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Dracula Woolwardiae

Discussion in 'Orchid Species' started by rico, Feb 12, 2015.

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  1. rico

    rico Active Member

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    I've had this plant about 8 months, and today I decided to take some photos of one of its flowers. I must admit that it had this spike when I bought it, but it has another one coming. So soon I can say I bloomed it all by myself. The flower size on this flower is pathetic though (as you can tell from the pictures). Much smaller than the last flower it had. But I guess it is doing good, considering the conditions I can provide in my desert-of-a-house. I have only bloomed it three times, and even the largest flower wasn't really large. Does anyone know how large the flowers can get? By the way, the last photo represents it in its natural position. I hope you like it!
    -rico

    D. Woolwardiae1.jpg D. Woolwardiae2.jpg D. Woolwardiae3.jpg
     
    Alexey likes this.
  2. naoki

    naoki Well-Known Member

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    Very nice. Are you growing it indoor with low humidity?
     
  3. rico

    rico Active Member

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    My growing space is a metal rack system. It was working okay, but I wanted to get it to hold more humidity. I added clear plastic flaps to the outside, but it wasn't until I taped all the plastic to the frame that It really held humidity. I added two small fans, and now I use a fertilizer sprayer for lawns on it using reverse osmosis water in it to water the plants. I have sealed any gaps with the tape, and the flaps run into a collection tub at the bottom, so now I can spray like crazy in there without getting any water on our wood floor. The only problem now is that the rack it is in is our family room, and we like to keep it warm in there. Since two of the flaps on the front of the rack are open (so I can get in and spray) it can loose humidity pretty rapidly should the heater (that just happens to be underneath it) turn on. Luckily I am home enough that if I drench it three times a day, and then turn the fans on at night. I never have any problems with rot, and the plants stay humid (only around 60-70%) and grow quite well.
     
  4. naoki

    naoki Well-Known Member

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    I see, it sounds like a nice setup. Watering 3 times a day sounds a lot of work! I have the similar challenge in the winter. People might guess that it is easier to get cool temperature in North, but I have to be careful with the thermostat. In the room where I was trying to get 50F, the baseboard heater froze when it became really cold outside (like -40F, which you probably get in Minnesota).