|
A little about... Oncidium Culture |
Light, warmth, water and nutrients are necessary for all plants. Tolumnias are no exceptions. LIGHT A bright window or a greenhouse should provide enough light. Gentle shading will keep the leaves from overheating if excess sun is a problem. TEMPERATURE Day temperature of 70 F is adequate; above 85 F it becomes problematical. A night temperature of 60 F is OK. WATER Tolumnias need more frequent waterings than larger orchids. Mounted plants may need to be watered daily, but plants in pots might stay moist for 2 or 3 days. NUTRIENTS A balanced fertilizer (20-20-20) is a good choice diluted by about half the recommended allowance for other plants. I grow tolumnias in upstate New York, which is about as much a contrast to their native Caribbean area as one could imagine. I have a South-facing greenhouse that can get quite warm on a sunny day. I collect and use rain water for the plants. Under normal conditions I spray the hanging plants and seedlings daily and the plants in pots every third day. For years I used only (20-20-20) and the plants grew well. Then I decided to try some fertilizers with calcium and micronutrients alternating feedings with the balanced fertilizer. I haven’t noticed any differences. Up here in the dim North the “orchid food” of 30-10-10 seems to have too much nitrogen for the conditions and plants tend to be green, no blooms. My potting medium consists of coconut chips (washed several times) “sponge rock” (a very coarse perlite) plus a horticultural perlite and a little sphagnum. A Hawaiian grower told me that orchids need music. I have Beethoven, Mozart, some South American and Caribbean artists and Joplin on CD’s… so who knows? Joane
Molenock |
|
