Opsistylis culture

[smweaver]

Can someone who's had experience with Opsistylis give me some advice regarding its culture, please? I'm getting one as a "gift" from a pal who says he can't keep it warm enough over the winter. Since I keep my temps at a level to ensure that all of my numerous Aerides are happy, he thought I'd do okay with it. The plant hasn't arrived yet (he lives in Minnesota, so it's being overnighted for delivery this Friday), but I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to see if anyone one this site has any advice they could share. Can Opsistylis take the same light levels as Aerides? Does it like to be watered like an Aerides or more like a Vanda? For some reason I have yet to figure out, although I've done a lousy job with keeping Vandas alive in the past, I do very well with Aerides. At the risk of encouraging the wrath of the legions of Vanda fans out there, I think it might be because Aerides are a little less inclined to behave like prima donas and are far less picky about their likes and dislikes. If anyone has (or had) grown Opsistylis, I'd like to hear about your experiences. Thank you!

Steve

[Faerygirl]

I have one. As its a cross between Vanda and Rhynchostylis, I treat it the same way: very bright light, wood slat basket with no media, very warm, high humidity and I water every day. I also have a few Aerides, and I griw those in full sun. I don't grow most of the straight Vandas and Rhynchos in FS like I do my Aerides, unless its a terete or 3/4 terete vanda.

[Faerygirl]

sorry, I meant to say Vandopsis, not Vanda, but I grow the Vandopsis I have the same way.

[Gin]

Hi , I have an old one , it is in a basket now with large bark , It gets a basically Phal. light, or a little more , watered daily . Also have a young one it is in a pot , the other one was for a long time and bloomed in it , then got to big and was put in a basket .

[smweaver]

Thank you both for your replies! Good to know that it doesn't need to grow alongside the Aerides as far as its light requirements go. Interesting to hear that you grow your Vandas in lower light levels than your Aerides, Faerygirl. Although I try to give my Aerides as much full sun as possible over the winter, after I move them outdoors in the spring, they don't receive more than perhaps three hours of direct early morning sunlight; afterwards, it's all very bright shade. Whenever I've tried to grow Vandas in the past under the same conditions, the plants always started growing very strongly toward the direct sun, which the Aerides never do. I took that to indicate that the Vandas appreciated higher light levels than the Aerides. And this view was only strengthened by the fact that all of my Aerides flower every year, whereas the poor Vandas seemed to sulk and only flower intermittently--if I was lucky. This, of course, is only my personal experience with both genuses. I have a Rhynchostylis gigantea that's just ending its flowering cycle. It gets a lot less light than the Aerides--though more light (as you pointed out, Gin) than a Phalaenopsis would receive. I think I'll put the Opsistylis with the Rhynchostylis to see how it does.

Gin, how big is that plant of yours (the one in the picture)? Are the flowers fragrant like Rhynchostylis gigantea? I've never experienced a Vandopsis "in person," so I'm not sure whether they're fragrant. I'm hoping that the Opsistylis is going to have a decent smell, although I'll have to wait until next year to find out (my buddy's plant has never flowered for him, even though he said it's around eighteen inches tall and wide).

Thanks again for your responses.

[Faerygirl]

Vandas appreciate very bright light, but most of teh strap leaved types cannot take DIRECT full sun, it will burn them. The terete and 3/4 terete can take direct full sun. The sun here in FL zone 9 is probably a bit stronger than that in zone 5. All fo my orchids are in a greenhouse, as well, and even though the glazing is considered "clear" and I use no shadecloth or other shading mechanism, the total light diffused in to the plants is probably 85-90% at best. The Aerides hang high up in the attic around the periphery to receive the strongest light, ditto the terete/three quarter terete. The strap leaved Vandas and other vanda alliance (except Arachnis and arachnostylis) all hang lower and hang in more central locales.
I think with Vandaceous orchids, its not a matter of the light levels that will do them in. Of course they do need adequate levels of light to bloom and do really well, but, adequate humidity and the development of a large strong root mass is the key to getting them to be their best.

[smweaver]

Good point about the need (and where I live, challenge) of developing large root systems on vandaceous plants. For me, trial and error has lead me to attempt to grow the vandaceous plants in pots rather than baskets. I have better luck giving them adequate water that way. And practically speaking, it simply wouldn't be possible for me to water a plant growing in a basket that doesn't have any potting medium. The Aerides (again, in my experience) have been more accomodating (less resentful?) of the pot-growing method I use. Although they have lots of roots scrambling out into the air, there are also quite a few that they put down into the potting medium itself, which helps me a great deal in maintaining them. If only I could remain satisfied with the plants from the Cycnoches, Mormodes and Catasetum groups, my orchid-growing life would probably be far less problematic--especially during the winter, when it's a challenge to keep the humidity levels high enough to trick the Aerides into thinking they're still somewhere in comfortable Southeast Asia. Our summers are hot and very humid, which is nice (well, at least for the plants). Winters, however, are where the "fun" begins. I love all of my Cycnoches plants; very carefree, floriferous, and (best of all) they go dormant during the winter and completely avoid having to deal with the lower humidity and light levels we experience here. But I'm afraid that I'm simply addicted to the Aerides. I can't keep my nose out of their flowers when they're in bloom.

[Faerygirl]

It just goes to show, no one is ever satisfied! I would like to grow th e ones you have. I have never tried any of the 3 you mentioned. This is a photo of my Opsistylis that I took a few minutes ago. I really like it a lot...I like the deep color shades on flowers...not a huge fan of pastels. There is so much foliage in the greenhouse, I need the plants that bloom to bloom in bright primary colors so they add interest and don't get lost

[smweaver]

That is a nicely vibrant color. When I Googled images of Opsistylis, most of what I found were spotted, much like Rhynchostylis gigantea. I suppose it depends on what form of gigantea was used as a parent. Is your plant fragrant at all? I like fragrant orchids; in fact, fragrance is usually a trait that trumps looks for me when I'm choosing plants (I can't think of a single plant that I have that is NOT fragrant). I have a pal in South Florida who successfully grows Cycnoches. One of the plants I sent to him last fall flowered over the winter. He says that he grows them outdoors, so that might help as far as his success with them goes in such a warm climate. As long as you can keep them dry while they're dormant, they're easy to grow. And I would imagine that they would become monsters in your climate. Check out the website of Fred Clarke at sunsetorchids.com. He sells lots of species and hybrids from the Catasetinae group. One of his plants that I have is called Cyc. Robert Dickow. It's extremely fragrant and very easy to grow--and his prices are very reasonable (I think the Robert Dickow's around $20 for a mature, flowering size plant). Now I'm envious of your greenhouse. I have lots of big windows in the house, where the orchids spend the winter. All of them go outside from spring through fall. Right now my collection is a managable size (a little more than two dozen plants). I can only imagine how much trouble I could make for myself with a greenhouse. Do you grow any of the fragrant vanda species--merrillii, tessellata, insigna, etc.? I'd like to try ONE of them some day, just to see if I can get it to flower. I've heard (whether correctly or not, there's no way for me to be sure) that they're a little easier to grow than the more popular hybrids from Euanthe sanderiana. Maybe they'd be okay growing next to their Aerides cousins! Thanks again for uploading the great picture. I will be curious to know whether or not your Opsistylis is fragrant at all.

[Gin]

Hi, My Opsistylis is fragrant Gin