If they were not poached, I would want orchids that would like my micro climate. The plant will thrive if it feel like it is home. What is the climate for your growing area?

Hi- Classic 80/60º 12 hours day/12 hours night. lower cloud/rainforest. elevation 5,000Ft We are finishing rainy season now. It gets into the high 80's until the late fall. The problem is I never know what they are. I got curious after I posted and took a look at the media. It is layered and it looks like it's been dug up, but I am not an expert. There is a full eco system growing in the media. little ferns etc. I would guess they are coming from the higher rain/cloud forest low 70's/50's at night, cloudy. The roots really look like a wild plant. they aren't what we see in production growing, or even someone selling divisions. This media is very very wet. the bottom layer is gritty like sand but probably volcanic dust.

It's hard to know what will grow here because I don't know what they are and where they come from. Either buy it or don't. This vendor tells me he travels about 200 km's from where he lives each month, selling plants. Many many climates in a 200km radius from me.

I noticed that there are a lot of universities in Columbia. Because Columbia has so many orchids there must be specific orchid classes available. And maybe a generous professor willing to share with a fellow countryman. There must be exceptional resources about the local orchids.

https://www.amazon.com/Orchids-Ecology-Colombia-Mariano-Ospina/dp/9583303941 This came up quick and easy. google has a lot more. The author may live there...You have climate that is prolific and very different than most posters here. The locals have already figured out the do's and don'ts. The advice you get from North America may kill your orchids.

How many orchids do you have? What does your growing area look like?

Google indicates a large list of botanical gardens in Columbia. I'd pay the admission, then start asking questions...Some of the Universities may have greenhouses with people to ask...

Thanks for the thoughts.. I teach at the university. Let's put it this way- anyone on this board knows more. It's like living in 1940 with respect to education. The botanical garden is very run down. It's open only twice a week. If they are poached I wouldn't want to get them involved. I would be accountable for fines and they love fining the Gringos. I sent some photos to a restoration Ecologist, a former student. He went totally silent. Col-o-mbia not columbia. They get crazy with that. I'm going to try to get this strange spike to give up her secret but after looking at the media, I think they were likely poached. Those don't really grow well in captivity. do I repot it and get it out the muck and sand? I am already regretting going down this path. There are so few orchids for purchase in an orchid native country

You know, I would ask the seller for growing instructions. If he has no idea and sounds like he has no clue, then he pouched them for money. Anyone who sells those kinds of orchids would have some clue as to how to care for them because they would of been raising them themselves. I would ask what media he uses and how he gets it too.

For some, the only way to attain such beautiful species and plants is by people who take them from their natural habitat and don't mind if they get a hold of some that way. It's a concious thing and I would let mines direct me.

There are some people that sell Chameleons taken from their natural habitat and sell those too, something I have always wanted one of which I can never find at a pet store. I still don't have one.

Mike

I think everyone forgets that Colombia is 3rd world. There is no media for sale here. It's what you find and what you can make. No education either. No one knows any of the names, no one cares. Pretty flowers will sell. They sell anything that is not nailed down to the floor. This is for survival, not for love of plants. No one is interested in orchids, other than to sell them because gringos seem to like them and they will pay good money for them. It took me some time wrap my mind around this. N America and Europe have education and privileges beyond what these people can imagine and what is useful in their lives. To have a garden here with non-food items is considered extravagant and useless

I also got the Bromeliad from him. I asked questions- his response was "This is an orchid. I told him no, it was a bromeliad. He looked at me and said, it grows like an orchid (it's a epiphyte) it is an orchid. It's hard to imagine a world like this but I think what is forgotten is that most of the world does not have the benefits or interests that Gringos do. Their sole missioni s to feed themselves. This is a very poor country that has been 3 years free from civil war and the FARC. The ELN is still active. Most cannot read or write their own language when you get outside of the major cities.

We can't buy orchid supplies. We can buy unsterlilzed potting soil in 1 liter bags which is packed with native specie seeds, - weeds. This is very basic growing but everything grows easy. Everyone has given logical answers but they are keyed off of 1st world living- These folks will take plants out of nature if they are abundant and have pretty flowers. They don't care what they are. They are sold the next day. He had them in native moss and volcanic ash. Really it looks like he took a shovel and dug around the plant

If you are lucky enough to live by a Home Center (like home depot) they carry bark in the spring. It's very expensive and very low quality coming out of china. The flat tiny bark chips that break down after about 60-90 days. They sell phal clones from asia and some other orchids but they are always mislabeled. I've seen phals marked as Paphs so nothing is reliable

I'm not super comfortable with poached plants. I see leaf desiccation which tells me there is root damage or the plant is not happy. As the Americans and Europeans are advancing, severely damaged habitats are becoming common and the plants are harvested. I see beautiful water Hyancinths being sold in paper cups as ...orchids. When you tell these folks they are not orchids, they don't believe you and don't care. They just want the 2$. They know nothing about care. I don't have a water garden so I cannot keep them alive. I doubt anyone has the conditions for them. But they drift through the streets on someone's back every day.

The other problem is names. The local people use the local Spanish and Indian names for plants The scientific and common names are not used. It doesn't give me any more information to know their local names. Imagine hearing "This is a Chooka". I've given myself over to "growing dumb"

Sorry I didn't see the other post. Forget the universities. I teach at the big one here. The universities are focusing on tech and more modern sciences, not on agi. Agi is not a thing you go to school for here. It's passed down. I live in the coffee region- mainly farmers who tell me that I grow "Chookas". There is a program for restoration ecology but they are studying plants and animals and a lot of soil theory. Their focus is restoring areas that have been destroyed by gold and natural gas mining. I have asked my students and their teachers many times. They just don't know or come up with the Indigenous name of a plant. They don't understand why I care about that. For them, an orchid is an orchid. The focus and quality of edu are not the same as in the USA. We learn so much more than they do.

I am growing on a very large double-tiered balcony in the city. I have 7 orchids. Full sun that makes hibiscus and Bourgie faint so it's not ideal but I have a little shade. I have the new ones on a table under a big deck umbrella, It's raining but when it stops, I'll post a pic. New apartment and new growing space

It's so hard. Things we take for granted are just not the case elsewhere. Orchids are grown very dark to our eyes and rightly so. The sun is super deceiving. The cooler temps and clouds make me think that the sun is not that bad. we have no airplane traffic and little pollution. This combined with the thinner air of high altitude will kill tough plants in a heartbeat. Everything is grown shaded except Bananas. Fertilizer is pot-ash and urea.. I happen to have a pic of my neighbor's Bourgenvelia. This is what East light does

Here in the South Pacific Ocean at Latitude 34S my orchids are mostly under 50% shade cloth. UV in summer about 13 on a sunny day.

There are 90 orchid societies in the state of NSW and we had a different problem.

There was going to be a crackdown on orchid society sales tables at shopping centres. No selling of Australian Native orchids without a licence. Sounds sensible! But nearly all of those plants have been line bred for ages or are divisions of plants collected from the wild.

An example is Dendrobium speciosum given to me by my Father in Law over 40 years ago. Original source unknown. It is immortal, every four or so I divide it and sell half.

Anyway, thank you for interesting posts.

You're welcome Arthurm and likewise. I am 7º N of the equator. The sun goes right through my clothes. It's as if I have to throw out everything I know about growing and start again. This is my growing area. I have another side of the balcony as well. I have the corner unit. I haven't done anything there.I have 9 orchids now. I forgot about the 2 damaged Cyms that I found. left outside in the full sun. This is North. We don't have the same as in N. America. North and South are full all day sun. I'm just praying that these guys will live...Welcome to Colombia!

For anyone interested, this is the Nevado Del Ruiz. (5,300 meters/17,000ft ) or a part of it. She is always shrouded in clouds. This is where the orchids live in situ. Those clouds will tumble down after dark and snake their way through my city. My red roses are fried to a crisp but the leaves are fine. Welcome to growing in the Eje Cafetero de Colombia!

If somehow a large wooden frame covered with shade cloth for a roof on the balcony could be set up, You would have the exact amount of sun you want. It would take a little time and experiments to get the correct shade cloth but it can work. However likely there are many hurdles in the way. Maybe a couple more umbrellas. I imagine really bright shade is plenty for cats and vandas that close to the equator.

Is it possible to live on the mountain near the orchids?

Thanks for sharing. I'm enjoying your posts.

Are there reasonable opportunities to live on the mountain near the orchids? Thanks for sharing. I am enjoying your posts.

Have you tried Ecuagenera Orchids. They are located in Ecuador, they do ship plants to the US so maybe they would ship to Colombia as well?

Harvey- Thanks My landlord would blow his Colombia gasket if I altered his building. It's a new gut rehab of an old theatre. You got me thinking though, maybe I can find big trees. I hate palms but they do the trick for shade. and yes there are very very reasonable opportunities to live near orchids. One can live very well on about 1,500$ USD a month here. I have a penthouse in downtown. I refuse to drive here so I live in the city. Does this board have a PM? If so drop me one and I'll turn you on to some eye-popping areas in the Coffee triangle. It's a very safe area, modern Colombia is very safe and this area is most beautiful in Colombia. I am a woman alone, I have no problems. If you remember the old Juan Valez commercials...that's where I live :-) and living is good and this is real freedom. There are no rules here. I do not regret my decision to expat at all. I am having a ball. I just saw a brand new eco-house outside of town that was a jaw dropper. 400$usd a month... about 3,000 sq ft in the middle of ....amazing... I didn't keep the pics of the house but I kept one of the view. (below) the national park is behind the house.

To James. Yes, I have tried Ecuagenera with horrible results. I just don't like that guy. I've met him several times. I don't like the condition of his product either.- he's lost packages, not done anything about it, not good with him. They are restricted from shipping to Colombia. We have an orchidist about an hour away from me. I've seen his stuff. 4 large greenhouses. Good -but maybe, 30-50 species, mainly cool growers and tons of purple cats-our national flower, grown super dark to my eye. I live in a valley so we have warmer temps

Really, when I think about it, this is a real orchid hunt, here in Colombia. I would have never guessed. It's kind of fun to find the rare beauties and then to try to know what they are by blooming them. It's a whole other level that I have to get comfortable with if I want to collect orchids here. They don't come with names or pedigrees. I never know what will pass by me on a cart or in a box on someone's shoulder. I am not confident but I'm going to give it my best effort.

Saludos de Bella Colombia and thank you.! I am happy to talk about Colombia anytime :-)

A post script- I de-potted because the moss was soaking wet. 2 weeks without water and it was wet as a dish sponge. I got worried about the roots and rightly so. Sure enough, these orchids and the Bromeliad are poached. I am 100% certain. The mat of moss was folded into the pot. I see a thousand other tiny plants and roots- a full eco system. The roots have been in this media for a very long time. Not a transplant.

I don't know why we grow in bark. Orchids don't grow on bark in nature-ever, but on 6-12" of moss and decomposing debris that collects on branches.

I made the long and horrible trip to our version of home depot . They had pine bark and the flat tiny bark chips from China that smell like plastic. I broke down and bought the tiny bag. 10$USD is really expensive. I buy a liter and a half soil for 25¢

The oncidium type has no viable roots but there are roots starting on a back bulb. The masde types are matted with roots. They are not in the best condition but not in the worst. and there is no way to pull them away from the moss carpet. I cleared as much as I could and made a mix of the chinese bark chips and rice husk. Rice husk is commonly used here to amend the soil and act as a source of organic Nitrogen. It breaks down fast but is not super water retentive. It's like tissue paper. I posted a couple of photos below of the orchid's original growing media and the rice husks. I am also posting the spike on what may be a masde. Like I said, I've never seen a masde spike like this and whatever is forming is very tiny. millimeters He says they are either red or yellow flowers. He didn't remember..

Can someone who grows Masdes take a look and tell me what they think? Whatever it is, it's in spike and it's growing but the "buds" don't look like a masde. I haven't grown Masdes in 12 years. I think the spike is going to blast and turn yellow, but there appears to me more coming. Oh Lordy, say a prayer. I am going to try to grow this scrappy, wild bunch of Spansih-speaking Chookas from the streets of Colombia.

bottom and top view of the moss media

rice husk

the spike

Generally the closer the tropics, the more arid the mix. Treated radiata pine bark is fine here, not so good in say Florida, Hawaii and similar places that are warm and humid most of the time.

Lava rock, and similar might be better there.

Masdevallia are mostly mist forest orchids and are rarely grown here. Summer is a big problem Too hot and arid. Would need pretty heavy shade I suppose where you are.

Thanks Arthurm- I didn't buy it but I was tempted to. It was a lot cheaper. I am thinking the same. at 8,000 feet it is cooler. I am only at about 5,000 feet and the temp. difference is significant. I m going to post on a new thread- this wild orchid bloomed