Odontioda Taylor Barfield ‘This n That’

Sometimes the orchids that you least expect to do well, surprise you.  Generally Odontioda is a mix of cool growing Odontoglossums and cool growing Cochliodas.  So when I first grew Odontioda Taylor Barfield I wasn’t expecting such a great result in South East Queensland (subtropical climate), particularly when you consider that it’s half Odontoglossum cirrhosum which gives it that beautiful star shape and distinctive lip.  Well if you’ve always had a desire to grow Odontoglossum cirrhosum but couldn’t because you live in a warm climate, Taylor Barfield is the one for you.

As you can see from the photos this plant is blooming perfectly in mid summer during our usual very warm weather (32 to 35 Celsius days).  Now this isn’t what I’d call a big plant, as you can see it’s currently growing in an 80mm terracotta pot.  The plant actually has another spike developing beside the one in flower.  The flowers are a little thinner in summer than winter and lacks the bulk of the red spots that will develop in cooler weather.  It’s a happy flower.

Now one of the reasons I posted this orchid is because most people over pot their orchids.  Also it couldn’t be sold as we broke the pot whilst detailing it for sale, so now due for re-potting.  As you can see from the photo this plant is happily growing is such a small pot and being root bound, and will only be potted up into a 100mm pot after this.  Now when orchids are pot bound like this they do require regular watering to keep them happy, but its easier to put water on than it is to take it off.  If it was potted into too large a pot the roots could become too saturated by water and struggle to get going unless you cut back on water to suit the situation.