Hello everyone! - Orchid Board

Mikefromearth · #1 04-27-2011, 02:46 PM

Howdy all!

I've recently begun a foray into a tropical terrarium and future home to some dart frogs.

My plant collection includes 6 orchids so far. I have:

Pleurothallis corniculata
Pleurothallis minutalis (oxios)
Haraella odorata
Dryadella edwallii
Masdevallia floribunda
and 1 Isabelia virginalis

They are all minis which I hope will do well in my high humidity, warm (70-80º) tank.

I have the plants under a dual T5HO 18" fixture with a 10000k and 6000k bulb. I'm running 1.2 watts per gallon, though I have heard that with T5HO wpg isnt as important because HO bulbs produce more light per watt than other bulbs.

I've been misting most plants daily in the mornings with the exception of the virginalis which receives slightly less water and is placed closer to the top of the tank.

All the orchids with the exception of the edwallii have been mounted on a stump which is the centerpiece to my viv. I will wait until the edwallii is done blooming to mount it for fear of damaging/disrupting the plant. I got all these orchids from Andy's in a package deal and the edwallii came with 3 small buds which have since grown and bloomed. One more bud has emerged from the plant since I acquired it and it has grown and will hopefully open in the next week.

Here's a link to a picture of the flowering plant:
Dryadella edwallii

I hope to continue to grow my orchid collection in and out of the tank and would love a great community to share with and seek advice from.

Thanks for reading!