Tolumnia Genting Peach
 

First time blooming for me, tho a previously bloomed plant. Took me a while to get the culture correct for blooming (I've had it a bit over 2 years). Main spike has over 20 buds/blooms on it, plus there are two nice branches not yet blooming, and looks like there is a new branch starting.

Blooms initially are yellow, but develop a peach blush on the lips after they have been open a week or so - the blush is more vivid than it appears in the photos.

Have this one in two cache pots to try to keep it upright - was already quite prone to being tipped over with all the growth in that tiny pot, now with the spike, it would not remain upright at all.

Thanks for looking :)

STUNNING SONYA!!!!
so many flowers for a first time bloomer, you must be sooo happy :)
great growing

stefan

Looks like you have figured it out!

I have some plants in multiple clay pots. A little 1" one, inside a slightly bigger one, inside a slightly bigger one.... I don't repot very often, just add another to the outside!

You can avoid the tipping thing entirely if you mount the plants and hang them. If you have a space to do that. That is what I do with all my really good ones.

Congratulations! That's a lot of blooms for a first spike! Your orchid made it well worth the wait! :)

Congrats on the amazing spike!
Joann

thanks everyone - this is the first time blooming for me, but the plant had previously bloomed

Stefan - yes, I'm quite tickled with this spike, and the fact that I got my tolus to bloom in general - this is the largest spike of the bunch, but another tolu does have two spikes on it - I think the first spike should begin to open buds pretty soon

hehe Rob, I was thinking about maybe doing that, instead of repotting, to just set the whole thing in a bigger pot. I think it may be too dry here in summer to manage mounted tolus - tho perhaps not - I do have a mounted sylvestris which grows great (no blooms tho) :( ... so - I may think about that (tho since they are now doing well in their pots, I may not want to mess with that lol ;)
thanks - yes, seems I have gotten the culture down now - more light in spring, summer (had them in a south facing window - great light in late fall - winter, but not so much the rest of the year), and less water, especially in winter

thanks scy, Joann :) I'm am quite happy about it

Well, sounds like I got the south window right for the late fall through winter, but I guess I need to move mine now! Thanks for the tid-bit of information! I hope to one day achieve tolumnia excellence like you have!

That's beautiful, and so many blooms!

Very Good growing! Congratulations very nice plant and soooo many blooms :cloud9:

aw - thanks :)
Paul - that's been my experience anyway - my one south window faces true south, and there's a bit of roof overhang, and when the sun is high in the sky - mid-spring, summer, early fall - the window is fairly bright, but doesn't get direct light. The first year I had the tolus, in the south window all year - in winter (when I got them) the foliage took on a red/purpley hue from receiving high light, but that pretty much faded in summer - and plants didn't bloom, so I'm guessing that was at least partly due to insufficient light. Last year, I put them outside from late spring - early fall, where they got some mid-afternoon sun, and the foliage retained some of the red/purple hue. Right now, because they have been in spike/bloom, I haven't put them outside yet, but I have moved them to a west facing window, that hopefully gets fairly similar light to where I had them outside last year.

I hope you don't have to wait as long as for your tolu to bloom as I have with mine ;)

thanks silken, nenella :)

Congrats! So funny, I love when plants do their own thing no matter how much effort you put in to fixing them! Just goes to show who's really in control. I think twisted and falling over spikes give orchids character and looks way more natural to me anyway! Good luck!

hehe - thanks
I generally like the 'natural look' for spikes - tho it can make it difficult to care for the plant. this spike just kept growing, and I turned the pot as the spike was near touching the window, so got the crazy spiral spike ;)
This plant is definitely getting a bigger pot when it's finished blooming!