Zygopetalum

As a complete beginner I was nervous about starting with Zygopetalum. It turned out to be more forgiving than I expected, as long as I paid attention to watering by soaking the pot then letting it drain fully. I grow mine in a conservatory shelf with filtered light which is working really well. spe…

I don't have a garden so a north or east-facing windowsill is my only option for Zygopetalum. It absolutely works — with the right attention to repotting into fresh bark medium every two or three years you can get excellent results in containers. extraordinary bloom longevity lasting weeks to month…

I planted Zygopetalum without expecting much and it's become one of the most satisfying things in my garden. pseudobulbs that store water and nutrients is something I couldn't have predicted from looking at it in a nursery. You only understand it once the plant is established and performing. I keep…

My first attempt at Zygopetalum failed — crown rot from water sitting in the leaf crown got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again. The second attempt, with proper attention to repotting into fresh bark medium every t…

Someone gave me Zygopetalum as a birthday gift and I barely knew what it was. Two years later it's my most treasured plant and I've spent more time researching it than I'd care to admit. The key discovery was watering by soaking the pot then letting it drain fully — once that clicked, the plant tra…

After growing Zygopetalum for over a year here is what I'd tell a beginner. First: feeding with a half-strength orchid fertiliser weekly in summer is not optional — it's the foundation everything else depends on. Second: aerial root desiccation in dry centrally heated rooms will happen and you shou…

I'd had Zygopetalum for about eight months with acceptable but unremarkable results. Then I started really paying attention to providing bright indirect light away from direct afternoon sun and the difference over the next two months was dramatic. wide hybridisation resulting in an almost unlimited…

I started with one Zygopetalum and now have four, all from propagation. The process is straightforward once you understand repotting into fresh bark medium every two or three years — something I picked up from trial and error rather than any guide. I display them in a north or east-facing windowsil…

I brought Zygopetalum home six months ago with high hopes and almost no knowledge. The first challenge was understanding providing bright indirect light away from direct afternoon sun — something I hadn't expected to matter so much. Once I got that right, the whole thing settled down. I grow it in …

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing Zygopetalum: Spring: triggering a new flower spike with cooler autumn nights. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on watering by soaking the pot then letting it drain fully during this period which set up the rest of the ye…