Orchids that do well in terrariums.

[jason woodrue]

Hi,

Has anyone posted Epigeneium nakaharai as a good terrarium grower? Mine seems to be fairly warm temperature tolerant and can bloom almost anytime of year upon maturation of each new growth.
However, It does grow slowly, but mine recently put out a new growth from a back bulb so it is now growing in 2 directions.

also, other species that are doing well in the terrarium are:

Dendrobium rigidum (just keeps blooming)
Dendrobium prenticei (i have a seedling but it is amazing)
Cadetia Taylori (growing well!)

[vmax3000]

[QUOTE [B]Epigeneium nakaharai [QUOTE]

Jason,
Your plant is really pretty. Where did you acquire it? The flower reminds me of Epi. porpax ! Great job. How much light do you have in your viv? My D. rigidum is hanging out in the sunnier part of my gh. My little vivs are supporting several pleuros and Angraecum disticum, Lepanthanopsis astrophora and a Lepantes calodictyon. Thanks for sharing the pics !

[jason woodrue]

Vanessa,

My viv has 2 t5 bulbs (the bluer temperature highoutput kind) and the E. nakaharai is near the top of the tank within about 6 inches of the lights. the whole vivarium is positioned at a right angle to the windows and gets a range of indirect sunlight throughout the day due to its proximity to the east-north-east facing windows. it gets oblique morning light and part of the tank gets a tiny bit of direct sun briefly around 10:30 am. my fluorescents come on around 12:30 when the sun is no longer shining in the window. The lights go off around 7pm. this time of year it continues to get faint evening light thru the windows beyond 7 pm. So for about 6 1/2 hours it is growlights supplemented by ambient sunlight.
I am always tinkering and adjusting the amount of fluorescent time and quality of window light throughout the year as the seasons change. the upper part of my windows have pieces of 60% shade cloth so the sunlight isnt too intense. it is a work in progress....
anyway, i know what you mean about Epigeneium nakaharai, it does have a fat glossy lip like Epidendrum porpax and a creeping habit as well, but they are hardly related. Epigeneium nakaharai is from taiwan and allied with dendrobium. Epi. porpax is from south america. i guess its just parallel evolution at work.
I got mine from J&L orchids. i dont believe they have any available right now...

best,
Jason

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Epigeneiums are slow growing. They are pretty good candidates for terrariums.

[vmax3000]

The OB is wicked cool for learning about orchids. I am always thrilled to discover that, despite my years of growing (& killing) them and all of the reading materials I have amassed, I still have new genera and species to discover! Thanks, guys.

I am thinking about placing P. truncata in one of my vivs. There is about 6-7" of vertical growing space.... enough height for this pleuro??

[Cassia]

Vanessa, what animals do you have in your vivs? How is the combo of orchids and animals working out for you? That's what I'm wanting to do.

[vmax3000]

Originally Posted by Cassia

Vanessa, what animals do you have in your vivs? How is the combo of orchids and animals working out for you? That's what I'm wanting to do.

Cassia,
No critters yet! I am experimenting with who will grow and flower under the conditions I am able to provide. Since I wired in the fans and created a humidification system with a fish tank pump via DIY tactics , I would be a little nervous to try a critter.
I know folks that have had great luck with the poison dart frogs, though. One of the people I met at a HOTOS orchid show had found that in creating these wonderful abodes for his frogs, he fell in love with orchids!! I was not surprised!

[Cassia]

Oh, OK. I thought you had animals since you're calling them vivs.

DIY tactics are awesome when you have the skills! I have a physicist DH who is really good with electrical stuff. I'm not so good, but know a little from my amateur radio studies . . .

I fell in love with orchids loooong ago, but never knew there was this awesome forum to get help from and have been muddling along semi-successfully, semi-disastrously for several years. Now I'm learning so much that is going to save my poor orchids!

[vmax3000]

Originally Posted by Cassia

Oh, OK. I thought you had animals since you're calling them vivs.

Oops. My bad....terrariums! I learned something!

Originally Posted by Cassia

DIY tactics are awesome when you have the skills! I have a physicist DH who is really good with electrical stuff. I'm not so good, but know a little from my amateur radio studies . . .

I can be rather haphazard. I am much better with little mechanical systems...but my graduate adviser asked me to design and build an electrical device and my enthusiasm (or ignorance..?) exceeded my natural fear of electrical devices. A muffin fan and a fluorescent light became cake walks, once I finished the work project!!

Originally Posted by Cassia

I fell in love with orchids loooong ago, but never knew there was this awesome forum to get help from and have been muddling along semi-successfully, semi-disastrously for several years. Now I'm learning so much that is going to save my poor orchids!

ME TOO!!!!

[Cassia]

Oops. My bad....terrariums! I learned something!

LOL! I only learned the difference myself a few months ago!

my graduate adviser asked me to design and build an electrical device and my enthusiasm (or ignorance..?) exceeded my natural fear of electrical devices.

grad adviser in what?

I am beginning to realize that I need to study more about how to do these things if I want to have vivs and terraria and orchidaria . . . otherwise, they'll cost more money than I can afford!