mrhappyrotter
Grand Chupacabra
I'm quite happy to be able to see this in bloom again. It's one of my favorite Vanda species. It's a small growing species with bright flowers that have a delicious orange (or lemon) PEZ scent -- basically a citrus candy smell. In addition, it seems to be pretty easy to grow and bloom and shows a nice amount of temperature tolerance to both hot and cool conditions.
This is in a wooden basket with a significant amount of Tillandsia cover (ex: some Spanish moss and a few other small, assorted Tillys). I give it fairly bright light, but not scorching direct sunlight. I put this plant outdoors from spring to fall, leaving it out until night temperatures drop into the 40F range (6C or 7C).
I've had this plant for many years and I don't recall at the moment when I got it. For most of that time I've grown it indoors in the winter. However, last year I decided to experiment with it, and grew it in the minimally heated greenhouse over winter where it experienced near freezing temperatures. I kept the plant much drier during that time. It certainly went into hibernation, but did not seem to experience any damage or setbacks from the cold temps. I'll probably grow it out there again this winter.
This is also the first year I may be able to enjoy the flowers for more than a few days, and I might even get a better idea for how long the flowers can last. Every other year, wasps (or maybe it was bees) pollinate these flowers pretty quickly once they open. This year it's in the greenhouse, with more protection from potential pollinators.
As for why I'm happy to see this bloom again: A couple of years ago the crown of the plant got damaged in a storm. The leaves and main stem started to die back from the top. At the same time, the bottom most leaves also started to dramatically drop. The plant had a basal keiki or two, and those also decided to die off for some reason. The situation was looking grim until this aerial kieki started to develop. I honestly wasn't expecting to be able to recover the plant, which is part of the reason I decided to experiment with it last winter and see how cold tolerant it was. So, yes, I'm glad to see it blooming again and glad it was fine with near freezing temperatures over the winter. It's one less orchid I'll have to find room for indoors this year!
This is in a wooden basket with a significant amount of Tillandsia cover (ex: some Spanish moss and a few other small, assorted Tillys). I give it fairly bright light, but not scorching direct sunlight. I put this plant outdoors from spring to fall, leaving it out until night temperatures drop into the 40F range (6C or 7C).
I've had this plant for many years and I don't recall at the moment when I got it. For most of that time I've grown it indoors in the winter. However, last year I decided to experiment with it, and grew it in the minimally heated greenhouse over winter where it experienced near freezing temperatures. I kept the plant much drier during that time. It certainly went into hibernation, but did not seem to experience any damage or setbacks from the cold temps. I'll probably grow it out there again this winter.
This is also the first year I may be able to enjoy the flowers for more than a few days, and I might even get a better idea for how long the flowers can last. Every other year, wasps (or maybe it was bees) pollinate these flowers pretty quickly once they open. This year it's in the greenhouse, with more protection from potential pollinators.
As for why I'm happy to see this bloom again: A couple of years ago the crown of the plant got damaged in a storm. The leaves and main stem started to die back from the top. At the same time, the bottom most leaves also started to dramatically drop. The plant had a basal keiki or two, and those also decided to die off for some reason. The situation was looking grim until this aerial kieki started to develop. I honestly wasn't expecting to be able to recover the plant, which is part of the reason I decided to experiment with it last winter and see how cold tolerant it was. So, yes, I'm glad to see it blooming again and glad it was fine with near freezing temperatures over the winter. It's one less orchid I'll have to find room for indoors this year!
