Neostylis Darwinara Charm Blue Star
 

I received this plant yesterday and was amazed at the size of it! Darwinara Charm Blue Star is a cross of Neofinetia falcata x Vascostylis Tham Yuen Hae. The vendor said these plants have a beautiful dark blue color. As much as I like my Bluebird, I had to have the Blue Star as the flowers are a solid blue color. This plant has already flowered, I hope to see it flower again soon!

I looked for quite some time for the Blue Star and I am happy with my new addition. It is currently in a plastic Vanda basket, not a chance of growing in a Neo pot! I plan to move it into a wood basket. There are roots for days!

wow, look at all those roots.

There are so many roots I may leave it in the Vanda basket and set it into a larger one. The holes in the basket to attach a hanger are filled with roots as well!

Beautiful specimen!

random replies:

-Got one myself (blue star) from a vendor up north and it didn't have much roots, such a bummer. sprayed kelpmax and mounted on piece a bark, and it has been putting out new roots finally after like 6 months free from media (was potted).

-Have a friend that has one and it grew lushly onto a mount- he grows outside near the beach- but really doesn't flower very much despite how big it's gotten. It gets temp drops, lots of water, fair amount of light... and later we/he found out that darwinaras (not sure if same clone) can be a little bloom shy for some reason... hopefully yours won't be but just an fyi I love the roots and growth habit alone, but the neo flowers with rich colors is pretty spectacular!

-Just got an ascofinetia peaches in a similar basket with a lot of roots and fans, although not as much as your darwinara, the grower/vendor told me she got them in from thailand, where they grow them like this, and the long roots had a hard time adjusting so she literally just cut the roots to a third and put in baskets with bark (her usual method for vandas and she grows vandas well). Interestingly the roots grew in thick, while the older roots from thai grower were thin. Grower told me lower humidity makes orchids grow thicker roots, and higher humidity allows for thinner roots. She had some in new bark basket for sale and ones in old plastic basket and I bought old thai basket one- oddly the old long thin roots are slowly desiccating and falling off and new roots are indeed fatter. I left in basket and spray daily but can't decide to put whole thing with basket in larger basket or tease or cut it out (cut basket), and mount (like look better) or put in teak basket... choices, choices... anyway, thought you may find that interesting.

U bada, thanks for the replies. So far I’m leaving the plant as is, letting it adjust and spraying the roots daily. There is nothing in the basket, roots only roots.

A wood basket is my preference though it will need to be at least a 6” basket to accommodate the plastic basket. I really can’t see cutting this old basket off without damaging these gorgeous roots.

This Blue Star is from Motes Orchids, they have beautiful Vandas. I had not ordered from them previously, they were the only vendor I could find with this plant. NWO has a drop dead picture of the flowers but they are out of stock and Kristen was unsure when she would have more.

Oh! I almost forgot, I found a spike emerging so soon enough I will see the awesome blue flowers!

How has your darwinara been? I happened upon one and was looking at old care threads