Where to find specific orchid info

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

Tst. Melinda Marie is composed of species of which 63% take medium light and 25% take low light. Grow this hybrid in dappled light conditions. It may be tolerant of shaded conditions.

Tst. Melinda Marie is composed of species of which 88% take warm temperatures, 50% take hot temperatures and 38% take cool temperatures. Grow this hybrid in warm to hot conditions, or 19°C to 29°C at night. It may be tolerant of cool (14°C to 19°C) night temperatures.

40%-70% humidity. Water heavily during growth; Water just as medium starts to dry. Do not water during the winter if plant loses its leaves (deciduous).
Commonly grown in pots. Fertilize heavily when actively growing. Common media: fine fir bark, amended with perlite.

Looking at the Orchidwiz profile in detail, I see that Tst. Melinda Marie is 1/2 Aganisia cyanea, which is definitely a warm grower. The only component I see that definitely tolerates cool temps (I grow it outside all year around) is Z. intermedium, and that is only 13%. There is one other cool grower in there, and one species with no info. But the 50% Agn. cyanea is enough to convince me that this plant needs winter protection. (I tend to boil down the various bits of info to a pretty binary decision tree... Can I grow it outside or do I have to pamper it?)

[MattWoelfsen]

This is a good informative conversation. Thanks to all who have participated.

[rbarata]

IMO this approach (looking into the requiremnts of the species behind the hybrid) is ok with a little experience and knowledge of each one (preferencially by growing them) but it doesn't work for complex hybrids...it becomes an overwhelming task because these are hybrids of hybrids of hybrids, etc

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

IMO this approach (looking into the requiremnts of the species behind the hybrid) is ok with a little experience and knowledge of each one (preferencially by growing them) but it doesn't work for complex hybrids...it becomes an overwhelming task because these are hybrids of hybrids of hybrids, etc

That is where the percentages give useful info... because the hybrids of hybrids usually have a pattern, and that can end up with a 2 or 3 species being dominant by showing up in significant percentages in several of the component hybrids. It's never going to be definitive, but it can turn a wild guess into an educated guess.

[rbarata]

According my interpretation, even if a specie is dominant, only some of its characterists will be dominant and it's important to know which ones...it could be color, temp tolerance, etc, etc.
Am I thinking correctly?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

According my interpretation, even if a specie is dominant, only some of its characterists will be dominant and it's important to know which ones...it could be color, temp tolerance, etc, etc.
Am I thinking correctly?

It is always going to be a guess, but if there's enough of a species to be noticeable in the final flower, it has probably imparted more than one characteristic. Working backwards, it helps to look at some species that have the temperature tolerance and other cultural needs that fit one's conditions, then look for hybrids where those are dominant. For instance, L. anceps hybrids where the L. anceps is above 25-30%, are very likely to be pretty cold-tolerant. Also L. purpurata and C. intermedia will do that, perhaps not as strongly as L. anceps. If one has a random Catt hybrid (for instance) that came from a society raffle table, then the information may give some guidance but it's still an educated guess at best. But if one were to select what to buy, it's worth looking at those that include significant amount of species that have cultural characteristics that match one's conditions. (For instance, if something has lots of C. dowiana in it - making probably a stunning flower with gorgeous lip, I KNOW it's going to need greenhouse, and I will do my best to resist the temptation)

[fishmom]

I think you are, rbarata. That is why the vendor information can be so helpful, if they have actually grown out the plant and know what has been successful for them. There's no substitute for actual experience.

[Roberta]

The grower's information is really useful. But remember that they typically have ideal conditions. If you are going to "stretch" a bit, it is important to know as much as possible, to guess at what you can get away with.

That's where the percentages help on the complex hybrids... A Potinara is Brassavola (Rhyncholaelia usually) x Sophronitis x Laelia x Cattleya. It makes a big difference on cold tolerance if the Sophronitis coccinea part is 30% vs 2%. And also makes a big difference on which species of the other genera are in the mix.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by rbarata

According my interpretation, even if a specie is dominant, only some of its characterists will be dominant and it's important to know which ones...it could be color, temp tolerance, etc, etc.
Am I thinking correctly?

I completely agree with that, but using Orchidwiz to get the species % in the hybrid is still a good starting point to give you a general ballpark for cultural requirements. I use it a lot to help me decide what to buy, rather than buy a hybrid and then figure out what conditions it needs. For instance, if I see that a certain complex hybrid has 80% of it's background which is warm-hot growing species and the rest is cool growers, I can't exclude that the cool growing parents had a significant impact on the hybrid's temperature preference, but the probability of the hybrid being a warm-hot grower is high. But being a hybrid, hybrid vigor may also give the plant the advantage of being more tolerant of variation in temperature (or HR/watering/light...)

I never thought of asking the vendor for extra information, but I will often ask for growing experience from people here. Usually their information matches up rather well with the educated guess of Orchidwiz, but they can give that extra information on how far those conditions can be 'stretched', as Roberta puts it so well.

[MattWoelfsen]

I thought someone would mention Bluenanta.com. This is a user built website. Orchid people submit pictures and information on particular orchids. For example, here is the information it has on Tst Melinda Marie:

BlueNanta