Growth Habit of Orchid Tubers & How to Pot & Store - Habenaria rhodecheila, Habenaria medusa

[@nickrust1595]

You know I've gotta comment on a video on Habenarias. :D By planting them in the original, airy mixture, you run the risk of actually drying the tubers out too much and loosing them from that. I've never had this problem, but I do know some people who have. I used to simply dig the tubers up and plant them in their new soil and that's all. The soil kept enough moisture that they didn't dry out and die, but it also wasn't wet enough to cause them to rot. That's always worked for me, but I've decided to try something different this year. I dug the tubers up, put them in a plastic bag, and dropped some new soil in the bag. The bag with the soil creates a little bit of humidity in the bag which is good, and I have very easy access to the tubers so I can keep a close eye on them all. So far so good, but I've still got about 3 months until they come out, so we'll see how they do then. Habenaria erichmichelii and Hab. medusae tend to tolerate complete lack of any and all moisture pretty decently during dormancy, so I think you should be okay.

[@PictureMaria1]

Nick Rust Thank you for your feedback and great tips. The ones that I got were in a pearlite and coal media which they surprisingly grew and bloomed very well in it. I will keep them in that same media and mist them sparingly over winter and then decide how I want to grow them in the spring. Wish me luck! Keep me posted on how yours do in the plastic bag and soil. I hope they do exceedingly well for you and give you an abundance of blooms! HAPPY GROWING! :)

[@itsvanessawordd]

This was very helpful, thank you! I was about to throw my habenaria away and then I learned a lot from your video! I followed what you did and now it's bed time until new growths appear!

[@onetwocue]

Thanks for showing this. No one really has shown how the tubers look like. I really did.

[@PictureMaria1]

onetwocue Thanks so much for watching...they are pretty interesting orchids. I am glad I was able to share this information with you. The more that we know, the more that we can grow! HAPPY GROWING! 😊

[@larryd6143]

Thanks, My H. medusa is in a clear pot, so I can see roots. I didn't know if all the roots swelled and became tubers or not. They don't. I am of course hoping for more than one tuber when it goes dormant. I did learn from another video that they need deep pots for their long tubers. I used a one liter plastic bottle, but a 2 liter would have been better.

[@denisesorchidparadise1411]

wow, what to expected! they look dead, I would have thrown that away, this is great information if I ever get one!

[@PictureMaria1]

Denise's Orchid Paradise If I didn't have any knowledge about these orchids, I would've also thrown them away thinking I killed them. That's how important it is to do our research about the orchids that we purchase. Thanks for watching and HAPPY GROWING! :)

[@denisesorchidparadise1411]

well ,you just did my research for me, I think their blooms are cool, but they are not the plant for me! Thanks

[@PictureMaria1]

LOL! ...and indeed different strokes for different folks...but I will share with you that many of the orchids that I have today are orchids that I said that I would never own. It is funny how sometimes they have a tendency to sneak up on you on at a later date only to put you under their spell. As an orchid grower with diverse types of orchids, I am glad to say that I have been open to giving many a orchids a try that I once said that I wouldn't because as of today I have discovered that some of those orchids have actually become some of my faves.

[@denisesorchidparadise1411]

Thats true, they say never say never!

[@latishasuarez1366]

Wow. What is this? . If I would of had one of these, I would of just throw at away. 😮

[@PictureMaria1]

These are habenarias that are ground growing orchids...they grow similar to your catasetum type orchids in which they go through a dying back and dormancy period. If I didn't know about them I too would've thought that they just died and would've thrown them out as well. A testimony to how important it is to know the growing habits of the orchids that you purchase.

[@hiusan6216]

When I looked at the thumbnail, I thought the tuber was infected by fungus, After that I watched this video and realized they could be fluffy or hairless ,😆😆

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

What weirdos. The tubers are a little creepy, remind me of sea cucumbers. 😉

[@PictureMaria1]

Michael McCarthy HA HA HA!!!! They are a bit strange...but in a adorable way. LOL!!!!