Cycnoches warscewiczii #1

[smweaver]

A number of years ago I bought a compot of seedlings from an outcross of this species. I now have four survivors, all of which are producing their first spikes this year. This is the first of the four plants to open its blooms, and they are powerfully fragrant, smelling strongly of bananas and spice.

Steve

Cycnoches warscewiczii #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cycnoches warscewiczii #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Cycnoches warscewiczii #1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Becca]

Absolutely beautiful Steve! Do you have any culture advice on growing this?

[smweaver]

Thanks, Becca! Well, considering that I've killed twice as many seedlings as those that have survived, I may not be the best guy to offer you any absolutely wise words of wisdom. :-) This species likes heat, humidity and lots of water and fertilizer while in its growth mode (for me that's late spring through mid fall, roughly). Light seems to be of less importance, in my experience, as a couple of the plants I have were grown in very bright light over the past summer (strong enough to bloom the more light-demanding cattleya and dendrobium species), and the other two were grown in conditions that are closer to what stanhopeas appreciate.

The one cardinal rule I would suggest that you follow is to respect the plant's dormancy and avoid watering it when it drops its leaves. Even though this is considered a warm-to-hot growing species, my plants do just fine with cool winter temperatures once they go dormant, easily handling the same temperatures as my lycastes, cymbidiums and other species that enjoy cool winter nights (but I also do not give the cycnoches a drop of water during this time; the combination of cool temperatures and moisture at the roots is something I've learned the hard way that they simply won't tolerate).

Other than that, this species is pretty easy going in my opinion. Watch out for spider mites during the summer, especially if temperatures are high and humidity levels are low.

Steve

[tuvoc]

Well done, Steve. I have one, that for some reason, has bloomed in February for the last three years. Looks like it's going to this time too. You're right on about the scent. It is simply amazing.

Kim

[isurus79]

Looks good Steve! A great species for sure!

[Becca]

Thanks for the advice Steve! I can't provide mine a temperature drop, so I'll just see what I can do with it.

[alsorchids]

Steve, if you have four of these orchids the show they will put on and scent should be super! I never thought a orchid flower could smell like bananas and spice--how neat!

[smweaver]

Thank you, everyone, for your comments.

Becca, if you can't provide a temperature drop, your plants of this species (and any others you have in this genus) will probably do better than mine since they don't really experience cool temperatures in nature. My plants have to deal with cool winter temps out of necessity. Luckily for me (and, I suppose, for the plants) this only occurs during their dormancy, when they're not actively growing anyway. So maybe they just "sleep" through the less-than-ideal winter conditions for me.

[jdw]

I enjoyed this. It's the first time I've bloomed it. But I was disappointed in how fast it faded. Opened just before Thanksgiving and is already half gone, long before I could take it in for judging. Is 2 weeks or less the average time you are finding for the flowers?

Sorry, but my image uploads failed...

John

[smweaver]

Hi, John. Yes, about two weeks is a fairly normal amount of time for the blooms to stay in decent shape.

Steve