not supposed to tell anybody. Makes it harder to get away with it.

I have wanted to get a Vanilla planifolia for a while now. Perhaps the 2016 project could be my "excuse" to finally make the plunge.

I'd love to do Den. infundibulum, Den. moniliforme, or the Sarco. falcatus, though I've read that Sarcos are pretty slow to grow? I'll do whatever the group decides, though. :)

My :twocents:! As a dendrobium grower, I would vote for any dendrobium that's in the running for the 2016 project! Also I really want to try a Sarco, so I'd but up for that as well! :)

Then I guess I have to hope something else wins, don't I? :lol:

I posted a poll for all of you! Be advised that I did not check for vendor availability. I will add the information that is on this thread. :)
Have fun!