Micranthum

[Happypaphy7]

So, one sheath never rose above the leaves and dried up in April. So much for all the waiting and months long anticipation.
The other one, fortunately, made it to open bloom.
There is this strange thing happening on the pouch where the tissues are turning almost translucent.
Not the kind of micranthum flower I was dreaming of, but it is still nice to have something oddly pretty & wild.

The photos below are four days apart. It is fun to see how the pouch inflate big in just a few days.

 

[GuRu]

.......
There is this strange thing happening on the pouch where the tissues are turning almost translucent......

But the rest of the flower is very nice, especially the colouration and the shape. I think this isn't a genetic problem and am pretty sure with next flowering it will be disappeared.

 

[dodidoki]

I like it, plant seems beeing very happy, too.

 

[Djthomp28]

Nice potential with the color. Hey, I would just be happy to have one of mine bloom.

 

[Stone]

Beautiful vigorous plant.

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Strong plant. And it blooms!
Don’t worry, blooms on them vary from year to year. Might be larger next year.

 

[mrhappyrotter]

I like it for the foliage alone. That's a beautiful plant.

 

[Guldal]

Thx for showing the progress in the pouch over time...very interesting to see for someone, who never so far succeeded in blooming his micrantums, although he already expedited a few to orchid heaven.

I side with the ones, who hope for a most likely better outcome next flowering, when it comes to the pouch. Apart from that, I find the upper part very, very good. And, gee, look at that yellow, yellow staminodal shield!

 

[BrucherT]

Love it. We’re you able to keep it on the dry side in the mix but raise humidity to or above 70% for part of the day during spiking? I think that’s key for me.

 

[Happypaphy7]

But the rest of the flower is very nice, especially the colouration and the shape. I think this isn't a genetic problem and am pretty sure with next flowering it will be disappeared.

Yeah, I think this is more of biological/physiological issues and likely won't repeat in the future. Or so I hope.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Beautiful vigorous plant.

This one loves to throw stolons. That was a single growth plant in 2017.

 

[Happypaphy7]

I like it for the foliage alone. That's a beautiful plant.

Yup! Micranthum leaves are about my favorites!!

 

[Happypaphy7]

Thx for showing the progress in the pouch over time...very interesting to see for someone, who never so far succeeded in blooming his micrantums, although he already expedited a few to orchid heaven.

I side with the ones, who hope for a most likely better outcome next flowering, when it comes to the pouch. Apart from that, I find the upper part very, very good. And, gee, look at that yellow, yellow staminodal shield!

Yeah, that bright yellow staminode shield is quite something.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Love it. We’re you able to keep it on the dry side in the mix but raise humidity to or above 70% for part of the day during spiking? I think that’s key for me.

I grow indoor, so the relative humidity rarely rises over 40%. If it rains outside, then it will be over 60 and even in the low 70s.
Based on the habitat info, it seems the low temperature and ample moisture are the keys.

I'm almost certain that the other sheath dried up because I wasn't watering the plant enough during the critical time. This particular plant is potted in very open mix, so I have to be extra diligent to make sure it does not get too dry. I admit that I let it go bone dry too long too often.
Once I saw the sheath dry up and die, reality kicked in and I was determined to keep the other one alive and started to water the plant every two or three day to keep it moist.

I observe this same pattern with armeniacum and other micranthum.
My biggest challenge with these is the temperature. Water is something I can have control of.

 

[Djthomp28]

@Happypaphy7 how do you maintain your temperature drop to initiate blooms? Just curious since I also grow inside most of the year. How much of a drop and how long?

Thanks!

 

[DrLeslieEe]

I grow indoor, so the relative humidity rarely rises over 40%. If it rains outside, then it will be over 60 and even in the low 70s.
Based on the habitat info, it seems the low temperature and ample moisture are the keys.

I'm almost certain that the other sheath dried up because I wasn't watering the plant enough during the critical time. This particular plant is potted in very open mix, so I have to be extra diligent to make sure it does not get too dry. I admit that I let it go bone dry too long too often.
Once I saw the sheath dry up and die, reality kicked in and I was determined to keep the other one alive and started to water the plant every two or three day to keep it moist.

I observe this same pattern with armeniacum and other micranthum.
My biggest challenge with these is the temperature. Water is something I can have control of.

Seems like fighting low humidity is the problem of us indoor growers.

I’ve had spikes abort due to this reason so I try to spray often. It gets to 60-70% for an hour or two after spraying but drops back to 40% after that. The humidifier still can’t up it any better, getting 50% at its best.

As a result I switched most plants to semi water culture and they seem to respond much better. Sitting on water trays with one inch of LECA clay pellets (in bottom of pots), wicking water up to bark/perlite/charcoal mix, topped with an inch of NZ moss at top to draw roots down into mix (esp important for wandering roots of cattleyas).

 

[Happypaphy7]

@Happypaphy7 how do you maintain your temperature drop to initiate blooms? Just curious since I also grow inside most of the year. How much of a drop and how long?

Thanks!

I keep them near the window during the winter months to benefit the temperature drop as much as possible.
Depending on how cold it is outside, the inside temperature is around 60 down to high 40s F when extremely cold outside.
In the habitat, micranthum can withstand a few degrees below freezing. The mean temperature during the winter months in their habitat is aounrd 50F. So, it will be quite cold at night at its lowest point.

 

[Happypaphy7]

Seems like fighting low humidity is the problem of us indoor growers.

I’ve had spikes abort due to this reason so I try to spray often. It gets to 60-70% for an hour or two after spraying but drops back to 40% after that. The humidifier still can’t up it any better, getting 50% at its best.

As a result I switched most plants to semi water culture and they seem to respond much better. Sitting on water trays with one inch of LECA clay pellets (in bottom of pots), wicking water up to bark/perlite/charcoal mix, topped with an inch of NZ moss at top to draw roots down into mix (esp important for wandering roots of cattleyas).

Unless extremely low like under 25%, I doubt humidity has much impact as long as watering is done well.

I don't do anything to raise humidity as I don't want higher humidity for myself & my apartment.