The reason that the Brassia orchids look like spiders is to attract female spider wasps which are it’s pollinators. The Brassia’s blooms mimic the appearance of the spiders that these wasps hunt.
Brassia Orchid, also called Spider orchid, is a genus of Oncidiinae subtribe. Several synonyms are known for this species such as Brachtia Rchb.f, Mesospinidium Rchb.f, Ada Lindl, Oncodia Lindl, Brassiopsis Szlach & Górniak. The genus was named after William Brass, a British botanist and illustrator, who collected plants in Africa under the supervision of Sir Joseph Banks.
IDENTIFY BRASSIA - SPIDER ORCHID
Brassia is native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern South America, with one species (B. caudata) extending into Florida. They grow naturally mainly in wet forests at elevations that range from sea level up to 3000 feet above sea level. Brassia orchids are epiphytic plants which anchor themselves to the bark of trees.
Spider orchid is a beautiful, aromatic flower with long, slender “spider-leg” sepals. The upper petals are a light-yellow green and the lower sepals are creamy with a hint of rosy red. Maroon markings ring the blossoms and the lip, which is nearly translucent and resembles a pointy chin.
The reason that the Brassia orchids look like spiders is to attract female spider wasps which are it’s pollinators. The Brassia’s blooms mimic the appearance of the spiders that these wasps hunt. When the female spider wasp goes in for the kill, she is instead covered in the Brassia flower’s pollen. She then goes on to her next target and the next Brassia orchid flower is subsequently pollinated.
The Brassia orchid isn’t hard to grow in the home or in the office, but they do require some specific parameters for their growth. In the following paragraphs, I’ve listed many tips that should help guide you in growing your own Brassia orchid plant in any method you choose.
BRASSIA - SPIDER ORCHID CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Temperature requirements:
Spider orchid preferred temperatures from 10 - 35 ° c. At high temperatures, the plants will grow faster, so it is necessary to irrigate more often and should not let the plant dry because it will be difficult to recover and difficult to flower. Plants will flower more easily when the temperature is difference between day and night.
Light requirements:
Brassia Orchid likes to plant in a cool place, from 20000-30000 lux. The amount of light needed can be determined from where these orchid plants reside. Brassias can be grown on any windowsill in the home except for a north facing one. If you decide to grow your orchid in a south facing window you will want to make sure that you filter the light with a sheer curtain so that the plant doesn’t get direct sunlight because this could cause sunburn.
A good indicator of whether your orchid is getting the right amount of light can be determined by the color of the leaves. Mid green color leaves are what you are ideal. If the orchid is not getting enough light the leaves will begin to turn dark green light will need to be increased. If they are getting too much light they will turn yellow and the amount of light will need to be decreased. If you change the amount of light your orchid receives and you see no change in leaf color then change your fertilizing schedule to adjust the color.
Humidity:
Because Brassia are found in wet forests and at low elevations, you can safely say that they prefer humid conditions. Spider orchid likes high humidity from 50 - 70% for daytime, and night from 80 - 95%. With such high humidity, the plant will grow faster.
When you have high humidity levels, it is equally important to maintain proper air movement to prevent orchid disease from developing. If you notice that your orchid is beginning to develop brown spots on its leaves, this is an indication that you need to increase air circulation. You can increase air movement for your orchid by placing an oscillating fan nearby.
Water requirements:
We should water in the summer 2-3 times a week because it is a period of strong growth, but winter can be from 7 to 10 days and then irrigation. In the growth period, do not let the plant dry because it will be difficult to recover when the rhizome shrink. Occasionally add fungicides and kill bacteria to prevent root rot in winter, especially cold areas.
Repot:
Re-potting will be necessary occasionally. Re-potting will not only be needed if the potting medium begins to decompose but also in the case that the plant needs to be divided because of new pseudo bulbs added each year. If the potting medium begins to smell bad it is decomposing and will need to be re-potted right away. You will also need to re-pot the plant if any mold or fungus appears on the potting medium. A course-grade potting medium consisting of bark, coconut chips, charcoal, or perlite is ideal and will provide proper drainage. If planted in plastic pots, Spider orchid should be repot every two years, because salt will last much in the pot or burn and cause root dead.
Fertilizer:
You can use 1/4 teaspoon 20-20-20 or 20-10-20, or 20-30-20 with 4 liters of water for irrigation each week, if the leaves are burnt to the top, it mean you have fertilizer too much, so take a while, only water, about 2 weeks and then fertilize again.
It is important to flush out any excess fertilizer (once a month) so that the excess build-up of salt does not do damage to the plant’s roots or leaves. After your orchid has finished blooming, you can hold off on fertilizing your orchid until you begin to see new growth.
Flowering:
Brassias can sometimes produce two spikes per bulb. They can also surprise you and bloom on an older unbloomed growth as well! The spidery flowers last several weeks and are shown to best advantage when carefully staked. Many will also have a spicy fragrance.
Brassias are sometimes reluctant to bloom. If your plant is well-fed, has tons of pseudobulbs and bright green leaves yet refuses to bloom, you might be coddling it. Put it outside in brighter during the spring/summer so that the leaves gradually turn a very light green. Feed it well, but let it dry out between waterings, and don't fuss over it too much. Then stand back and wait for the flowers...
The plants are sometimes troubled by scale, which can be removed by washing with warm soapy water and scraping off the pests. Other than that, they are relatively trouble free.
BUY BRASSIA ORCHID:
SOME SPECIES AND HYBRIDS OF BRASSIA ORCHID WITH CARE TIPS AND CULTURE SHEET:
- Brassia angusta - The Slim Brassia
- Brassia arachnoidea - The Spider-Like Brassia
- Brassia arcuigera - The Arching Brassia
- Brassia aurantiaca - The Red-Orange Brassia
- Brassia bidens - The Two-Toothed Brassia
- Brassia caudata - The Tailed Brassia
- Brassia chloroleuca - The Green and White Brassia
- Brassia cochleata - The Ear-Like Brassia
- Brassia gireoudiana - Gireoud's Brassia
- Brassia jipijapensis - The Jipijapa Brassia
- Brassia lanceana - Lance's Brassia
- Brassia maculata - The Spotted Brassia
- Brassia neglecta - The Over-Looked Brassia
- Brassia pumila - The Dwarf Brassia
- Brassia Rex - Brassia hybrid
- Brassia signata - The Marked Brassia
- Brassia thyrsodes - The Pine-Cone Like Brassia
- Brassia verrucosa - The Warty Brassia
- Brassia wageneri - Wagner's Brassia
- Brassia warszewiczii - Warszewicz's Brassia
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