Culture Question - liemianum x philippinense, and Druid Spring

[kmccormic]

Hi Guys,

liemianum x philippinense
Just got this baby, and I'm getting conflicting information on how to raise it right, I can find care suggestions for liemianum and for philippinense but not for the cross. Could you check my info?

Temps - like's a normal apartment temp, nights as low as 55/65, days up to 70/80
Fertilize EXTREMELY weakly, once a month
Light - about 1000-1500 footcandles, probably an east or west window with a sheer curtain.
Water - let it just approach dryness before watering, 1-2 times per week perhaps? Then water more once it enters new growth phase?​

Does it need a dry period or a temp change to initiate spikes?
Any special things to watch for?

It's in bud now. How long does it tend to bloom for? It's a multifloral, and I can't wait to see the blooms it produces.

Druid Spring
Also just got this. As far as I can tell, the culture requirements are the same as above, except that it wants to be wetter, like never let it approach dryness wetter, perhaps water 2-3 times a week.

As a sequential bloomer, is there a time period where it's done and it's time to cut the spike, or is this a mostly year round bloomer?

Watering method advice?
So far, I've only killed paphs and phrags, and I'd like to avoid that here. They're in a room where the ceiling fan runs constantly for air flow. But despite being careful, I somehow ended up leaving water in the bottom leaf or two with my first attempt to water. Any suggestions on how to avoid that? Do you guys put lots of cinnamon in the crease as a preventative?

I've just moved to Texas from MA, so I'm still getting used to the relative humidity difference, and of course the temp difference.

Thanks in advance for your advice!
Cheers,
Kara

 

[cnycharles]

oh, you'll find many more differences than that

Water earlier, use a bucket and aquarium pump to water and focus where you put it more, put a little physan in water or turn fan on high for a little while
Welcome


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[kmccormic]

Thank you cnycharles!. Ok, so the increased watering for Druid Spring is correct then.

I've never watered with Physan. Wouldn't it hurt the roots, burn them? How would you measure it - a teaspoon per gal?

Cheers,
Kara

 

[NYEric]

Water before or after sun. if you have enough ventilation (fans) you don't have to worry about watering the leaves. I would use Physan only in response to a problem, it is VERY toxic.

 

[mrhappyrotter]

Phew. Lots of questions. Quite frankly, you'll find that you can grow these two plants pretty much exactly the same way. If there are any cultural preferences and differences, they're likely to be so minimal that you'd never notice it, and it's probably on par with the slight differences between two siblings of the same hybrid.

They do well with bright, but shady light conditions, warm temperatures, and consistent watering that allows them to approach the damp stage without going completely dry. Light feeding (very light) is a good idea for most all tropical slippers.

Although conditions vary from person to person, and in response to the weather and seasons, and based on what kind of pots and media you're growing in, a good rule of thumb is to water twice a week. If you ever attempt phrags again, most of those can be watered every day to every other day, and the majority of them will appreciate sitting in a saucer of water.

In terms of watering, one thing that I believe can make a world of difference for people just starting out (whether it's just starting out with plants, with orchids, or just with a new genus) is to use those transparent plastic pots. They let you very easily gauge the health of your plant's roots, the condition of your potting mix, and moisture levels inside the pot. And if you don't like the look, you can always slide them down into an outer pot that's more to your taste.

My method for disease prevention is to water early in the day and good air circulation (aided by a fan or two). I do spray my plants from time to time, though it's mostly over spray from when I mist the tillandsias, and I use an ultrasonic humidifier whenever the humidity drops below 50%. Overall, I find it impossible to avoid splashing water on the foliage when watering ... no matter how hard you try it's going to happen. Watering early and having good air movement is key. Always keep an eye out for rot, the earlier you spot it and deal with it the better. Usually it's a matter of cutting away the affected leaf, then treating with peroxide and dusting with sulfur or cinnamon.

 

[cnycharles]

Actually I more meant spraying with light physan but that has its risks. Ellenbergers used to spray everything with physan after they had watered everything, but not something to do before having lots of experience first


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[NYEric]

Didn't you read Orchid Fever? You could get it worse than our friend from Paris!

 

[kmccormic]

Thanks!

Thank you! I appreciate all the advice. I'll let you know how it goes. Paph roots look so different from normal orchid roots, usually dyed a much darker brown from the bark and all hairy, I have a hard time telling with them. I'll be potting them in a clear pot when I repot them, got the pots all ready to go, but for now they're in bloom and the grower I bought them from had just repotted them, I don't want to traumatize them further.

Cheers,
Kara

 

[goldenrose]

An east or west window sounds right but the need for a sheer curtain?
1000 FC sounds too low to me, at least 1500FC.
How close to the window are they?
After talking to many people having trouble reblooming phals, they thought 5-10ft away from a window would provided adequate light.