For me, at least. I’ve been growing orchids for a long time, nothing terribly fancy, but we’ve figured it out. I appreciate the glossy leaves, and of course, the blossoms. But I had a nursery gift card burning a hole in my pocket and I decided to try a Jewel Orchid.
Ludisia discolor is a terrestrial orchid; and I think this variety is nigricans or the Black Jewel Orchid. I’m no Ludisia expert, so this is something of an experiment. I seem to be able to grow the epiphytic ones, but I’m not sure how much help that will be. The care tips I’ve found online are all over the place, from “it must be in a terrarium” to “it’ll be fine anywhere”. So we’ll see.
It seems to be ready to bloom, but the blossoms are supposedly unimpressive. Hey, if anything blooms in my care, I’m impressed. But Jewel Orchids are grown for the foliage, and while this one is kinda simple, if it goes well I’ll try another variety. He could use a shower to clean him up a bit, but he’s here, repotted and I figure that’s enough for right now.
It’s fun to try out a new genus, something different. I just have to expect a learning curve and understand that there could be casualties along the way. But fingers crossed. If he blooms, there’s going to be an update.
I’ll keep you posted.
