Restrepia in a jar?
 

Is there any type of Restrepia that anyone can think of which would grow well as a dorm room houseplant in the right conditions? From what I'm reading, as long as they have light, moisture, and relatively cool temperatures, they're happy. I like the promise of an orchid that grows year-round.
I wouldn't seal one in a jar, of course, but would a large vase or open-topped jar work out? Maybe a big one of those candle-holder globes that people put minis in? Something to keep the humidity high. I wouldn't plant it in the base of the jar, I'd mount it on something and put some moss below it to help keep humidity up.

I bought a small well-sealed table-top greenhouse from World Market and a Haraella and a Dracula grow very happy together in it. Haraellas are easy to grow in a jar and they bloom often.

I wouldn't know about Restrepia as I haven't grown them. The best thing to do is to call Ecuagenera or Andy's Orchids (or whichever vendor you plan to use) and ask them to recommend orchids for the conditions you are choosing.

Essentially what you are proposing is like a mini terrarium. Restrepia do quite well in those conditions.

I'm thinking of something like the old-style Wardian Cases, a closed or semi-closed glass container lit by ambient light and kept moist inside.

What about Restrepia contorta? I like the looks of it, and they're a relatively small plant. I've seen some pictures of some beautiful specimen plants that are basically a dome of foliage.
How large of a fishbowl would I need to contain a plant like that? I'm thinking maybe 8-9 inches in diameter, with the plant mounted on an 'island' of rock or wood in the center and plenty of moss around the roots.

Yes, exactly like that!

I have two potted orchids sitting in a fishbowl to add a bit more humidity, an onc. hybrid and a psychopsis. It keeps a nice cloud of humidity around their roots and bases. Everywhere inside the bowl stays really humid, despite the lid being open.
I figure, if I set a plant entirely inside a bowl with a relatively small opening, it should stay humid without quite being sealed off.

I have a haraella already. It's in one of those tealight-candle spheres, mounted on a lava rock with some moss around the roots and lots more moss around the rock to keep humidity up, and it seems pretty happy in there.

I'd love a dracula, specifically a vampira, but restrepias seem like a good starting point before I try to keep a dracula. Plus, draculas, from what I've read, tend to grow spikes downwards and are probably best grown as hanging plants.

I've been curious to try something besides the silicon packets to help control the humidity inside my large jar. I wanted to find something like moisture packets but was curious if anyone had tried something similar before.

Awwww...Now I want to know if FishKeeper was able to get a Restrepia in a jar in the dorm room and if it grew and bloomed.