If you go to Dr. Google you will find lots of nice pics of this desirable orchid.
At the moment in this room it is 24.9C Humidity 41% and I have not misted the Phals. Might water them tomorrow morning.
Outside (in the Phal Death Zone) after a very hot day for spring. It is 26.8C with humidity of 23% at 7:00 PM.

After 40 years of fiddling about I have given up on trying to grow the "ungrowables".
Miltoniopsis
Zygopetalums
Nigro-Hirsuite Dendrobiums
Most Vandas
Hard-Cane Dendrobiums
And many others.

I figure that you might need about 10 Glass-Houses with differing conditions to grow everything well.

My guess is Cyrtorchis chailluana needs temps 60 to 90 F. With moderate humidity levels. No idea of the shade required. Air movement 24/7.

This post was edited by arthurm on Tue, Sep 30, 14 at 5:52

That's funny, my conditions outside are almost exactly that and it's fall here...

yes, poor phals... people discuss how good the phals look at orchidnicks, but well, a greenhouse (ie high humidity) does wonders for phals however you grow them... not to discredit nick's fantastic growing abilities or anything...

likewise here... miltoniopsis, vandas, et al. forget it... course, of the group i do love vandas... and those long straggly dens... but after experience you do learn to love from a distance... lol

the cyrtorchis i did get from a CA vendor but they're a bit north and coastal and they of course have greenhouses so it's probably ok with the temp fluctuations... but an orchid that doesn't bloom is kinda pointless perhaps...

and yes, 10 glass houses with varying conditions is about right... could there be an opportunity on indi-gogo?

Does your plant have a name? I'm a bit confused. You are growing this plant in Calif. not NY? Anyway, a photo and name would be helpful.

Jane

hi jane, it's in the title... it's a cyrtorchis chailuana... I just quoted as if i were in nyc, to pick a random east coast city that differs from my current residence of southern california. The writing is purely is with literary liberties taken...

That's embarrassing! I didn't look at the title when I opened your post. Sorry,

I would think your climate should be fine. I've never grown this plant (have to look for it, very cool) but do grow a few Angraecums and Aerangis. They grew and flowered for me in NY even with very cool temps in winter. I now grow them in Florida and they love it. They seem quite adaptable.

Jane

Orchid growers in Miami, San Francisco, MN,etc etc. are no doubt unhappy with limitations in their growing conditions and wish that they could grow everything

Looked up Cyrtorchis chailluana and it is in the Vandeae tribe, many of those are difficult here.

Even the houses here are leaky. The current reading next to my Phals is 24.3C Humidity 35% . Lucky that Phals are more temperature/sunlight intolerant than low humidity intolerant. Readings at nearby AWS are 17C and 39%, a "cold" front has cooled things down.

I do not share Jane's optimism re Southern California climate. You probably need a glass-house with a misting
system.

About the envy expressed about the wonderfully healthy leaves of my Phaelies, let me deflate this balloon. These plants were grown in a factory in Taiwan, then shipped in spike to a master grower (Zuma Canyon) in SOCAL who used them for display plants when in full glorious bloom. When they finished blooming I got them for $5.00 each and now the fun starts.

The pictures of their leaves at that time reflect the expertise of the previous owners. Check back in a year and you'll see how well I do in my GH. MY predictions are that

1) They'll be alive
2) The new leaves won't be as big as the ones in the first pictures
3) Some will actually bloom but not with the long fantastic sprays the previous growers produce.
4) They'll will have lost some leaves.

If all of this happens, I'll be satisfied as there is no way I can duplicate the growing conditions where these plants came from. If they are alive and look reasonable that wiill have to be good enough.

Nice to have you back Bada, this forum needs some spicing up. What's a nice NJ boy like you doing in a SOCAL apartment? Hoping to be discovered?

Nick

Yep still waiting, been 10 years lol actually for what I do it's one of the best places... except in my profession we don't get paid all that much, and well rents and real estate prices are completely ridiculous... middle class means living in a close to a million dollar mortgage for a decent area...

One saving grace for here is that almost every night the temps drop and the humidity goes up usually to 60-80% no matter how hot and dry it is... My emphasis is to just grow temp tolerant and dry tolerant orchids... and minis in a case... but I'm taking my time getting up to the 1000 plant mark I had before, course not without constant finger wagging from the SO to keep me in check. right now it's 75%, plants outside got they're morning misting while I have my coffee... got a bulbo hirundinis spiking... kinda shocked on that one.

Taiwan, ah yes, that diverse yet somehow perfect orchid land... although it can get super hot I've heard. people don't understand phals are like GMO ie corn here... pumped with insecticides, water, fert, and other things we don't want to know about right from GH across the world to the local POV... better they don't care perhaps...

and yes SF people can't grow vanda's any better, and well miami people can't grow... hmmm... dendrobium cuthbertsonii? I dunno, i guess not aussie dens...

Ok, for those that probably do a search on this plant and unfortunately come upon this thread with so far close to useless chatter let me just talk about the plant... it is a vanda tribe but from tropical africa, and while that's a broad generalized statement of locality, like saying that's an aussie den, angraecoids to which cyrtorchis belong, can grow drier than say the typical vandas... this is why I bother with angreacoids because there's a chance they'll be ok here... areas of tropical Africa can get more pronounced dry spells/seasons and temps go down at nights... again generally speaking... that said, many are big plants that grow long stems with roots growing all along the stems... like a typical vanda... and cyrtorchis is just like that, so yes it probably needs a GH and high humidity which I ultimately can't provide... but again it hasn't declined save for a root just shriveling recently out of the pot (yikes)

My current experiment is growing it ala neofinitia traditional sphag ball... the moss retains unprecedented amounts of water, keeps form around the roots but stays open as a ball, and I let it get close to dry then water again, and keep on window... we'll see how it does, but I just started this experiment in fall so it may not grow much till spring but oh well... one apt in the past I had a big east facing window on the shower, glass was frosted don't worry, vandaceaous hung from the ceiling, to my ex's dismay, but living off the shower water and humidity... they did very well in that situation... lol

The mini angraecoids have done well for me in cases though, so at least i have that.

I just happen to love white flowers too... oops wrote too much.

Good luck with this one. Mine's been piddling along for about 5 years now, growing a leaf, losing two, etc... It rots so easily with the slightest loss of air movement. Granted, I live in the frozen nether regions of Canada, and would trade my soul to move to SoCal (angraecoid heaven only second to Madagascar, probably).

I've heard bright light without being too hot, quick drying, evening cooling, and that delicate precipice of perfect buoyant humidty between stuffy rainforest and desert. I look forward to hearing how your experiment with neo-culture work...maybe even some pictures!

Gee, how come I flowered mine in a cold, desert dry living room in NY. Humidity about 8% in winter. Went outside in summer.

I don't know your plant although I'd love to get one. But I have one huge Angraceum and Aerides which seems to like Florida better but they did flower for years in NY.

Nick you know my plant, how do they differ from what 'Bada' is growing?

Jane

Your plants are great. The last time I saw Bada's plants, Jorge Dubayu Bush was threatening our enemies with this: "You will disarm or we will". The Bada man just resurfaced after a lengthy period of hibernation (only from the orchid forum that is). Look for some interesting comments from him.

Nick

wow calvin, you have some great species! thx for chimin in... how are you growing ur cyrtorchis, potted? how are you growing many of the other angraecoids?

but you're right, shouldn't complain socal has many great things about it growing wise... eek... but seems like you northern folk can grow cool grower clould forest epiphyte types under lights like no other...

Jane, whatever it is you flowered and bloomed in those conditions, I want to get... what were they? I think I mentioned this, but I only want to focus this time around on the toughest ones (next to multi-generic hybrids), and if they handle that dry and do good then for sure I need to order asap lol

nick, saw your dracs... my god what an impressive collection... took some time to get my jaw back up... couldn't leave the house for a while.

I grow and bloom the chailluana. When I got it from a vendor in South Carolina it was mounted on a small narrow piece of redwood. I didn't want to water it heavily every day so I sat it in a clay pot. It gets quick spritz of water daily, gets high light until 2pm-ish and then total shade.

Temps run as high as 85 in the summer and in the winter it never goes below 60. Humidity levels are all over the board because I don't ever use a fogger or mister to increase it.

Last year it had one spike and it now has two. It appears to be happy.

Brooke

Thanks brooke! Where are you growing it? a gh? windowsill? outside some of year?

I have no idea if this is helpful but here's a pic from last Jan. Angraecum Crestwood. Its a monster. I also grow Aeranthes which is about 8 yrs old. Flowered in NY and flowers here. The Aeranthes grows in a coco lined basket in lower light.

Jane

Wow Jane, that's stunning... I can't tell you how much I love angraecoids and how amazing seeing yours... I looked it up and saw it's a hybrid who's 2 of 3 parents are super large... so no luck for me... I tried growing A. sequipedale years ago in nyc when I did live there... languished... never tried aearanthes, which species do you have? I'm getting it this week LOL

Yes its very large. Beautiful. I'm growing it in full south, Florida sun. This year is a test because I have grown it in lower light in the past and got good flowering.

The Aerides is Grandiose. From Oakhill quite a few years ago.

Got this mini a month ago. It is tiny with long spikes with flowers. Haven't figured out how to grow it yet. Right now it only gets early morning sun.

{{gwi:193514}}

Whole new learning curve in Florida, but so far the heat lovers are doing well. The cool growers have mostly died off. The heat here is brutal.

Don't listen to Nick. He's jealous you showed up... :-))

Jane

You are funny Jane, I'm not jealous Bada showed up, it's just that I have to watch what I say now because he won't let me get away with any of my usual BS. Fresh blood (even if recycled) and fresh air is great. He, I and a group of others had great fun on this forum some time ago.

Nick

Orchid growing success or failure might have something to those little streams that flow up and down the east and west coasts of the USA.
Here looks like San Diego, nothing at all like New York.

This orchid was grown by a lady who bought a large plant of Angraecum sesquipedale which slowly pined away and died.
Dendrobium jenkinsii 'Kusaf' ACC/AOC
{{gwi:193515}}

I grow in a g/h and never put it outside.

Brooke

thanks brooke, well that explains that... you gh growers are spoiled! and well fortunate...

arthur, never cared for d. jenkinsii but seeing it like that makes me want one! we can laugh at the lady who grows this and struggles with that... but then again... looking at the orchid gallery we see orchidnick grows vandas. shocking. hopefully not in the same area as the dracs. i hear the streams down under are balmy more over than not wherever you are?

Jane, that aeranthes is so cute poking it's little flower out... and a nice clean growing space...looks like you're growing a nepenthes next to the aeranthes? I love that aerangis, heard it's adaptable, and can bloom itself to death. I almost ordered via the TOF fall sale but they're sold out now. erg. that and the SO doesn't approve of expanding my currently modest collection. So the aeranthes wasn't approved either... drats.

You are right, bada. That is a nepenthes. Not happy for some reason and I need to spend some time with the poor plant. It has rained here for a month, heavy, heavy. Humidity higher than the temps which were in the 90's. I feel like if I don't get some cool air, I'll have to move. I've never gone outside in the dark of night and sweat.

Anyway, I am playing with the Angraeum and the aeranthes. There are a numbers of growers here that grow crosses of sesquipedale but they are smaller, with large flowers. The aeranthes is another story. Haven't seen any here.

Heard Oakhill is back in business (Florida?). I got both plants from them about 10 years ago and they flowered in NYC. (I'm a Queens girl then Westchester). I would say that I had problems with the aeranthes but managed to keep it going and it would flower a few times a year. The low humidity seemed to dry up the buds but it would throw more spikes. Got the best flowering in summer in NY.

In Florida, its only the second year. Still trying to figure out the best way to grow them. The Angraecum seems to thrive on the heat and full sun. It has many offshoots which make the plant appear full. It grows like a Vanda with offshoots. Whenever I enter it in a show it wins. No AOS awards as it has a lot of battle scars from 5 moves in 3 years. The Aer is another story but hanging on. I keep trying it in different places, different light.

I'm impressed with the adaptability of these two plants. Enough that I'm venturing into trying more. I disagree with ArthurM that you will not be able to grow them in California indoors. I think you have a good shot.

If you know anything about nepenthes, give a shout. It looked fabulous last year but has declined over the summer.

Arthur, that Dendrobium jenkinsii 'Kusaf' ACC/AOC is to die for! Just in time for my OS meeting next week with Fred Clarke and the Aussie dends. I plan to have a cup of coffee and chat with other members. I'm not even looking at what he's selling...although if I saw something like your picture, I'm not sure. I'm taking a sponsor with me, just in case.

Jane

Hi Jane, I only included that picture to make the point that sometimes not even the skill of a very skilful grower will make up for the lack of an appropriate climate.
I didn't realise that Bada was going try and grow the plant indoors. Congratulations on the 'Crestwood'. Beautiful orchid.

I'll just go and check the local society database and see how many angraecums members have exhibited over the years that have come 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a class at a monthly meeting,zzzzzzz. 8 out 21864 orchids.

Of course, if society members had deep, deep pockets (Like Nick) more of them would have glass-houses setup to grow orchids with special needs but why worry about that when all you have to do is string a bit of shade-cloth up.

Do not listen to Fred Clark's siren talk. Have your minder
by your side at all times and wear ear plugs.

We all have positives and negatives. I shall not explore the negatives of Senor Clark, the positives are that he does have some very good plants and extremely well organized talks. If you want some very nice Australian Dend hybrids, he has them. His normal prices are just that, normal. If your society is getting them for less than he list on his web page, I would say don't hesitate getting some.

Go to the SVO site and look at the hybrids he lists. Hard to find this kind of stuff unless you are in Australia and drive on the right side of the road, which is the left side.

Nick

Well i actually grow outside on a patio and inside on windowsill and in a case... i only really have room for minis. Right now it is something like 7% humidity... And outside or in, in southern california it can be pretty much the same. Construction is shoddier with the assumption of it being mild here, i would say that growing outdoors or in is pretty much the same... well, ok some really do use AC here. Because we live in the foothills we can get away without using AC as it's only really hot at home a few times a year, but this is the irony, even with just a few days of hot hot i have lost otherwise intermediate plants immediately, so thus I have to stick to warm/intermediate growers even though with bad insulation it can get to 50's/ 10C at night in winter, and isn't actually hot most of the year... though I've never lost a warm grower to cool temperatures.

So considering the idea to grow for what's appropriate for climate it's pretty much a temp tolerant, dry growing orchid. yes, good luck to me. rupicolous laelias aren't exactly the everything orchid for me... nor dendrobium speciosum... ok i'll stop the complaining... lol

Thanks for the tips on the plants, Jane... I'm curious about the aeranthes so i'll probably get one eventually... nepenthes can be tricky to adjust to form pitchers... sometimes just leaves for a while... but in general they come from mountain forests and need a temp drop at night, I'm thinking that's the issue. Some are higher altitude, others are low... highlands need low temps, and lows need uncomfortably high temps... but sill need the drop at night... there are so many hybrids now (for what market i have no idea) that many are unlabeled but if you know what it is it's easy to see if it's higher altitude and if it is, it probably isn't like the heat... one of the most common ones is nepenthes ventricosa which can sulk in heat just a bit, but is of the toughest of neps. Maybe you have that one...

In general, when I grew in nyc, (I lived in astoria, Jane!), my biggest problem was not getting the lower temps... makes growing orchids a bit easier out here in the desert we call LA... but just a bit