Orchid Windowsill List 2015

[Spirytman]

I just wanted to share my eclectic list of Orchids that I grow on a shelf in front of some windows in my kitchen. I think i have weird tastes since I don't usually see anyone else with quite the same list. I dont really like to grow hybrids, but i keep a few that i recieved as gifts. I really enjoy cooler growing chids. Well that is, that they enjoy my home climate. ok so here is the list!

Angraecum Dideri
Bulbophyllum medusa
Cymbidium bicolor
Dendrobium bellatulum
Dendrobium capituliflorum
Dendrobium cretaceum
Dendrobium dichaeoides
Dendrobium mohlianum
Dendrobium moniliforme “ginsetstu”
Dendrobium nobile “love Memory Fizz” (x3)
Dendrobium obtusipetalum
Dendrobium unicum
Dendrobium victoriae-reginae
Lepanthes saltatrix
Masdevallia pachyura
Mediocalcar decoratum
Phalaenopsis venosa
Phalaenopsis NOID (x5) Miniature
Phalaenopsis NOID (x1) Large
Pleurothallis palliolata
Promenaea rollisonii
Trichoceros armillatus
Zygopetalum NOID (x2)

[My Green Pets]

Nice list! I don't own a single Dendrobium but you seem to love them...but you have my favorite bulbophyllum medusae which I am a little crazy about also I see you have two zygopetalum, I have one but it has struggled since I got it, no sure if it's heat or bad watering technique or what. How do you grow yours?

[Spirytman]

Originally Posted by CambriaWhat

Nice list! I don't own a single Dendrobium but you seem to love them...but you have my favorite bulbophyllum medusae which I am a little crazy about also I see you have two zygopetalum, I have one but it has struggled since I got it, no sure if it's heat or bad watering technique or what. How do you grow yours?

Yeah Cambria, I kind love my dens. I really like the juxtaposition of the canes (which are all together either dead looking or unattractive) with the beauty of the flowers.
I got my medusae at the Philadelphia show in April. I have it mounted and i give it copious amounts of water and filtered light, but i am not sure it is happy. I haven't seen any real growth and its lost a few leaves. I took a risk in buying it, since i didn't know if i could meet its requirements. I have a cool growing environment. It rarely gets up to 80 in my house and in the winter it hovers around 65-70 Its not dead or dead looking but i just dont think its happy.. Maybe its too soon to tell. Any advice you may have would be awesome.

As i said above, i have a pretty cool growing area. My Zygos are a noid hybrid. I grow them in a sort of semi hydroponic fashion. I have them in clear pots. the media is strictly Clay pellets. I water them once a week but the holes on the pots are about an inch from the bottom. When the water is gone from the bottom, I flush the pot and add more water. I fertilize about once a week, sometimes twice with Dyna Grow Orchid Pro 7-8-6. As far as light, they seem to enjoy the same light requirements as phals. They can even do less light in some cases. In fact I have better success blooming my zygos then my phals.

Right now I have an experiment going. I have one zygo in a tall thin container. (used to be a container for bungee cords) and the other zygo in a shorter wider pot. As of now the zygo in the taller pot bloomed first. But only two blooms. The Zygo in the shorter container is just now in bud (looks like three). I have yet to determine the cause but it's interesting in the least.

Do you know what kind of zygo you have? I am no expert, but i know that there are some that like it warmer than others.

I hope this helps you with your zygo! Ive attached some pictures. Good Growing!

[theloyalplum]

Sounds like you have a solid cast of characters on the sill. How do the dendrobiums do during the winter time? I have a good amount of den. species and I'm wondering if I should steal my dad's indoor greenhouse for the winter.

[Spirytman]

Originally Posted by theloyalplum

Sounds like you have a solid cast of characters on the sill. How do the dendrobiums do during the winter time? I have a good amount of den. species and I'm wondering if I should steal my dad's indoor greenhouse for the winter.

Hey Loyalplum, My dens do great in the winter. Most like a real cool winter's rest. In the fall i open my windows at night so the house gets about 60ish. Then i close the windows in the morning and the sun coming into my house usually heats it up about 10º. After it gets too cold to open the windows any more (winter), my heat is set to 68º. So far, I've had no problems and ive had decent blooms. This winter i am going to experiment with colder temps to see if they help bloom production. So to answer your question, i think you wont need a greenhouse unless you have warm loving dens.

[theloyalplum]

Originally Posted by Spirytman

Hey Loyalplum, My dens do great in the winter. Most like a real cool winter's rest. In the fall i open my windows at night so the house gets about 60ish. Then i close the windows in the morning and the sun coming into my house usually heats it up about 10º. After it gets too cold to open the windows any more (winter), my heat is set to 68º. So far, I've had no problems and ive had decent blooms. This winter i am going to experiment with colder temps to see if they help bloom production. So to answer your question, i think you wont need a greenhouse unless you have warm loving dens.

Yay! Thanks. Might have to add some of yours, then, onto my wishlist. Mine are a little on the warmer side so maybe they'll no longer be windowsill plants!

[Jackie26085]

Wow that's a lot of dendrobiums. Do you provide a humidifier for your angraecum? I heard they like high humidity


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[Spirytman]

I am relatively new at angraecums. The dideri is my first. I got in April from Andy's. He told me that it likes to dry out between waterings. I had read that they liked high humidity as well so I was keeping it constantly moist and I learned the hard way that you can't always trust the Internet. The plant I own had 3 stalks. One had a flower spike starting. But because I was keeping it too moist, it got brown and the whole stalk died. Thankfully the other 2 stalks are doing ok. I have been misting it in the morning and night but drenching only weekly. It seems to be doing the trick. Right now, it's been between 50 65 percent humidity in the house and all my orchids are growing. Although I don't know how the dideri "should" be doing. I have one or two roots with green tips but they grow very slow. I guess as long as I see growth I shouldn't complain right?! Maybe when winter is in full effect and my humidity falls to 30 as it often does, I'll be getting that humidifier. Lol.

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