evenwind wrote:Do you know the name of the Odontoglossum/Oncidium that you're calling "Orchid2"? It looks a lot like Odontoglossum tripudians but the lip might be a little different...
I know absolutely nothing about theses orchids. Most of them were about dead and unrecognizable. Its does look very similar to the one you mentioned though.
The greenhouse cooler wasn't working, so you can only imagine what the temperatures were inside while it was 105+ degrees fahrenheit outside. I still have a few that haven't flowered yet but have started growing new divisions. I'm in the process of dividing and re-potting many of the ones that aren't flowering or actively growing right now.
Funny thing is that the only thing keeping the evaporation cooler from working was a fan belt that had fallen off or been removed to sabotage the greenhouse. Got it back on and the cooler works great. Maintained the greenhouse at 85F during our hottest days last summer, which is where the thermostat is set at for daytime running. As you can see the orchids are doing much better then when I found them. Sad thing is that there was one of those large construction dumpsters that was filled with the dead plants that had to be removed because they had been fried from the sun and heat.
Dionae wrote:Are you growing them in full sun? I can never keep an orchid alive no matter what I do to them. How do you grow them?
I forgot to mention. I also fertilize my orchids every couple of weeks. I try not to have to much air flow on the flowers, for example if there was a fan blowing on them. I've noticed if there's enough air movement to move the flowers, the flower drop a lot quicker. That's just an observation that I've had. I use tap water, but Emporia Kansas' municipal water was ranked #1 in the world. I can't think of anything else. If the leaves start to go limp you may have to increase you watering. If your keeping it constantly moist and you think its getting enough moisture check for root rot. I don't have any special advice. I've never used humidity trays and my orchids have done fine. I suggested using humidity trays to my sister in West Virginia and her orchids completely changed and now they are doing much better. I guess like everything else. You have to play around until you find out what works in your growing conditions. I wish you the best of luck Eric...Orchids are a must in my plant collection. After all it is a named after men.
Also, there is a place in Kansas City that has some amazing orchids. I haven't taken a tour yet but it is on the to do list. But their
website has some really good info. I would suggest checking them out. They also have a facebook page.