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light angles and even spikes

12 years ago

I have an aerangis citrata with seven spikes - two about an inch long and the rest about 1/4 inch. The plant is in a place where it seems very happy - it has run up three new leaves in as many weeks, so I think the temps are fine and humidity fine. The light is apparently strong enough - from a skylight window, low to medium brightness, no direct sun as yet.

Question is: how do I get the spikes to radiate evenly from the plant? I do not want all the spikes to curve in the same direction towards the skylight, since the light is quite directional, in an otherwise shady room. Should I give it a quarter-turn every time I mist it, or is that a waste of time?

In general, what recommendations do the experienced hands here have for trying to ensure all-round growth in the presence of strongly directional light.

As always, grateful for any advice.

Many thanks, br

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Comments (4)

jane__ny
12 years ago
Its tricky. I fool with that all the time with spikes. If you are working from a skylight, that complicates things. You could try turning the plant, but all the buds will turn. Can you add a few CFL's on a light stand? You could then add light to the spikes which are doing the most turning toward the light.

I would fool with a bit of supplemental light.

Jane
burtonr
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks Jane, I am glad to know I am not alone in wrestling with this.
But I was worried that lights might be the answer!
The position is not ideal for adding lights, but I am sure I can work something out if that is what the plant demands...
I hope that doesn't mean I am getting serious about this orchid habit.
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I believe this is what has sparked the second spikes this year: the AC in my building kicked in for the summer, so even though the long, warm days are here, the temps in this room have dropped considerably. The next temperature swing will be in February, which coincides with lengthening after days after winter ... I think this is how I've ended up with two bloomings per year, and spikes that grow more buds one month after the first series of buds have opened. I feel like a greenhouse tricking orchids to bloom out of season (except I'm not 100% sure how I'm doing it, lol!). Oddly, my office had been in a south-facing, evenly temperate location down the hall for 7 years, and this never happened. My orchids faithfully had one bloom every year at the same time. Now I'm in an east-facing location, and the temp is all over the place, and it's a circus up in here, I'm never sure what to expect!
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arthurm
12 years ago
Two ways to go. Turntables or fishing swivels. One of the great Cymbidium growers was reputed to have grown his award winning plants on a turntable and moved the turntable one quarter of a turn every day.

This is only hearsay as i have not observed the process and i'm a bit of a slapdash grower and cannot be bothered with excessive fiddling of flower spikes.

My "culture fiddling" is restricted to making sure the spikes face the direction of the morning sun.
burtonr
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks arthurm, I am sure you are right, and I think that is a bit too much bother for me too.
I have fiddled with the position of this now and think it should be OK. It is my first aerangis, so I am perhaps giving it a bit too much thought.
And it seems very happy right now, so I am hoping I can get it to bloom.
It is something of a test for me: You have often advised people in this forum to grow what their conditions allow without too much difficulty. I am hoping that if this one does OK, I will be able to add some other aerangis/angs that could also be happy in my home.
Cheers and bests, br

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