They can bloom almost year-round, and are known for having a pleasant fragrance which is especially noticeable in the early morning and evening.
Because they can adapt to a broader range of conditions than many other orchid species, crucifix orchids are much less labour intensive.
History and Interesting Facts:
The Epidendrum genus of orchids contains over 1 000 different species of sub-tropical to tropical plants, which are distributed from south-eastern North America to central South America, growing in diverse habitats, and with very noticeable differences between the species.
Most species are epiphytic and are found growing on trees. They collect their nutrients from the air and surfaces around them through exposed roots and can also take full sun. Some are lithophytic and attach themselves to rocks, while the long reed stem epidendrums are terrestrial and grow in the soil, thriving in low-nutrient environments.
Description:
Crucifix orchids grow up to 1m tall and have tough leathery leaves and long thin stems with clusters of beautiful, long lasting cut flowers. The species with clusters of three-lobed flowers were given the common name “Crucifix Orchid” because the lip of the flower called the labellum resembles a small cross. Their proper name comes from the Greek words "epi" and "dendron," meaning "upon trees".
What flower colours do crucifix orchids have?
Crucifix orchids are commonly red, pink, yellow, orange, and white.
When do crucifix orchids bloom?
In tropical and subtropical regions these orchids can bloom virtually throughout the year, and even in cooler climates they will bloom several times through spring and summer, and the flowers usually last a relatively long time.
Epidendrum Picture courtesy budak from flickrCultivation:
Epidendrum orchid care is minimal, as they are tough plants used to inhospitable conditions. Several species can grow outdoors in our warm subtropical regions, but the majority of gardeners will need to situate them indoors. Once you find a space they love, don't move the plant. They seem to be very sedentary and proprietary once they have their chosen space, and moving the plant can cause a sudden decline in its health.
How much light do crucifix orchids require?
Outdoors:
If they are grown in moist and humid conditions, most Epidendrums like the crucifix orchid do best in full sun, but will take partial shade.
In drier regions getting the light right is perhaps the trickiest part - too little, and they may not bloom, too much, and their leaves can burn. Preferably during the heat of summer they shouldn't be positioned where they are exposed to extreme direct sun during the hottest part of the day.
Indoors:
Indoors crucifix orchids love to be in a warm, airy room where they receive bright indirect light. Placing them in front of a north facing window with sheer curtains that can shelter them from intense heat would be perfect, and an east facing window that receives morning sun would also be good.
If your plants are not receiving sufficient light, investing in grow lights would solve this problem.
Use the leaves of your orchid as an indicator if it is getting an adequate amount of light. Leaves should be a grassy light green colour. Yellowing leaves means too much light exposure and dark green leaves suggest it’s getting too little light.
What are the optimal temperatures for growing crucifix orchids?
Outdoors:
Optimum growth temperatures for the crucifix orchid outdoors are between 18 to 29°C during the day, and 13 to 18°C at night. Epidendrums cannot survive frost and freezing conditions but can still do well if winter temperatures stay above 10°C.
Indoors:
The plants are amazingly adapted to a variety of indoor growing conditions, thriving in warm rooms where the temperatures remain above 10°C in winter, but also doing quite well under dimmer conditions.
How much humidity do crucifix orchids require?
Crucifix orchids prefer high humidity levels between 50 and 70%.
Why do orchids require humidity?
Humidity is the percentage of water vapour in the air and you have most likely observed that humidity is lowest during the day and highest in the evening and morning. Orchids, like all plants have stomata or pores on their leaves that allow them to breathe by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. So, when orchids open their stomata to breathe they lose water, and in their native rainforests, humidity compensates for the water lost when opening their stomata.
If humidity levels are too low this means that the water loss through the stomata is greater than the water absorbed through the roots, resulting in a drought situation. In response to low humidity levels, the orchid closes its stomata and stops absorbing carbon dioxide. In essence, it stops breathing!
Orchids require water vapour in the air, and you cannot compensate for a lack of humidity in the air by increasing water to the roots.
If you live in our humid subtropical regions orchids will thrive indoors or outdoors with little effort. However, in colder, less humid regions of the country will they need some extra TLC.
Crucifix orchids prefer high humidity levels between 50 and 70%, and the challenge for those of us who grow orchids in our homes is that most orchids require a minimum of 45 to 50% humidity, and even the so-called ‘low humidity orchids’ need humidity levels around 40%.
If you live in an arid summer rainfall region, it may be a bit of a struggle to maintain even 30% humidity in winter it, but crucifix orchids will tolerate this, but in these regions it would be best to increase the humidity level in your orchid room year-round.
How to increase humidity indoors and outdoors
It’s easy to increase humidity outdoors and in a greenhouse by turning on misters, and in a greenhouse you can just spray down the floor for higher humidity.
Group plants together
Grouping pot plants together indoors increases humidity around the plants, creating a mini microclimate, but take care not to overcrowd the plants, giving them sufficient space so air can move freely around them.
Make an orchid humidity tray
One popular way to increase humidity is to make a humidity tray for orchids. Simply find a drip tray or any watertight bowl that you can fill with small pebbles or gravel. Pour water into the tray until it is about halfway full and the orchid pot can stand safely on the gravel above the water line, and not in the water. If an orchid’s roots sit in water they will rot and die. This method allows the water to evaporate and creates a small microclimate around the plant.
Does hand misting increase humidity
Orchids and particularly those that are mounted will benefit from regularly misting of their roots, but not really their leaves. In fact, misting orchid leaves to frequently indoors can lead to infection if there is little or no airflow.
Hand misting around the plant is also only a temporary fix and will not raise the humidity levels around the plants for long.
Use a Hygrometer and Humidifier
If you live in a dry region purchasing a digital indoor hygrometer which measures both temperature and humidity would be a worthwhile investment if you wish to grow orchids indoors. You can purchase these at any local home goods store or online.
When using a humidifier, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that undue moisture does not accumulate. If your windows and mirrors have condensation this is a sure sign that the humidity is too high. To reduce fungal and bacterial growth, keep your humidifier clean. Follow the manufacturers’ instructions as regularly cleaning your humidifier will reduce the amount of fungus and bacteria in the air. Purchase a humidifier with the largest water tank that you can afford. This will reduce the number of times that you will have to refill the tank.
Why orchids need good air flow
If you are serious about growing orchids you need a fan, as airflow is the counterbalance to humidity. Orchids need humidity to breathe and, just as importantly, orchids need good air movement to stay healthy. Disease, mould, fungus, and bacteria all have a harder time taking hold of your orchid with a steady, yet gentle airflow around them. Together, humidity and airflow will create a healthy climate for orchids.
If you only have only one orchid, opening a window may be sufficient, but a small fan is your best option if you have a few orchids. Simply turn the fan to the lowest setting and face it away from the plants as pointing a fan directly at the orchids can be too drying.
How to water crucifix orchids
These orchids are drought tolerant and prefer to be kept moist but not waterlogged. Water weekly, or when the top layer of the potting medium feels dry to the touch. Reduce watering during the winter months.
Can tap water be used on orchids?
Tap water is perfectly fine for orchids, as long as the water is soft and the pH is neutral. If your tap water is hard add a water softener, or use filtered water.
If you boil tap water in a saucepan or kettle, the limescale will simply settle at the bottom.
Many orchid growers use rainwater, and this is probably the best as rainwater it is low in dissolved solids and the pH is balanced. If there is little pollution where you live, it should also be fairly free of additional chemicals.
How to fertilise crucifix orchids
Although the plants are used to low nutrient sites in the wild and can live in pots with just a bark-based orchid medium, if you want them to flower continuously during the growing season, feed regularly using a specialist orchid food, or any balanced liquid fertiliser diluted at half the recommended strength.
Depending on your growing medium, and which fertiliser you are using, crucifix orchids should be fertilised once a week, or fortnightly in summer and less in winter. In bark based soils feeding every time you water may be necessary during the summer growing season.
Be careful with over fertilization, as it can burn your orchid’s fragile roots.
Epidendrum Picture courtesy pirate renee from flickrPruning crucifix orchids after flowering:
Epidendrum orchids require minimal pruning. Remove any dead or yellowing leaves and spent flowers to promote healthy growth. If you cut off the spent flower stems you will find the plant blooming again in about two months.
When to repot crucifix orchids
Orchids like to be pot-bound, so re-potting is not terribly important, and crucifix orchids should be re-potted every two to three years, or when the potting medium starts to break down. The best time to do this is in spring just before new growth begins.
Orchid roots are very delicate, so handle carefully when repotting. Remove the plant from the pot and gently shake or tease the old potting soil off the roots. Use a sharp clean knife or pruner to cut off any dead or unhealthy roots, which may be brown, soft or papery. Healthy roots should be white and firm. Replant into a clean container with fresh growing medium.
Use a pot just big enough to fit the coiled roots into. Terracotta pots are the best because they allow the soil to breath. Hanging baskets are also perfect for growing these orchids.
What potting medium is best for crucifix orchids?
These orchids can handle low nutrient locations and thrive in a well-draining growing medium. A speciality bark-based orchid mix is perfect, and even a sandy succulent mix works well for this plant.
How to mount crucifix orchids
If you live in our humid subtropical regions you can grow Epidendrum orchids outdoors, and like other epiphytic orchids, they are often attached to the bark of living trees. They are not parasitic and do not take away minerals from the tree, but absorb moisture and nutrients from the air.
Selecting just the right material to mount your collection on is most important because your orchids are going to be growing there for a long time, so choose material that is not going to deteriorate and fall apart just when they have rooted and are beginning to flourish.
They root easily on rough surfaces, making rocks, hardwood tree stumps or logs, and driftwood ideal to mount on, not forgetting cork which is used to hang plants on walls, or from ceilings.
Make sure whatever surface you are going to mount onto is clean and clear of any other organic material. Scrub off any moss or fungi with a brush and spray the surface area with a hose. This helps to keep the plants safe from diseases and gives them a nice surface to grow into.
Any driftwood that was taken from the beach should be soaked in fresh water for a few days to remove salt from the surface, changing the water occasionally. Orchids are much less likely to attach if there is too much salt and their roots could become dehydrated.
Orchids will not be able to attach onto any surface if they are not attached firmly, as even the slightest sway from a breeze can jar the plant and prevent the roots from attaching. Therefore, it is important to use the right material to attach an orchid securely.
A natural jute garden twine is highly recommended as it is organic and will rot away on its own, making it better for the environment, and you don’t have to worry about the twine cutting into the plant or the stem. It is also great to use because it will swell and shrink with the stem when wet and dry, providing a better hold. The downside of using twine is that if it gets too wet too often, it may rot and break its hold before the plant has had sufficient time to attach fully. If you are worried about this, tie the plant on with jute garden twine and lastly tie a few pieces of wire (not copper) around the plant and its mount, just to be sure. The wire can easily be cut off later.
Using round cable staples is a fantastic method for attaching orchids, because you can find them in different sizes and the round shape conforms to the stem. The staples will last long enough for the plant to attach itself, are almost invisible, and normally you will need to use only two or three per plant. The only downside is that they can damage the plant if you use a staple which is too small, and it cuts into the stem. The staples will rust away naturally but the rust doesn’t seem to harm the plant at all.
Fishing line is commonly used as a way to mount orchids, but many growers do not recommend it because, although it is very strong and hides well, it will not disintegrate and unless removed will last for life. This can create problems as the plants grow and spread, potentially cutting into the stem and preventing other pups from attaching. Fishing line is also not elastic, so it will not shrink like twine does with the stem when it gets dehydrated, and just this little movement can lengthen the time to attach by months.
A non-copper wire is also often used, and although it is strong and some wire may eventually disintegrate, it can be difficult to get the wire tight enough to hold the plant firmly without cutting into the stem, and like fishing line it is also not elastic, and can cause delays in attaching as the stem shrinks and swells.
Select a piece of orchid that is small enough to be supported only by its stem, as this will allow the roots to grow with the plant, and the plant will attach much easier. Plants which are too large will be top heavy and will not attach easily. Wash off any growing medium before pruning the roots back as much as possible. This allows the orchid to spend energy growing new roots which will attach easier.
Wrap the roots with some sphagnum moss, and find a nice nook in your driftwood or rock to tuck the root system into. Hold the plant in place – here is where it helps if there are two of you, one to hold the plant in place while the other ties it down, but it can be done alone. Next, take some strong twine and wrap it around the roots and the driftwood until the plant is held down firmly, but not so tight as to damage the plant.
Water the plants thoroughly, using a soft spray, and place your new orchid display in a location that gets plenty of light and check the plants daily, watering as required. It can take anywhere from 1 to 6 months for orchids to attach, depending on the growing conditions.
Water and feed as recommended above, and keeping the plants free from debris like fallen leaves or twigs, will help the roots grow quicker and stronger. Once the plants have fastened their roots the wire can be cut and removed, but if you have used twine it can be left to disintegrate on its own.
Remember that mounted orchids growing outdoors require high humidity and more frequent watering than potted plants indoors, and if grown in dry climates outdoors, the plants will benefit from frequent misting of the roots with water.
Propagation:
Propagation is simple and cuttings are not needed. Epidendrum orchids easily form baby clones of the main plant. These ‘keikis’ or baby sprouts can be cut from the orchid and replanted. Moist sphagnum moss is popular bedding for transplanted keikis.
Problems, Pests and Diseases:
Epidendrum orchids are susceptible to common orchid pests such as mealybugs, spider mites, and scale insects.