Odontioda Margarete Holm

[WhiteRabbit]

I got this plant early in my orchid growing adventure.
It's been an easy and reliable bloomer.

Every year it gets more blooms than the previous. This year - dang, I can't remember how many buds there were - around 37 I think, on 4 spikes (2 pbulbs each with 2 spikes). It's not a large plant - just put it in a 4" pot last spring, tho it was extremely crammed into a 3" pot before that.

The spikes on one pbulb started a few weeks ahead of the other. Right now almost all the buds have opened, but there are a few buds still on a couple spikes, and the oldest blooms look like they are beginning to fade. (first blooms opened mid-March I think)

I grow this on a north facing windowsill, and keep the potting media moist.

Thanks for looking

[Lana]

Wow, what a beauty! Love the color combination and pattern! The blooms almost look unreal.

[shadytrake]

Wow! Sonya. Very nice.

[WhiteRabbit]

thanks Lana, Melissa
I get mesmerized looking at the blooms - no two have the exact same pattern

[fishmommy]

that is the most amazing thing I have ever seen

[silken]

That is awesome growing! I would have thought a north windowsill not enough light!

[WhiteRabbit]

thanks Jen
thanks silken

silken - yeah, I had heard a north window isn't enough light to bloom anything, but fortunately only after this one had been growing and blooming there - as well as african violets, and herbs blooming in this window
My Haraella, and two noid Phals also bloom well in this window. I haven't tried any other orchids in this window - other than seedlings or recuperating plants, that I wasn't trying or expecting blooms from.

[tuvoc]

Awesome. I've had one for years, and just can't get it to bloom. What's your secret?

Kim

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by tuvoc

Awesome. I've had one for years, and just can't get it to bloom. What's your secret?

Kim

hmm ... I don't know - the only thing "different" I have done for this one from other orchids, is a small overturned net pot inside the pot it's in. Actually, seeing how well this one has done with the net pot in it's pot, I have started doing that with a number of other orchids, but until a couple of years ago, this was the only orchid I had done that with. I got this plant when I was pretty new to orchid growing, and when it was time to repot it, I was looking for info about it - I have a slim book from AOS - a beginner's guide - and for Odontoglossum, it says to have a small overturned pot in there - since this was in a 3" pot at the time, the only pot I had that was small enough to put inside that, was a 1" net pot.

Other than that - doesn't seem to need a ton of light, mine's in a north facing window. It likes to have moist media, tho it will definitely let you know by pleated foliage if it's not getting enough water - the new growths on mine that are blooming now have some pleated foliage - but that didn't stop it from blooming - tho the pleated foliage came early in the growths' developement, and I corrected the watering early on.
Last spring, I potted it in a chc mix - it had previously grown well in medium fir bark mix. It gets fertilized the same as my other orchids.

I don't know if that helps you or not - I did have this for 2-3 years before reblooming it, but it has since been an extremely reliable bloomer, each year better than the previous.


ETA: It just occurred to me - I do keep my heat low in winter; 54 overnight, low 60s day - I don't know if that's a factor to blooming this plant or not, but it could be possible it likes the cool temps in winter

[Leisurely]

Such beautiful flowers. When I first started growing orchids I was stricken with awe over the Odontglossum flowers.