(Yes I will be repotting later..)

My wife got this jewel orchid a while ago and we did basic research on it, enough to be ok with basics. It’s been doing ok but I wouldn’t say it’s doing great or better than it could be. The leaves recently are starting to turn pink then die off on the lower part of the plant. We water about 1-2 times but usually checking soil for dryness then watering. I live in a super small apartment, it sits on my kitchen table where it gets the last bit direct light at the end of the day in west facing window, other than that it’s getting indirect light. It’s like 2 years old now, haven’t seen it flower, it does look like it’s growing a new part on opposite side of the pot. Any help or tips on maintaining these would greatly be appreciated. I’m still doing my due diligence with research but just figured I would ask here as well.

hey! im new to jewel orchids and got my first one last week. he’s still in the nursery pot but i have the final substrate materials on the way (its been like a week since i placed the order which is unfortunate but what can you do?) and he will be transferred to a terrarium soon (its closed but has a large lid at the top that can be vented and small air holes). the substrate will be coco coir, pumice, chopped sphagnum moss, charcoal, and worm castings.

i still have a few questions though:
- is my substrate plan ok for a terrarium? i will also have a false bottom with leca. i didnt get mesh but am planning to make a gradient and block the substrate using a layer of sphagnum. this was all from the advice of someone with terrariums who keeps carnivorous plants and their friend who apparently keeps jewel orchids.

- he looks really leggy to me - should I trim and attempt to propagate the clipping in the soil? he has a few little roots but was basically a clipping when i got him. his leaves look a bit wavy too so I am assuming he’s stressed from the crappy substrate/overall living conditions he’s in and i dont want to stress him more. his stem feels firm and he is growing a new leaf though, so that seems like a good sign?

- do i need springtails? there is no where locally that sells them so id need to buy them online, and shipping them seems stressful. the idea of having bugs in my terrarium also freaks me out a bit but i want my orchid to be healthy.

- can I add a nerve plant into the terrarium? i heard they grow pretty fast but im likely going to add a very small one and continuously trim it back so it wont interfere. i also heard they can help with excess moisture control. im still new to all of this though so i want to double check if this is true/would work.

thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this, i appreciate any and all advice.

I got this Ludisia a while ago and it died (or so I thought) about a year ago - probably because I was too busy to transfer it out of the moss it came in. Well I left the pot in my orchid cabinet and totally forgot about it and lo and behold a couple of months ago it starts regrowing! So cool. I had no idea, but I was very excited to learn that this happens with some of the jewel orchids. Well the tip now has turned brown - why did it turn brown? any tips on encouraging this little guy to grow? When should I transfer it out of the sphagnum moss? Any tips appreciated. Thanks in advance!

So, after going through 3 jewel orchids and them dying (almost) for me in 3 separate incidents, lets hope this is the right one. I also wanted a dossinia mamorata for a long time, but this is the closest i could get, so i am pretty happy!

Death 1: Rot from neglect and probably steamed up in a closed container

Death 2: Literally mowed by the lawnmower outside left in pieces and i couldnt save them.

Death (not) 3: Almost mowed but wasn’t. Unfortunately the catarpillars got to it and chewed everything but two pieces. Im trying to recover with two growth points popping up!

Anyways, advice is definitely welcomed, and things like your own anecdote (speed of growth, incidents etc.) will help!

Sorry for the ugly bathroom background, I’ve been trying to propagate some cuttings in sphagnum moss and these fuzzy things started to appear, only on nodes, which makes me suspect it could be rooting? Or is it just mould?

So I’m reading a lot of conflicting information on the type of substrate and pots being used. I see fishbowls and terrariums but I also see advice for pots with drainage. Then I see chunky forest floor substrate and then i see a few people saying theirs thrived better in long stem sphagnum. For me, everything has rotted in whatever I’ve used, except my random anoectchilus from a big box store in chunky forest floor with drainage. Yet others have rotted in the same setup. I don’t get it.

Hey everyone! I’m looking at buying my first Macodes petola and noticed that some sellers offer a regular form for around $12, while others sell a “Dark” form for about $24.
I was wondering, Is “Dark” an actual clone/cultivar, or is it mostly a marketing name?
Is the darker coloration genetic, or can a regular Macodes petola develop darker leaves as it matures or under certain growing conditions?

Thank you in advance for the help 😊

Hello fellow hobbyists, I’ve been growing orchids for a long time, but this is the first time I’m getting my hands on a jewel orchid. This was sold as generic Ludisia discolor, but it doesn’t look like common cultivars of Ludisia discolor out there. Ludochilus hybrids don’t have leaves and stems with such a deep shade of red, right?

I’m only interested in cultivating pure orchid species, so I’d be glad if anyone could help verify that this is indeed Ludisia discolor, and not a cross with species from Anoectochilus or other jewel orchid genera.

Hello all!!! I recently got my first Jewel orchid (Macodes Petola) about 3 days ago. I know it’s still soon, but I’m so paranoid!! Just checking to see if anyone has any set up tips/if she still looks healthy!

I currently have her in an 8” glass cloche with rocks on the bottom for drainage, coco coir with some perlite mixed in, and high quality long fiber sphagnum moss. I removed most of the substrate she was shipped in, leaving a bit of it around her roots. She’s under a 11w warm white LED grow bulb about 14 hrs a day in my kitchen with only 1 window (pretty indirect light) and I take the lid off for a few hours a day for air flow.

The Planta app says she looks great, just looking to make sure I’m doing everything right🫶

I’ve had this ludisia discolor for probably two years now. Every time it grows a new leaf, an old one dies. The rhizomes are firm and reasonably well rooted although some of them have shriveled up. Right now it is in standard houseplant soil with a little extra perlite and bark. I keep it lightly moist. It is outside in bright full shade. AI told me I should cover the rhizomes with sphagnum moss. Please help – what does it need to really start thriving? I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but I can’t find a link to post photos – I’m a little rusty with Reddit, haven’t posted in a while.

I’m about to block crossposts to the subreddit, unless anyone objects.

I’m tired of the ever-increasing number of crossposted Phalaenopsis and general orchid posts, and Reddit suggesting cross posts to people isn’t helping.

So the other night I may or may not have gotten slightly intoxicated, saw one tiktok of a jewel orchid and immediately went online and purchased one for myself😅

Do I have any experience with any sort of pant care other than my petunias outside? No.

Am I qualified in the slightest to care for a temperamental rare plant? Definitely not.

Do I however have OCD and get completely hyper-fixated on animal care and anything involving husbandry? AbsoFRUITLEY!

Anyway, I have purchased high quality long fiber sphagnum moss, perlite, and a grow lamp. Any tips, photos of set ups and overall knowledge would be greatly appreciated!! 🌱🌱💚⚡️

spotted this jewel orchid in a store that has these really weird pink patterns on it and wondering if this could be sport varigation, I don’t think it’s a virus because it was only on that one leaf and it also dosnt look damaged at all.

I’m very new to orchids and got this little guy a little over a week ago. He’s in a glass enclosure and I’ve been opening up every two days for about 10 minutes to give him some fresh air. He’s in sphagnum moss and perlite. Any tips and/or tricks to help this guy thrive?

Hi! I just received my first jewel orchid & noticed a little bug damage when I opened the package and now, a few days later I see the leaves appear a bit "translucent" and not sure what to do.

I haven't seen any bugs on the plant & pulled off the spagnum moss off to check the roots. The roots overall seem to be okay & had no smell of rot, etc.

I was nervous to put any neem oil on them given there so tiny, so turning to y'all for any advice.

Their set up was on a cabinet with bright but indirect light for part of the day. In a small plastic clear pot with spagnum moss from the grower and a cloche over the top for help with humidity.

I used to have a Macodes petola but unfortunately I overwatered it and couldn't get a healthy cutting. I have been trying to find another for months. Today, I finally found they were back in the big store I found them in the first place so I bought two just in case. I also found a Ludisia in another big store weeks ago. I'm so so happy. I want to try to put them in a terrarium but I'll do a lot of research before.