Tolumnia Pralor 'Genting' in bloom

[Bud]

Tolumnia or Equitant Oncidiums are compact growers where leaves seldom exceed 6 inches long and two factors I discovered in growing this: good air circulation and never over water it. This miniature usually potted in a 3" to 4" pot that is enough size to make a specimen plant. This mini makes it very desirable for those who have limited growing space and perfect for east facing windows or shaded south facing windows. Flowers usually bloom from fall to spring but can also bloom year-round. Another interesting fact: the flowers look like "Dancing Ladies," this is because the lip of the flowers resembles skirts. This plant is at least 2-3 years old and very well established. Given to me as a gift by ‘Zoroaster’ a member of this board, yet I also found this orchid plant sold by Kawamoto Orchids and somebody named Kaina posted the exact flower on Google. These tiny ‘Dancing Lady’ orchids are endemic to the Caribbean and surrounding areas, including the Bahamas, Cuba, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Formerly known as ‘Equitant’ Oncidiums this informal growing group loves warm balmy weather and bright shaded light. These orchids have no pseudobulb to store water, so I give it a liberal watering then I let it dry out overnight. There is a rule of thumb= “if in doubt, don’t water” that applies to this orchid. I read some advice from a fellow member not to cut off the spike after the first blooms fade. There is often a secondary spike waiting to form and branch out to provide several more weeks of bloom. I feed this weekly weakly K-lite fertilizer and seaweed mix but since it is winter I stopped fertilizer until spring or when new growths appear.