The Orchid Garden

Try Odontoglossum's for Supreme beauty (even in the Northeast)

Question:

: For years I had admired the unsurpassed beauty of the Odontoglossum tribe, but : was told that they could not be grown in the Northeast because they could not : grow in temperatures above the 60’s and would expire in the 90 degree heat of : the summer withour air conditioning. However, I decided to try a few anyhow. : They have thrived for 3 years now on my windowsill with eastern exposure. They : have survived 2 VERY hot summers under a shady pine tree. In the winter my : home is 65-70. No problem. I have grown Odontoglossum Crispum and several : others under these conditions. The Crispum is now about to bloom with a spray : of over 20 flowers. Just magnificent. I purchased the plants from an outstanding : nursery in Seattle, Washington.The Crispum and some of the other red and white : hybrids can second rate the most magnificent of Cattleya’s. Family and friends : are literally breath-taken with the beauty of these orchids. Can’t agree more! I grow Odontoglossoms under trees years around here in the northern California. It survived the temparature extremes of 28F to 108F (with less than 10% humidity). It flowers reliably every year around this time.

Response:

It’s fun isn’t it.  A well grown Odont or Oda really has the capability to turn heads.  People come into the greenhouse and fall in love with the Miltoniopsis and Odontoglossums/Odontiodas/Odontonias, for the most part they say oh to Cattleyas ect.  Once again congratulations and share your secrets, please. Robert Culver http://www.eskimo.com/~robertc

Believe it or not, I found Odontoglossums one of the easiest of orchids to grow. I grow them in 2 handfuls of Cymbidium(peatmix) mix and one handful of fir bark. This gives a composite which is much like soil, but the bark gives a little aeration. I pot them leaving enough room for just one growth. I feed 20-20-20. I use only clay pots (with no slots) and put some crock in the bottom of the pot. I believe wetting down the clay pots during the summer heat helps tremendously in keeping the roots cool. Summer care. They are placed off the ground on a bench under a 40 foot hemlock. I NEVER let them dry out. They are watered usually every morning. In extreme heat, I spray in the morning and night and if at home in mid-afternoon. I feed every 10 days. They have ALL survived wonderfully even in an extended period of temperatures in the 90’s and low 100’s for over 2 weeks. More amazing is that they are all Crispum type Odontogolossums or Odontiodas which are not supposed to live in these tempertures.  A major watch for is:  If the bulbs start to shrivel I immediately shower and water and provide some extra shade.  I put them outdoors in May (no danger of frost) and bring them in in September when they are just starting to pick up from the cool nights and days. For those who live in the country as I do deer do not bother with them and will not eat them. However, a chipmunk may eat a bulb. I almost lost one that way. Winter care. They all grow in  huge unobstructed east picture windows. (not in   a greenhouse). I plunge each pot in a lukewarm water filled bucket once a week early in the day so that there is plenty of time for them to dry. I do not mist, but keep them on a pebble tray which I partially full . I feed once a month. The temperature is aboout 64-70 during the day and 60 at night Given this care, all the orchids have bloomed gorgeously. Sometimes I will get 2 sprays a year. The red and whites are literally breathtaken and I have gotten a spray 3 feet long IN DOORS. I live in Connecticut so if I can make these beauties grow, I believe most can except perhaps the deep south and Texas. My odontoglossums are living proof that the orchids acclaimed as perhaps the most beautiful of all orchids can be grown in the U.S. in other places than the Pacific Northwest. I’ll be happy to answer any other questions!! IT DEFINITELY is worth a shot!!!!!! Glenn McGeough

Response:

Filed under: Cymbidium Orchids

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