Chiloschista usneoides

[pikkumyy]

hi all,
I recently bought one of these guys and I have been researching care for them, but I've been coming across conflicting information.

So I thought, who better to ask then all of you.

So, to all that grow Chiloschista usneoides, want Chiloschista usneoides or know anything about Chiloschista usneoides...... could you please let me know of any care advice that you have found/recieved or used

thanks

[orchids4me]

Hi Michael,
I'm not familiar with this one but I do see this post has dropped down on the list so I'm going to bump it back up so it doesn't get missed in the morning

Good luck!
Emmaye

[pikkumyy]

[Andrew]

The Baker's site have a free culture sheet available for this species.

[Medelia]

I also would like more info on that plant so I too am bumbing this thread!

[katrina]

I've never grown that particular species but I did grow (successfully) Chiloschista segawai for a few years. I would still be growing it except it was lost in a horrible storm in June of 2010. Wind gusts of over 80mph carried the poor thing off somewhere...never to be seen again.

Anyway...I found segawai quite easy and carefree. Of course it was mounted ...I had it on cork w/a little sphag underneath. I watered it every day (sometimes 2x a day in really hot Summer weather). I fertilized it when I fertilized everything else. I kept it in rather low light...not more than my phals.

Mine said it needed a Winter rest BUT in the natural habitat there is significant overnight dew so I never stopped watering it in the Winter. Mine bloomed beautifully.

I looked up usneoides on OW and the culture is almost identical to segawai.

Light levels of 1200-1800 footcandles (phal light)
Temps - Summer 70's during the day and 60's during the night. The Winter temps for this one is lower than segawai...OW states 50's during the day and 40's at night.

Given the Winter temps w/usneoides it might need more dry time during the Winter than segawai. It says in the natural habitat there is a 3-5 month dry season. As w/segawai it says there is considerable overnight dew so if it were mine I wouldn't eliminate water during this time...I would just back off on it a bit.

I've read that most Chiloschista are short lived plants. Given that I only grew mine for 3 yrs or so before it disappeared...I can't say whether that's true or not.

Hope that helps a bit.