Caring for my Tolumnia...does this sound about right? - Orchid Board

Austinerd · #1 03-31-2009, 09:32 PM

Hello,
I brought home a Tolu. Mem Ralph Yagi Solar Baby from the San Antonio show this past weekend and yesterday I put it in a 3" mesh pot with a couple of packing peanuts at the bottom, and the rest just plain charcoal nuggets. I dip it in water in the mornings so it dries out by nightfall.
It is hanging near my cfl, and I measured about 1500 foot-candles near the plant. It also gets good air circulation and the humidity ranges from 50-65%. Do you think it might be happy under these conditions?
It seems like a tough little guy!
Thanks in advance for any input on this.
Dan

cabbo · #2 03-31-2009, 09:52 PM

Sounds like similar conditions to mine. I only water like 2x a week since I heard so many stories of death by drowning! Good luck, mine seem very happy.

Austinerd · #3 03-31-2009, 09:53 PM

Ok cool...thanks Chris! I will cut down on the watering frequency to stay on the safe side.

cabbo · #4 03-31-2009, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Austinerd

Ok cool...thanks Chris! I will cut down on the watering frequency to stay on the safe side.

Yea thats what I thought that it was better to be safe. Maybe watering daily is fine depending on conditions. I'm sure you'll get some other opinions.

whygreenberg · #5 03-31-2009, 10:30 PM

Daily watering is fine in the morning, but they should definitely be bone dry by nightfall—even better if they are bone dry within a couple hours after watering. They are twig epiphytes and so can withstand a good breeze from a nearby fan. As far as light goes, the stronger the better...ideally, you'd want to see the leaves go purple. Humidity should be no problem for you. In fact, as with too much watering, too much humidity can be a bad thing with these guys.

quiltergal · #6 03-31-2009, 11:03 PM

This is an old thread that I found very helpful when I got my Tolumnia. Natch I didn't know what the heck I was doing, but Ross set me straight. I'm happy to say it's grown a whole new fan, and is starting 2 new ones. It still hasn't rebloomed but I'm patient.

NOT!

1500 fc isn't going to cut it light wise. They can tolerate full sun if introduced to it slowly.

Tolumnia Genting Volcano is sick