What Genus are you finding difficult to grow?

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by SaraJean

Oh! And another one that is the bane of my existence is the Dendrobium spectabile.

I found this today. He also grows in a hot, muggy climate:
Dendrobium spectabile - the alien orchid

I just thought of something else... I know in hot and humid tropical climates there are usually a lot of um, uh, palmetto bugs crawling around. I have heard they eat root tips. Any chance that is happening?

[Afid]

Zygopetalums (and all the other genera related to them) have always been a sticking point for me. I have gone through several but they all died slowly. Also Tolumnia and Sarcochilus have never done well, I am planning on trying tolumnias mounted next time, but I have gone through 2 Sarcos and 4 or 5 tolumnias.

[DirtyCoconuts]

I have killed a few orchids but for most I realized after the fact that I was way outside of their range.

The ones that I am worst at are the Onc and lineage that like to dry out. I can make them grow but I rarely get flowers and the displays are mediocre. You cannot counter humidity with anything. Air movement is still wet air and there is too much air moisture to get much evaporative cooling beyond a few degrees.

I have been trying various mounts and having some promising returns

[estación seca]

Zygopetalums like cool, humid, fresh environments. Think a deciduous temperate forest in spring when it's drippy wet, the Jack-in-the-pulpits, bloodroot, trilliums and Solomon's seal are flowering, and you need to wear a light jacket. Hard to duplicate in a house in Montana (or Phoenix.)

Read here for a how-to-grow lecture from a Tolumnia hybridizer:
Darryl Venables on Tolumnia - DVOS September 2018
He said the most important things to remember are stiff air circulation from a fan or multiple fans, so the mounted plants are fluttering in the breeze all the time; frequent watering; high humidity; high light; and regular fertilizing.

I've been too lazy to write up my Sarcochilus lecture notes, but I eventually will. I'm embarrassed I can't remember the lecturer's name, but he was from Australia. He spoke of modern hybrids, which involve the warmer growing species. There are also cool growing species in this genus. The keys are: Extremely fast draining medium: He uses a combination of glass wool, charcoal, perlite and polysterene foam (bean bag chair stuffing.) Daily watering no matter the temperature. Cattleya light. Regular fertilizer throughout the year. Moderate to high temperatures; they tolerate brief and light overnight frosts in winter, and into the 100s F / 38-42C in summer if well watered.

Dirty Coconuts: Oncidiums don't like to dry out. In your wet climate sphagnum moss might be an issue, but you can use better aerated media. They also don't like your light levels with heat, so grow them more shadily. There are some with cool growing ancestors you might have trouble with. Pay attention to ancestry. Tie them on trees, or grow in large chunks of whatever. In my arid environment they grow best in sphagnum moss standing in dishes of water. Descendants of most Brassia, Onc. ampliatum, Onc. sphacelatum (the dancing ladies), Miltonia spectabilis should do very well for you. Descendants of high-elevation former Odontoglossum, not so much. Look for hybrids labeled Aliceara (some), Brassidium, Bratonia, Miltassia, Miltonidium, Oncidium, Oncostele. Avoid Beallara, Dergarmorara, Odontocidium, Odontonia, Vuylstekeara.

[DirtyCoconuts]

You are like an encyclopedia with a personality! Such a great resource and asset to this community

Thanks

[Afid]

Ah, I think humidity and air movement were the things I was missing with my tolumnias, its a constant struggle with those two! I recently set up a terrarium with good circulation and humidity so I will definitely have to try again with them.

[BrassavolaStars]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Zygopetalums like cool, humid, fresh environments. Think a deciduous temperate forest in spring when it's drippy wet, the Jack-in-the-pulpits, bloodroot, trilliums and Solomon's seal are flowering, and you need to wear a light jacket. Hard to duplicate in a house in Montana (or Phoenix.)

I second this advice. They do seem to like it outside in New York when it is not hot. Zygopetalums were actually the first orchid I was able to grow well.

The only problem I have with them is leaf spotting. When you water these you have to be careful not to get the foliage wet as it has a tendency to rot if water remains on the leaves. This is especially true if it is a new growth.

They grow more like a terrestrial plant in my experience than a true epiphyte. They don’t like to dry out too much and they like water retaining medium. I heard they naturally grow on the forest floor in leaf litter. I grow them like Paphs in full moss with sponge rock at the bottom. They seem to like the medium well as the roots are always happy. I’ve even seen them grown in peat successfully. That said, they also grow well fine bark like orchiata.

The leaves are another story and need a lot of circulation not to spot up and rot. Less than ideal circulation (along with splashing water wetting the leaves) is my problem with them and it’s finally taking a toll on mine after years of good growth.

[DirtyCoconuts]

the two zygo i have are very happy hot and wet...if i forget to water them on an non-rain day they might get totally dry but they are in big clay pots of lava rock, charcoal and perlite (#4). if it does not rain i will flood them with rainwater with fert

the leaves are a bit yellow from the spray off my sprinklers but they hang around more than more people report them doing.

my theory is that they really appreciate the heat drying them and that is more important than the cooler temperatures...dunno but they are a fun plant for me

look behind the cockleshell bloom and they are the first and second plants on the second shelf

---------- Post added at 03:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:25 PM ----------

Some good green stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

harlequin in front in flower and blue blazes in the background

Green stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

[Keysguy]

DC and I have got the hot and wet Zygo thing down cold. Wait....what the hell did I just say????????

Anyway, for me, I finally found a warmth tolerant cross I liked (Galeopetalum, I think I posted pics somewhere here a couple months ago) and just picked up a Zygoneria so we'll find out how that does.

My big bug-a-boo has always been Paphs for some reason. Seems weird to me seeing as I have such good luck with Phrags but a) I can't get them to bloom and b) maybe because they're dead within a year.

My current mentor, who has a phenomenal Paph collection, keeps giving them to me to kill and I haven't disappointed. He says if I don't keep trying, I'll never figure it out.

[SouthPark]

KG ------ does your mentor live nearby? He could come around to inspect the conditions heheheh.

Can just run down the check list - temp range, humidity range, pot type, media type, watering method and schedule, state of roots, lighting level and lighting duration, air-movement, fertilising and mag-cal schedule.

If you can grow phrags, then you will certainly be able grow paphs for sure.