Cattleya walkeriana

Nancy · #1 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 09:26 AM

I love species Cattleyas and I'm planning to purchase a Catleya walkeriana. Is there anyone here that has had success growing it. I really could use some tips and pointers. Hopefully no one will tell me not to do it. I just think the plant is so beautiful and intriguing. I plan to purchas the Pendentive clone if possible. Any advice will help. Thanks a lot.

kmarch · #2 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 09:51 AM

You're looking for: Cattleya walkeriana var. alba 'Pendentive' AM/AOS

Orchidflowerchild · #3 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 11:19 AM

Have you seen the lavendar colour form? I really want a well-bred lavendar version.... I already have a line bred alba form. I've only had it for about a year, and it had never bloomed before, because my friend who gave it to me kept it in a dark, overly shaded GH. It has grown fabulously since I've had it, and I'm hoping to see blooms, soon....

BTW, "species" is the correct singular and plural useage specie is a form of currency, I think...

I'll report back about my walkeriana as soon as I can tell if this new flush of growths are new leads or inflorescences.

-Cj

Nancy · #4 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 12:24 PM

I stand corrected. Is there anything that you do differently with this Cattleya. Do you grow it in a basket? I've hear these Catts are sort of rambling. Hope your's blooms soon. Please keep me posted.

Orchidflowerchild · #5 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 12:49 PM

Mine has sortof eaten the 6" basket it's in. It is a big, rambly plant, indeed. THey aren't too untidy when they are smaller, but once they really get growing with more than one lead at a time, they do get kinda rambly. Mine is growing in five or six directions, and I plan to just leave it in that basket until I can't see the basket, anymore.

-Cj

**Cynthia, Prescott, AZ** · #6 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 01:03 PM

These guys like to have their roots dry out very fast, so mounting is probably best. I am trying to limit the mounties, so I have recently moved all my walkerianas from plastic pots into small clay pots, which dry very fast. They appear to be doing really well this way, as are all my rupicolous Laelias. I understand that exposure of the roots to sunlight is also a benefit to them, but something I chose to forgo in keeping these guys in pots.

Nancy · #7 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 01:50 PM

I think I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with this one. The culture sounds a lot like it is for aclandiae. Wish me luck andthanks.

Orchidflowerchild · #8 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 02:58 PM

Nancy: Yeah, walkeriana and aclandiae have very similar needs. My basket, BTW, is empty save for the massive plant.

-Cj

Nancy · #9 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 03:40 PM

How many plants would it divide into, just out of curiousity?

Orchidflowerchild · #10 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy

How many plants would it divide into, just out of curiousity?

I just did a quick count and there are 60-70 pseudobulbs with leaves, and ten or fifteen old backbulbs in the basket. Maybe more.

-Cj

kmarch · #11 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 07:46 PM

NICE huge plant Orchidflowerchild. 60-70 pseudobulbs!?!?! When that thingblooms it's going to be killer fantastic!

Orchidflowerchild · #12 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmarch

NICE huge plant Orchidflowerchild. 60-70 pseudobulbs!?!?! When that thingblooms it's going to be killer fantastic!

I know! It's C. walkeriana v. alba ('Bette' AM/AOC x 'Laina' AM/AOC), as well. Nice, well bred plant. And if I exhibit it blooming on ten growths... THAT is enough for me to figure out a way to ge to a judging! If it looks anything like the pollen parent, which judging from the pics a few people had online, looks like a possibility.

It's interesting, because it has been grown in a deeply shaded gh for so long that it has obtained this huge size. This year, growing it in much better light, it has produced two flushes of firm, fat growths. We had afternoon showers and plenty of breezes all through july, and all of the pseudobulbs made this sumemr have been nearly spherical. And this weekend, I'm building my greenhouse.

I'm really thinking about focusing most of my greenhouse collection on Laeliinae, with the occasional random species from other groups, and making the cool growers my more varied collection... I want a few varieties of most every Cattleya species.

One thing I do know, my collection will be entirely species. I want to line breed. I found a blast hood that could easily make a flasking cabinet, and I have had PLENTY of biology classes to be able to sow and flask. Just a side hobby, line breeding species... Maybe help put a little money back into the thing. I spent enough time hanging around a judging center to learn how to breed directionally.

Also, I plan to get both OrchidWiz and AQ 3.0 around the holidays, and get caught up on the last six years of breeding.

-Cj

Edit: P.S. The best part is, I recieved it free as gift from an old friend. As well as L. perrinii 'Cherokee' (which I do not know if it bears an award...(and is also in sheath, right now...with 3 more new growths coming up.)). I think it's fun that the walkeriana comes from Aussie breeding lines, and I'm eagerly awaiting blooms on it, here.

For only having 18 orchids or so, I'm having a bully year for blooming. Cyc. herrenhusanum is in spike, so is Cym aloifolium. Brasso. grandiflora is about to open, and B. cucculata just finished, as well as a phal I can't recall the name of offhand. I've had that Cym. aloifolium for ten years, nearly.

Nancy · #13 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 07:36 AM

It all sounds beautiful. I wish I had the room. I did get the walkeriana. It's five pb's in a five inch pot. It's never bloomed before but is supposed to bloom in the spring. It is now supposed to enter a dry rest period. Any idea what this means? Would I fertilize it with 12-30-20 because it's grown in bark monthly, water it every two weeks? Any thoughts will be really helpful.

Orchidflowerchild · #14 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy

It all sounds beautiful. I wish I had the room. I did get the walkeriana. It's five pb's in a five inch pot. It's never bloomed before but is supposed to bloom in the spring. It is now supposed to enter a dry rest period. Any idea what this means? Would I fertilize it with 12-30-20 because it's grown in bark monthly, water it every two weeks? Any thoughts will be really helpful.

For winter rest, I just keep the plant dry unil the psuedobulbs strart to wrinkle, then I give it a light watering. I water just enough to wet the roots. I guess I end up watering once a week, but remember mine is in an open basket with no media. I'd just let the plant tell me when it was getting too dry. YOu don't want the pseudobulbs to get too puny, but do let them wrinkle up a bit.

-Cj

Nancy · #15 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 11:07 AM

It won't be easy, but I'll give it a try. I hope this is your year to witness your explosion of flowers. I can't imagine how that plant fits into a six inch basket. Do you have any pictures of it?

Orchidflowerchild · #16 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy

It won't be easy, but I'll give it a try. I hope this is your year to witness your explosion of flowers. I can't imagine how that plant fits into a six inch basket. Do you have any pictures of it?

It's not really *in* the basket, so much as climbing all over the basket.

I'm really looking forward to the L. perrinii, too.

-Cj

Nancy · #17 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 11:21 AM

Did you originally put any potting mix in the basket when it was in the basket?

Orchidflowerchild · #18 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nancy

Did you originally put any potting mix in the basket when it was in the basket?

It came in the basket. I haven't added anything. It is essentially mounted on a basket.

Here is a pic of my L. perrinii:

That is a 4" pot with just bits of media that remain after most of it has been picked out or watered out. It is growing down the side of the pot and now back up toward the top of the pot. I plan to just put a hook on the pot and let it go. I find that once a plant is established, there is no reason to bother it too much. This is especially true of things like C. walkeriana, nobilior, and aclandiae. They hate root disturbance.

Also, I like specimen plants better than having bunches of divisions.

-Cj

Nancy · #19 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 12:52 PM

That looks so healthy. I'll probably get a basket for my walkeriana. There's something very natural about seeing the roots climbing around something, as they would a tree. What is the average relative humidity where you are?

**Cynthia, Prescott, AZ** · #20 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 01:18 PM

When you have a great many plants, that lovely pot mounted plant begins to be a space hog. I am looking forward to some day having my permanent greenhouse complex built where I can let each plant grow into its own personal aesthetically pleasing creation. I expect to have lots of room, but can see that I don't really want more than a couple of thousand plants, just because of the work load involved. So I'll concentrate on the aesthetics of each plant, and the low up keep growing methods.

Orchidflowerchild · #21 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 04:37 PM

Nancy: http://www.cityrating.com/cityhumidity.asp?City=Houston We have slightly lower humidity in Huntsville, but only slightly. Probably a couple percentage points at the most.

Cynthia: Heh, I'm laaaaaazy when it comes to things like repotting, so I mount most of my plants anyway. That Laelia is just going to end up being mounted on a pot because I'm sure not gonna try to get the pot and the plant apart, now.

Meanwhile, with my 8.5' x 10' new GH and my afinity for big honkin' plants, watch how quick I'm expanding the GH.

-Cj