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The thread "Our Orchid Blooms in September 2023 🍄" in Orchids forum

I wish these were mine, these are not in the database yet

V. vanda tubtim velvet x Rasri gold



V. John Farrar George's Delight

Gigi, your post was too pretty probably not getting the deserved attention still in the September thread, so here we are in October!
Beautiful Vandas!

Around here is a bit of a mix.
Dendrochilum magnum always blooms this time of year. Unfortunately the large leaves always get tattered during the Summer, but it blooms out clean.The scent is wonderful, imagine fresh hay in sunshine.


Miltonia moreliana blooms


And this cutie is at it, Lockhartia lunifera





Let's all have a really good month of October!

Wow, that Lockhartia is stunning. Those types of chaining orchids are definitely at the top of my wish list.

Oh thank you Ursula! They have a lot of beauties right now and as always your collection is amazing

My sun loving Vandas are still blooming and have more buds!

Alex, I agree, I think Orchids with distichous growth are attractive plants, even when not in bloom. Angraecum distichum is a really cute plant, not huge either like Dendrobium anceps. That one can get really large. Then there is Dendrobium distichum, Dendrobium leonis and lots more really tiny Orchids with fan-like growth, Oberonia toppingii, Ornithocephalus inflexus and more.

Oh my, Gigi, they are just gorgeous! I love them!

Oh, oh no. I just found so many orchids I love...
Dendrochilum.. Scaphyglottis prolifera... Tolumnia....
I really like Dendrochilum williamsii & tenellum.

While I do like Pleurothallis too (I really like P. ruscifolia...), I am unsure if my growing conditions are suitable for it, as it might be too hot? It is around 80 Fahrenheit usually in my grow space, and it is still fall, I'd expect it to be warmer during the summer...

Well, I have plenty of time to decide. My plant budget is low, so it will take a long time for me to build up enough budget to really order anything.

Oh, I divided my coconut orchid (The Maxillaria). I can now keep a division in both grow spaces. How cute. I love the simple leaves with the little bulb-like structures (What is the term for those? Bulbs?)

Oh, would Dendrochilum williamsii need high humidity?

I am not familiar with Dendrochilum williamsii, but here are basically the conditions
http://www.orchidspecies.com/d...
Should be ok in your hands. I find most Dendrochilums not too fussy. But I do water a lot, def. in Winter with rain water.

Pleurothallis ruscifolia
http://www.orchidspecies.com/p...
I think you should be ok too.

I like this website to check out species. Through the years I find that pretty much all Masdevallias and many Pleurothallis can't take the NJ Summer for too long, but some Pleurothallis are surprisingly resilient.

Rain water? Oh. Will they not accept tap water, is it due to chlorine? I know it will not remove all types of chlorine, but would tap water set up for a while be ok? Or is only rain water or distilled acceptable. Thanks!
I am mostly worried about my not-very-high humidity and water

No, I just find that many more delicate mountain Orchid species don't enjoy hard water in the long run, it clogs up the stomata. We have hard water here and after a few months you can see the salt deposits on the plants. Eventually they decline.
(As an aside, I don't like to gum up my clean greenhouse glass panels either. )
I have never used distilled water. I would just set up a small bucket to catch some rain?

Oh, I see! Thanks. I think I will be watering them by dipping/soaking the pots in tap water (it's not too hard) that I let sit out over the night. I think for both I should water them twice a week? I heard that I should not let them fully dry out...

It would be hard for me to give you a watering schedule. I water daily, especially anything mounted or bare root. But, I do grow in a very bright surrounding with excellent aeration. My greenhouse is attached to the house, along with 3 vents for heat or cooling. Then a wall exhaust fan, which kicks in at ca 80 degr F, and there is another circulating fan. So, things dry up fairly fast!
So, those pretty species with delicate leaves and roots - I need to water daily to keep them hydrated. I just don't let them dry out much.

Ah, I see. Watering will not be a problem, I think. I have quite a low humidity though, not sure if I should try bagging the orchid and transitioning it somehow (i.e. slowly cutting holes into the bag and lowering the humidity)?

I wouldn't! Just water!

Our water practically has rocks in it. Rain water would be wonderful but, it doesn't rain enough to keep my plants in water. I have a small Reverse Osmosis filter and a tabletop water distiller, used only for the more sensitive orchids. The rest have to make do with hard as rocks water.

Andy from Andy's Orchids recommends Reverse Osmosis, de-ionization or distilled water. Guess it doesn't rain a lot in San Diego either.

Yes, surely installing Reverse Osmosis would be a good thing if you have a large collection.

Around here is no shortage of rain water, especially this Summer.

I love Andy's Orchids!

Oh my, I think I've been hooked on orchids.


On the topic of orchids, my Cymbidium have been doing great . I am repotting them now. They have lots of new shoots.

Wow, there are a lot of Dendrochilum species out there. I want all the small ones!

Alex, your best bet is to look for an Orchid nursery in your area and visit. Many have through the seasons Open house, which is a lot of fun to pick out stuff. And perhaps look for Orchid Shows!