Gongora quinquenervis

[mde]

This gongora just opened all 67 blooms on two spikes (35 flowers on one, 32 on the other) setting its own record (previous was 28 blooms on one spike). They smell like a tropical fruit, and if I've been out and come in from the cold garage entryway, I can smell it throughout the house. The plant is quite old, but I've only had it about a year, and it has never had a single day go by where it has not had an active spike blooming or developing; it just keeps going, and going, and... The plant is large enough with the dropping spikes, that it was hard to get a good photo of the entire thing, but the close up of the flower detail isn't too bad. Enjoy. -Matt.

[Piper]

That's pretty spectacular, Matt! It's cool that it blooms like the energizer bunny too. I do think it's good for long bloomers to take a rest from time to time, so we don't simply take them for granted.

Thanks for sharing!
Julie

[Slipperhead]

IMPRESSIVE....

GREAT growing!

[LJA]

Wow. Now *that's* a specimen plant!

Awesome job, Matt!

[OrchidTraci]

What growing conditions does it need? I have alwats love the look and smell of them, but not sure of culture.

[mde]

I have mine growing with East exposure at sliding glass doors with an additional foot of transom window above the door. I never let the humidity drop below 50%.
I do supplement this particular growing area in the winter with the new compact energy efficient bulbs (the spiral flourescent kind) in a mixture of 5-100 watt red and 2-100 watt blue lights in the winter. (These only run on around 20-24 watts (but put out the equivalent of 100 watt bulbs) each and it only changes my electric bill a few dollars in the winter months.) I usually start using them around Dec. 1 and stop around the end of March. They run on timers to start in the early afternoon and to kick off just below the 12 hour total daylight exposure, in Dec-Jan, then increase it over 12 hours in Feb/Mar. These would never suffice without the east exposure, but so far all of my plants appreciate the added boost.
I live in frigid Minnesota, so during the winter it is easy for me to drop the temperature 10 degrees to around 59/60 in Dec/Jan and to around 61/62 in Feb and now 63/64 in March. Daytime temps correlating with these dates are 67/68, 69/70, and now 71-73 that the equinox is almost here. In the summer months, I allow my temperatures to rise to the upper 70's and occasionally low 80's during the day, and then with a combination of air conditioning or leaving the patio doors open at night, drop it as low as the weather allows it. Last summer I often hung it in the linden tree in the front lawn if the temperatures match what I've just described.
I use a highly diluted fertilizer that is designed for use with rain/spring/reverse osmosis water, nearly every watering, skipping a few in the winter.
It is potted in a teak basket with 90% sphagnum moss and a little bit of a typical medium bark mix. I soak the mix thouroughly and then wait until the outer layers dry out. It is never completely dried out.
I water all of my orchids/plants 85% of the time with water from a natural spring that has been tapped on a continuous feed about one mile from my house. My plants never receive tap water here (I was told by a local grower that the suburb I'm in has awful water for plants)....I collect rain occasionally, melt snow occasionally, and use spring fed lake water from my family's lake place in Wisconsin occasionally to provide some variety.

This may be more than what you were looking for, but I'm a bit neurotic about being thorough!

Good luck if you decide to try one. It is my favorite orchid, which may explain why it just keeps going, and never looks taxed! Now I'll have to pretend my Brassia Rex is my favorite and see if I can get it to bloom this spring. It skipped last year. Anyone have any advice? It is in the same conditions I just described.

[JB_Orchidguy]

Very nice plant you have there MDE. The foliage looks much better than my Tricolor, but mine still blooms prolificly during this time of year. I grow it in a slat basket with just sphag loosely packed. It doesn't bloom continuously like you describe your quin does, but around this time for the past two years I have had it, it has bloomed. Last year it had 4 spikes with 120 flowers,a nd this year it has 5 spikes and I haven't counted the flowers. the tips of 2 of the spikes look like they just stalled and 4 or 5 buds didn't develope. the Basket is I think an 8 inch square one. I keep it moist, but at times it has gotten bone dry. Its in the GH now and some of the leave got sunburned, but the plant is doing fine. Its a fast grower. I devided mine last year and it still put off 5 spikes this year. One of the single bulbs I devided off spiked this year too. I will take pictures and post it when this years show opens. I recommend these plants ro anyone. It seems they can tolerate low to high light levels. Atleast mine can. As long as it has good air movement to keep the leave cool they don't burn for me. I live down in GA and it has been out under a tree in 100 degree heat before and has done fine. Now its out in the GH and staying cooler and in more hmid conditions. I do think its a really easy to grow plant, but have had some folks in my OS tell me its a harder to grow plant and they have trouble growing them. If you listen to me though its easy

[mde]

JB-orchidguy-

From what I've read, these usually are spring/summer bloomers, but for whatever reasons it just keeps on going here. Since this original post, another spike bloomed and went, and there are 4 more spikes developing right now. It doesn't ever look even slightly taxed, and it has developed new pseudobulbs in both the spring and the fall. I did let it dry out a lot more this winter, and withheld fertilizer, but that didn't stop it at all. I agree with you, it seems to be an exceptionally easy plant to grow and based on my experience, definitely recommend it to others. In my posting on grow conditions, I forgot to mention I have a fan in this growing area that comes on/off periodically on a timer, as I read it likes a lot of circulation which you also mentioned in your posting.
Matt

[JB_Orchidguy]

I counted buds for this bloom, and its alot less than last year. Only 70 or 80 compaired to 120 last year. It was a little more abused this year and moved also. I just bought a house, and not its at its final home in the GH. I will just move it inside when it blooms. It is getting more air circ this year than it has ever gotten. Before it was just getting the matural breezes and such. While it was in the house I didn't give it any special fans for itself but it got whatever was going on in the house. I think now that it is in its new home it will aclimate and bloom more profusely next year because I;m not deviding it again. LOL I think that is pretty cool yours just keeps going going and going. I would like that with mine too, but thats not the case. Oh well I ahve others that I just acursed that suposedly are continuous or bloom all year as things mature. Very nice growing with your gongora. I'm ready for mine to fill back in with nice leaves instead of the burnt ones I have at the moment. It definatly doesn't like to stong of a light. LOL I just had two layers of plastic on my GH before I bought my shadcloth and it burned the leaves. but still kicking.

[JB_Orchidguy]

oops one more thing. And this goes for anything planted in Sphag moss. DO NOT PACK THE sphag to tightly. I made this mistake originaly and the plants wasnt doing anything. I took out some moss and replanted it loosely and it took off. This goes for any plant planted it moss. DO NOT PACK IT TO TIGHTLY. It will kill the plant by holding to much water and not letting the roots breath. the plant will be loose and will need to be secured somehow, but once the roots establish it will be fine. My gongora is anchored like a barnical to the pot now and if I repot will have to be cut out, but I;m just going to let it grow over the edges and cover the basket.