Stan. Oculata

[cakedaddy]

Thats a nice looking plant you got! I got an oculata recently close to the same size. I am going to echo the above statement re air movement...very important. I will add to the tips-be careful to avoid getting ANY water into the new growths. I had two of three new growths rot on my embreei recently. I don't even like to mist these two after that experience. Can't wait to see blooms on yours AND mine!!!
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[HHLL38]

I got it for $25 which I viewed as a pretty great steal, threw in the basket for free!

I mist it very frequently due to my constant battle with humidity, but i'll be careful to avoid new growths.

How should I be watering? Dunking?

How often? Botanica's claims Oculata like a drier winter.

[opaline]

When stans. are dry the leaf tips brown but too saturated and like all orchids roots rot. Find a happy compromise between the two without allowing a complete dry out. Technically stans are waterhogs/ waterbabies. Now jason above uses pure moss to his advantage, if I did that I would get root rot. so I mount or use large grade bark. Use your experience wit others as a guide. The phals could possibly be a good equal measure at moment as they like moist/ humid but roots suffer easy when to wet. Avoid dunking until you have worked it out/ given plant chance to adjust/acclimatize. Your battle for humidity also useful as a tool to guide you. Guard those new shoots, they are fragile. The basket will be a great aid to you, if ever you change/ repot allow holes 1.5"-2" at bottom for spiking.

I like Mauras analogy of the struggle to make our environment suitable for the vast diverse needs and habitats of orchids and make our chosen orchids of great diversity suitable for our environment. Often we lose.

The extra care necessary is well worth it. Wait to you see it bloom. Breathtaking.!!!!!!Incredible!!!!!!!! and then theres the fragrance!

[Jose R. Nieves]

The AOS definition is: "specimen (SPESS-i-men) A plant exemplifying a taxon; an individual in a herbarium collection." This is a species that from seedling to mature/blooming size keeps it's leaves but from there to specimen looses a few. I agree with the rest that this is a very nice plant and I would buy it for myself. It is also easy to grow. This is a pic of a very large specimen of oculata

Jose
Wishing all the members of the forum a very Happy New Year

[cdayinflorida]

wow!

[HHLL38]

That's gigantic!

Mine hasn't really done much yet, root growth stopped for a bit, thought maybe it was on the decline, but now there are more root tips growing wildly into the air.

Hoping maybe I'll get it to flower.

[Jose R. Nieves]

Sam:
I posted the picture so you can get an idea of the size and growing media. Remember that the spike is pendant and will grow from the bottom part of the basket so do not pack it too tightly. Once I found 3 spikes when I was going to repot it, learned my lesson. I line the baskets with sphagnum and use a coarse medium.
Jose

[Jef09071984]

wow, looking forward fir its bloom. :-)