Psychopsis haul (small one)

[Optimist]

I have always been intrigued by psychopsis. (Oncidium Papilio) I thought I would try to grow some. The big one is Psy. Mendenhall 'hildos' and the seedling is Psy. Mariposa (peloric). I decided to go semi-Hydro with them. The big one's roots are abundant, the small one needs some work.

I am still not sure whether more light or less light turns the leaves green. I really want to keep the mottling. That is one very attractive aspect of this orchid. Anyone got the real scoop?

[estación seca]

I'll wait to hear what other say, too. The only mule-ear Oncidium species (the old name for these) I've seen was growing in dense shade under the crown of an evergreen tree in Mexico.

The ones in in the collections of two of the best growers in our local orchid society are in shady bright parts of their greenhouses, and are always in bloom.

And you might have seen this at Carter & Holmes:
Oncidium Papilio Culture (Psychopsis - The Butterfly Orchid)

[jkofferdahl]

I love these plants. In my previous life I grew a number of them, and now have three. Mine are, and always have been, in an East-facing grow window, where in the earlier part of the day they get pretty bright light, then just above Phalaenopsis-level bright the rest of the day. Unlike my other orchids, I water them when I can no longer remember the last time I did, but they like humidity and loads of air movement - I think they'd thrive in a gale! Once they spike the first time they essentially stay in bloom.

As an aside, Psychopsis are very, very tough. A number of years ago I ordered three, in late-January, from a seller in New England. They shipped at the start of February. The Zip Code on the package was incorrect, and this error caused the USPS to essentially implode. They "lost" the package. The entire month of February passed while the package sat somewhere in a warehouse in such a way that the USPS couldn't even imagine what country it was in. Somehow, though, it was discovered once again, and delivered to my house right about the first of March. They'd been pretty shaken up and so needed repotting, but then I put them on their window shelf, and after about a month they went into spike, and for three years at least 2 of the 3 were in bloom.

[Optimist]

Ah, so the Carter and Holmes article says that it is low light that turns the leaves solid green. That's what I was thinking. Yeah, to the fans of Psy, I've always thought they looked incredibly odd, and I love the colors.

[Dollythehun]

I have mine in a south window. So, bright. Spotted and growing like crazy. I water 2x a week.

[Optimist]

Apparently the "peloric" one has three "lips" and no antenna. The lips are a bit smaller though. Too bad I have to wait 3-4 years to see if this really pans out.