Orchids - what did I buy?

[salix]

Okay, the extent of my orchid knowledge is I bought a Phalaenopsis & a Paphilpedilum. The question is which varieties and can they be kept in a viv? Even if they can't, I fell in love with them anyway and they were on sale! The two I chose were fairly small plants, with leaves not too big.

Here is the Phal.

It's in a three inch pot, the whole plant is about a foot tall with the flower spike.

Here are several photos of the Pap.


It's also in a 3 inch pot and about a foot tall. But it appears to have about six distinct plants in the pot and has a second flower coming.

And I thought the leaves were beautiful too!


So, what are they? Can I enjoy them in a viv? I really know very little about their care.

[dart_king]

Hey, i cant help you, but i have the same lady slipper, and i would also love to know if i can put it in the viv

[salix]

Okay, I know what the lady slipper is now, Raisin Pie Hsinying x Supersuk Eureka.

But I found one reference that said to let it dry out between waterings, so now I'm not so sure a viv would be a good choice. But I defer to the experts... Would it be too wet in a viv? If it isn't, how would I plant it?

Thanks.

[littlefrog]

I've grown ladyslippers of that type in vivs (in the 'biz' we call those "Maudiae type" paphiopedilums). Sure, they work. Best to tuck the roots into a bit of sphagnum moss or other very loose substrate and just set that on top of the substrate in the viv. If you plant them down into the main substrate they will rot off.

Main problem is spike height. Most will get too tall to bloom properly. The foliage stays fairly short, and some plants' foliage is pretty enough to justify using them in tanks even if you don't get good flowering.

[Mywebbedtoes]

I have flowers like both of those going into the current build, but I have some good hight, 24" or so. I hope more people start playing with Orchids in tanks...it seems they are.

[Orchid Lady]

Originally Posted by salix

Okay, the extent of my orchid knowledge is I bought a Phalaenopsis & a Paphilpedilum. The question is which varieties and can they be kept in a viv? Even if they can't, I fell in love with them anyway and they were on sale! The two I chose were fairly small plants, with leaves not too big.

Here is the Phal.

It's in a three inch pot, the whole plant is about a foot tall with the flower spike.

Here are several photos of the Pap.


It's also in a 3 inch pot and about a foot tall. But it appears to have about six distinct plants in the pot and has a second flower coming.

And I thought the leaves were beautiful too!


So, what are they? Can I enjoy them in a viv? I really know very little about their care.

I own an orchid store and am more then happy to help. The first is a Phalaenopsis they come in all sorts of colors and sizes. I would remove it from it's pot and mount that orchid on a stick or a peice of cork with a tiny layer of spagnum moss under it. If your tank is 80 percent humidity they need very little care and the roots will attach themselves to the wood. The Black lady slipper is a Paphliopedalum and Little Frog is right they will do ok in a terrarium if the medium is well draining and not sopping wet. But yes they can get tall. My Raisin Pie Paph had a 12 inch spike on it the first year, but the following year the same orchid made an 18 inch tall spike! I would recommend trying a Paph hainanense as the spike was only 8 inches tall and Paph concolor is nice too; however it may need to stay in the pot so it can be removed in January for a cool down for a month to get it to re-spike. Other orchids I would recommend would be Angraecum didieri, Angraecum leonis, Dockrillia rigida , Dockrillia cucumerina, Dendrobium toressae, Dendrobium loddigesii and Epidendrum porpax. If you have any questions just ask! -Erin

[salix]

Erin,

Thanks so much for the response. I ended up leaving both of those orchids in my kitchen window and they have both rebloomed for me. The phal many times along with all the others I've since purchased.

The lady slipper finally rebloomed this year, after a couple of year wait, but it put up four spikes. I was very excited.

Deb