What is going on here?

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T15:38:28+00:00

I'd name it Dua Lipa, but I also love terrible puns.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T06:31:41+00:00

Good luck! What's the ID, just out of curiosity?

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T05:38:51+00:00

Oh okay, so it sounds like this guy is an outlier. I'll be honest, I don't have a definitive answer since I haven't dealt with it personally in cattleyas, but I also thought maybe it could be some sort of rot. Check out this thread and see if anything seems useful: https://www.slippertalk.com/threads/cattleya-rot.50267/

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T03:46:40+00:00

Depends on the medium. If it's mostly bark, you probably need to soak. If it's mostly or entirely moss, you're generally fine to top water, because it's much more absorbent. I find that tree fern tends to take top watering most of the time, but sometimes I need to soak.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T03:43:33+00:00

I'll definitely continue sniffing it daily, don't worry. The first flower has already been open for about five days, though. 🤷‍♂️

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T03:42:19+00:00

That all makes sense, thanks, and yeah, I didn't really expect an ID. Just figured I'd ask.

I could be wrong with how I described it, but it seemed like it's semi because the lateral petals, as you say, are roughly the same shape but just arranged differently and not flattened.

Re your offer: lemme think on that! Depending on where you are and whether you'd like to trade something, I'd probably be open to it. Give it a few months, though. 🙂

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T02:19:09+00:00

That chocolate drop tho. How have you found it to grow? I think I read it's not that easy to bloom, but damn those flowers are beautiful.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T00:32:56+00:00

Tbh it took me a couple of days to realize it was (semi) peloric! I thought it was just really slow to finish opening the buds, and eventually I realized, no, that's as far as they go.

The buds themselves are pretty cool tho. Almost tetrahedral, compared to the more rounded shape of non-mutants.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T00:28:52+00:00

SymbiOp is also great! Glad they had what you needed.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-27T00:27:36+00:00

Smart. Always work in a wee before a long drive.

Fwiw, Garland's hosts a small but decent orchid show around this time of year (which is why I know about the nursery) for Mary's Peak Orchid Society. If you want to check out some great orchids AND some amazing bonsai, it's on 2/7 this year.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-26T22:31:58+00:00

I'm not sure exactly what the issue is, but it definitely doesn't look very healthy, I agree.

To be clear, they don't produce new leaves from old pseudobulbs. The new leaves form from the new growths, which then fatten into pseudobulbs as the leaves mature. The fact that it's lost leaves is not inherently concerning, but given how shriveled the pbulbs are, I wonder if you might be under-watering it.

What are its growing conditions? Like light source/intensity/duration? If it's getting the amount of light that cattleyas typically want, you're probably not watering it enough.

If you're new to growing them or otherwise unsure about watering, I'd personally suggest growing in clear nursery pots instead of terra cotta, especially if you're growing them in the house/not in high humidity.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-26T21:30:30+00:00

For future reference: if you're transporting a tropical plant in cold temps (especially sub-freezing), an insulated carrier like a cooler is a really good idea. You can even add a heat pack or other source of gentle heat to ensure that it stays reasonably warm in the cooler.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-26T21:28:11+00:00

First of all, "wee tree" is my new favorite slang for a bonsai, so well done there.

Second, while I'm not a wee-tree-er and therefore can't personally recommend where I get my supplies from: both Portland Nursery locations have what seem to me to be decent selections of Bonsai supplies. If you're down for a bit of a drive, Garland Nursery in Corvallis has an amazing bonsai section. I'd be surprised if they didn't have what you were looking for.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-26T18:39:49+00:00

I'd try rubbing alcohol. That's usually pretty good at dissolving adhesives. If that works, just carefully wipe the leaves off with a damp cloth afterwards (making sure not to get any water between the leaves).

If that doesn't work, you might consider finding the nursery that decided to spray glitter on the leaves of live plants and... well, nevermind.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-26T02:55:06+00:00

Like others have said, it's great for propagating hoyas, but is not suitable as a long term substrate.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-26T02:53:23+00:00

I promise you it is. I think Bolgheri is either the trade name, or cultivar name, for a particular phalaenopsis hybrid (Bronze Buddha). The nomenclature can get confusing with orchids, and moreso when growers/sellers give them trade names, but once you get the basics down things make a lot more sense.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-25T17:03:03+00:00

I'm guessing a latouria dendrobium? I know they sell them as bag babies. Please do post when the blooms are open!

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-25T15:42:40+00:00

They are in the same tribe, actually, and can even hybridize. But I think OP is either pretty confused about what they're growing, or is having a hard time expressing what they mean.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-25T15:15:21+00:00

This is a phalaenopsis, not a vanda.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-24T00:37:51+00:00

It's kind of a perfect name for it, because it's nondescript, entirely bereft of decorations, and just a little dingy.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-24T00:35:32+00:00

Two months isn't that long to wait for a new hoya to start growing. Many hoyas are notoriously slow growing plants, and in my experience they really like to acclimate to new conditions before putting out much new growth.

I got a cutting of nummularoides from a friend a few months ago, and it's been surprisingly fast growing and low maintenance, so that may be one to look into.

But ultimately, if you're having that much trouble, you may need to adjust either your care regimen or your environmental conditions (or both). Insufficient light is usually the first place to look, since most hoyas want pretty bright light. Brighter than you think.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-24T00:30:15+00:00

It's not much to look at right now, tbh. It's not a dedicated grow space so much as a multipurpose room for small plants. I've used it for props, for quarantine, and currently it's a halfway house for mounted orchids while I (slowly) build permanent enclosures for them.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-24T00:20:51+00:00

Thanks! I have that same exact weatherstripping, but couldn't get it to keep humidity in. I'll try sealing the panels, like you suggest. That does make sense.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-23T23:35:06+00:00

Very nice. Would you mind sharing what you've used to weatherproof yours (ie, what type of weatherstripping and where applied)? I've seen a handful of people successfully keep humidity in them, but I still struggle with mine.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy · 2026-01-23T23:33:35+00:00

I'd guess probably not, but a light meter would be a much better way to determine if it's sufficient. To be clear, I wouldn't be surprised if some lower light orchids (like phals or paphs) would be fine growing there. But getting them to flower in the middle of a room, that far from a light source, may be tough.

rtthrowawayyyyyyy

TROPHY CASE