orchids that tolerate and bloom in bright indirect light/low humidity

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TheLorax

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orchids that tolerate and bloom in bright indirect light/low humidity, preferably slippers as I tend to gravitate toward those.

Here's what I've got-
http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4728

Per EricNY-
If you want you can search for plants that agree w/ [i.e. proliferate and bloom in] the conditions you can provide and build up those types.
I'd be interested in direction to help me figure out which orchids will do best in the bright indirect light/low humidity space I have available.
 
My guess is around 45% when the a/c is running and then the rest of the year around 35%. If you need an exact on that, I can get a reading by grabbing a gauge.
 
Not to distress all you humidity freaks, :poke: but the relative humidity in my main growing area averages around 35-40% during the day and 60% at night. It sometimes dips lower during dry times of the year.
 
There are days here in Western PA when the humidity is 40% outside as well. Mine boom and grow quite nicely.
 
Well, that would have been the bright thing to do. I didn't even pay attention to that feature. I was spitting BBs when that happened after cutting and pasting for about an hour.

I found a few must haves to try on that list when searching for shade/intermediate temps/basket or pot. He's got some paphs (lowii, wolterianum, appletonianum type) I really like but there were a few others such as the Bulbophyllum echinolabium, Cirrhopetalum (Bulbophyllum) longissimum (superior form), Dracula hirtzii, Dryadella zebrina, Masdevallia colossus, Pleurothallis restrepioides, Polycycnis muscifera, and definitely the Restrepia guttulata. Nice search engine. I had fun.
 
I'm just about finished killing a large hanging pot of Pleuro's I got from Andy! He has really nice plants and I use his display when I give my tours at the annual GNYOS show. If you have the room he also sells specimen size plants and that is better than trying to mature little ones.
 
Ah, a fellow plant murderer. These days I try to move em out before it gets to that point so I don't feel so bad about experimenting with my less than desirable growing conditions in this house.

Came to this site and was already logged on. Amazing what checking one little box can do.

I don't know where I will ultimately order my paphs from but I know I want the ones I listed below. I'll probably order a few of the others listed from him after I go to Ackers but I need more time to go back through his lists and then I need some time to check out each plant online. I really am trying to move away from the sink or swim approach I used in the past with house plants. I am already backed up over a day getting out of here with all the rain we've had (lost electricity a few times and sumps went out) so most unfortunately, playing with plants is going to have to wait. It's the pits having to wait. On the lighter side, my acaule should be delivered the week I come home (complete with 2-3 gallons of soil from the site it came from) so I'll get to stick that in its new home with what ever soil I bring back from an area in which cyps grow up north.
 
Andy has various paph species but they're a little small IMO. Sometimes he has stuff that's not listed :ninja:, so if you contact him you may get stuff.
 
Small doesn't necessarily bother me. Paphs are some of the only orchids that seem to like the growing conditions here so they have been putting out new growth for me well enough to keep me happy. I guess if I bought a small one for x# of dollars then saw the same size available elsewhere for considerably less money, I'd be irritated because I tend to be cheap but the few nurseries I've seen pricing for appear to be competitively priced but then again... I've not done business with them before so I'll only order a few the first go around to test the waters on quality etc. Pest free is my big hang up. I don't like hitchhikers.

From whom do you buy your paphs? I was thinking I'd wait to see what Ackers had this coming September before I ordered anything. I like to look at what I'm buying when possible and must admit I'm a sucker for a pretty picture behind trays for sale.

Wouldn't help me to contact this Andy. I wouldn't be able to communicate with him productively. I'm beneath entry level in orchid culture and wouldn't know what to ask for and aside from that, I went to his site to use his search engines to come up with the few I listed below. It was a nice feature. Maybe 10 years from now if I become an orchid conesseur I can rattle off plants to a vendor that I'm looking for. I suspect I'll always have my cases and houseplants scattered about but will gravitate back toward native hardy orchids. I'm pretty much a native plant community person but certainly love to surround myself with beauty in my home. Slippers are beautiful to me and so are the jewels orchids.
 
The humidity is fine for paphs and phrags. Pleurothallids will want more. Assuming your light isn't strong, then the only restriction you have would be on paphs that require strong light, like philipinense, armeniacum, rothchildianum....none of which I would recommend if you are just getting started in paphs. For easiest satisfaction, go for hybrids first... "Maudiae" type paphs....or complex paphs if your temps are cooler. For species, I'd recommend sukhakulii, insigne, and haynaldianum as about the easiest that species can get. Phrag-wise, besseae and some of its crosses will do fine without strong light. Supposedly so will schlimii, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone on the basis of my expereince, though its hybrids will do OK. Take care, Eric
 
In addition to the paphs blooming for me, oddly enough so do the phals. I don’t know why but all of the Phalaenopsis I have here seem perfectly fine and their blooms last very long.

Clarification, the Neofinetia falcata, the Neo without the tag, the Aerangis citrata, the Kingidium deliciosum, and the Tuberolabium kotoense are mixed in with my Paphs and Phals. They’re all currently being grown in indirect or filtered light, low humidity, and at room temperatures averaging around 70F. All the others I listed are in cases with my jewel orchids except the Brassia and the Miltassia and I’m not keeping those. They are not happy here and have never flowered after I bought them so they’re going to new homes.

In reading a little bit about the Neofinetia, I’m surprised I haven’t killed them yet. I like those so much I am going to put them under fluorescent lights with some Neps in higher humidity. They definitely need to be moved. They’ve never flowered for me and growing them like phals was probably why they never flowered. I’ll have to do a little bit more reading on the Aerangis citrata, the Kingidium deliciosum, and the Tuberolabium kotoense to determine if those need to go in cases or can be left where they are. I suspect they will all have to be moved into cases.

I don’t currently have any phrags. I’ve never even tried to grow one before based on my notes. I looked them up and about all I can say is very impressive… if they really will be ok in low light and low humidity at room temps. There’s a Phragmipedium caudatum that looks particularly choice but I found photos of others that look really awesome. I think I am going to really like this genus.

The Pleurothalis I really liked was fastidiosa but it might be iffie for me with higher light requirements as listed at that andy’s site

Based on the little bit of poking around I’ve done, Mexipedium and Selenipedium would both be out for me. Spectacular plants though.

Here are orchids I have tried to grow in the past with my paphs and phals that I bombed out on and had to give away-
Bletilla (loved these, they didn’t love me)
Cymbidium
Most Dendrobium
Epidendrum
Miltonia
Sobralia
Stenoglottis

Here are orchids that I recently tried to grow and am bombing out on that will be passed on to other people-
Brassia
Miltassia

In looking at that Andy’s site, I’d love to try Laelia but wouldn’t dare now since those orchids seem to have similar light and humidity requirements to orchids I’ve bombed out on before.

I think for now I need to focus on a few more paphs and the addition of phrags that can evidently easily be grown in the space I have with a few pleuros for my cases. There are far more orchids that I can grow with the addition of phrags than I ever imagined. Opens up a whole new world to me.

I’m actually starting to sort things out. Thank you to both Erics.
 
You will be in phrag heaven at Ackers!
Online sources - someone help me out - thru search we have a thread/post of our experience with different vendors.
Personally, off the top of my head, I would recommend Orchids Limited, Fox Valley, Windy Hill & Piping Rock.
 
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