Got a Bllra marfitch "Howard's Dream"...now what?

[butterfly_muse]

Good afternoon, all! As the title says, I was out today grabbing some supplies at Lowes and this Bllra Marfitch "Howard's Dream" was calling to me. It was huge, gorgeous, and for $12 I couldn't say no. The guy at our Lowes has "reached his wife's permission limit on orchids" and happens to love them, so he always tries to get nice ones at our store. I'm glad we moved over here, lol.

Anyway, I am still fairly new to 'chids so I am not sure whether or not this one needs the same care as other cattleya types? How much light does it need? Water? I've been researching and it says to water only when dry, which I can totally do. This guy is potted in moss, which is weird because all of my other cattleyas came in bark. The roots look different, too. I don't know much about this particular species of orchid (obviously).

I also grabbed an Lc. Fire Dance 'Patricia' because red is my favorite color and it was also lovely and healthy looking. He is going to live with my other cattleyas in the bathroom because for some reason they absolutely love it in there and are going crazy.

But this Bllra. is far too large for the bathroom window, so I was trying to figure out where to put it? The window it's currently in gets more shaded light than my bedroom, which gets full on direct light. Both windows are western facing. Does this have a preference?

Also how does it look? (Pics attached )...and what about feeding?

Finally, does anyone have any good tips on keeping felines away from orchids? *scowl* My two practically live in both windows that are candidates for this orchid. One of them took a bite out of my Eplc. Golden Sunburst, which is why the orchids now live in the bathroom..>.<

Thanks, guys!

[FSUOrchids]

I have the Howard's Dream...it's pretty tolerant to light sources, as far as I have been able to tell. As mentioned, water when dry, but don't overwater. The flowers on this plant are HUGE compared to a lot of ondicium intergenerics. The one I got at the beginning of the year is spiking from a new growth now.

I use a balanced water release fertilizer and it seems to do the trick.

[butterfly_muse]

Should I go ahead and leave it in the moss that it's planted in? I was reading about them and it said they prefer bark or New Zealand moss. I was also wondering if I could put it in a decorative pot or should I leave the clear pot for the sunlight to photosynthesize? Normally I leave my guys out of decorative pots except in this case, the window is a highly trafficked window by my kitties, and I don't want them to knock it over.

[james mickelso]

brassia, cochlioda, odontoglossum and miltonia make up this orchid. It's a multigeneric. They like medium light, don't like to stay wet at the roots but just moist, warmth tolerant, and don'tr like moss. Some folks can grow it in moss but most others just kill it. The roots are very fine and numerous so down under all those roots it stays fairly moist. You could repot this but I would wait until it puts out new grow and that growth puts out roots. The new growth puts out new roots when it is half way to maturity. Here a couple pics. That big huge pbulb looks kinda pregnant. I would be careful with the watering making sure the roots are just moist and not wet. The flower spikes which are about 2-3 feet tall will rot if this is kept too wet. The other LC looks ok but to me it looks like it needs better media. But wait to repot it. When new buds grow on the base of the old pbulbs and put out roots.....that is the best time.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

brassia, cochlioda, odontoglossum and miltonia make up this orchid. It's a multigeneric. They like medium light, don't like to stay wet at the roots but just moist, warmth tolerant, and don'tr like moss. Some folks can grow it in moss but most others just kill it. The roots are very fine and numerous so down under all those roots it stays fairly moist. You could repot this but I would wait until it puts out new grow and that growth puts out roots. The new growth puts out new roots when it is half way to maturity. Here a couple pics. That big huge pbulb looks kinda pregnant. I would be careful with the watering making sure the roots are just moist and not wet. The flower spikes which are about 2-3 feet tall will rot if this is kept too wet. The other LC looks ok but to me it looks like it needs better media. But wait to repot it. When new buds grow on the base of the old pbulbs and put out roots.....that is the best time.

There are no pictures...? I watered it when I brought it home, was that a mistake? How long should I wait before I water it? Should it dry out or stay constantly damp, or? Should I repot it in bark when its ready? What do you mean by pregnant? Lol, now I'm totally worried that the watering I did was bad. How do I dry it out? Or should I just wait?

[james mickelso]

I see the pics I posted as an edit. These are to show you what it looks like when the new growth starts to put out roots. Before this the new growth is relying totally on the back bulbs to nurture it. That big pbulb should put out at least one spike around august. It will shoot out the side leafs. You shouldn't need to water this for at least a week maybe more. Spagnum moss holds a lot of water and should be allowed to dry to near completion before watering again. It's not the moss but how tightly it's packed around the roots. So just be careful how often you water this. Lift it up and if it still has some weight don't water. If it feels light, water. Watering is the most critical thing to learn about growing orchids. It's easy but you have to pay attention.

[Skayc1]

I put my orchids up on top of high hard to reach shelves/bookcases...crossing fingers good so far no cats have bothered them, yet they certainly look like they want to when i'm either moving the pots to water or adding a new orchid....

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

I see the pics I posted as an edit. These are to show you what it looks like when the new growth starts to put out roots. Before this the new growth is relying totally on the back bulbs to nurture it. That big pbulb should put out at least one spike around august. It will shoot out the side leafs. You shouldn't need to water this for at least a week maybe more. Spagnum moss holds a lot of water and should be allowed to dry to near completion before watering again. It's not the moss but how tightly it's packed around the roots. So just be careful how often you water this. Lift it up and if it still has some weight don't water. If it feels light, water. Watering is the most critical thing to learn about growing orchids. It's easy but you have to pay attention.

I use the skewer method with my other plants, is that okay to use with this one too given its shallow/fragile roots? If it is, I'll put one in it. I can see the pictures now, thanks. My cattleyas are putting out new roots and shoots now, should I give them new media? I just repotted all of my phals yesterday, so I still have some moist brand new bark sitting in a bucket that I didn't use.

Also with the Bllra, I was wondering about brightness? I was trying to look it up last night but every source was different. Some said it can take brightness, some said more than phal, less than cat, some said mostly shade, some said don't let western light hit it in the afternoon (which is the direction my windows face so now I'm paranoid). Do I need to get a thin piece of cloth or something to put in the window for it? Do I need something to cut the light or is it the heat I'm trying to cut? =\ It's so confusing.

[butterfly_muse]

Originally Posted by Skayc1

I put my orchids up on top of high hard to reach shelves/bookcases...crossing fingers good so far no cats have bothered them, yet they certainly look like they want to when i'm either moving the pots to water or adding a new orchid....

Unfortunately with the way my windows are, I have to put my orchids either in the sills or on a smaller (4ft or so) bookshelf in front of the window or else they will be up close to the ceiling and won't really get any light at all. And as it is, my cats are freaking acrobats (especially my little black one, he can open dresser drawers and doors with his paws) and can jump onto basically any piece of furniture that is 5 foot high or less. =\

So far my cats are being good...so far...

[Island Girl]

Seeing your window, I think (experts please correct me if I'm wrong!) that with those trees shading the window from the western sun, that that window is just right for these guys.

Generally speaking, any sun before 10 am, and after 4pm is ok, and usually not too strong for 'chids. Otherwise, they need to be shaded. Depending on the genera, the shading is more or less throughout the day.

Just keep an eye out for them, to make sure the sun doesn't burn them, just in case. (sometimes sun can hit a leaf or two, when you think it can't, & will burn a spot or two... Had this happen recently... The sun reflected off of something, & burned a couple spots on the leaves of one orchid, out of the ten on the shelf, Lol, and the rest of the plant was perfectly happy! And bloomed)