Odtna. Papa Gino "Lavender Lady" Care

[Optimist]

I am new to the board and fairly new to orchids. I was in Amarillo for the day and went to a plant nursery there. I just happened to ask whether they sold any orchids. A lady brought out a large (13 pseudobulbs) very rootbound Odontonia (name is in the title) that had been shoved under a bench (half-price). Though rootbound, it looked fairly healthy. I took it home and put it in a larger pot with better drainage and started to read about the care of Odontonias and I am stuck on some points.

One site said it could be left out side with about 50% shade cloth, and was happy at up to 4000 foot candles (bright light) and another said that it wanted 1000 to 1500 foot candles with is low light and what a phalenopsis would be happiest at. This lighting contradiction is the most troublesome to me, because it can't be both high light and low light, though I would understand if it was "medium" light, or "any" light.

I understand that it has thin roots and wants to dry out more than a phal, due to the fact that it has pseudo bulbs, and I think all pseudobulb orchids want to be drier than phals or non-pseudo bulb orchids.

The humidity should be at least 50% but no more than 75%-- which is doable, and the temp range is also doable here where I live. but one site said between 2C to 38C which is basically 36F to 100F. This range seems a little broad. I can see the 100F, but not the 36F as that is just above freezing.

In my house, and in the state where I live, it can get to over 100F but usually there are fans on by that time and so the plants would be in good condition. I am also thinking about getting a cool air humidifier for the room they will be in this would make both the phals and these other orchids happy.


I am wondering if someone who understands Odontonia can give me a more succinct description of their care needs, because I seem to be having a difficult time finding information on them (there are thousands of mentions of Phals, but very few of Odontonias.

Thanks, Katy (near Amarillo Texas, if you need to know where I am).

[terracotta7]

Congratulations on your find! Sounds great!

I don't have any of those, so I cannot tell you the proper culture. I can tell you that I have a handful of oncidium-type orchids here in NY and that they thrive in my bay window which receives morning sunshine. The temp range is probably 50-90 degrees F. I move them away from the window when we get really low temps and wind chill. Mine stay inside all the time because of critters outside. I will look forward to hearing what others who are more experienced have to say.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[hanzy08]

Most intergenerics have basically the same culture. I give mine direct morning sun then dappled light for the rest of the day. when they are growing or flowering, make sure to keep them slightly moist but when they are neither growing nor flowering, give them a longer dry period. this worked for me.

[My Green Pets]

Just a guess, but since odontoglossum and miltonia are both cool-growing plants, I wonder if this hybrid wouldn't also be one to appreciate a combination of bright light but cool temps?

My intergeneric started dropping flowers within a week of temps in the high 80's...and i give it more moisture than my phals. Those little roots do not like to dry out.

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by CambriaWhat

Just a guess, but since odontoglossum and miltonia are both cool-growing plants, I wonder if this hybrid wouldn't also be one to appreciate a combination of bright light but cool temps?

My intergeneric started dropping flowers within a week of temps in the high 80's...and i give it more moisture than my phals. Those little roots do not like to dry out.

I am not sure. I picked this one up from a greenhouse in Amarillo, nearly the same latitude and about 200 miles from where I am, so I assume the summer heat is about the same. According to the greenhouse worker it had been sitting around homeless for quite a while, and had produced sprays of flowers that she was quite impressed with. She had not watered in a long time and the roots and bulbs were rather desiccated/shriveled. The new bulbs that are forming look very nice.

[silken]

Odtna. Papageno is a complex hybrid but has quite a bit of Miltoniopsis vexillaria and Odontoglossum alexandrae. Both are not real heat lovers and prefer temps in the 70's to low 80's by day and 60's or 50's at night. But OrchidWiz says the hybrid itself can tolerate cool or warm temps. Often hybrids are much more temperature and light tolerant than their species relatives. This is a medium light plant but when good humidity and breezes are provided it can adapt to more light and heat.

Most of these hybrids can take warmer temps so long as they can cool off a bit at night.

[Optimist]

Originally Posted by silken

Odtna. Papageno is a complex hybrid but has quite a bit of Miltoniopsis vexillaria and Odontoglossum alexandrae. Both are not real heat lovers and prefer temps in the 70's to low 80's by day and 60's or 50's at night. But OrchidWiz says the hybrid itself can tolerate cool or warm temps. Often hybrids are much more temperature and light tolerant than their species relatives. This is a medium light plant but when good humidity and breezes are provided it can adapt to more light and heat.

Most of these hybrids can take warmer temps so long as they can cool off a bit at night.

Thanks everyone. I always thought miltonias were more warm loving-- but okay. It looks like I might have to have fans to cool it in the summer. It is loving fall here, and I have a spike now. Here it is outside. I divided it into one large plant and one small. It still has shriveled bulbs and accordion leaves from ill treatment in the past. I think that the greenhouse treated it more like a thick rooted oncidium than a thin rooted one because they did not water it much. In fact, I think it had been left to die. It has thin strap like leaves that sun burn easily, and thin roots, so yes, it needs frequent watering. It is outside in a shady spot which is also cool, but comes inside later on. Any way it is going nicely, the new pseudo bulbs are nice and plump and it has a flower spike as I mentioned before, but it is very small and I do not know if it will survive.

[silken]

It looks happy and good luck with the spike. Be sure to post photos when it blooms!

[Dollythehun]

I am resurrecting this thread. I bought this plant last fall at the South Bend show. Natt had a coffee can of small starts in plastic wrapped spag. I popped for three and this is the medium size of them and the only one blooming. I think the bud looks amazingly like a tulip. There is no scent. I grow it in an east/south window under room temperature conditions. It does like lots if water. This is, obviously, the first bloom.

[rbarata]

Good job, Carol!!!
The flower is beautiful.