Where to find specific orchid info
 

I have several orchids with names and I'm trying to start cataloging them and finding more info on temps, winter rest and so on. Often, I can only find websites that are selling them or AOS.org that has general info on the species.

One example: Tsubotaara Melinda Marie (Pba. Eva's Blue Amazon x Zns. Cynosure)

I'm trying to find out if it will drop its leaves or if it will need watering year round and how to encourage it to bloom and so on. All I can find is basic info like this: (Tsubotaara Melinda Marie 'Blue Fairy' presented by Orchids Limited)

Temp: cool-warm...not helpful.

Where do you find info? I have another zygopetlem (spelling?) and it behaved completely differently and had thinner leaves. Many pseudobulbs rotted and I'm down to a few with three growth points and new roots on a cool-log. but the one listed above didn't have the same problems.

When it comes to hybrids, you have to look into the characteristics of the plants in their background, and make an assessment from that info. For species, the AOS culture sheets are a baseline, and you can get more specific by looking at orchidspecies.com.

For more general cultural info, especially if you like to know the "why" behind advice, try firstrays.com.

Another alternative is to purchase Orchid Wiz, as they have compiled a lot of data, and present it in a way that lets you make some educated guesses.

Cloud's Orchids is another resource I use (orchid culture section).

Orchidwiz is my "go to" source. The species info is (for about 8000 species) based upon the very detailed culture sheets developed by Charles and Marge Baker (individually available on line for $2 per culture sheet... doesn't take long for that to add up). For hybrids, Orchidwiz lists the species (and their percentages... very important...) that go into the hybrid, calculating "probable culture".

The only hitch with Orchidwiz is the price. If you can afford the $300 price tag, it's an amazing resource to have. I have a very old version (I should upgrade...) and I still use it to check culture info for plants I'm thinking of buying.

I thought the information on Orchids Limited's site was helpful but, when in doubt, it does not hurt to call or email the vendor and ask how the vendor is growing the orchid. Joining an Orchid Society can also be helpful because you often see orchids similar to yours and can ask the members how exactly they are growing them.

For hybrids, I use Blue Nanta (Orchid Roots). BlueNanta You can enter the name of your registered hybrid and come up with the parentage with percentages for each species involved.

I do purchase the species sheets made by Baker and Baker (Orchid Culture -- Charles and Margaret Baker) and since I have kept them in an e-mail file, my cost goes down as time goes on and I need the same species information repeatedly. I would spring for OrchidWiz, which is actually more complete than the Baker and Baker sheets, if it were available for the Mac.

Vendor information is often more specific for the particular plant than any other source, especially if you are dealing with a hybrid.

Tst. Melinda Marie is composed of species of which 63% take medium light and 25% take low light. Grow this hybrid in dappled light conditions. It may be tolerant of shaded conditions.

Tst. Melinda Marie is composed of species of which 88% take warm temperatures, 50% take hot temperatures and 38% take cool temperatures. Grow this hybrid in warm to hot conditions, or 19°C to 29°C at night. It may be tolerant of cool (14°C to 19°C) night temperatures.

40%-70% humidity. Water heavily during growth; Water just as medium starts to dry. Do not water during the winter if plant loses its leaves (deciduous).
Commonly grown in pots. Fertilize heavily when actively growing. Common media: fine fir bark, amended with perlite.

One caveat: Trying to determine cultural parameters based upon species percentages is really nothing more than a guess, and should be used as a starting point only, and coupled with close observation, so changes can be made in response to the plant.

Genetics simply doesn't work on "averages".

Right! Orchidwiz has a warning:

Caution: Species % do not equal a specimen's actual genetic code.