Rossioglossum 'Rawdon Jester'

[GuRu]

Rossioglossum 'Rawdon Jester' is Rossioglossum grande x R. williamsianum. Maybe many may say ... nothing special and its well known ... but I like this cross and the true Rossioglossum grande and grow both.
This plant flowers annualy with big flowers ... but this time it produced two flower spikes with altogether 14 flowers (6 + 8) and I thought I should show it here. Unfortunately the light background doesn't really math with the flowers and my black backdrop isn't large enough to take a front picture of both spikes, which grow in different direction. So the only possibility was to take a side picture ... but this shows only few flowers in the full sight. The rest is in the background ... so how sang the Rolling Stones many years before ... you can't always get what you want.

 

[TyroneGenade]

How do you grow it?

 

[monocotman]

Love it!

 

[mrhappyrotter]

Very well grown and bloomed! This hybrid is challenging for me in my conditions. It basically only ever seems to put on one new growth at a time. It mostly only blooms once a year and I've only ever gotten one flower spike from it at a time. I'm thankful to bloom it at all, but I'd love for it to really thrive and put on multiple new growths at a time.

 

[big923cattleya]

I can't grow this at all. Believe me, I have tried, many times. They soon end up doing a frog impression. Croak, croak, croak!
The only thing that I could suggest is to stake something like this much sooner. It is a beauty regardless. Nice Job!

 

[GuRu]

How do you grow it?

Both are easily to grow for me ... but even here my growing method is slightly different from what you read in the literatur.
Both are potted in inorganicg medium (Styrofoam) and I grow it from spring to autumn almost hydroponically. The rest of the year a bit more to the dry side.
As to the temperature ... they spent as much time as possible in the open. If the weather allows it I bring them outside from midth/end of April and tke them inside midth/end of October, sometimes later. The place is a windowsill outside at a more or less northfacing window where they get sun in the afternoon. During winter the sit behind the curtain of a southfacing window in an almost unheated room.
The origing of R. grande and R. williamsianum is Central Amercia were R. grande lives in an altitude between 1.500 and 2.700 m and R. williamsianum lives around 1.000 m. last November I spent 4 weeks in Mexico, most of the time in the highland in an altitude between 1.500 m and 2.700 m. November is a month of the more dry season and I had many days with sunshine and daytime temperatures in the 20th degrees centrigrade up to more than 25°C ...but during nighttime the temperature dropped down until qaround 10°C, sometime less.
So I think they don't like to much warmth and grow perfectly in temperate climate.

 

[Califoutdoors]

This is one of those orchids that is NOT particularly photogenic. People see pics of it, with its modest colors, think of the Oncidium alliance, and assume the blooms are on the small side. They are not—they are quite large and when a spike’s buds are all fully open this orchid is stunning. And to get 2 spikes with 14 flowers as GuRu has gotten—Wow! One of my top 5 favorites.

I agree with Guru about grande and its hybrids prefering temperate climates. I’ll never forget when I broke my greenhouse down in Santa Monica in 2008, and moved back to Santa Cruz (near San Francisco), my ‘Rawdon Jester’ was one of the few orchids I brought with me. I set it out on my family’s open air deck, which was semi-shaded by oak trees, and forgot about it, except for occasionally splashing it with tap water when I would water my mother‘s Christmas cactus plants. I hoped for the best…? Lows that winter approached 3°C, highs were rarely over 24°C.

About 9 months later, I noticed what looked like a thick spike popping out of Rawdon, growing down over the deck where I couldn’t see…? I pulled the spike up and was amazed to find fully opened blooms all along it! It obviously really liked the open air California coastal climate, and my neglectful care!

 

[GuRu]

......and assume the blooms are on the small side. They are not—they are quite large and when a spike’s buds are all fully open this orchid is stunning. .....

Indeed, the width of these flowers is 15-16 cm (5,90"-6,29")

...... It obviously really liked the open air California coastal climate, and my neglectful care!

I don't know if it likes a neclectful care ... but at any rate it doesn't take it amiss.

 

[Califoutdoors]

…I don't know if it likes a neclectful care ... but at any rate it doesn't take it amiss.

I currently have a medium size seedling of ‘Jester’ with 4 growths (that came from an eminent supplier). It’s in my mini greenhouse, with regulated temps of 59.3F/low, to 84F high. Other plants are growing and blooming well for me.

But not ‘Jester’; it’s done nothing in six months—no root growth, no new emerging leads, NOTHING—except cannibalize a couple of leaves from older growths. And it’s been fussed over: 2 great fertilizers (MSU, Green Jungle), Cal/Mag, Kelp extract, Quantum Probiotic, distilled water blend at 35ppm, monthly flushing…

I wanted the same vigor my first plant had—but this one, while hanging in there, is sure taking its time to acclimate/grow. I never thought I’d see Paph. Norito Hasegawa growing with much more vigor than ‘Jester’ (both came to me at the same time ), but I am…!