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



## TheLorax (Aug 19, 2007)

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.


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## bwester (Aug 19, 2007)

how low is this "low humidity" ?


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## TheLorax (Aug 19, 2007)

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.


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## bwester (Aug 19, 2007)

that is a bit low. You using humidity trays?


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## paphreek (Aug 20, 2007)

Not to distress all you humidity freaks, oke: 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.


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## Marco (Aug 20, 2007)

i can go as low as 30-40 as well....


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## Carol (Aug 20, 2007)

There are days here in Western PA when the humidity is 40% outside as well. Mine boom and grow quite nicely.


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## NYEric (Aug 20, 2007)

Look up andy's orchids on the web. They sell species but you can search by light, temp, etc.


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## TheLorax (Aug 20, 2007)

I just lost my whole post of plants because I must have timed out. %$^&*$#!


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## TheLorax (Aug 20, 2007)

Here's the link to his home page-
http://www.andysorchids.com/default.asp


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## NYEric (Aug 20, 2007)

Use "remember me" when you log in.


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## TheLorax (Aug 21, 2007)

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.


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## NYEric (Aug 21, 2007)

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.


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## TheLorax (Aug 21, 2007)

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.


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## NYEric (Aug 21, 2007)

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.


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## TheLorax (Aug 21, 2007)

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.


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 21, 2007)

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


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## TheLorax (Aug 22, 2007)

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.


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## TheLorax (Aug 22, 2007)

Anyone care to recommend a few online nurseries for phrags?


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## goldenrose (Aug 22, 2007)

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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## NYEric (Aug 22, 2007)

Andy's and Gypsy GLen have Paph [species] that aren't 'common' to other growers. For more common species and hybrids there are plenty of vendors on this site, just go down the forum jump and a few other I have experience with Parkside, Piping Rock, Orchid Inn, Ratcliffe [in UK now ] eBay vendors-Springwater, orchidtn, orchidsolo, etc. For Phrags you have to be carefull. There are 2 main groupings green/red. The older, green, long petalled ones can get enormous, although pearcei can bloom compact. Phrag caudatum and a couple are not as water demanding as the rest. The red family [from the 1981 introduction of Phrag besseae] are mostly smaller and are pubescent w/ shorter petals. They are mostly water-hogs. The best sources for those IMO are Piping Rock, Woodstream, Orchids Ltd, Orchidview, Ackers, Fox Valley, Orchidbabies, and a few others. Parasites and pests are part of the hobby and you have to have a pest removal aspect in your maintenance routine.


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## NYEric (Aug 22, 2007)

TheLorax said:


> 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.


There are many foreign hardy orchids and others that are not from your region, Spiranthes cernau, etc. These might be fun for you to try also.


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## TheLorax (Aug 22, 2007)

> Parasites and pests are part of the hobby and you have to have a pest removal aspect in your maintenance routine.


 Yucky pooey! I hate hitch hikers. You do realize I have no place to quarantine anything, right? What do you do when you get a new plant, drench it in Orthene out the gate and follow up in 10 days?



> For Phrags you have to be carefull. There are 2 main groupings green/red. The older, green, long petalled ones can get enormous, although pearcei can bloom compact. Phrag caudatum and a couple are not as water demanding as the rest. The red family [from the 1981 introduction of Phrag besseae] are mostly smaller and are pubescent w/ shorter petals. They are mostly water-hogs.


 Very much appreciated but TMI for right now. I'll have to check out all of what you typed thoroughly when I get back. We're really going to get to leave in a few hours. Flooding in the area has stopped now since the rains quit. Our phones were out for a bit and electricity was flickering there for a few days but all has passed now. I think we easily received 9" of rain in the past week. That's a lot of rain when it's been so dry here as of late. Goldenrose probably got hammered too because she's only an hour or so away from me. Lots of localized flooding in the area. 

I'll try just about anything inside my house where it can't escape cultivation. I'm not so adventuresome outside and only have one non-native orchid out there bychoice and only because it was a gift. I dead headed it out of fear it might go someplace other than where I had it planted. I have Spiranthes cernua var. odorata (S. odorata) outside right now and it's doing great but that particular plant is a native to North America although not to my State. I've also got Calopogon spp. here that are fine and a few others but they're all natives to my State and to my specific County. Soon I will have some Cyps. I think I need to hold on all orchids for outside until I get some experience under my belt with the Cyp I am getting real soon and the two other cyps coming to me next spring. Next year I will probably order reginae, kentuckiense, and parviflorum. Baby steps.



> You will be in phrag heaven at Ackers!


 Gee thanks Rose, just what I wanted to hear- not. I presume you have a full understanding of what Eric typed? When we go to Ackers will you help me pick a Phragmipedium caudatum and two others in Eric's category of "The red family [from the 1981 introduction of Phrag besseae] are mostly smaller and are pubescent w/ shorter petals"? I only want to buy three to try. Please protect me from myself. I don't want to fall into the category of being the fool soon separated from her money and I looked at photos of phrags online last night and was so mesmerized by the photos I had to wipe the saliva from my mouth with the sleeve of my bathrobe. This is not a good sign. Not a good sign at all.


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## NYEric (Aug 22, 2007)

Addicted!


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## TheLorax (Aug 22, 2007)

My one kid does that too when he's concentrating intently on something. Only difference is that he just lets the spittle fall out of his mouth. 

I can't allow myself to get addicted. It's not like I can afford to build an addition on the house for plants and then there are these life forms called children to be factored in too. Goldenrose and Grandma M will help me work within my space and budgetary limitations.

Time for me to take off with the kids. Back after Labor Day unless something major happens down here. Here's hoping all of you have a great end of summer!


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Aug 22, 2007)

You should definitely grow Bletilla outdoors. I have been growing mine for nearly 20 years, in NYC (Z7, but they will go lower...its worth a try). I know you don't want to use non-natives outdoors, but the only growth B. striata makes is vegetative and contained...you will have to divide it eventually, but it will not stray beyond its planting area. While mine produces seed pods every year, there have never been any seedlings...and again, this is in nearly 20 years of growing. Take care, Eric


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