Orchids I have killed

Orchids I have (loved and) killed

I actually feel like I have done fairly well growing orchids and plants in general as long as I understand their needs. For me most loses come when I get careless and there is a big change in the weather. I can also have bad luck if I start out with a weak or sick plant (i.e., no roots, viral or bacterial infection, etc.). So here's my list of plants that I have killed and why I think I have killed them.

Nanodes medusae - I've had good luck with growing 2 of these indoors until the summer time. I believe it is a combination of temperatures that are too high and humidities that are too low. I've considered building a Wardian case fitted with a cooling system and extra humidification, but the expense is just more than I'd be willing to pay for just a few sepcies that like to grow on the cool side.

Polyrrhiza lindenii - I've had a very small one and slowly tortured it to death. I tried a number of tricks that successful growers had suggested, but I suspect it might have been too little, too late.

Cattleopsis cubensis - I had a small specimen that was potted initially in fir bark . I suspect that this is one of the few that I killed by overwatering. The medium just stayed too wet and I should have immediately moved it to a cork mount. I kept it in firbark and it never looked good. I tried mounting it on cork, but it was too late and the small plant just didn't have the resources to grow new roots. I have 2 more specimens of this and they were received mounted on cypress slabs. UPDATE: The two new specimens are doing great with continued healthy root growth while mounted on the cypress slabs.

Oerstedella wallisii - This is embarassing! This little guy got tucked away between several larger plants and I suspect it didn't get enough water or too much water and no air or light. When I found it, it was just several short dead sticks.

Cattleya (C. Pokai Tangerine x C. Chocolate Sun) - I ordered this one off eBay from a place in Canada and it was shipped bare root with damp sphagnum in a zip lock bag. It took two weeks for it to make it through Customs. The roots were mush and the plant was all shriveled up. I nursed it back to health this summer and it was doing ok, but still weak. When it moved to the greenhouse it was in a spot where it didn't get enough light, too much humidity and poor air circulation. From the looks of things it died of a bacterial rot.

Deflasked Cattleya alliance seedlings- I started off a 100% kill rate. I have progressed to about a 50% survival rate. Once again I believe this is a humidity issue from trying to grow them inside. I believe a greenhouse with higher humidities and good air circulation will further improve my luck with these.

Cypripedium acule (legally purchased/not wild collected) - The site I had chosen was marginally ok with one exception. It would always get bone dry during the summer. Even supplemental watering just wasn't good enough. The bottom line is that I just don't think I have a suitable location for these