K Barrett ) wrote:
: Are you growing in a greenhouse or a windowsill? IMHO any mounted plant
: needs lots of ambient humidity in addition to daily watering in order to
: thrive. In a house you can't do that easily. So I'd take it off the
: mount and put it in a plastic pot in sphagnum moss.

You raise a subject near and dear to my heart. I keep my orchids exclusively
in a windowsill environment and have subsequently become very interested in
this issue. If I can keep some mounted orchids my growing space expands
significantly (i.e. the sill is already full!). But, I live in central
California where it's hot in the summer and the humidity isn't typically very
high. So, two years ago I started an experiment and bought a Den. thrysiflorum
at a local show. It is potted in a 2" plastic basket with *no* media, just
the basket, the plant, and the hanger. The first year, it grew a new cane.
The second year, it bloomed and grew 2 new canes. It is now starting its
3rd year, resting and will hopefully bloom soon. When active I don't typically
water it every day and I don't anything particularly special about raising
humidity other occasionally misting the general area (it's tile). Would it
grow better in a greenhouse? I presume so but since I don't have a greenhouse
I don't have any first hand experience there. But, more importantly can you
grow and re-bloom a mounted orchid indoors without lots of special attention?
My one experiment says the answer is yes (at least for this particular
species). I will be adding some sphagnum around the roots this year to keep
the roots moister for a longer period of time to see how that improves things.

Based on that prior success in August I bought one of Andy's orchids on a
stick, a Den. hercoglossum. So far it's grown a new cane but won't know if
it will re-bloom until this summer. Very recently I bought another of Andy's
orchids on stick (an Encyclia adenocaula) and a Vanda in a 4" plastic basket.
The Vanda is of particular interest to me as I have another Vanda that has
been potted in bark for the 15 years I've had it and it's getting a bit big
for the window sill. Getting it into a basket would open up some sill space
and give it some breathing room. One of things I want to do is buy a humidity
meter like the one sold by Radio Shack (which BTW I found out about on K
Barret's web site, thanks K!) so I can see what the humidity really is in my
house in general and on the window sill. Anyway, the experiments continue
(and hopefully with the same amount of success I've had so far!).

Dave

Xref: news7 rec.gardens.orchids:42343

Well, proper case selection determines results. The Dens you mention - I
can't comment on since I have assiduously avoided growing dends., LOL!! In
general, however I don't think bulbos and dens can compare in terms of
watering requirements. Even you state that you have success with vandas in
pots, once again I'll hazard a guess and say that the potting medium holds
more moisture at the roots which they can use to survive in your conditions.
(Speaking of which, Jerry Rodder grows his vandas in coir in plastic pots.
Go figure! Works for him!!) Points up the cardinal rule of growing orchids:
whatever works for you works for you. That anyone's orchids bloom is a
testament to adaptability. Both ours and theirs.

And speaking of adapation, if your vanda is doing well in a pot why buck the
system and force it to adapt again to a basket? Delaying blooms and growth.
Could you just hang the pot up where you want it? Maybe slip the pot into a
basket and hang that?

K Barrett
(glad to be of help in the gauge.)

"Dave Sheehy" wrote in message
...
K Barrett ) wrote:
: Are you growing in a greenhouse or a windowsill? IMHO any mounted plant
: needs lots of ambient humidity in addition to daily watering in order to
: thrive. In a house you can't do that easily. So I'd take it off the
: mount and put it in a plastic pot in sphagnum moss.

You raise a subject near and dear to my heart. I keep my orchids
exclusively
in a windowsill environment and have subsequently become very interested
in
this issue. If I can keep some mounted orchids my growing space expands
significantly (i.e. the sill is already full!). But, I live in central
California where it's hot in the summer and the humidity isn't typically
very
high. So, two years ago I started an experiment and bought a Den.
thrysiflorum
at a local show. It is potted in a 2" plastic basket with *no* media, just
the basket, the plant, and the hanger. The first year, it grew a new cane.
The second year, it bloomed and grew 2 new canes. It is now starting its
3rd year, resting and will hopefully bloom soon. When active I don't
typically
water it every day and I don't anything particularly special about raising
humidity other occasionally misting the general area (it's tile). Would it
grow better in a greenhouse? I presume so but since I don't have a
greenhouse
I don't have any first hand experience there. But, more importantly can
you
grow and re-bloom a mounted orchid indoors without lots of special
attention?
My one experiment says the answer is yes (at least for this particular
species). I will be adding some sphagnum around the roots this year to
keep
the roots moister for a longer period of time to see how that improves
things.

Based on that prior success in August I bought one of Andy's orchids on a
stick, a Den. hercoglossum. So far it's grown a new cane but won't know if
it will re-bloom until this summer. Very recently I bought another of
Andy's
orchids on stick (an Encyclia adenocaula) and a Vanda in a 4" plastic
basket.
The Vanda is of particular interest to me as I have another Vanda that has
been potted in bark for the 15 years I've had it and it's getting a bit
big
for the window sill. Getting it into a basket would open up some sill
space
and give it some breathing room. One of things I want to do is buy a
humidity
meter like the one sold by Radio Shack (which BTW I found out about on K
Barret's web site, thanks K!) so I can see what the humidity really is in
my
house in general and on the window sill. Anyway, the experiments continue
(and hopefully with the same amount of success I've had so far!).

Dave

K Barrett ) wrote:
: Well, proper case selection determines results.

Absolutely. That's true for everybody greenhouse or no. I definitely steer
towards orchids that can stand drying out between waterings. But, the issue
gets murky because some sources state different requirements for the same
species. Take my Den. thyrsiflorum for instance. I got my plant from a grower
in Fresno where it's hot like my environment here in the Sacramento area. But,
Petite Plaisance says on their website that it's a cool to intermediate
grower. Another source says it needs good relative humidity (whatever that
means!). Other source say it needs lots of water in its growth phase. The
conclusion I draw from this is that within reason you won't know what will
grow for you until you try it.

: The Dens you mention - I
: can't comment on since I have assiduously avoided growing dends., LOL!!

It's funny you should mention that because for many, many years I did the
same thing because I'd always heard that Dens are difficult. I thought there
was no way I could ever be successful given my environment. One day, a friend
saw my Vanda in bloom and commented how surprised they were because they had
been told that Vandas were difficult. I thought to myself if Vandas are
difficult and I can grow them what other so called difficult orchids can I
grow? One day I saw a Den antennatum for sale at Home Depot for a cheap
price and an experiment was born. It grew wonderfully and was very easy to
care for. Since then, I've been trying out other Dens with some measure of
success.

: In
: general, however I don't think bulbos and dens can compare in terms of
: watering requirements.

My intent was not to compare them. What motivated me to write was your
comment about the requirement for humidity in general terms. It's a statement
that's made a lot in all the forums for orchid discussion I've ever
participated in and for many years while I was learning to grow orchids I
let the recomendation influence far too much. It led me to believe that I
wouldn't be able to grow a lot of the things I now grow with success. I
define success as a plant that grows and re-blooms. It doesn't have to be
a great example specimen of the species for it to be a success in my mind.
As long as it grows and re-blooms I'm happy.

Getting back to bulbos for a moment, the culture information for several
Bulbos at Andy's Orchids states that they can dry out (briefly) between
waterings. That makes me wonder if some of them would grow in an environment
like mine. I would dearly love to grow the closely related Cirrhopetalum
'Elizabeth Ann Buckley' (that Gene recently posted about) but what I've read
so far says that it doesn't like to dry out.

: Even you state that you have success with vandas in
: pots, once again I'll hazard a guess and say that the potting medium holds
: more moisture at the roots which they can use to survive in your conditions.

I would tend to agree with you but as you said that's just a guess. We'll
see how well new Vanda in the basket grows.

: (Speaking of which, Jerry Rodder grows his vandas in coir in plastic pots.
: Go figure! Works for him!!)

I was reading the archives at Orchid Safari and saw a comment from a grower
in Australia(?) that mentioned growing Vandas in pots. I was a bit surprised
to see that I wasn't the only one doing that.

: Points up the cardinal rule of growing orchids:
: whatever works for you works for you. That anyone's orchids bloom is a
: testament to adaptability. Both ours and theirs.

Yea verily, my whole approach depends on that adaptability.

: And speaking of adapation, if your vanda is doing well in a pot why buck the
: system and force it to adapt again to a basket? Delaying blooms and growth.

There are several answers to that but fundamentally I'm always searching for
ways to improve my technique. Most of the information about window sill
culture (when you can find it) seems to be coming from folks who are
primarily greenhouse growers. Their information seems to be anecdotal and/or
inadequately refined. A gardner dedicated to window sill culture is mostly
left to refining their technique on their own. It's all about making the most
of my limited environment and understanding what works and what doesn't and
finding ways to make it work better.

That Vanda was one of the very first orchids I bought when I was young and
very ignorant about orchid care. It was potted in bark when I bought it and
I figured since it came in bark it probably belonged in bark. It wasn't until
much later that I understood that Vandas are truly air plants. Since I've
shown that I can grow a Den thyrsiflorum as an air plant it may be possible
to grow my Vandas that way as well. They may or may not happier that way but
there's only one way to find out.

Lastly, as I mentioned in my prior post, it's getting big and taking up a lot
of window sill room. If I can get it up in the air it gets more space and
at the same time frees up some sill space.

: Could you just hang the pot up where you want it? Maybe slip the pot into a
: basket and hang that?

It's in a glazed ceramic pot which is pretty heavy so I'm not very comfortable
with that. I've thought about putting it in a big basket stuffed with sphagnum
to hold the moisture in. Even so, it will dry out pretty quickly I don't
know how well that will work. The encouraging thing is that I'm working from
a successful foundation. If none of this works I can always go back to bark
culture. :-)

: (glad to be of help in the gauge.)

I'm very jazzed about getting the guage. I have absolutely no idea what the
humidity really is and my success with the Den makes me suspect that the
humidity may be higher than I believe it to be.

Thanks for listening to my diatribe!

Dave

: "Dave Sheehy" wrote in message
: ...
: K Barrett ) wrote:
: : Are you growing in a greenhouse or a windowsill? IMHO any mounted plant
: : needs lots of ambient humidity in addition to daily watering in order to
: : thrive. In a house you can't do that easily. So I'd take it off the
: : mount and put it in a plastic pot in sphagnum moss.
:
: You raise a subject near and dear to my heart. I keep my orchids
: exclusively
: in a windowsill environment and have subsequently become very interested
: in
: this issue. If I can keep some mounted orchids my growing space expands
: significantly (i.e. the sill is already full!). But, I live in central
: California where it's hot in the summer and the humidity isn't typically
: very
: high. So, two years ago I started an experiment and bought a Den.
: thrysiflorum
: at a local show. It is potted in a 2" plastic basket with *no* media, just
: the basket, the plant, and the hanger. The first year, it grew a new cane.
: The second year, it bloomed and grew 2 new canes. It is now starting its
: 3rd year, resting and will hopefully bloom soon. When active I don't
: typically
: water it every day and I don't anything particularly special about raising
: humidity other occasionally misting the general area (it's tile). Would it
: grow better in a greenhouse? I presume so but since I don't have a
: greenhouse
: I don't have any first hand experience there. But, more importantly can
: you
: grow and re-bloom a mounted orchid indoors without lots of special
: attention?
: My one experiment says the answer is yes (at least for this particular
: species). I will be adding some sphagnum around the roots this year to
: keep
: the roots moister for a longer period of time to see how that improves
: things.
:
: Based on that prior success in August I bought one of Andy's orchids on a
: stick, a Den. hercoglossum. So far it's grown a new cane but won't know if
: it will re-bloom until this summer. Very recently I bought another of
: Andy's
: orchids on stick (an Encyclia adenocaula) and a Vanda in a 4" plastic
: basket.
: The Vanda is of particular interest to me as I have another Vanda that has
: been potted in bark for the 15 years I've had it and it's getting a bit
: big
: for the window sill. Getting it into a basket would open up some sill
: space
: and give it some breathing room. One of things I want to do is buy a
: humidity
: meter like the one sold by Radio Shack (which BTW I found out about on K
: Barret's web site, thanks K!) so I can see what the humidity really is in
: my
: house in general and on the window sill. Anyway, the experiments continue
: (and hopefully with the same amount of success I've had so far!).
:
: Dave
: