Angraecum distichum.. Easy???
 

Hi i am going to get a Angraecum distichum and i really want one since my dad killed my ang leonis by knocking it down to the ground and breaking it. this particular one stays very small and clumps and i think thats cute and really good for my growing area. so i was wondering if you could give me some tips on keeping it healthy and green and not shriveled haha. some one said conditions similar to Phals. is this true???? Either way please tell me all that you know!!! later guys and thank you very much. Im going to get it frowm Santa Barbra Orchid Estate and its in bloom! do you think i should ask for one not in bloom so as not to stress it out???

All of my Angraecoids are in my orchidarium where it is extremely humid. I tried a couple at lower humidity and they grew just fine, but never blossomed. I moved them in with the others and now one of them is flowering. I do not have distichum because it can get very large - too large for my tank. I'd recommend daily misting, keep it fairly moist.

From my limitted experience with the species it likes heat, humidity and a fair amount of shade. It should do very well alongside phals. I think it does well mounted (i'm guessing it would do well on cork) as long as it is watered regularly but most plants i have seen have been potted. I have mine attached to a tree outdoor in my garden in a shady position which they seem to like and they grow well during the warmer humid months but things really slow down during the cooler drier months of the year.

hope this helps a little. But it really is a hardy little plant worth growing.

I haven't found an Angraecoid that I was able to grow successfuly in a pot outside an Orchidarium, yet. I can create just about all the conditions (including reasonable humidity) but when I move them into the tank, they bloom like crazy! I'm just saying that Angaecoides seem to like their humidiy in combo with high (or in some cases, low) light.

yes i think the distichum likes humidity more than most other angraecoids and probably a little more shade than others. I live in the subtropics and i grow outdoor. Most of my plants are attached to garden trees but i also have quite a few potted ones. My Angaecum eburneum and sesquipedale seem to like their pots so long as the medium is very well draining. But as you say most Aerangis etc and mini angraecums don't like pots. They like being mounted or growing on trees. A bit like many of our australian native Vandaceous species which are next to impossible to grow in pots. Distichum however seems to do well in a pot if you use the right media.

Ross you should try the distichum. It will take y-e-a-r-s before it is too big for your orchardiarium and I do mean years.

Mine grows on a 3x5 cork mount, is three years old now and doesn't even come close to filling the mount. It takes approximately one year to get a new growth that reaches 1/2" in length.

It blooms in midsummer but the big show, if you can call those tiny flowers big, is in early winter. The interesting foliage makes the plant enjoyable all year.

Brooke