Repotted my Tolumnias!

[Wilder]

I got two Tolumnias a few weeks ago. They came in this tiny germination chamber which looked like it was strangling the roots a lot. Also, I had to mist the orchids everyday to give them their water quota.

I finally got the pumice I ordered earlier this weekend, so I repotted both plants this morning! I'm quite happy with the water retention in the stone. It will dry by around night time and hopefully not kill any roots.

I plan to post an update in about a month, fingers crossed!

[Dollythehun]

Cute. Some of my favorite plants. From experience, they don't like to be underwatered either.

[Ray]

Tolumnias prefer to be watered frequently and dry out rapidly. Your "dry by nightfall" scenario might work if the temperatures are quite warm.

[Wilder]

Thanks, Dollythehun and Ray! My area has a 50-75% humidity, so I think it should work out

What watering frequencies have you both used in your experience?

[WaterWitchin]

Tolumnia are my favorite. Might work in that medium...pumice?perlite?... but truly need to dry out by nightfall. If in a pot, I use a lot less medium that that, and bigger "chunks" if you will. So you can actually see the roots but they are stabilized. Most of mine are mounted. Regardless, they're all watered/misted every day.

[Wilder]

Thank you WaterWitchin! The Tolumnias are in pumice. It's nighttime now and the medium is completely dry. I suppose I will be watering them everyday.

I will remove some of the rocks soon and maybe look for larger ones as well. The image makes it look a lot more crammed than it actually is. When I look through the holes I made in the pots, I see a lot of gaps with largish portion of roots within them.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Wilder

Thank you WaterWitchin! The Tolumnias are in pumice. It's nighttime now and the medium is completely dry. I suppose I will be watering them everyday.

I will remove some of the rocks soon and maybe look for larger ones as well. The image makes it look a lot more crammed than it actually is. When I look through the holes I made in the pots, I see a lot of gaps with largish portion of roots within them.

Gotcha. Pictures can definitely be misconceived. I put several of mine onto the top of a clay pot filled about halfway up with LECA, saucer underneath, as an experiment last spring. I had just unmounted them.

I sat them on top of the LECA, with just a bit of the roots down into it, mostly just laying on top. Wasn't watering nearly as often, as it's super humid outside here in the summer, plus the wicking from the LECA. When I brought them inside in the fall, over half of them had grown roots down into the LECA and attached themselves well to both the LECA and the sides of the pot.

I'm going to try it with some more of them this winter. In winter, they sit under a timed mister with a fan blowing right above them, along with a couple of vandas. Been doing that past five or so years, and really like that winter setup.

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by Wilder

Thanks, Dollythehun and Ray! My area has a 50-75% humidity, so I think it should work out
What watering frequencies have you both used in your experience?

Mine are potted in small clay pots, the medium being repotme. com Oncidium mix. I water every two or three days depending on the season. I have a few thirsty plants where l actually let a little water sit in the saucer. This summer was difficult, they didn't get enough water and the leaves became wrinkled and pitted. All recovered nicely.

[Wilder]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Gotcha. Pictures can definitely be misconceived. I put several of mine onto the top of a clay pot filled about halfway up with LECA, saucer underneath, as an experiment last spring. I had just unmounted them.

I sat them on top of the LECA, with just a bit of the roots down into it, mostly just laying on top. Wasn't watering nearly as often, as it's super humid outside here in the summer, plus the wicking from the LECA. When I brought them inside in the fall, over half of them had grown roots down into the LECA and attached themselves well to both the LECA and the sides of the pot.

I'm going to try it with some more of them this winter. In winter, they sit under a timed mister with a fan blowing right above them, along with a couple of vandas. Been doing that past five or so years, and really like that winter setup.

This sounds like a fun experiment! I'm going to try it with the next Tols I get.

[Ray]

I have always done better with them when they were mounted. Roots staying cool and wet are the downfall for me.

Remember that the species tend to grow on little twigs on the windward sides of Caribbean islands, so get frequent showers immediately followed by warm, gentle breezes to dry them out.