Renanthera Storiei in bloom

[BValdes]

Love the dark color on this, what a great buy.

[kennethcruz]

Lovely Renanthera! I am in love with the beautiful flowers the Renanthera have. I like to give my vanda types honey when I spray them with fertilizer. You will find one Tablespoon to three liters of water...used as a soak, or in foliar spraying will help perk your plant up rather quickly. Thank you for sharing the pic's...your flowers are lovely!

Thank you very much for the tip! I’m sure extra sweetness will cheer them up, I’ll try it this week

[yvonni]

Might I ask what does the honey do that's so beneficial ?

[zainal abidin]

The color so different bravo.

[walingwaling]

It's nice, but i don't think its a pure species, the side lobes suggest R.storiei.

[mr. suarez]

I don't think it's a good buy. Renantheras, at least the ones from the Philippines, are notoriously difficult to establish. You said yours were in not so good condition upon acquisition. My guess is that there are few to no healthy roots, and those flowers must've taken a lot off the plants' nutritional reserves.

You'd be very lucky if they're still alive in 6 months' time.

[trevor05]

We share the same sentiment, Wally.. Well, I was at the orchid show last week, and the renantheras they sell do not seem to be in good condition...dry leaves and unhealthy roots.. My friend bought one.. and we keep our fingers crossed that it will thrive in no time..Posted via Mobile Device

[mr. suarez]

It's a cycle I see very often, especially during plant shows- seller brings in plants that are newly uprooted from the forest or the mounts from some garden in a province somewhere, and then amateur orchid collector buys them only to kill them months later. The seller's approach is no different from hybrid vandas sold as top-cuts by nurseries. Unfortunately, renantheras do no lend themselves well to this kind of treatment, and their predicament is further worsened by the fact that their buyers are mostly unsuspecting newbies swayed by their gorgeous blooms. They rarely end up with seasoned growers, either because these people have learned their lessons and are now growing a decent number of plants that obtaining more is pointless, or that they do not support that kind of system. More plants die on beginners than they do on those with years of experience.

Our friend here is optimistic that his plants will flower next year. Both Renanthera monachica and R. philippinensis are also touchy species that react negatively to disturbance, and it is not unusual for them to flower after an average of 5 years or so, assuming that they acclimate well. Renanthera storiei is an even more temperamental plant. A Renanthera with 'dry leaves and unhealthy roots' but with inflorescences is already a downhill plant. No amount of hydrating will do it good, primarily because it doesn't have a good set of functioning roots to begin with.

Gaining experience with species orchids in a country where little or no stock is sold responsibly and sustainably shouldn't involve the demise of so many plants. Ask around, because there are knowledgeable folks who can advise if a potential purchase is sound or not. If no such person is around, just say no to the seller.