Growing Angraecums in Switzerland

[Lucio]

HI

I live in Bern, Switzerland's Capital City

Here is my Angraecum growing list:
Angr. Sesquipedale
Angr. eburneum var. typicum
Angr. bosseri
Angr. giryame
Angr. magdalenae
Angr. longiscott 'OC'
Angr. 'Veitchii' (eburneum x sesquipedale) x eburneum (syn. virens)
Angr. Lemforde White Beauty
Angr. Crestwood Tomorrow Star (2 large plants and a small basic keiki I got form my older plant)

I live in a very modern flat, lots of light also in winter (morning light especially), but in winter I have difficulty keeping humidity high (because of the floor heating system).
Anyway I go mostly for large mature plants. I recently repotted the Lemforde, Veitchii and the 2 Crestwood and despite what it is said about not disturbing an angraecum's roots, mine are doing brilliantly, with nice new roots growing fast.

I will post some pictures later.

I would like to exchange experiences about growing angraecums.

I also have other orchids from Madagascar and a bunch of other orchids.

I am especially trying to find sarcochilus hybrids in Europe. Anyone could help?

[Stitz]

Lucio, WELCOME to OrchidGeeks!




--Stitz--

[orchids4me]

Hello and welcome to the forum
Quite an impressive list of these you have . Can't wait to see pics
Just need to post 5 times then you can up load in the threads
Enjoy your stay with us

[Greybeard]

Nice grow list, I'm new to Orchids but I have to say I'm a Phalaholic so I'm not familiar with those. Wecome and can't wait to see pics

[Leafmite]

Hi and welcome! It's always great to find someone else growing these! I really love angraecums in or out of bloom. I have five: didieri, distichum, leonis, magdalenae, and sesquipedale. I haven't noticed any adverse affects to repotting, either.
Leafmite

[Lucio]

Hi everybody, well after my experience, I think that one has just to be very very very careful in repotting. First I put the plant in warm (like for a baby bath :-) ) water, in order to let the roots to take in water and become more flexible, then I start to take the old medium away (sometime one has to repeat the operation several time, very carefully), the you can repot the plant. I try to repot (especially the large angraecoids) with large barks and leaving spaces so that the roots can have a lot of air. I tried with some to make a base of epiweb ath bottom of the vase, which grants the roots a lot of air at the base of the vase (adverse effect is that sometime the roots grow in the epiweb and then you can't take the epiweb away. Well in case of problem wehn removing the old medium, I just go for a larger vase.

[Lucio]

actually I think some orchids love to grow indoors, if you they get enough light. Some they enjoy some very stable parameters (less disturb by strong winds, stable temperature, and so on....). Of course they need some change, sometime to start the flowering process, but I think you can often induce that by a careful use of fertilizers (and some superthirve).
Anyway one has to do with the conditions one has! :-) I have 5 vandas that I grow in vases (I hang them up in on my terrace in summer, I even leave them outside at night when I know that temperature will not fall too much), and I developed a special technique to hang up the vandas inside the vases. But I know that I will never be able to give the vandas the best conditions and if the are doing fine and sometimes flowering, they will never trhive.
In conclusion, we (the orchids and I) have to adapt a bit to each other. By experience, I had to forget some species and I am trying to keep only the ones I know can live well in the conditions I can offer (although sometime I strecht my reasoning a bit, and I try to make the orchid to adapt a bit to waht I can offer), In some way growing orchids is a philosophical metaphora :-)

[nenella]

Welcome Lucio! I look forward to seeing photos of your orchids & your vase set ups for your vandas.
PS: have a look at akerne-orchids.com for sarcochilus as well as la canopee

[Lucio]

Sorry for the non-french speaking people: bonjour Nenella, j'ai déjà regardé, mais ni akrene ni la canopée ont des hybrides de sarcochilus, je trouve que les croisements australiens sont en train de produire des merveilles (en plus de culture plus facile), j'ai déjà un bel hartmannii et un fitzgeraldii (de belle plantes assez mûres) trouvées à l'Orchidarium de Prangins
Next post will be in english again :-)