# Corybas geminigibbus



## naoki (Apr 22, 2016)

This is so exciting! I got these about a year ago from Ooi Leng Sun (during their Redland visit). I don't check these plants frequently, but I got a big surprise today when I opened the spinach container where they grow. I was pretty sure they were goner around last Fall. We'll see how the second season will be. A lot more details and photos about this plant in my blog (Link to Orchid Borealis page). I've gone through just one growing period, so I don't know much about the plant, and I wouldn't say that it is a success yet. But I included some of my current culture condition for this species in the blog.




Corybas geminigibbus on Flickr




Corybas geminigibbus on Flickr


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## Lanmark (Apr 22, 2016)

How cool is that! :clap:


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## Marco (Apr 22, 2016)

Congrats. Good flower size compared to the leaf.


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## NYEric (Apr 22, 2016)

Yay! Thanks for sharing, now I have some hope. Since we water at least twice a day mine are moist, but now maybe I will add some cardboard and cover them.


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## Secundino (Apr 22, 2016)

Amazing! beautiful!


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## theorchidzone (Apr 22, 2016)

Wow! That's awesome. 
JC


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## cnycharles (Apr 22, 2016)

Cool! Thanks for sharing. I bought some of the same and another from Benjamin at the sepos show. 

Eric, he told me how to grow them based on how the grower on the west coast was having success:
Terrarium or fish tank
Leca or such on bottom
Peat moss/perlite, or bark, or... In middle, then live moss thick on top. Keep water in bottom reservoir to near soil line, plant tubers about an inch deep in the live moss

100% humidity is a must, not letting water sit against tubers for any length of time is must also

I'll post a pic of how I contained mine

& naoki, how did you pot and grow them, and do you let them dry/cool in winter? Was told can put in cool closet no light in winter to rest and dry a little


Elmer Nj


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## naoki (Apr 22, 2016)

Charles, I hope that yours will grow well! And I'd like to see how yours look like.

I'm using a container for pre-washed spinach/salad from grocery store (about 10"Lx5"Wx4"H). 8 holes drilled on top and bottom. Mix is coarse perlite based with feather moss (and dome dirt) from backyard and a couple other minor components. I put quite a bit of corrugated cardboard pieces. I'm also using cactus mix + perlite=1:1 (with cardboard). Adding cardboard may not do anything, but it is a popular thing to do for terrestrial orchids in Japan. There is semi-quatitative experiment showing some benefit. No-one knows exact advantage. But people (and I) suspect that some of the cellulose degrading microbes are beneficial to orchids. I'm adding cardboard to other orchids including Paphs and Cyps in the last 2 years.

In the winter, it was 65/55F max/min temp (basically my cool-intermediate grow tent). They were kept moist. Actually, I didn't know if they are alive or dead, so I didn't pay much attention, but I just kept watering every 2-4 weeks.

I didn't bury the tubers. When I put them, moss hasn't grown yet, so I just placed them on the media. For the ones which had roots already, I lightly covered the root (you can kind of see it in Aug 2015 photo).

I put more details in my blog post, and I'm using similar method as TommyMiami of OB (he is mostly hanging out in FB, now): http://www.orchidboard.com/community/orchids-in-bloom/84403-corybas-geminigibbus.html

By the way, did you (Eric, Charles?) get both C. geminigibbus and C. calopeplos? Do the leaves look different? The paper I linked in my blog has nice photos of these two species in situ. The leaves of C. calopeplos is really different looking. My C. calopelos was mislabelled, so all of mine turned out to be C. geminigibbus. I'm wondering if they really have C. calopelos. I'll probably try to pick it up if they have it for Redland.

As a side note, it is interesting that C. geminigibbus of IOSPE looks like a different species.


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## cnycharles (Apr 22, 2016)

I'll look at the blog link. I did buy each species, they were only tubers some with a root starting, no leaves.






Bought this at Michaels arts and craft supply. Drain so I can fill up, then at times drain off the old water. I did go a bit crazy putting in the diatomite  probably deeper than needed





Nothing up yet (only a week or so). Leaves are from wintergreen or something

Btw, I see black jungle terrarium supply has both species for sale and they say they are in stock. I would be buying more but the irs stiffed me for an unexpected $760 this year


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## SlipperFan (Apr 22, 2016)

That is a wild one!


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## abax (Apr 22, 2016)

It is wild looking, but very appealing. In the frontal shot,
it looks like a heart within a heart...charming.


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## NYEric (Apr 23, 2016)

Same as Charles. You were lucky to get them with leaves.


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## Ozpaph (Apr 23, 2016)

amazing flower.
well done


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## naoki (Apr 23, 2016)

Thanks for sharing your setup, Charles. It looks like quite an interesting setup! I think Black Jungle is getting them from Ooi Leng Sun. If I remember correctly, there was one or two tuber which didn't germinate for a couple months (more like 4-5 months). So don't throw them away too quick.


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## KyushuCalanthe (Apr 23, 2016)

Cool little thing! I had a very similar looking species, C. pictus, for a number of years, but eventually they gave up the ghost. Maybe I'll try them again using the methods you guys are using.


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## Rick (Apr 23, 2016)

Great growing Naoki:clap::clap:


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## Happypaphy7 (Apr 23, 2016)

Great close up photos and very strange little thing for sure!


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## cnycharles (May 7, 2016)

Naoki, I've seen some native orchids growing in nurse log sites, likely same as the rotting cardboard. It could be they utilize breakdown products, or it conditions the soil to just such an effect that these orchids like. I've seen three birds orchis in flower, completely rooted in a foot long section of downed rotted yellow birch, with a section of bark missing on top


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## naoki (May 20, 2019)

These were purchased from Ooi Leng Sun in May 2015 as Corybas calopeplos. They used to sell C. calopeplos and C. geminigibbus, but both of them turned out to be C. geminigibbus. They were from two different populations, though (I got this info from Ben). I used to grow them in a container with a lid with holes. But I've been growing them in open top recently. The side is still tall, so the humidity in there can be higher. The lid becomes dirty, and the light doesn't go through well after a while. They seem to be ok with dim light. But the main problem is moss becomes too tall with the lid on it. I think this caused some set back. I opened the top last year, and carefully trimmed the moss.


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## GuRu (May 20, 2019)

Extraordinary plants, flowers and culture. Only few growers get lucky to flower them, good luck for the future.


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## BrucherT (May 20, 2019)

Just wow. I love weird wild orchids. These culture methods are a revelation. Love to see more photos of folks’ methods. I won’t be growing these soon but I’m just fascinated. How do you ad cardboard to Paphs? What form? How much? Where? I’m all ears.


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## BrucherT (May 20, 2019)

naoki said:


> Charles, I hope that yours will grow well! And I'd like to see how yours look like.
> 
> I'm using a container for pre-washed spinach/salad from grocery store (about 10"Lx5"Wx4"H). 8 holes drilled on top and bottom. Mix is coarse perlite based with feather moss (and dome dirt) from backyard and a couple other minor components. I put quite a bit of corrugated cardboard pieces. I'm also using cactus mix + perlite=1:1 (with cardboard). Adding cardboard may not do anything, but it is a popular thing to do for terrestrial orchids in Japan. There is semi-quatitative experiment showing some benefit. No-one knows exact advantage. But people (and I) suspect that some of the cellulose degrading microbes are beneficial to orchids. I'm adding cardboard to other orchids including Paphs and Cyps in the last 2 years.
> 
> ...


Love to hear more specifics on the cardboard-for-Paphs thing. How? Where? How much? What form? Thank you.


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## naoki (May 20, 2019)

I'm not adding cardboard recently. I had a flask of P. gratrixiam, which I put pieces of corrugated cardboard to a half of them. The sample size was small (about 7 per treatment), so I didn't get statistically significant differences (I think p-value was around 0.07), but the ones with cardboard pieces were smaller after 2 years or so. I added a couple 1-2" cardboard pieces at the bottom of 2.25" pot (standing up, so it isn't blocking the drainage holes). You can experiment, too.


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## emydura (May 20, 2019)

That is such a neat flower. It is a pity it isn't as easy to grow as the Australian Corybad species, but you seem to have mastered the culture.


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## Ozpaph (May 20, 2019)

well done


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## KyushuCalanthe (May 21, 2019)

Nice to see they are still growing and flowering for you. I never seem to make it past year 3 with these. I think part of the problem is I have them in too cold conditions in winter.


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