Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Macodes preparing to flower

This is a plant of Macodes which I bought a few months ago.  It belongs to a group of terrestrial orchids known as  "Jewel Orchids" and are primarily grown for their attractive leaves.  The flowers are usually small and not as attractive compared to the large elaborate flowers of other orchids.  But then again beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  So to some insects, the flowers of such orchids may be the most attractive lure in the world.  A few Goodyera species are in the background but I will wait for them to flower before posting pictures of their attractive foliage.

I have a strong feeling this plant is Macodes Petola.  Its not easily found in the usual nurseries but with a bit of searching around, especially during orchid exhibitions, it can be found.

As for growing conditions, I am quite new to growing Jewels so I'm really not sure if I should be giving any advise but this plant is grown in my office with air-conditioning Mon-Friday 8am - 8 pm.
Medium is a mix of fine coconut husk (I cut them small), compost and sand.  I suspect one of the plants doesn't like the excessive moisture and is showing signs of discomfort.  This one is so far ok.  I use Aqua Zonic Super Bright T5 60 cm, 24W x2 as light source.  I turn off when I leave the office. Light is meant for aquarium and I bought it from one of the aquariums in Clementi Avenue 2.

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