Tolumnia orchid is primarily native to the Greater Antilles, with a few species extending into Florida, the Lesser Antilles, Mexico, Central America and northern South America (from Colombia to French Guiana)...
Tolumnia orchid also called as Equitant Oncidiums, Dancing-lady orchid, Olgasis, Xaritonia, Antillanorchis, Hispaniella, Jamaiciella, Braasiella, Gudrunia, is a genus in the family Orchidaceae. This species was described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque and were segregated from the mega-genus Oncidium by Guido Braem in 1986. Some accepted species of this genus are: Tolumnia acunae, Tolumnia arizajuliana, Tolumnia bahamensis, Tolumnia borinquensis, Tolumnia calochila, Tolumnia caymanensis, Tolumnia compressicaulis, Tolumnia gauntlettii, Tolumnia guianensis, Tolumnia guibertiana, Tolumnia gundlachii, Tolumnia guttata, Tolumnia haitiensis, Tolumnia henekenii, Tolumnia leiboldi, Tolumnia lemoniana ssp. lemoniana, Tolumnia lucayana, Tolumnia pulchella, Tolumnia quadriloba, Tolumnia scandens, Tolumnia sylvestris, Tolumnia tetrapetala, Tolumnia triquetra, Tolumnia tuerckheimii, Tolumnia urophylla, Tolumnia usneoides, Tolumnia variegata, Tolumnia velutina.
IDENTIFY TOLUMNIA ORCHID PLANT
Tolumnia orchid is primarily native to the Greater Antilles, with a few species extending into Florida, the Lesser Antilles, Mexico, Central America and northern South America (from Colombia to French Guiana).
It is a small, usually epiphytic, with small or absent pseudobulbs completely covered by leaves, which are triangular or circular in cross section and overlap each other at base to resemble a fan. The inflorescences arise between the leaf base and bear colorful, showy flowers.
The size and the number of colors of the flowers directly depends on the type (variety) of the orchid and on the general conditions of the plant's maintenance, the color can be from light (almost white) to dark-violet, most often spotted. Tepals of the same shape, visually much smaller than the lip, which has the shape of a fan.
TOLUMNIA ORCHID PLANT 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.
Light:
Tolumnia orchid loves bright sunlight and is able to tolerate direct morning and evening sun, however, in the hot summer noon (especially in the windows of southern orientation), the orchid should be protected from direct sunlight: put behind a curtain (for example, on a table near a window) or in the shade of other plants, otherwise the plant can get a sunburn. The intensity of illumination can be judged by the state of the leaves of the orchid, if their color becomes lighter, with yellowness or whiteness, then in this case too intense illumination takes place. In the absence of sunlight, on the contrary, the leaves of the orchid have a darker green color.
Temperature:
This kind of orchid refers to a moderately warm temperature regime, and it is recommended to keep the orchids under the following conditions throughout the year: Day temperature at 20-30 ° C (ideally 18-22 ° C); Night temperature at 14-23 ° C (ideally not higher than 14-16 ° C). To successfully grow Tolumnia at home, it is necessary that the night temperature of the content is always 5 ° C lower than the daytime temperature.
Humidity:
For normal growth and development the humidity level of 45-70% will be enough. For plants planted in blocks, a higher air humidity is desired than for a pot culture. Too dry air negatively affects the development of the plant - its growth is inhibited, and the roots of the orchids begin to dry out. The higher temperature rises, the higher must be the humidity of the air, and the higher the humidity of the air, the more often and longer it is necessary to ventilate the room where the orchids are kept, otherwise there is a high probability of decay and appearance on the leaves of various fungal diseases.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Tolumnia orchid can grow both in the substrate, and without it, placed on blocks. As a substrate, the mixture of the bark of coniferous trees and moss sphagnum in a proportion of 5: 1 is best. Pots for planting should be used small and narrow, exactly the size of the root system of the plant. When growing orchids on blocks, it is recommended to cover the roots of the plant with moss, this will be a good protection against very rapid drying.
From frequent irrigation and fertilization, the substrate quickly decomposes and loses its main useful property for orchids - air permeability, therefore it is recommended to replant Tolumnia at least every 2-3 years. The best time for this is considered the period immediately after flowering.
Watering:
Watering this kind of orchids directly depends on the temperature of the content, the higher it is, the more often and abundant it is necessary to water. Plants growing on blocks should be watered daily in the morning, so that by evening the roots of the orchids could dry out relatively well. When watering orchids in pots, it is necessary to remember that excess water during watering should flow freely out of the pot, as the stagnation of water both inside the pot and in its pallet can very quickly lead to rotting of the roots and the lower part of the plant. The substrate between waterings should dry well.
On hot summer days, daily spraying of the outer part of the plant is recommended, which will additionally increase the humidity of the air around the orchid and help it better survive the heat. Spray the plant only in the first half of the day, so that by evening the orchid could dry out relatively well.
Fertilizer:
During the new growth period, this type of orchid is fertilized for every fifth watering in the usual fertilizer concentration indicated on the package. At the very beginning of plant development it is desirable to use fertilizers with a high nitrogen content (but not higher than 14%), and closer to autumn - fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus.
Rest period:
To stimulate flowering, Tolumnia needs a clearly defined period of rest. It is necessary for the period from November to February, and is that the orchids contain much drier than usual, and do not fertilize. Watering the orchid growing in the substrate, it is necessary to replace it with light spraying and perform this procedure no more often than once in 3-4 weeks. For orchids on blocks, the irrigation frequency is reduced to one time in 10-15 days. After the appearance of peduncles, the rest period ends and the watering of the orchid resumes in the usual volume.
COMMENTS