Setting up a wishlist for myself - open to ideas

[jmccoy]

Ok so now that I'm in winter with snow on the ground and can't buy anymore orchids, I still have the orchid fever though and so am researching and getting ideas on my next big orchid haul. I have some ideas but I would love to hear more.

So far I have decided to buy 5 orchids for my next haul.
These are the ones I am set on.
1. Vanda from motes orchids
2. Catasetinae from sunset valley
3. Maxillaria of some sort
4. Dendrobium nobile of some sort
5. ?

Any ideas would be great. This is just a rough draft of sorts lol.

[My Green Pets]

I would suggest trying lots of popular species / hybrids from different genera, for example an Oncidium-type, a Cattleya, a Masdevallia, a Bulbophyllum...that way you will quickly learn which plants thrive best in your conditions, giving you a greater understanding of your *real* options (assuming your goal is to grow and rebloom these!).

[jmccoy]

Thank you for your input. I currently have a bulb. meduse(hope i spelt that right), like 6 different oncidium types, and a laelia which is the nearest thing I have to a cattleya. I would love to try a masdevallia though I dont know if I can do the high humidity that they need.

Of course I have some phalenopsis, I have one paph. maudie cross, an encyclia, coelygene, dendrobium phal., and a miltonia.

Just under 30 orchids right now, some are smaller then others. Yes I do hope to have everyone rebloom. I have a humidifier, I mist when needed between waterings, a hanging 4 bulb T5 high output system and a fan circulating air.

I monitor my humidity around 60 to 70 % humidity though sometimes it falls to 50% if I leave my door open. Only place in my house for my orchids is my room.

I hope this helps with what I have got to work with. My oncidiums seem to do the best so far but the rest of my collection is still only a month or two old in my care.

[My Green Pets]

Then honestly, I would recommend you not buy any more orchids until you have re-bloomed at least 10 of your 30.

[silken]

You have quite a few and a good variety all in a short period of time. I agree, it is better to figure out some of the ones you have before adding too many more.

[jmccoy]

Ok. I figure it will just take some time. Most of them only bloom once a year.

Edit: I also don't plan on buying anything new until at least april so about 5 months away.

[estación seca]

In another post I didn't realize you have a light setup already. But what I wrote about learning what healthy orchids look like when they're growing still applies.

There are lots and lots of amazingly beautiful cool-growing orchids you can probably manage. Look up Miltoniopsis and hybrids. Your humidity is probably fine for most things you want to grow, except miniatures that really do need nearly 100% and most people manage in an enclosure.

Most Vandas and their hybrids do better the warmer they are. There are cooler-growing species you can find from time like V. coerulea, coerulescens, cristata, javierae, roeblingiana, tesselata and testacea. But some of these are very large plants, and hard to manage in a cold-winter climate in the house under lights. There are other cool-growing species.

Hybridizers mostly want large round flowers and mostly work with warm-growing species. Martin Motes does offer hybrids involving cooler-growing species. Think about those first.

[My Green Pets]

Appreciate the plants themselves without the blooms; their growth habits are pretty interesting! Plus root growth is fun too!

[jmccoy]

Thank you for both your replies. I plan on continuing to do so much more research. I do love watching orchids grow though. I look at them every single day. My brassia has officially 7 new growths so far! I am amazed at how that one is just flourishing. Many of my oncidium alliance orchids are doing the same but not like the brassia. I also have two new growths on my brassavola and my encyclia. I love to watch the colors and how much they grow every day. I have a plananopsis whose buds just opened today and two others who should open their buds in a month or so. I am always very excited to see roots cause I feel my orchids are telling me they are happy. I hope to see the "happy" sap that I have seen in you tube videos which is supposedly means they are very happy.

[estación seca]

Around here the happy sap is most visible when new orchids arrive.