c. resplendens culture

[james mickelso]

I have a couple of c. resplendens which don't grow well. They are not growing well. The leaves are leathery like they are dehydrated. The roots aren't looking good. /I have flowered them before yet they don''t respond to my normal cattleya care. I have them in smallish clay pots, water as my other cattleyas, medium bark, sponge rock, charcol, and canadian peat moss. I have started watering with DI water and vary my feeding with 20-20-20 and 30-20-20 with an occasional 20-30-20. most of my other cattleyas do very well. I read where c. resplendens need higher temps. My day temps right now are 70 but nights are down to 45 and below. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[msaar]

I'm not sure I can help a lot with culture, but:
The proper name is C. x resplendens or C. Resplendens, depending on whether it is a natural or man-made hybrid of (guttata x schilleriana). Both species are listed as cool to warm growing, and a dry winter rest is indicated for guttata. I grow schilleriana in slatted baskets where the roots can run free(I have been told they need to photosynthesize in order to bloom well)

[james mickelso]

Thanks. I know they need more heat than most cattleyas and need their roots to dry out quickly and that is why I have it in a very dry media. But these just don't respond well at all. When I have flowered them I love them. Very colorful and FRAGRANT !!!. And the flowers last a long time too. So I just hope I can find some tidbits of info that will help me get them going. As usual I got them at SBOE as 2 year old plants and have struggled along. Agains thanks for the info.

[Cavs n' Orchids]

I havent tried schilleriana yet, but I have a guttata cross, and other than its brief winter rest, its pretty easy going. It gets full southern exposure, has winter temps in the 60's, summers in the 80's. It grows quite fast in the early summer and flowers as soon as the growth finishes up. When the roots arent actively growing, I keep it really dry, but when active it gets lots of frequent watering and fertilizer. I also use KLN to mist the leaves and roots to give the plant a boost. As long as the roots are happy, the plant is happy, so maybe try using KLN and a high Phosphorus fertilizer to coax it into making new roots? Good luck!!