Trichocentrum carthagenense (One of the Mule Ear Oncidiums)

[estación seca]

Hi Russell99, I bought a bare-root one in July of this year from Ecuagenera. I'm not giving it full Vanda light but it is close. It gets direct sun through a window for a few hours each morning, then bright shade. I can't grow most orchids outside because we have 5-6 months of temperatures 40-46 degrees with very low humidity, and occasional frost in winter.

[Russell 99]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Hi Russell99, I bought a bare-root one in July of this year from Ecuagenera. I'm not giving it full Vanda light but it is close. It gets direct sun through a window for a few hours each morning, then bright shade. I can't grow most orchids outside because we have 5-6 months of temperatures 40-46 degrees with very low humidity, and occasional frost in winter.

Thanks

[SG in CR]

Nice plant. These grow wild and are pretty common on my property here in Costa Rica. For those interested, they generally grow in dappled shade getting full sun for short periods as the sun moves across the sky, though I have seen them in full sun and they make it through the dry season with reddish leaves when in an exposed location (I'm assuming it's some sort of UV protective pigment) They generally will produce one leaf and one spike every year, though large plants will start producing additional growths. This and T. cebolleta are both among the easiest to get to germinate ex-vitro here so this might be a good candidate for anyone interested in trying their hand at growing orchids from seed without flasks.
The spikes are generally only upright in small plants with short spikes. My biggest grows on a branch about 7' off the ground and the spikes will droop down to the ground by the time they are blooming.