Plant of the Month - Habenaria erichmichelii

Habenaria erichmichelii, December 2023 lights/windowsill-grown Plant of the Month

Photo courtesy of Cathleen Daghestani

An interview with the grower, Tony Quirk.

by John Hockberger

Tony, you’re the winner of the Illinois Orchid Society’s plant of the month for December 2023. What’s the name of your plant?

Tony — It’s called Habeneria erichmichelii.

How long have you been growing orchids?

Tony — Actually you can hear from my accent I’m not from the states. Back in South Africa I used to grow some medium orchids outdoors and then life got in the way and I didn’t grow orchids for 20 years. About eight years ago I resumed growing orchids.

I got “The Bug,” so pretty soon I was up to like 400-500 orchids all grown in windows. Then I started getting plant stands and then I went overboard and was doing my own crosses and I got a plant genus named after me, which is a great honor.

So then I just got tired of all the watering so things started going downhill. But the nice thing about terrestrials like Habeneria, as an example, and Catasetum is another example even though it’s not quite a terrestrial, but the nice thing about that group is that they go dormant in winter and when they’re dormant you do not water them and that saves you watering time.

So this particular plant that was awarded this month, how did you acquire that plant and how long have you had it?

Tony — I’ve always been interested in Habeneria. I’ve had quite a few different ones. This specific one is at least six years old, most likely from Natt’s Orchids, and when I got it, it was like one bulb and now you can see there’s probably about 17 bulbs in that pot, so they do reproduce pretty rapidly. It seems like over 6-7 years it went from 1 to 17.

A growing tip: It has a long dormancy period, so I’m very careful to use slow-release fertilizer; Osmocote granules. And then when it starts really growing (it comes out of dormancy each year in May), I’ll bring it out into the garden under a tree so it’s in dappled shade, with a couple of granules of Osmocote and I just leave it out there. Every once in a while I water the plant as I water the garden. Come August/September when it starts getting cold out, like under 55 Fahrenheit, I bring it indoors into a south-facing window.

I put it in standing water in a dish, like 24-7 and then I switch over to African violet fertilizer. I know that’s gonna be controversial but that’s what I use and I still use it now even though it’s been flowering for roughly 4 weeks.

Do you care for each of your plants by sensing what they need individually or do you follow some formula that you’ve developed?

Tony — Do not repot. I’m just talking specifically about erichmichelii and Habeneria radiata because, unfortunately, I repotted radiata and they all died. Habeneria medusa can be taken out of its pot and kept as a bulb or tuber, whatever they call it, but this specific one (erichmichelii), leave in its pot. I’ll make sure to fertilize and water it, and it’s been doing well. It’s not too crowded in the pot. I’ll have to see how things go in the next 2-3 years.

What medium is it in?

Tony — It’s in a cactus & succulent soil and then I’m mixing in some fine bark.

People reading this interview will wonder if they can grow erichmichelii. Is there anything else special about this plant that you would tell somebody like me who says, “Well, I’ve got this kind of a growing circumstance. I don’t really want to take something home that I know I’m not going to be able to keep alive.”

Tony — The temperature in my house is roughly 70 Fahrenheit all around and it grows in a south-facing window. I do not have any of my Habeneria growing under lights. It’s enough to have south facing windows. I have heard people growing them under lights with much success in the orange and red (wavelength), so it depends.

First of all, do your research. Try and find a healthy plant, because they’re not offered that often by vendors, and just be patient. But be very careful not to overwater. Don’t water down the center of the plant. With common sense, with most orchids, you never water the crown. And what’s nice about this is I don’t have to water from the top because I have it standing in a saucer of water when it comes indoors.

Between May and roughly September it’s outdoors under the tree, exposed to the elements. And when the temperatures drop, I bring it indoors into a south-facing window.

Where it gets direct light?

Tony — Yes it does but in the winter when it’s cooler.