Basket Culture

[Nancy]

I went back to the local greenhouse for some help with my cattleya aclandiae. I was told that it it should do well if the whole plant was placed in a teak basket. I wet the plant down and it popped easilly out of the pot. It has a beautiful root system. I ploppedit into the basket and now it is sitting in a mound above the top of the basket. Is it okay to leave it like this? My humidity runs about 60%. Is there any thing else I should do for it?.

[Orchidflowerchild]

I'd fill in around the roots with some sort of coarse media, so the plant doesn't wiggle around.

-CJ

[kmarch]

I grew a Cattleya aclandiae in a basket filled with sphag for several years with good success, but....I watered it every day as it dried out quickly in the basket. My humidity averaged 70-80% but occasionally dropped to 50-60% in the drier summer. Also try to keep it on the cool side but with fairly bright light.

[Tobi]

I agree with CJ. Use some medium to large pieces of bark and medium pieces
of charcoal. The charcoal will absorb the acid produced from the bark and
filter impurities.

[Nancy]

I filled the rest of the basket with what I could push down using mostly bark and perlite. It looks okay, so far. I'll watch it to make sure it doesn't dry totally out. I'm a little confused about when it blooms. I've heard it blooms both in the spring and in the fall. Right now it's in the middle of root growth so it seems likely, since it will be entering its dry period, that it will more likely to bloom in the fall. I's cute, no matter what, though. Wish me luck.

[kmarch]

Nancy,

My aclandiae went through 2 growth cycles a year. It blooms off mature new growths. Like I said above, keep it more moist than other Cattleyas, cool and fairly bright light.

Post a pic when it blooms!

Cheers

[Nancy]

What is the weather like where you are in the winter. I live in Baltimore, where the winter days will become very cold and very short. Do you think it will still grow during this period?

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

I think this is one of the orchids that needs to dry out very fast. So, don't keep it wet. I am trying to remember what Alan Koch (Gold Country) said about aclandiae. I think it was that it is a twig epiphyte, and benefits from sunlight on the roots, and will produce food from chlorophyll in the roots, hence basket culture where the roots are exposed. My solution is to use clay pots for the bifoliates like aclandiae and all my rupiculous Laelias, so they dry really fast, but ignoring the sun light on roots. They seem to doing very well with this treatment.

[Vivienne]

Cynthia - question, since you mentioned it, does the bifoliate/unifoliate habit indicate a difference in culture requirements?

[Orchidflowerchild]

Originally Posted by Vivienne

Cynthia - question, since you mentioned it, does the bifoliate/unifoliate habit indicate a difference in culture requirements?

Most (Note: MOST) unifoliate cattleyas come from higher elevations and are thus more tolerant of cooler temps and temp fluctuations. Depending on the species, they might also need a pretty significant drying of in winter.

Most bifoliate species come from much lower elevations and are tough, light-loving plants that deal with huge environmental swings. Several of them (nobilior and walkeriana, specifically) demand a dry, bright winter and some (luteola and violacea, particularly) resent extended periods of cold and dark.

For the most part, they will all grow in roughly the same conditions, but it pays to research native habitat info for the plants. You could do quite well growing C. mossiae in temps from 45-75F all year, but C. violacea would hate you for that. C. violacea, despite a HUGE area of natural occurance, exists in very restricted elevation zones so it is a very warm growing plant favouring temperatures similar to standard Phalaenopsis.

In general, though, unifoliate species grow cooler and bifoliates warmer, though both groups will generally tolerate fluctuation one way or the other, as long as they aren't extreme.

-Cj

[Vivienne]

Thanks Cj - very helpful information indeed. I guess if they are hybrids then the toleration would probably be even greater. ???

[Nancy]

With aclandiae entering its winter drying out period, what should I base my watering it on?

[Orchidflowerchild]

Originally Posted by Vivienne

Thanks Cj - very helpful information indeed. I guess if they are hybrids then the toleration would probably be even greater. ???

Yes, expecially if crossed out to things like Mexican Laelias or Sophronitis, which would lend cold tolerance or to Encyclias or Brassavolas which would icrease light tolerance and heat tolerance. Despite most Cattleyas doing quite well in warm climates, sometimes, when it is brutally hot for months, some of the higher elevation species will sulk a little, but they perk right bck up in the fall. Toss in a little B. nodosa or Enc. cordigera and they will drink in the light and heat. I little rupiculous Laelia blood and they get to liking everything from freezing to sizzling.

Nancy: I would say make sure that youa re letting it get completely dry between waterings. Water two or three days after it is completely dry. It's okay for the stems to get a little shrively between waterings, as it will plump back up once growth begins in the spring. In fact, you could probably just ewater once a month and just lightly mist the roots, every morning. In lowland interior brazil, where the plant comes from, it experiences two or three months with very very little rain, but the humidity and morning dewfall provides enough to sustain the plants through to spring.

-Cj

[Nancy]

Yesterday I noticed that the aclandiae is growing a root. I just added supplemental light to the window. Do you think the root was in response to the greater opportunity to carry on photosynthesis?

[Orchidflowerchild]

Originally Posted by Nancy

Yesterday I noticed that the aclandiae is growing a root. I just added supplemental light to the window. Do you think the root was in response to the greater opportunity to carry on photosynthesis?

Well, and of course, it is trying to anchor itself to the new media/basket. Although orchid roots are photosynthetic, I imagine that the relative level of light gathering from the roots is nothing compared to leaves and ramicauls. More likely, I think, is that they plant is responding to root disturbance by initiating new root formation.

-Cj

[Nancy]

Well, thank God. This little guy has created so much stress trying to figure out how to do the right thing for it. Thank you so much for all your help!

[Nancy]

I've had some wrinkling of some of the leaves. This goes away when I water the plant. Should I continue to rest it on the dry side or water it to keep the wrinkles out of the leaves? Thanks.

[Orchidflowerchild]

I'd water Just to keep the leaves plump. A dry rest for a Cattleya is more like dry-er. THey still get occasional rains and daily dews. It's just that the media should get completely dry and never stay sopping.

In short, water just enough to keep the plant from shriveling.

-Cj

[Nancy]

Thank you. I guess that's the same advise I can use with the Cattleya Walkeriana as well.

[Orchidflowerchild]

Yep. For my walkeriana, I watered every day during summer, but now that it's cooler and the sun is less intense, I'm watering only as the plant starts to look a bit thirsty.

-Cj

[Nancy]

What do you think would be a good temperature for these two? Should they be kept warm? They seem to be suffering no ill effects with 65 days and 55 nights.

[Orchidflowerchild]

For Cattleyas, in general, I say nothing below 40F for very long. Ideally, 48 would be the low, but down to the low 40's and even upper 30s won't kill the plants, just slow them down. I'm keeping the GH around 50-55 as a low, right now, but it also hasn't gotten below 35 outside. WHen it hits the upper 20's, as it will likely do a couple of times this winter, I'll make 42-ish my minimum.

Also, a one-night dip below ideal temps will not kill a plant, unless it is freezing, and as long as the day temps get back to an acceptable range, the plant shouldn't miss a beat. You might blast buds, playing the odds that way, but you are not really likely to severly hinder a plant, as long as all other aspects of the culture are alright.

-Cj

[Nancy]

I'm noticing that the smaller backbulbs are turning yellow as if they will be dying off soon. Is this normal. The larger growths on the aclandiae look very healthy. Is there anything I should do about this?