Aerides houlletiana - Advice

[yaffle]

Hi everyone,

I've ordered myself an aerides houlletiana (Arriving Tuesaday) and I was wondering what conditions (Light, Humidity, Temperature and Feeding) does it do best with. There doesn't seem to be much information about it on the net

Any Help is Greatly Appreciated!

yaffle

[dgenovese1]

Hi Yaffle,

I've had an Aerides houlletiana for a couple of years now, and I treat it just like my vandas, and it does great. I've been keeping it in about 65% light, water it every day and feed it once a week with a liquid fertilizer, Dyna-Gro 7-9-5 mixed at full strength, with superthrive added. I also feed it with supplements of Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom salts) and Potassium Nitrate mixed at 1 tablespoon of each per gallon of water about once every 6 weeks. When the temperatures go below 50 degrees F outside, I've been protecting it. The humidity here is usually between 50 and 95% depending on the time of year, but with daily waterings, I suspect that the micro-environment around my vandaceous plants probably stays at or above 65% at all times, even in the dry winter months.

It is a beautiful plant, that had 6 spikes this past spring, and has since sprouted 2 keikis. The fragrance is absolutely wonderful...kind of a light citrusy-spicey scent. I'm sure that you'll love yours when it blooms for you too.

[yaffle]

Thanks! Just what I was looking for!