stanhopea questions

[diego_p]

Earlier this year I bought a Stanhopea nigroviolacea selling from orchids limited. It's growth was really slow until this month when we moved to another house apartment with a lot of natural light. Now it's growing two more p bulbs while finishing the first one it started last month.
Now that is getting cold, shouldn't it be 'dormant?' I've only read a few things about giving them a slight winter rest and considering how freaking cold it gets in south dakota, I don't want to have to keep watering it and possibly freezing or killing it, but I also don't want to stop watering it too soon before the new bulbs mature.
And what if it just continues to grow?
Anyone that has experience, advice would be vertu appreciated.

[Subrosa]

Even Stanhopea that require a cool dry rest can't take freezing temps. But other than that they can take some cold. My jenischiana saw air temps in the low 40s last winter, and one morning the window it was hanging in had a nice layer of frost on the inside. I would keep watering yours normally until the new growth matures.

[Oscarman]

My Stanhopea graveolens (?) stopped all growth while in flower and didn't resume for about 4-6 weeks after the flowers faded. I didn't reduce watering at all during that time. It is potted in NZ moss and a fully open 1/2" hardware cloth basket, so it dries out fast.

[isurus79]

Not all Stans require a dry rest, but nigroviolacea is one that does. When the newest growths finish their growth, slow your watering to 1x per week or less and let the bulbs shrivel to about half their current size. You won't get blooms without a dry rest.

[flexdc]

I think nigroviolacea is a variation of tigrina. I bought one from Santa Barbara orchid estate 2 years ago, and it actually grows pretty well in my garden outside.
Mine tends to flower in late/spring early summer and then grow in fall/winter. The growths happen suddenly and mature in about 2 months. Min temp in my garden in winter months is around 50. A few nights may drop to the upper 40s but rare. My Stanhopea seems to do ok with this and I continue to water albeit a little less in the winter. (May be once a week.) Our day time temp always bounces back to lower 70s even in the middle of winter.
I don't know where you are, but I doubt Stanhopea can withstand a freeze. However cool temps are ok, and I continue to water, and usually in the morning. Also, my plant is in a wire basket, so water flows freely through.
This is my tigrina in flower in my garden back in May.




Andrew