Help: Laelia anceps in situ

[justatypn]

omg...one more Lealia cultural do's and dont's...tks all....

[Don Perusse]

Hi Weng - No authority here but I have a Laelia Anceps (var. veitchiana x oaxaca) in bloom now and has been for about a month already. I have never sprayed the sheath for fear of bud rot. However, I lived in SW Ga. where humidity if high to begin with. Interesting comments from others.

[weng]

Hi Don,

Thank you for your input. I now believe that the dry season for L. anceps may be in the summer, rather than in the winter.

Weng

[cbeule]

All of my Laelia anceps bloom in either early or late winter here. As they are from the mountains of Mexico and South through central America, they are rather easy to grow here. Warm to hot dry summers and cool to sometimes cold wet winters. They tolerate a great deal of sun and wild variations in temperature. Hope this helps.

[Ray]

To answer the question about how they "manage" in unattended nature, I suppose it's OK to say "just fine, thanks", but keep in mind that mother nature is not necessarily very forgiving - some plants probably bloom great, are pollinated, and life goes on. Others might get gooped up and not open fully or at all, and have to try again next season.

[weng]

Thank you cbeule . That really helps, as it does rather confirm my suspicions that L anceps must be dependent on the rain to wash off the gloop.

Weng

[Palito]

the "winter" where L. anceps grows is never too dry... it gets very cold, but still it's not a desert lol. There is condensation and the plants still get wet and then dry quickly under full sun.

[cbeule]

Weng;
I did not intend to lead you into thinking that Laelia anceps needs Winter-water to wash off anything. All plants need leaves that are free of too much dirt or they will not photosynthesize well. Laelia anceps needs the cold/wet and thrives well in the heat as well. It is temperature tollerant. The mountains where it is found in nature receive daily morning or evening moisture followed by the full sun for the duration of the day. That means the temperature varries greatly from nightime to daytime. Hope this helps. cbeule

[Don Perusse]

Hi everyone....if you want to see a nice "Laelia" click on my gallery. I posted my latest bloom the other day. Enjoy! I surely did. Bloom lasted over a month.

[weng]

Cbeule,
I had understood that L anceps would die if watered during the winter months, so could not see how the species expects to flower properly in their native habitat with the exceptional amount of gloop it produces on its buds.

The question arises because I have to grow my plants in a greenhouse, and the gloop prevents the flowers from opening if the plant is kept dry. So I can vouch for the necessity of the winter wash !

Weng