How to bloom a C Walkeriana without dumb luck???

[daytriper]

How to bloom a C. Walkeriana? This seems to be a difficult task for me. Their seems to be so much varied information. Should you place it in high filtered light----or lower than normal cattleya standard? Does it need a dry spell during the winter like a C. Nobilor? Maybe use no fertilizer during the winter and then bloom booster rolling into spring? Can any Walkeriana bloomers help out? Advice would be appreciated!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Oh does nobilior need to be dry in winter? Hmm.

Well, I have 4 walkerianas, one I have had for many years. The conclusion I have come to is that the blooming problem seems to be genetic, or else the old one is sickly and that is why it blooms so rarely. I bought 2 from a dealer at a show, from different parents (4th one is too recent), and one blooms very well. The other is somewhat like my old one and is having a hard time just maintaining its plant mass. So, my suggested solution is to load up on seedlings, and keep which ever blooms well.

[daytriper]

Thank you for your advice. I too have four walkerianas---two mounted--one on cork and the other on drift wood. The two mounted cats bloom just fine. I have two others of excellent quality and look very healthy who just sit there--they are in clay orchid pots with aliflor for potting medium. I have one nobilor--mounted on cork and it bloom well---common denominator--mounted walkerianas seem to bloom best for me. not sure why???
thanks again

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

All of mine are potted. I am keeping one piece of the newer reluctant walkeriana at a cooler temp to see if this helps, as Steve from Floralia mention that walkerianas are cool growing. Course the subject came up when I bought the nobilior and asked about culture, and he said that nobilior was warm growing, not like the walkerianas. 'Oh?' I said. So maybe I will have more info on them in the future.

[daytriper]

It is interesting to here the many varied problems people have growing orchids here. The one guy who can't bloom a paph---over here it is a paph jungle--I can't kill one. Some can't bloom vandas--not me I have several, one an award winner. But a C. Walkeriana----maybe the guy with the paph should send it to me and I will bloom it for him and maybe I should send you my walkerianas :-)!!!!!

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Not to me, 1 out of 4 doesn't make for a very good reputation. How about updating your profile with your locatiuon, so 'over here' would have some meaning, can't remember everthing about everybody, in fact, I have a terrible memory.

[Vincent]

I see that this is an older thread, but as a new guy, it's new to me so here's another reply:

Walkerianas receive a lot of sunlight in their savannah-type natural habitat, and more direct sun than most other Cattleyas. In the artificial environments provided by many orchid growers, they get too little.

The amount of light they really want is limited by temperature, but not so much by intensity or duration. In hot weather, morning and later afternoon sun is good. In cooler weather, mid-day sun is also good. So give them all the light they can take throughout the year and reduce it only if you see their leaves becoming yellowish. This will give them the energy they need to bloom. It will also make them grow faster. With optimum light along with optimum watering and fertilizer applications, the one-new-pseudobulb-per-year expectation can become three or four per year.

While we’re on the subject, you may have seen that walkeriana culture info commonly specifies that their roots need to dry between waterings and that the plants need a dry rest period during the winter. I have learned the hard way that this advice is misleading. Following it too strictly can result in damage to the plant.

Walkerianas don’t like soggy conditions or prolonged wetness in their roots any better than other Cattleyas do. Maybe they like it less. And maybe they like it even lesser in the winter. That would be a better precaution. If you let the roots dehydrate either in summer or in winter, they will die. Where walkerianas live in the wild, there is very little rainfall in the winter, but their roots do not dehydrate because they become wet with dew during the night. They never go for long without water.

Walkerianas can do well mounted, provided that they are in a continuously humid environment. In most artificial environments, they do best in wooden baskets full of medium to coarse fir bark. Then, they can receive all the water they need and their roots will be adequately ventilated at the same time.

During summer, when I keep them outside, I water them every morning unless it rains. In really hot weather, the medium can dry out too much even by the end of the day. Under these conditions, it is helpful to cover the top of the medium with coconut husk chips to help conserve water.

Indoors during the winter, less water is needed because the medium dries out more slowly. I water maybe every three or four days, but use a spray bottle on the other days to wet the surface of the medium and the sides of the basket.

That’s what works for me. Watering schedules must suit environmental conditions, which are not all the same as mine.

I use an organic fertilizer with every other watering in the spring and summer, less in the fall, and very little during the winter.

The bottom line on the blooming of walkerianas is the same as for any orchid. It is just a matter of meeting the plant’s needs for light, water, and nutrients. The critical deficiency in most cases in light. As with other Cattleyas, a healthy, blooming size plant that doesn’t bloom is not getting enough. As has been mentioned above, there are also genetic differences from one plant to the next. Some grow more vigorously and bloom more readily than others.

[daytriper]

Thanks Vincent,
I have picked up several more Walkerianas and nobiliors since last written. I have transplanted everything except those mounted into vanda baskets. On cold days i have supplemented artificial light and on warm days placed in full sun. Thanks for your advice--I need the help with these beauties.
Gary

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Vincent, have you also had experience with nobilior? I understand it is warmer growing than walkeriana, but does it also like very high light?

[Vincent]

It sounds like you're already on the right track, Gary.

And Cynthia, I've been tempted a few times by C. nobilior, but haven't bought one yet. From what I have learned by reading, nobilior has a similar fondness for high light, but is adapted to drier conditions than walkeriana. It would be interesting to learn from practical experience how much difference that would make in cultural requirements.

My two favorite internet sources for authoritative info on Brazilian orchids are Delfina de Araujo's web site and the Miranda Orchids web site. Both are outstanding. If you haven't seen them, take a look. Here are some URLs:

- I mean here were some URLs. The forum won't let me include any until after making 10 posts. But you can easily find the web sites by searching on the names. The Araujo site has a page on C. nobilior. From the homepage, click on the "Data Center" block for species info. The Miranda site has an interesting and informative page on the differences between walkeriana and nobilior. It's in the taxonomy section.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Check your # of posts in a little while.

[Vincent]

Thanks, Cynthia! Here are the URLs for you or anyone who may be interested in learning more about Brazilian orchids. These sites are very informative and well worth visiting.

Brazilian Orchids - Delfina de Araujo (English version):
http://www.delfinadearaujo.com/page2.htm
Cattleya nobilor:
http://www.delfinadearaujo.com/datacent/catcor30.htm

Miranda Orchids:
http://mirandaorchids.com/introVGA.htm
Differences between nobilior and walkeriana:
http://mirandaorchids.com/nobiliorVGA.htm

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Thanks for the nobilior link for Delfina. I am totally unable to get to it thru the menu on their site. What am I doing wrong?

[Vincent]

This site is packed with info, but it's not the easiest site to navigate through. I should have mentioned that.

Anyway, after going down to the menu items in the boxes, click on the one that says "Data Center."

On the page that pops up, you have to select the genus you want to look under from among those on the the pull-down menu. Then click on the "Go" button.

That brings up a page full of thumbnails - pictures of flowers, but no descriptions written in. If you recognize the species you are interested in, you can just click on the picture. If not, you can place the cursor over any picture and the species name should appear. When you click on a picture, you get a page with a bigger picture and information on the species.

Not the greatest example of web design you'll ever see, but eventually you get to what you're looking for. Then, if you want to, you can go back and look at other species or other genera in the pull-down menu or explore further by clicking on other menu items listed on the homepage.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Been working my way thru that Data Center, with plenty yet to go. Lots of good info there, plenty of things I have not seen else where. However, the author makes the same mistake that many others make, he/she fails to standard the words used to describe the cultural requirements, and half the time we really don't know exactly what is meant. I chastised Lance Birk for doing that in his Paphiopedilum book. He used so many different ways of describing the light requirements, that in the end, I didn't have the foggiest idea what the light requirements were for any of the Paphs he was describing. He told me that originally he had the requirements listed as footcandles, but decided that was too complex, so instead, we have almost nothing inteligible.

[daytriper]

Thanks again guys---it is great information---I am sure my var pendentive is budding and I believe my "Chairman" is a s well. I will keep you informed. For those of you out there who are looking for an easy grower and exceptional beauty--- try a c. intermedia orlata "crownfox". She will take your breath away :-)

[randy98745]

I have a Walkeriana "pendative" mounted on cork. Any ideas as to when this might bloom? It just put out a new leaf so Im hoping for something soon