| Fred started this thread with a pretty good general Cattleya culture recommendation. Unfortunately it's very hard to be brief and cover the cultural requirements of a genus that ranges from Brazilian Atlantic coastal regions from slightly south of the equator to the Tropic of Capricorn, from inland Brazilian regions that undergo extremely dry seasons, the area of Manaus 1000 miles up the Amazon essentially on the equator, and the mountainous regions of Venezuela and Columbia and central America. These roughly 46 species of unifoliate and bifoliate Catts come from a diverse set of environments. Cynthia pointed out very well that Catts must be repotted when they start to root and that covers the whole year. Some root before bloom and some root after. Orchid Flowerchild (who flat knows her Catts) pointed out how differently some of the species must be viewed in terms of watering. The only generalization that works is that they should drain very well and dry between waterings. Unfortunately one must be more specific. As OFC said..dowiana and dowiana aurea will croak under watering conditions that are alright for most of the others. Walkeriana and nobilior are variable in their blooming patterns and in the site of bloom stalk initiation (sometimes from the bottom of the PB and sometimes from the top). These plants must be managed individually and closely.
Hybrids that have been selected in cultivation will usually be more tolerate to every condition than species. If you want to grow species Catts, you need to read some good Catt literature and not depend on the unreliable and diverse answers you will encounter on an internet board. I can suggest the following:
Orchid Digest Vol 68(4) Oct, Nov, Dec 2004 (available from Orchid Digest) A very detailed cultural article from William Rogerson.
American Cattleyas by Courtney T. Hackney (currently in print)
The Cattleyas and Their Relatives Vol I by Carl Withner (out of print but occasionally available used. I bought it last year for $75 but recently $150 is the going price.
The Brazilian Bifoliate Cattleyas and Their Color Varieties by J.A. Fowlie,MD. If you are really a Catt nut this is a must. It is out of print and seldom available. I got a copy for $175 last winter but you must be persistent to find one.
One other point...Someone said that Phals can be grown the same all year long and Kevycatt said quite emphatically that Phals do not need a day/night temperature differential for bloom set. At best these are controversial. First the Phals in subgenera Aphyllae and Parishianae are considerably cooler growing than other Phals since they occur in the Himalayas. Aphyllae are deciduous and obviously can't be cultured that same all year. Eric Christenson in Phalaenopsis A Monograph (generally considered a manual for species Phals) says on page 263, "The other temperature consideration is the need for a sharp difference (a swing of 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit) in day versus night temperatures............allows the initiation of inflorescences."
Again...when growing hybrids that were selected in cultivation, plants may be more tolerate than species to all cultivation conditions, it's highly risky to make generalizations about the culture of plants in a brief internet summary. The plants just do not cooperate with simple growth requirements. The species are isolated to certain geographical environments because they grow under different conditions than other species of the same genus.  |