Thanks to all for your appreciation. I thought, if here is the most complete orchid forum on the web, this lovely beauty should not be missed any longer.
And for your question, katrina, I can say that my 2 Thunias are even easier to grow than Catasetums as they are not prone to rot and not prone to Thrips and spider mites.
I have seen Thunias only once in nature. It was november and we came back from a mountain tour in Nepal and hiked down beside a river that run down from eternal ice through villages. When we finally reached the road in the lowlands (800-1000m above sea level), the sun warmed the air at daytime to 25°C approx. But nights along the cold river will be colder with condensatation. There were many leafless Thunia canes as epiphytes along the vertical trunks of the trees bordering the river.
But I use a mix of fir bark, pumice, clay pellets, soil and sand as I do for terrestrials. For flowering canes must have reached a strong size, so heavy feeding in summertime is a must.
And I give as much sunlight as I can without overheating the greenhouse, which quickly happens. Temperature should not exceed 30°C as this is stress for the plants, promotes mites and shortens the lifetime of flowers. The winter rest is essential.
Here is a link for further reading:
Orchid Societies Council of Victoria Inc
Thunia pulchra
Linear Mode
