Aerides odorata

[smweaver]

I've found this to be a fairly adaptable species--although, yes, it does perform noticeably better during the hot and humid summer months. I have a lot of orchids that prefer cool to intermediate winter temperatures, and my Aerides odorata performs just fine in those conditions as well (being that I am unable to provide it with a uniformly warm environment with high humidity throughout the year). I don't water it nearly as much during the cool winter months (whereas it gets drenched at least once daily during the summer growing season), so growth slows down quite a bit. But it seems to be a pretty tough customer overall.

[Orchid killer]

thanks for that bit of info, I think humidity is the trick with all Aerides. Sadly where I live here in Africa, it is quite a dry environment for a number of months, humidity can drop below 20%, even with misters and foggers. But I shell continue trying.

[smweaver]

Originally Posted by Orchid killer

thanks for that bit of info, I think humidity is the trick with all Aerides. Sadly where I live here in Africa, it is quite a dry environment for a number of months, humidity can drop below 20%, even with misters and foggers. But I shell continue trying.

I'm envious of all the cycads that are native to your country. I have a couple of encephalartos species, and while they look great in their pots, I'm sure they would be much easier to grow in Zimbabwe.