schomburgkia

[electric.chowder]

Does any one know some general care of a schomburgkia? I received one and have no idea what it's needs are, from what I've gathered it's similar to a cattleya, but any other info would be great, thanks

-chowder

[tom499]

Phil's Orchid World - The Cattleya Alliance Culture - additional information on SCHOMBURGKIA

An interesting group.

Grow them like Laelias in that they like to be mounted, dry out well and have a winter dry period, but like Catts that they want warmth and sun

Whats the full name of yours? Some go for quite a price!

[flowerchild]

I have a very small schomburgkia it is called a stn. schombrgkia , it also has the name myrmecophilia thompsoniae. Do those cultural sheets in the reply above apply to this type, it is very tiny in a 2" pot and not doing so hot. I received it in a 1$ raffle at our orchid society meeting.

[electric.chowder]

thanks tom!

I don't know the full name of it, my mother's florist gave it to me after it went out of bloom, it had a price tag of 50$US on it still though! and the tag just said schomburgkia hybrid orchid

-chowder

[electric.chowder]

seems we're the lucky ones when it comes to cheap schoms, flowerchild eh? hopefully yours will bounce back, the flowers from all the schoms I looked at are beautiful

[flowerchild]

It seems to me that the best kind of orchids in life are "free" orchids or nearly free eh chowder????I wish that my mother had a florist that gave me free orchids!!!! Flowerchild

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Does it have a pseudo bulb like a vigorous Cattleya, or does the bulb look more like an elongated upside down horn of plenty. The one with the horn like bulb used to be called schomburgkia, but has been reclassified as a Myrmecophila, a name that means ant loving, because ants live in the hollow of the horn.

[electric.chowder]

Cynthia, it's a little under nourished right now, so it's hard to tell, but the pbulb feels hollow, I'll try to snap a picture at some point today and hopefully we can get this thing figured out,

thanks!

-chowder

[mbasden]

Have 2 of these. Rafting is best and sun the same as cattelayas. Let dry out between watering. The flowers come on new growth in the summer. Beautiful flowers, too.

[mbasden]

Also would like to add the Schomburkia Tibicinia is an ant magnet. In the wild, the Tibicinia is the type of ant that lives in the tubular pseudobulbs. In the summer the ants will love to make a home in the hollows. Be prepared to use a mild soap and water mixture to rid the plant of them. I underline mild taking care not to get any on the roots. Sometimes I use a Q-Tip with the soap solution to dig them out.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

mbasden, you must be growing outside. I have a number of the Myrmecophilas in a greenhouse, and have for some time, and have yet to have ants take up residence in them. Maybe it is an ants species specific thing.

[mbasden]

I do during the summer and early fall months and the ants love the hollows on the Schomburkias and also the little pearls of nectar on the buds of my other orchids. During the summer I keep them in my oak tree and water them from the well. They do good there but for the bugs. It doesn't worry me until I bring them in the house and the ants come out of hiding.

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Might want to try 'Tangle Foot' on the tree. It is a sticky gue that you use around the perimeter of the tree to keep the ants from going up the tree.

[mbasden]

Thanks for the advice. I will try it.