Orchid ID help.

[gnathaniel]

I doubt the roots are splitting the bark, something else may be wrong with your tree. Orchid roots will definitely go everywhere but they are pretty tender and don't have the power to damage a tough tree like a bottlebrush (or really any tree).

--Nat

[Merlyn]

For the tree you need to get the hose attachment that's about 2 feet long and looks like a stake. You push it into the ground at different points around the tree's drip line and put a fertilizer pellet in the chamber, attach the hose and let it rip ! I have one here but it's been so long I forget how much it cost, I think less than $20. It gets the fert down where the tree roots can use it.

For the orchid any fert will do, preferably average like 20-20-20 or 10-10-10, but anything will do and use at 1/4 to 1/2 strength the recommended dosage on the package as orchids are light feeders, especially in nature.

Nat snuck that post in there but he's right, like I said before. It just LOOKS like the orchid roots are splitting the tree, the roots just filled up the split area is all.

HTH, hope that helps !!!

[Dimidiata]

will look into getting the attachment some time. I wonder if my uncle doesnt have one i can barrow. The tree could deff go for a soil revamp. So, are the orchids feeding off the tree or what? I know the huge amounts of moss arnt helping(honestly ive never seen something that covered, the pics didnt show it very well). One idea was to put some young bottlebrushes in around the tree and see if they wouldnt fuse or support it to keep it togather. It would really suck, and i know it wont last a hurricane.

[Merlyn]

Orchids are NOT parasitic, they are epiphytic and only attach to trees for their own support. They get food from leaves that decay and whatever bird flies over and drops some food (heheh) on them ! I didn't see any moss but I would leave some of it.

[Dimidiata]

i dont remove all the moss just whats excess, it can add quite a bit of weight so i trim it down. Good to know orchids arnt parasites.

[Merlyn]

Moss isn't either, and you're doing it right.

[glengary54]

Sam - Great to see such a well grown specimen plant, self supportive in the garden. What it looks like to me is one of the many color forms of Laelia purpurata. From looking at the plant placement on the tree, and your comment about color variations it seems that there is more than one plant growing on the tree.

There are a number of native orchids that you could add to the tree that would do quite well, such as Brassavola nodosa, Encyclia tampensis and even though it is not a native, a large Schomburgkia would look great on your tree.

[Dimidiata]

The color varies only from the center of the flower(probably shoulda mentioned that) Just the center part is either pink,purple or white the rest of it stays the same. Ill see if i cant get a few pics. So do orchids bloom seasonaly because i thought this one was done until it shot up again, not that i mind. Not at all XD

[glengary54]

Sam - The answer is yes and no - for most species there is a seasonal component but others will bloom on evry new growth. When we talk about a specimen as large as yours, we can't realistically expect all the new growths to grow and mature at the same time thus leading to a extended bloom season that will come in spurts over several months. I have a 20 -25 year old Laelia specimen hanging in a tree that has had several flushes of blooms that started in the Spring and have just ended a few weeks ago, granted there was only one major flush and the rest were less intense but it did bloom on and off over several months.

I would love to see pictures, when you get them, of the color variations.

[BruceP]

A couple of additional comments from a fellow Floridian with lots of orchids and bottlebrush:

Your tree is splitting due to the weight of the horizontal branches. Bottlebrush, like many tropical trees from hurricane-prone locations, have weak, brittle branches that are designed to break off in high winds (thus saving the tree from being uprooted). You can heavily prune them just about any time of the year without harm.

As for fertilizing the orchid (the tree probably doesn't need any), I have found that a simple compost tea formula (1/3 compost to 2/3 water, let sit for a week in the sun and strain - then dilute to 8-16:1) gives me the best results and has the added benefits of being cheap and enviro-friendly. I sometimes add a few drops of Superthrive (and/or aspirin, but that's another discussion).
Good luck,
Bruce