Start of a journey (miniature Pleurothallid quaratine/prop box)
 

This doesn't look like much, but hopefully it's still welcome here. My goal is to eventually have a nicely presented natural looking (or as close as I'm able) orchidarium. I have an Exo-terra medium extra tall that I'd like to use. Only problem is orchids made me nervous at my ability to keep them. So I started off small which you see here.

Five months ago I imported some miniature Pleurothallids from Ecuador. Ordered ten, but Scaphosepalum cimex was out of stock.
I got:

Masdevallia (Diodonopsis) erinacea
Restrepia brachypus
Stelis muscifera
Stelis hirtzii
Zootrophion griffin
Dracula lotax
Specklinia costaricensis
Scaphosepalum breve
Platystele stenostachya

The container is a simple Sterilite 27 quart that is opened for about ten minutes a day. Plants are misted five times a week roughly with the fan then running on low for several hours. Light is just a cheap Hygger aquarium light dialed down to 50%. Fertilizer is done weakly weekly with GrowMore urea free 20-10-20 mixed at 25%.

So far things seem to be going well. The Dracula came in very bad shape and has one original leaf, but has grown three small new ones. Both Stelis, the Platystele, the Specklinia and the Scaphosepalum have bloomed (with the Specklinia, Scaphosepalum and Platystele budding again). Only the Stelis muscifera blooms were truly long lasting going for a month, so I may need to do some dialing in. Everything has grown new leaves except possibly the Masdevallia which I'm unsure of.

Currently I'm feeling more confident about my abilities and looking to do another order with the same ultimate goal. Any thoughts, suggestions or advice is certainly appreciated.

Very nice! Your orchids all look very happy. I have the Dracula lotax on my wish list. :)

This is the best time to do orders for Pleurothallids as it is the perfect temperature range for shipping them. I just received my Dracula papillosa and a Lepanthes from Ecuagenera and they arrived in perfect condition. :)

Thank you. I'm really hoping I can keep them that way.

Ecuagenera had a big anniversary sale this summer, but I didn't trust the temperature. Which means I've been making shopping lists there for months and I'm finally going to narrow it down. Just trying to get a full handle on which temperature I'm in. I think intermediate and cool intermediate. Andy's Orchids and Ecuagenera sometimes differ on listed temp ranges too which is tripping me up.

Dracula papillosa is a new one for me. Thank you! Another for my wishlist.

These are looking very good. Congratulations! As far as making sense of the "cool", "intermediate", "cool/intermediate" designations... they're a place to to start but you can then refine it by looking at habitat (I use IOSPE as my go-to reference. And of course within the range, orchids adapt, in many cases they come from a wide enough elevation range that they adapt easily. On the cool side, the cool and cool/intermediate ones do fine down to 40 deg F. They tend to be happiest protected from too much warmth on the high side (if you can keep them below around 80 deg F, you should be fine with them) Some may be happier with even lower highs.

On Andy's tags, if it says "I", to me it means "Inquire":biggrin: ... it may be that when he got the plant he wasn't certain and pretty much everything grows "intermediate", low above 50 deg F ... when he learns more about what works, the computer often doesn't get updated. Or, he wants to sell it in Florida, and people shy away from anything with a "C" but C/I would be fine. Or it's truly "intermediate", low of 50 deg f. required. So if "I", ask.

Thank you! I love the IOSPE website, although admittedly I've mostly been using it since it seems like the best source for size ranges. I tracked my temperature during summer (78F days/70-72 F nights) and keep my house thermostat set to 66F during the winter. My house is old and drafty so I'm sure I'll have a temperature drop in my bedroom, but I'm uncertain to what degree. I think according to the AOS temperature article I'd fall within the cool range (at least for daytime temps) but I'm not sure if I'd actually be low enough to induce blooms on cool species.

That's good advice on the "I" at Andy's. To be honest most of my current species were picked just because I thought I'd have the best chance to meet their range without knowing for sure.

I think the cool and cool/intermediate orchids should do fine in your coolish house. I grow lots of them outside... winter temps down to 40 deg F often, occasionally lower, winter highs mostly in the high 60's and low 70's. (My plants even tolerate the occasional hot spell in winter... I just water more) Summers they have to tolerate daytime highs in the 80s F, occasionally more, but nights do cool off so they get some relief and most things do well.


My "rule of thumb" for elevation (to try to determine what I can get away with outdoors) is to look for an elevation range of around 1200-2500 m at the equator. At higher latitudes, the range goes to lower elevations - so southern Brazil, or southern China/Himalaya/southeast Asia elevations a low as 600 m (or even lower) puts the plants in the right range. That includes LOTS of species that grow on the cool side.

Thank you so so much! I think my wishlist suddenly grew ten times hearing that. I've got a lot of research to do know and love it!

Your setup looks good to me! Each enclosure needs its own dialing in of watering frequencies, ventilation, etc. so just take your time! You can also keep a low level of water in the container to increase humidity if that is an issue.

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Thank you. I have been keeping a layer of water in the bottom. I'm not sure the exact humidity, but there's a fine condensation on the lid each morning. The plants seem extra happy too. The Scaphosepalum is blooming, the Specklinia/Pleurothallis bloomed like crazy and the Masdevallia (which hasn't bloomed previously for me) has five spikes.

Since everything has gone well I have an order in with Ecuagenera. New bigger container with 16 new species should be set up soon. Hopefully those will go well, although I didn't just limit myself to "easy growers".

Phase two. This is a larger Sterilite bin (66 qt). The fan is an 80 mm one identical to that in my original bin. I also have a 120 mm and was unsure which to use, but since they are adjustable speed I decided to start smaller. The lighting is cheap Hygger LED aquarium lights, same as original bin. This time I used two lights running front to back, instead of along the length. According to my cheap light meter this is more optimum, but it requires an additional outlet.

Plants are:

Dryadella: cristata and simula
Masdevallia: brachyura, discoidea, geminiflora, lychniphora, popowiana and xanthina ssp. pallida
Platystele: jesupiorum
Pleurothallis: barbulata
Porroglossum: amethystinum, dalstroemii and tripollex
Restrepia: dodsonii
Scaphosepalum: andreettae
Trisetella: klingeri

Some minor leaf loss, which I'm sure might continue, but most plants so far look good, other than perhaps the Dryadella simula.

After four hours spent mounting, I'm still just as terrible at it. I'm not sure if it's the ideal method, but I take random cork piece, tie a small amount of spaghnum to it and then mount the orchid growing upright with roots uncovered. The Porroglossum tripollex already needs fixed since it's leaning forward. Oddly enough, despite ordering from Ecuagenera the three smallest plants (Dryadella simula, Pleurothallis barbulata and Platystele jesupiorum) came mounted.

My plan is just to treat them as normal unless there's something I should be doing to extra baby them. It appears (I'll admit that other than the Restrepia they are placed haphazardly) room for more, but I'd be nervous adding unquarantined plants. Fingers crossed that I picked well and keep them alive and thriving.

When mounting plants, a little tricky, if you had 3 hands it would be easier. What I do is to prepare a length of my 12 lb monofilament fishing line with a loop on one end. Then, holding the plant plus mount (with sphag if you're using it) you can put the loose end of the line though the loop, tighten it up, then wind it around the plant and mount, when you use up the length, tie it off with a half hitch knot. If an "extra hand" for the end of the fish line is needed, I grab in my teeth and pull. Recently, I have gotten some elastic cord from Tarzane Group where I have ordered quite a few nice miniature plants, and that's even easier to work with than the fishing line. So if you get an opportunity to get that, even better. But fishing line is easy to obtain... 12 lb test is the "sweet spot" - 10 lb tends to break too easily, 14 lb is too stiff especially for small plants. (Not my idea... that's what Andy's Orchids uses, I figure if I'm going to be a copy-cat, emulate the experts who do a LOT)

Thank you for the tips! A third hand would be great. I had help for attaching the mounts to the eggcrate, but that was it. My biggest issue was tying the roots to the mount, worrying about the leaves... and plant flopping over. Seeing the line was also an issue. Bad lighting and "invisible" nylon are a tough combo. Not enough to make me never wish to expand the collection at some point.

Don't be too concerned about tying roots to the mount. Only the new roots will attach to the mount, so the old ones (which of course are still actively contributing to the plant) can go wherever. That's why it is so important to orient the plant with the new growth (where the new roots will emerge) next to the mount (even if it might look better for the moment going the other way, don't be tempted, when mounting you're working toward the future) Potting, as well as mounting, is best done just as new roots are emerging, since the old ones are "habituated" to the old medium, it's the new ones that will quickly establish in their new "home". But for mounting, it's especially critical, so that the new roots attach to the mount.

I should be careful reading random sites on the internet, because that is not how I mounted either time. Both times I've had plants mounted upwards. Some of those have attached at least. I also don't have a covering of spaghnum over the roots, which hasn't caused any issues the first time.

Since my goal is an eventuality terrarium, would I be wise to remount now? I'm unsure whether to use cuttings or entire plants in that future project, as both ideas make me nervous.

Don't divide a plant until you can get 3 or more pseudobulbs per division. If the roots have attached, that's great. As far as direction, upwards is fine for most. (There are a few that tend to grow downward). The mistake people tend to make s to mount for aesthetics with new growth outward. If yours are attaching, you did it right. Don't change it... As far as sphagnum is concerned, you can cover roots with it if the the particular plant needs extra moisture (like Pleurothallids). But for most, it is unnecessary, for those that like to dry out like Catts and Vandaceous, even counter-productive. Except for Pleurothallids and such, I definitely don't put sphag under the plant... if I do it at all to fill in a gap in the mount, only a little, since I want the roots to attach to the mount not the sphag. (I have remounted essentially all of my Andy plants that have a lump of sphaghum, it serves a purpose for a commercial nursery where plants have to survive shipping and display in dry exhibit areas (and need to be easy to remove from the mount when they get big) but for long-term growing, not so much.

Mounted plant example
 

Here's a Laelia dayana (Cattleya bicalhoi) that I mounted 2 years ago. Note that the old part, including some leafless backbulbs, just sort of sticks out... there clearly was some new root growth that had started when I mounted it (under the tie) that grew into the mount. The newest roots climbed upward. The new growth direction will tend to go around the mount, eventually probably will spiral upward.

Another example - a Pleurothallid
 

Here's a Restrepia that I mounted about 5 years ago. Note the pad of moss on top of the roots. (There's none underneath) The fishing line is getting lose and brittle, deplasticizing, the plant no longer needs it but I don't bother to remove it until it gets in the way, There's one new root going into the moss pad, most of the new roots are escaping out the bottom of the pad. A new growth is just starting. I haven't changed the moss, and wouldn't want to, that would disturb roots.

Thank you for the information, and especially the pictures. Certainly helps me to see what I should have done. I placed a thin pad of spaghnum (only a few threads) between the wood and roots with no covering. I also could have done much better orienting the roots.

The plants will tell you about orientation... time to sit back and observe. I have plenty where I guessed wrong, ended up remounting, But any orientation where the roots attach is a good one. In nature, wherever the seedlings germinate, they figure out how to grow.

Not the most important update, but I'm excited so thought I'd share. In the original tub the Scaphosepalum breve continues blooming and the Masdevallia (Diodonopsis) erinacea is blooming for the first time for me. All those orchids were picked because they were considered easy growers, but still makes me happy that they seem to be thriving.

In the new bigger tub, the leaf loss seems to have stopped. The Dryadella both look not the best, but everything else seems ok. The Dryadella cristata has a bunch of yellow leaves, but plenty of green too. The Dryadella simula looks rough and has since getting it. Leaves haven't fallen off, but are a yellow green color.

All the spikes and blooms from the recent Ecuador order died in transit. I'd have been surprised if they hadn't given it's a long, dry trip. The Masdevallia geminiflora though is now growing five spikes. Having only had it three weeks I'm not sure how much credit I get. It also hasn't bloomed, but I'm taking it as a sign that it's at least happy, unlike the Dryadella.

I also broke my own rule about quaratining separate orders by getting some plants from Andy's while there was a sale. New additions are
Pleurothallis: grobyi, grobyi yellow type (Ecuador), megalops, minutalis, rabei, and rubella
Scaphosepalum ovalure (small form)
So a bunch of new mini miniatures and I probably qualify as being addicted.

Certifiably addicted. You're in good company. :biggrin:

At least with it getting cold now I'll have a better chance of actually saving towards a background and light for the future actual terrarium.

Apologies as always for bad pictures. My oldest plants remain alive and growing with several blooms. I did purchase another light on Black Friday to upgrade the size of that bin in the hopes of getting more light to lower plants. The Stelis hirtzii for instance grows really well, but only has a single occasional spike.

New plants are doing surprisingly well. Nothing has died. I've dialed the light down slightly on one half since despite my cheap light meter saying I'm within the range Andy's gives, there is more purple in leaves showing than I'd want. All the pictures are from the newest plants. The Restrepia bloom was short lived, but everything else has bloomed multiple times or had a longer lasting bloom (Pleurothallis rabei). There's a few other plants in bud that I'm hoping bloom, but it's nice seeing that both the plants from Andy's and from Ecuador seem to be adapting quickly. Took about three months to get any blooms from my original plants (still three that have not bloomed for me, but I'm patient).

Looking good! Patience, patience... 3 months is nothing. Many orchids only bloom once a year, so there's still much to come. The plants seem to be adapting well. Good growth leads to blooms, all in good time.

A note... when you're trying to match your setup to nominal light levels for a particular plant, remember - the light range given by Andy (and other references) is, usually, a maximum (like at noon). It's determined in a shadehouse or greenhouse environment where light is (mostly) ambient and so varies throughout the day, and year. Your lights are producing at that level all day, for as long as they are on. So the plants are getting a lot more daily photons at a given measured intensity level than they would in a "daylight" situation. Observe the plants, dial it back as needed. It's not that your meter is "wrong", it's the different duration pattern that makes comparison tricky.

Aquariums and orchids both require patience. I might be newer to orchids, but have a lifetime with the other, so there's no worries there.

Thank you for the confirmation about the lights! I didn't think my light meter was that wrong or that online sources were. I've spent time researching if artificial lighting required less foot candles than natural, but could never find anything stating so. Perhaps I just don't look well enough. Really nice to have that stated!

Wow, really nice! :)

Strange question, that possibly doesn't belong here, but when choosing branches for an orchid terrarium mount are there any general guidelines for width? Obviously it depends on the size of the plant. I know Andy's sells 1.5 inch branches for miniature orchids, so is that the smallest recommended?

I'm asking after looking through my currently unused driftwood and finding this piece I think would look good oriented vertically. Please forgive its need for a scrub. At the thickest (which I'm imagining being the highest point) it does have a width of 1.5 inches, however it narrows to a third that size towards the end. In other words I'm not sure how much it provides towards mounting options.

Not a strange question at all! The suitability for any mount depends on the plant you're mounting. Now, my situation is different - each of my mounted plants lives on its own mount. In fact, when I go to mount something, I go through my box of various mounts (branches, slabs of cork or hapu'u or whatever, I have a box of them) to try to meet the needs of that plant, taking into account growth habit, how big do I think it'll get, etc. Occasionally I get it wrong and have to romount on something else. Sometimes the plant outgrows the mount and I put it on a larger one without removing it from the original ones. Since each plant is a separate growing organism, growing at its own rate according to its own habit, it's not a static environment - whatever the current condition, it's likely to be different in a year or two years or five years. My suggestion would be to start each plant on its own mount - you can tie those to the branch for aesthetics, but you then can manage the plants as individuals.

Thank you. All my epiphyte plants I'm hoping to use for this project are grown unmounted on spaghnum. The orchids I give a little more care to and have been using random cork pieces to mount. I don't think they've outgrown any mounts yet, although most of the oldest could probably be easily split. Other than the Dracula they've filled in a lot.

As far as the "big" project I haven't decided which is better/ easier between a full DIY background or a cork mosaic. Leaning towards the mosaic. Either way it seems adding a mount to the background would work, although I'm not sure it would look good on that branch. I might be thinking greedily, but I'd like to showcase as many species as possible, hence the idea for the branch. I may need to rethink things.

You do need to account for growth (which is good!) And, alas, the occasional fatality as well. (Doo-doo occurs, nobody bats 1.000) So it's wise to build some flexibility into your system. You can hide the edges of mounts with moss.