Any orchid that is both drought tolerant and needs low light?
 

Hello, I’m thinking to get a new orchid for husband as his birthday gift to replace a dying one. Since we have a baby on the way, we will have less time to take care our orchids from March. But husband still wants to get a new one. We will probably only have time to water at most once a week. Our home only faces north so light is also an issue. Currently, only phalaenopsis hybrids, oncidium hybrid “wild cat”, dendrobium Jonathan’s glory dark joy, Appendicula elegrans and Lycaste consobrina are blooming fine. Also, husband likes something more exotic.

I would be really grateful for any suggestions. Even though we may not get any immediately (just a baby could be overwhelming enough), we may have options in the future.

My Dendrobium/Dockrillia rigidum and Dendrobium pachyphyllum have gone a week without watering and they are fine (Id recommend D. Rigidum though), but I'm not sure about the light. How much light can you give?

Im not too sure about your conditions but I'd recommend lower-light Dendrobiums.

Also try Dendrobium crumenatum and Eulophia petersii (AKA the desert orchid, but I dont know about the light).

To help you can pot the plant/mount in a water-retaining medium such as sphagnum.

Unless there's some compelling reason it's not an option for you, I'd recommend that you look into supplemental lights. Higher output LEDs are more affordable now and pretty easy to find (you can pick them up at Walmart these days). The extra light will extend your options, and your existing plants will probably appreciate it. I'm not even sure how you're able to bloom the Dendrobium in a north facing window, but kudos to you on that.

Another recommendation that may help with your situation is to consider the semi-hydroponic growing method. There's lots of good information online about it and it does work for a lot of people. The idea is that you grow the orchids in a pot that's got a reservoir of water at the bottom. It can really help reduce the frequency of watering. Other folks are having success with Phals (I know that's not terribly exotic these days) in full water culture, which is basically just putting the plants in a vase with water in the bottom and no potting mix.

Anyway, I'm making those suggestions because I'm having a hard time thinking of anything that's exotic (which I'm interpreting as meaning not a Phalaenopsis), can handle drying out, and which I'm confident will bloom in a north facing exposure without supplemental lighting.

Ludisia discolor, a jewel orchid valued for beautiful leaves as well as small white flowers in winter, is a good choice.

It prefers low light. It is terrestrial, mine grows in an African violet potting soil over a well-drained (bark) base, water thoroughly once a week, that should be enough.

I water my mottled leaved Paphiopedilum hybrids weekly and they grow and bloom well in north facing windows for me. You’ll have to make sure that they’re in a pot on the larger side and a small grade bark or loose sphagnum mix. I also water by soaking to maximize time between watering. These are not drought tolerant, but weekly watering can be workable.

I have a macodes petola jewel orchid that I got from Glass Box Tropicals, but other suppliers of reptile terrarium plants carry them.

I have mine potted in a tiny terracotta pot with no drainage hole and a mostly sphagnum moss.

It lives about two feet from my eastern window, under some pushy bromeliads and I water it maybe once a week, maybe less. Of course, rarely have I ever noticed that the medium actually got dry to the touch, so I wouldn't call it "drought tolerant", but as a terrestrial, it can handle more medium around its roots and more medium = more water retention.

For liking lower lights, it is a fairly fast grower, at least in my experience. Mine has produces about one new leaf a month.

Of course, jewel orchid flowers are tiny, so it might not be what your husband has in mine. However, the leaves are incredible.