Orchids in bloom
The orchids in my personal collection have been blooming a lot this year, so I thought I would share some of the flowers and what I have learned from growing each plant:)
A Lepanthes blooming in my hexagonal terrarium. I wrote more about this build in my orchidarium post.
Potted Orchids
This was my first orchid, and it is what got me into the hobby in the first place.
It taught me that orchid roots tell you a lot: whether a plant is healthy, underwatered, or overwatered. Roots poking out of the media turn silvery-gray and begin to shrink as the velamen, the spongy outer layer that absorbs and holds moisture, dries out.
Depending on the species, dry velamen can quickly lead to stress or decline. Some orchids are especially sensitive to dryness and low humidity, like the Lepanthes at the beginning of this post, and need much more consistent moisture.
Phalaenopsis orchids are usually fine with short dry periods because they have thick roots. My general rule of thumb is that the smaller the roots are, the more frequently I water and the lower the fertilizer concentration I use, usually around 1/2 to 1/8 of the typical strength.
Coconut orchids
A coconut orchid reblooming after two years of new growth.
Coconut orchids have been relatively easy for me to grow. I keep the roots mostly moist, with brief dry periods between waterings. This is the first one that has rebloomed for me after about two years of new growth. In that time, it has nearly doubled in size as new bulbs have come in. I originally bought it at Logee’s in Connecticut when I lived in Massachusetts.
Gastrochilus
A Gastrochilus in bloom from Rainbeau Orchids.
In my experience, Gastrochilus like to stay on the wetter side. I bought this particular plant from Rainbeau Orchids, a greenhouse I visit often.
I have Gastrochilus hoii on my storefront if you would like to give one a try.
Dendrochilum
Dendrochilum tenellum in bloom.
Like many of the orchids in this post, I keep Dendrochilum roots moist. Their roots are much thinner than Phalaenopsis roots, and their bulbs can start to shrink from dehydration after only a couple days at ambient humidity if they are not kept wet.
That said, they still do relatively well outside a terrarium as long as I stay consistent with watering.
Bulbophyllums
Two Bulbophyllums in my collection blooming at the same time. I don’t know the species/hybrid on the left, but the right is Bulbophyllum trigonopus (close-up below).
I have never lost a Bulbophyllum. They make excellent beginner orchids for anyone who does not mind watering them every other day or so. Their care reminds me a lot of Dendrochilum: steady moisture, good airflow, and patience.
I bought the one on the left from Rainbeau Orchids, and it has bloomed three or four times since then, sometimes with two spikes at once.
Bulbophyllum trigonopus
In my experience, these plants are very easy to grow and appreciate daily watering or humidity above 80%.
Getting them to bloom does seem to require higher humidity. Otherwise, you are more likely to get healthy leaves without flowers.
Terrarium blooms
My first terrarium
My first terrarium, which I shared in an earlier post, was an experiment. I wanted to control humidity in a closed space with a controller so I could avoid daily watering. It has now been going strong for nearly a year.
Begonia vankerckhovenii is an easy bloomer, and its large yellow flowers never fail to impress.
Masdevallia erinacea has finally put out a couple blooms for me. It did take a couple iterations (and a second plant, unfortunately; the original I planted here was one of the minis I lost when I was first getting started :/) with this one. I think I’ve settled on it needing weak fertilizer, 1/4 strength roughly, 80% humidity and rather bright lighting to ensure it grows faster than it “melts” or decays in such a high humidity, but I’m curious about others’ experience growing this one. I suspect it would actually do just fine on a shelf / potted in well-draining / medium coarsity media, such as a black aquarium gravel, in about 60-70% humidity and wouldn’t mind temporary periods of dryness / unfertilized water, followed by prolonged periods of wetness to ensure adequate root growth.
Bulbophyllum dennisii has bloomed for me only once since I fixed it to the log, but it has put on impressive, tight growth. I expected the flowers to be a bit more pink, but they are a stark yellow.
Hexagonal terrarium
This is my most recent finished build. I wrote a longer post about the species I originally planted back in January. Since then, I have added another branch and several species of Lepanthes, Dendrobium, and Platystele.
I have also seen quite a few blooms from the carnivorous plants I added. Both Utricularia species have bloomed at least twice in the past five or six months, and the Marcgravias keep putting out more leaves.
A Utricularia bloom in the hexagonal terrarium.
Shown below is Psygmorchis pusilla, which has a large, long-lasting yellow flower. My Lepanthes calodictyon has also been blooming almost continuously, which is usually a sign that it is happy.
I have Psygmorchis pusilla for sale on my storefront as well.
I love Lepanthes, and they may even be my favorite orchid genus, but they can be difficult to care for.
This is Lepanthes gargoyla in bloom. It has been relatively easy to care for in this setting, but I am concerned that the moss may eventually outgrow the plant due to a lack of airflow in the space it is in. .
Unlike Calodictyon, this one does not appear to be a continuous bloomer, at least not at this time, but I have seen 2 new leaves come in!:)
Yet another terrarium build!
Stay tuned for updates on my next terrarium build. It is based on a full, upright Ikea cabinet, of all things.
I am building a custom controller that I hope to sell and open source the plans for at some point, and I am also looking forward to moving a large portion of my collection into this setup once it is finished.
plants