Neomoorea irrorata / wallisii Care
Hello everyone. So I thought I would share what I know about my neomoorea and its indoor and outdoor care.
Temperature: Mine has done very well in a wide range of temperatures, shockingly well, from 42F on some winter nights, up to high 90s during the summer being blasted by a half day of full sun. No leaf loss or burning.
Growth Rate: Mine often puts of multiple leads. I am on a third generation of bulbs. The first was 2 leads, the second was 4, and this time I have 5 leads well on their way. Given heat above 80F it will grow rapidly so long as water is plentiful.
Medium: I use sphagnum because of the water retention. This guy seems to love water, even soaking if it is warm, and to the point that moss grows in the medium. When I repot I am careful not to remove too much medium because I do not like disturbing roots. When I did this a few months ago, the roots looked amazing given how wet they had been kept.
Light: In the winter I use grow lights and blast this puppy with between 4000 and 7000 footcandles for 12 or so hours. In the spring, when temperatures remain above 45F, I give it a half day of full sun. It seems to enjoy this. Leaves will bleach somewhat, but they do not burn, and will settle on a light lime green for me.
Water: I water weekly, keep it well drained. I have noticed that most people struggle, even in greenhouses, to prevent defoliation of the last generation of bulbs. I believe this is due to inconsistent humidity because I have noticed it defoliates way more slowly when humidity remains high. Temperature, in my opinion, has nothing to do with defoliation unless you are letting it dry out too much. Most neomooreas online show the same black tipping which slowly creeps down the leaves. Though some seem to hold onto leaves much longer. Several professional growers have told me this is just something that happens in many of them.
Size of bulbs: The size of my bulbs tend tend to be avocado sized, or even baseball sized. I attribute this to good watering and high light.
Flowering: I have not had flowers yet but I have read from more knowledgeable sources, like Dr. Fowlie, an orchid expert from the 70s that Neomoorea can be a very strange inconsistent flowerer and that anecdotal experiments have proven that it can and will flower under numerous conditions, with or without a dry period.
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