A few orchids in bloom, pictures

[Blueszz]

Coelogyne cristata







Paphiopedilum primulinum, 9th flower on same spike.







Dendrobium Berry 'Oda'







Maxillaria variabilis






Rhyncattleanthe (Rth) Shinfong Little Sun 'Young-Min Golden Boy'






Paphiopedilum Leanum






Paphiopedilum Ma Folie (Akerne)

[Mountaineer370]

All of those are beautiful!

[FranningtonBear]

Wow! Stunning.

I particularly like the Rhyncattleanthe (Rth) Shinfong Little Sun 'Young-Min Golden Boy'

[My Green Pets]

I love Berry Oda! Common in Europe, rarely seen in the US!

[Blueszz]

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

I love Berry Oda! Common in Europe, rarely seen in the US!

It's a beautiful one and very easy to grow. Here you can find them in garden centers. Like you said, very common in Europe, at least in the Netherlands.

When I got it, it was potted in what looked like ordinary dirt. I posted pictures from it somewhere on OB. If you want to see them, I can post them here too.
No wonder people kill these plants. It might be optimal for growers but in the average house hold it's a no go as we all know.

When I found out the potting medium was heavy and dense, I repotted this Den. immediately, even while flowering.

---------- Post added at 02:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:09 PM ----------

The "dirt" pictures.
The first 2 without flash. The last one with flash.

The medium was very dry when I bought the plant. I dunked the pot in water but the medium still was soaked after a few days.
I assumed it was growing in 100% moss (coudn't tell without unpotting). So I removed the pot, to find this:

[WaterWitchin]

Wow! That is literally DIRT. I have house plants with a lighter mix than that.

[estación seca]

That black soil medium probably works well for commercial growers growing at much higher temperatures than most people keep their homes. Remember Dens in full growth use a lot of water, even more so when it's hot. I could easily see a Den. in growth in a warm greenhouse, in a reasonably-sized pot, using all the water in that medium within 2-3 days. Using such a medium lets the grower extend the watering interval, which saves labor and water costs.

In my hot summer conditions, when I water Phals. in dense sphagnum moss, I thoroughly soak the moss until it has no remaining air spaces. The plants use so much water in the heat combined with relatively low humidity that the moss typically dries to crisp in 3-4 days. I would never advise a home grower to do this if you keep your home in the 68-72 F / 20-22C range. Phals. don't use water fast enough at those temperatures to dry the moss fast enough. I would also not advise people growing Phals. outdoors in rainy conditions to let the moss get soaked, because it won't dry fast enough. But in my heat and low humidity it works well.

I've examined this kind of black medium when I've found it in pots. It's often used for Miltoniopsis, Oncidiums and Dens. It's not as dense as you might first think. It does have substantial air spaces. When I bring home a plant in this medium I leave it until the plant outgrows the pot.