I was at a plant market a few weeks ago and the orchid society had a booth there. I stopped and talked to the lady that was running it. She was so sweet and was showing me and telling me about this orchid and I fell completely in love with the tiny plant.
I had never heard of these before. So when I got home I started searching for one exactly like hers lol I’ve been resisting orchids for a while because I just lock in on new hobbies way too much but I couldn’t stop myself when I saw this one.
This is my new friend labeled – Neofinetia falcata higashidemiyako 東出都
I did a bit of reading on the orchid society website about them and know they somewhat recently were reclassified as Vandas.
Most of the videos I found about these show them in a kokobana set up on a moss mound. Mine came in bark (I think there’s some moss mixed in there but it’s hard to tell without taking it all the way out)
So that threw me a little bit. I wasn’t expecting bark.
I think I will let it adjust for a couple of weeks and then put it into moss. Is that a good idea?
Would appreciate care tips, references to good information about them to read and all some such 🙂
by ShetlandShake
4 Comments
you can grow them in bark fine, they’ll do well, moss is more “traditional” and sometimes people will pot up into the big mounds just for shows etc. they’re my favorite genus, i’ve got a whole shelf of them
there’s a whole sub just for these little guys, too, /r/neofinetia
Congrats on your new baby! There’s a sub dedicated to neos if you want to check it out, too. R/neofinetia
I have one neo, just the regular one. It’s not growing conventionally either. I think it’s mostly bare root with a few strands of sphagnum on top. There are roots everywhere, all in the saucer and stuck to it. The plant is very healthy and sturdy. That said, I am far from the best authority to be giving advice on them. There are collectors who only specialize in neos and know so much about them!
Neos are indeed usually grown in a moss mound, however the mound is meant to be hollow so I guess bark works too as long as the ambient humidity is high enough. The American orchid society has a page on their history and care- https://www.aos.org/explore-orchids/vanda-alliance/neofinetia-falcata
Bark versus moss versus whatever else… it is so much dependent on your conditions, which you can describe but none of us can observe. My suggestion is to grow it how you like it but watch for a few things – Neos love a fast wet-dry cycle but even that is specific to they’re phase – if growing they’ll want higher humidity and a lot of water. In winter, they’ll want occasional water but nothing crazy and will want to dry out fast.
We all want to know the best way to grow our orchids and the truth is that is it so specific for your conditions. So take every bit of input with a grain of salt and with a critical eye on your own, real life observation of your own conditions.