Telipogon astroglossus

[Roberta]

I wish that I could grow Telipogons, but most of them are from high elevations and won't survive my summers. Here is one member of the genus (reclassified from Stellilabium) that actually is from somewhat lower elevation and is doing rather well for me. It gets watered daily, shady and as damp as I can manage. Note the photo with my thumb, for scale. Getting an even halfway decent photo pushes my little camera to the limit, but the hairy lip is fascinating. The flower is 6-7 mm, but the details are a lot smaller. A bunch of buds on the way.

I'm running out of room, so seeking out the mini and micro orchids that will grow under my conditions.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Love these!

I haven’t figured Telipogon spp. out well enough to grow them long term, but I feel like I’m getting closer every time.

[Roberta]

Alas, mine is no longer with us... it grew well for a couple of years, then suddenly expired. I had high hopes for it, since it is warmer-growing than most of the genus. But very tiny... perhaps it needed a more protected environment. Wish I knew why it was doing so well until it wasn't.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I had a similar problem with this species.

I think it is an issue with how we’re growing them.

A recurring pattern I’ve noticed with Telipogon is that their roots hate being kept wet for too long. I think growing them in moss is problematic. However, they can’t be grown too dry either (growing them mounted can cause this problem if they are neglected for too long).

I’m trying out growing this particular species in a clear net pot with small grade coconut husk chips and watering them when they dry out completely. So far, the individual I have now looks way different from the ones I had before (the leaves are far more succulent and firm).

Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be self fertile. I tried self pollinating it (only 1 of the plants bloomed at the time). They are really difficult to hand pollinate. The anther cap is very secure and doesn’t get knocked off easily.

[Leafmite]

Nice!

[Louis_W]

They seem like touchy little buggers.

My little avatar photo is a wild telipogon I found in Peru. It found it by accident and was covered in huge flowers. I was so excited I stepped back and fell straight into a river

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Louis_W

They seem like touchy little buggers.

My little avatar photo is a wild telipogon I found in Peru. It was a major highlight

They’re from odd environments. It doesn’t seem like it rains a lot where they grow in the wild. It appears they get their water from the cloud mist. If the air is cool and humid, most mid to high elevation Telipogons seem to do well.

They don’t appear to need to be grown in coolers, the temperatures just can’t go above 80 F.

[Roberta]

Mine was mounted. Got lots of moisture (in an outdoor area with lots of other species growing the same way). What is so frustrating is that it grew and bloomed well (more flowers the second year, and nice sequential blooming) for long enough to make me think that I was giving it what it wanted. There's not much margin for error on these little guys. The switch is either on or off... It bloomed really well, then it flipped the switch off. A humbling experience, thinking that I had it wired, and clearly didn't.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Unfortunately, I don’t have a good answer for why certain plants just decline for seemingly “no reason”.

All I know is that there was a clear difference between when I grew this species mounted versus when I grew it potted in a net pot with small coconut husk. I just wish I documented the older plants to do a photo comparison to the new one.

The one I currently own appears to have more succulent and firmer looking leaves. New growths look stronger by comparison from what I recall.

I’ll take a photo of mine when I get home.

We all have to remember that flowers don’t always equate to good plant health. I still learn this lesson all the time.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I took some photos of mine.

I see a difference between this one and the ones I used to have. One of the most striking differences is how much waxier/shinier my current one is compared to what I remembered my older ones to look like.