Looks like a orchid in the oncidium/ondoglossum family. Your photos don't show the roots, but if this was growing wild, might need cooler temps than you have.

give it shade...

Thanks for the replies. Jane-The last photo is roots. Wild orchids don't have much of a root system. The orchid I am thinking about is not in either family. It was a tiny cool growing family. That is driving me crazy. I just can't remember. Bought it through Hausermann's. Jay Pfhal had a photo of this on one of his main alphabetical pages years ago. .Let's see what we've got in person.

Harvey definitely an "under the umbrella" item..... and I keep them on the ledge by the floor. It's the coolest place I have.

Hopefully I will catch his visit today. Wild orchids, wild man too. He comes and goes as he pleases. There is literally not a cloud in the sky. Very rare event here. I am on plant burn alert. Even Heliconia will burn today. I've never seen the sky so blue. He may not be able to roam the streets with his orchids on his shoulder in this kind of light and heat. I'll let you know

The Ochid Man came....!!!! Lot's of interesting differences in the way we grow vs the way they grow here in Colombia. I took photos

First, Jane you're right I think it's an Odontoglossum. She is a beauty. She has a 20" spike.

Thank you.

It's such a hot day, so I invited him to cool down on the balcony. He proceeded to unpack his stuff and he had some treats today.. New and very cool containers.

While I was taking this photo, I noticed a big score- a tree fern fiber block!!!! Yay! Tree Fern fiber can be obtained here. That will help a lot.. He proceeded to pick through my media bag and started to pot up my new orchid and anything else he didn't think was well potted. I let him have at it.

He pots up in layers. First he used the native moss on the bottom, then crushed tree fern fiber remnants from the bottom of his bag and then my cheap Chinese bark.

He proceeded to inspect my mounted Catt. The wood on the mount is decomposed. So he just plopped it into one of his bark containers. No media -done. He says it will attached to the container. When it outgrows the container, he will bring me a bigger one and we will just plop it into that. No root disturbance.

Likewise with an Asian orchid that has never bloomed in 6 years. I posted about this last year. I divided this orchid. It was my friend's. She moved up the mountain to much cooler temps and took my care directions. It didn't bloom there either. I cut the water off and did the long rest- I got no blooms either. It's been more than a year.

His take is: The roots don't have enough air and the orchid is too crowded and confined in the pot to bloom. I explained that this orchid needs a rest and tight shoes. He laughed at me and told me never to do that again. It is stressing the orchid into blooming. It will die an early death. He says mala energia for the plant.

Despite all we learn about orchids and "tight shoes", he says orchid roots need lots of air. water and space. They need light too. That's how they are in nature. They don't get that in pots. So he repotted that orchid into one of his bark containers. He used some bark mix because the plant and roots are much smaller than the Catt and the conversion needs to be slower. He didn't want to shock the plant with light, air and space. This was his main lesson for today. Interesting. It is the opposite of what we do in the States. That orchid after 1 year did not attach itself to the bark, the clay. It was like I had just potted it up. So he's onto something

He showed me what the locals use for bark. Wood shavings. They run their plants very wet here. I am just not used to that. He told me to pick up the watering. Good Gravy, they get rained on every day. This is 1 night's worth of rain:

I am a little stressed out knowing my new Bebes are potted with that wet moss.I am sitting on my hands. I want to run outside and rip it all out.

I asked him where the orchids and Broms come from. His family has land. He is taking them directly from nature on his property. He says Broms grow low on the tree and Orchids grow high. He climbs and sometimes uses a hoist but he says if I want to see an orchid in the wild, I am going to have to climb- high. I'm down for that! After a storm, the road is littered with Broms so what he is saying is on track.

Very good day here in beautiful Colombia. I got another Bulbo/Masde/Pleuro, who knows what! orchid. He says small yellow flowers. It just finished blooming. The florescence is beautiful. Striped

My new orchids are hanging under the umbrella so the have a lot of air.

I am really thinking that the way we grow in the 1st world has been passed down from the Victorian Era. Maybe we should re-think what we know (??) It was an eye opener for sure. This entire day cost me about 50$usd. His prices are high because I am Gringa but who cares. He works for it and he is willing to share what he sees and knows.

Harvey and Jane thank you. It is an exciting time for me. I feel like a newbie again. What a thrill! My orchids are Colombian-ized...heehee. So cool. Let's see how it goes

Suzanna Gringa

Gringa, thanks for sharing. I would feel and do just like you. How can you tell a local that he is wrong? At least give it a full try. Even if they die. At least you will gain knowledge. Sometimes the price is failures. Nothing wrong with that as long as you learn from your mistakes. Hopefully these newly potted plants will be strong with lots of flowers.

What kind of fertilizer do you use?

I like seeing roots exposed. I mount a lot on trees and also cork. If i pot it is clay with lava rock only. The plants that mount well, will like my potting method. All rock means I water daily.

You are so right Harvey. If they go, I will have learned. I am not going to touch what he did and see what happens.But I am squirming.

Uyyy fertilizer is so hard here. If I go to the Homecenter (HD) here I buy Highest N and Highest P I can find. Always a powder. Urea and Potash. I mix them together. I compost banana peels, Dry them in the sun and use the kitchen mandolin to pulverize them. Also the rice husk for Nitrogen. I boil egg shells and add a pinch of epsom. It's all old school here.

My regular plants are ok with this. They are all really nice. I don't want to start shipping stuff from the USA. It's out of my budget. Truth be told-I would kill for a bottle of Neptune's Harvest though. I'm not sue if that would pass through immigration. They took a part of my vacuum when I shipped that. I just never know what is ok with them.

He uses rice water. He swears by it. Put some rice in some water boil it for a little while and then use the water when it's been cooled. I haven't tried that.

There is one thing that you can get from the US that you should consider. Maxi-crop. It is concentrated Norwegion Seaweed juice. It contains a naturally occurring chemical for growing more and bigger roots. It is an absolute game changer. Whatever level of success you attain, this will make it a lot better. The price may appear over the top but realize that it is very concentrated. Buy the powder not the liquid. It is all the same and less freight on the powder. Be very careful not to let the powder get damp in storage.

Harvey thanks. It sounds wonderful. I took a look at the prohibited list.... :-((((

But on the bright side... This country is still pristine

and the ID for the tiger striped orchid is.....Odontoglossum) luteopurpureum!!!!!