Ludisia discolor (Black Jewel orchid) in bloom

[va.orchids]

Originally Posted by Leisurely

Should work Va.orchids. This plant seems to have the ability to absorb moisture through the succulent stems even without the help of roots. Let us know your results.

I will.

[Tindomul]

Nice!

[VERN-O]

Can anyone tell me what the small glass/plastic container is that Bud is using in the first set of pics on page1 ?

[stonedragonfarms]

Originally Posted by VERN-O

Can anyone tell me what the small glass/plastic container is that Bud is using in the first set of pics on page1 ?

I can't, but you might shoot Bud a private message--he's still active on the forum.
AP

[Bud]

Originally Posted by VERN-O

Can anyone tell me what the small glass/plastic container is that Bud is using in the first set of pics on page1 ?

This was my glass phase, when I learned how to drill holes at the bottom of the glass and use it as a pot so I can monitor the root growth and also ascertain if the plant needs watering. Through the months the glass develop an abscure film maybe from the water deposits and it failed to be transparent. I decided to use undrilled glass vases only for my Vandas in water culture as one sector of hydrophnics.

[Bud]

Seven spikes have opened its blooms, there are eleven buds on the tips of the new shoots. This orchid plant survived the aphid infestation and I have just repotted it in a six inches glass vase drilled with holes. In spite of the loss of some of the leaves this still looks like a lush healthy vegetation. Even without flowers this is a beautiful center piece just for its velvety leaves alone.

[estación seca]

Thank you for letting us watch the progress over the years. I got a tiny, tiny Dossinia marmorata in November after being inspired by this thread.

[Bud]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Thank you for letting us watch the progress over the years. I got a tiny, tiny Dossinia marmorata in November after being inspired by this thread.

Thank you for your kind encouraging words. To be able to grow orchids and bloom them through the years gives a satisfaction beyond words....

---------- Post added at 07:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:56 PM ----------

Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

Looking good.

Thank you, Shannon!

[No-Pro-mwa]

Looking good.

[Chemtiger]

I've been inspired by this post to take the plunge and buy a very small Ludisia discolor. I planted it in a bulb bowl that is 6 inches in diameter with a 1:1 mixture of the small sized Orchiata bark mixed with the Miracle-Gro "Orchid Mix" (the variety in a green bag; it's mostly peat moss and perlite) to try to make a nice medium that would work well for it, given its terrestrial nature. I placed the pseudobulbs with the strange, almost Velcro-like roots down into the medium, and the rhizome is almost flat in the middle of the bulb bowl, with just a little bit of the peat/bark mixture covering it. I left the pseudobulbs out on top of the mixture, because they're quite pendant, almost to the point of being floppy! I don't expect that I'll get any blooms this year, but I made sure to keep the ends of the pseudobulbs pointed upwards, and mine seemed to shed most of the foliage from the pseudobulbs, except at the ones where they were at the end of that particular growth, and there would be a cluster of healthy, beautifully colored leaves. I just pulled the dead leaves off, and I inadvertently pulled a piece of one of the pseudobulbs off, leaving about a 4 inch long space where it didn't connect to the rhizome, nor did it connect to any other part of the plant, and I wasn't sure what to do. I read that the roots that are on the bottom portion (the "Velcro" roots I referred to) are what keep the plants rooted to wherever they happen to grow in the wild, and it took only a few weeks in my humid greenhouse (I have a greenhouse in my spare bedroom that I set up for my orchids that live outside for most of the year; I live in New Orleans, so almost any orchid can live here for 8+ months outside, and I'm guessing this new one will as well) for the Velcro roots to take hold and grow into the medium, and I nhave the whole plant in a low-light area, but the leaves are all pointed skyward, they're really pretty. I think I'm going to keep trying to bring any new growths that may try to leave the bulb pan back into it to try to make a nice, full, thick layer of foliage, and then during the holiday season, bring her out to be the centerpiece for the dinner table, in a nicer container, of course.

Thank you for sharing your photos over the years, maybe I'll learn to be patient via your posts!