Jewel Orchids

General Jewel Orchid Info

Introduction To Jewel Orchids
The colloquial term "Jewel Orchid" refers to a handful of genres in the family Orchidaceae (Orchids). While most Orchids are appreciated for their flowers, Jewel Orchids are grown for their beautiful foliage. These plants do flower once they are mature, but the leaves of these plants are the real star of the show. Certain Jewel Orchids often have a shimmering metallic effect present on the veined surface of each leaf. This effect is incredibly beautiful, though difficult to illustrate with still photos.

Growing Conditions
We consider these "forest humus" plants, since they'd typically be found creeping around the forest floor in the top layer of soil & leaf litter. Each of the species we carry is a terrarium appropriate plant, and we'd strongly recommend not keeping them outside of some type of humidity-holding enclosure. In our experience, these species do best in cooler temperatures (65-75F) and can quickly die-off when temps exceed 78F. Aggressive changes in temperature can be an issue for these plants, and we try to limit temperature swings to +/-5F in any 24 hour period. A quick-draining substrate designed for Orchids is a good bet, with ABG and NEHERP style vivarium substrates being ideal for Jewel Orchids being kept in terrariums. These do not require super-deep areas for planting, and we recommend against using typical potting soil since it won't allow these sensitive plants to breathe. (Loosely packed Sphagnum is another alternative substrate we've seen success with!) These are relatively low-light plants, and will struggle to thrive if planted directly under strong grow lights without some type of canopy overhead. With careful consideration and attention to detail, these brilliant plants make an absolutely awesome addition to any tropical terrarium.

What You'll Receive
All plants we ship will look similar in size to those pictured. Many specimens will have 2-3 leaves, while others may have 3-4+ leaves. Overall sizes are around 2.5in-3.5in tall.

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How We Ship Our Plants:

All of our plants are shipped bare root (rinsed free of all potting soil), and rinsed thoroughly to ensure full hydration & a clean appearance. Bare rooting a plant before shipping is a legal requirement to some areas, but it also helps minimize your shipping cost & the likelihood of damage since each specimen is significantly lighter. Plus, it makes processing your plants a cinch! Every plant is also individually wrapped & labeled with an ID for reference. If temperatures are especially hot or cold, we'll add non-toxic ice or 40-hour heat packs to the order at absolutely no extra charge. We've got an awesome "healthy arrival" track record using these methods, and we're sure you'll appreciate the effort when it comes time to unwrap your plants!

When We Ship Our Plants:

We process & ship orders as quickly as we can. While we do our best to ship supply orders the same or next business day, it's not always safe (or possible) for us to do the same with orders containing plants. Plant orders carry a processing time of 1-3 days and are always scheduled to avoid weekend transit delays to help ensure healthy arrival. Please keep this in mind if you are ordering a few days before a weekend, since your order will probably not ship until the following Monday. View our full Order Processing Page for complete info.

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Plant Size Info

Potted Plants:

Plant nurseries roughly categorize their plants by pot size, and a plant is made available once it has mostly filled out it's container. Generally speaking, a 4in potted plant is roughly twice the size of a 3in pot, and a 3in potted plant is typically twice the size of a 2in pot. Needless to say, we do our best to offer big & healthy plants which were categorized honestly, and are representative of the photos we've got listed on the site. Every potted plant we sell is shipped bare root, and the root ball of the plant is carefully wrapped in paper towels before it's placed back into it's cleaned pot for shipping. From there, it's wrapped in clean brown packing paper and labeled with it's species before shipping.

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