Zygonisia Cynosure care tips and showing my Zygopetalum Debbie de Mello Honolulu Baby - Orchid Board

greyblackfish · #1 09-11-2021, 12:55 PM

Hello all, hope everyone is having a peaceful weekend.

I've had success in growing my zygo. It grows like a monster and I'm proud of it. I have a before and after picture in the third image attached showing 2 months growth.

So with the success of my first zygopetalum, I thought I'd try the zygonisia cynosure. In the first two attached images I've got the "dove of peace" and the "blue bird". They arrived in good condition although I'm not too sure how well established they are in their pots. There isn't a whole lot of information on their care but what I did find implies they require similar care to zygopetalums.

Anyone have experience with them? Input would be much appreciated.

estación seca · #2 09-11-2021, 01:05 PM

Their ancestor Acacallis cyanea (sometimes called Aganisia cyanea) is a plant accustomed to extremely high amounts of water. I have read it often flowers with the plant completely submerged in floodwaters while the inflorescence rises above the surface.

Zygonisias need lots of water. Many people stand the pot in a dish that always contins water. They grow well in sphagnum moss. If you just repotted them I would consider switching to something more water-retentive than what I see in the pot, and I would use a pot with no side slots.

Zygopetalums are different plants. They don't need this much water.

greyblackfish · #3 09-11-2021, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estación seca

Zygonisias need lots of water. Many people stand the pot in a dish that always contins water. They grow well in sphagnum moss. If you just repotted them I would consider switching to something more water-retentive than what I see in the pot, and I would use a pot with no side slots.

Zygopetalums are different plants. They don't need this much water.

Ah, actually this time I did not repot it. It arrived this way. I did feel like the medium wasn't going to work. The top half is constantly dry in a day or two no matter how much I water. My zygo is pretty tightly packed in sphagnum and drinks a lot. I can only imagine these will need more.

I think I'll take poke in the medium and see just how established these are. It looks like the seller just recently potted these.

Shadeflower · #4 09-11-2021, 01:28 PM

uff they are seedling size with only one bulb each.

All I can say is this will be a challenge. I have a pabstia jugosa (related to zygopetalum) that is hanging in at mine.
Mine got attacked by pests that nibbled off the leaves and when an orchid only has one bulb that isn't too good.

It's a slow process. Initially they will grow one bulb per year. Once they have reached 4 bulbs they might be able to flower depending on their care till then.

Can't comment on zygotelum care as that is something I am still figuring out myself. They rot just as easily as any other orchid so too much water is dangerous. I'd compare it to a maxillaria tenuifolia for its water requirements.

estación seca · #5 09-11-2021, 01:30 PM

If you're going to repot, first use the Search function here to look for posts from Dollythehun about how she grows this plant.

greyblackfish · #6 09-11-2021, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

uff they are seedling size with only one bulb each.

All I can say is this will be a challenge. I have a pabstia jugosa (related to zygopetalum) that is hanging in at mine.
Mine got attacked by pests that nibbled off the leaves and when an orchid only has one bulb that isn't too good.

It's a slow process. Initially they will grow one bulb per year. Once they have reached 4 bulbs they might be able to flower depending on their care till then.

Can't comment on zygotelum care as that is something I am still figuring out myself. They rot just as easily as any other orchid so too much water is dangerous. I'd compare it to a maxillaria tenuifolia for its water requirements.

I've found that sphagnum moss works really well for my zygopetalum. Mine does fine inside under some supplemental light along with some window light. But about the zygonisias I'm not sure when I'm gonna see some growth.

---------- Post added at 12:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:44 PM ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by estación seca

If you're going to repot, first use the Search function here to look for posts from Dollythehun about how she grows this plant.

Thanks I'll see what I can find.

Bamanana · #7 09-13-2021, 06:11 PM

I purchase a zygonisia cynosure about the same size as yours nearly a year ago. I have it in semi-hydro and mist once a day. MSU, KelpMax, Optum, etc. It has done absolutely nothing at all since I bought it. It is seemly healthy, but I have found it extremely unrewarding for my efforts and the price. It's definitely "at risk" if I need that shelf space for something less boring. I hope you have better luck. I will monitor this thread in case someone suggests a trick to get it moving.

estación seca · #8 09-13-2021, 06:22 PM

You're not watering enough. Misting doesn't help because that's on the leaves. It needs wet roots. Try a thorough flush watering every day.

When I had one it was in always-wet sphagnum moss standing in a dish of water.

greyblackfish · #9 09-13-2021, 07:15 PM

Thanks Bamanana for your input. I'll contribute as well if I get better progress with mine.

The last time I was posting in this board, I was scouring the board for the info for potting these orchids. But what information I can remember, I'm not sure if I actually found a picture of somebody's setup or if it was actually something I dreamt up. Somebody had tiny pebbles at the bottom of a pot with a mixture of bark and moss. It's gotta be a dream.

greyblackfish · #10 09-14-2021, 01:35 PM

Well I took a look inside the pot. The blue bird was okay. It had too much bark in it but it had more sphagnum moss than I thought. I put it all back as gently as I could.

But the dove of peace was nothing but the leca balls and moss. I am not familiar with leca balls so I got rid of them and repot similarly to the previous with more than half sphagnum moss and bark mainly at the bottom and over the top. I've found that moss will dry out quickly but laying a thin layer of fine bark seems to seal in more moisture for longer. I have the two in a very shallow tray that I'll occasionally fill with water. I still don't want them wet all the time