Aerides recommendation?

[poetiscariot]

I grow in my living room on a humidity tray, under a CFL grow light. I mist them daily and water through the pots intermittently. My cattleyas & their friends do fine, my mini-phalaenopsis do fine. Dendrobiums are hit and miss, and I don't seem to do well with the really pretty pendulous ones, e.g. Den sulawesiense, or the similar-flowered miniatures, e.g. Den laevifolium. A Haraella retrocalla I got recently got dehydrated, but I moved it from bark into sphagnum and it appears to have stabilized now, so I'm hoping it will do all right.

That said.

A grower in my area is offering Aerides houlletianum and Aerides odorata. The flowers look *beautiful*. Culture information I'm finding online seems kind of mixed, and I'm especially concerned about humidity -- how do those of you who grow these treat them? Would you recommend them for an in-the-house, no-greenhouse situation?

[orchidsal]

Hi Victoria; You probably already know this , but if you don't mind watering (soaking is better) every day and you can give them bright indirect sun (a little morning sun directly seems fine), then I say go for one or both. Humidity for me is 55% to 70% on average. I do have a greenhouse so it is harder for me to truly compare versus your household environment. The best of luck what ever you decide and I hope someone in your kind of situation and more northern climate can give you more information. AL

[Halloamey]

If you have bright light then I would recommend both the species greenhouse or not. I would recommend potting them up in a tall transparent pot with Leca pellets. Mist them everyday and water the roots every other day. This should keep the relative humidity up. You will have to play around with the watering schedule, the right thing to look for is always some vapour and condensation on the sides of the pot from the inside, it ensures just the right RH in the pot.

[poetiscariot]

Condensation, that is so smart. That might even be a solution to a couple other problem orchid types I've not done great with yet. Thank you!

[Halloamey]

I will take a picture of my Rhynchostylis gigantea and an Aerides that is growing in a similar set up. It has produced tremendous amounts of roots.

[poetiscariot]

That would be very useful to see, thanks!