clowesia Grace Dunn -- inquiry - Orchid Board

chloroplast · #1 01-30-2008, 09:51 PM

I just returned from the 19th WOC with a Clowesia 'Grace Dunn' and, after reading some literature on this genus, I have a couple of questions:

1. Watering: I received my plant bare-root. The pseudobulbs are leafless. The roots appeared to be shriveled and dead. My plant appears to be producing a flower spike. Should I water it? How much?

2. Potting: Since it is producing a flower spike, I potted it in fine fir bark top-dressed with sphagnum. Is this ok?

I typically stay away from orchids that are not Phals or Paphs, but I am fascinated by this little orchid and its flowers.

Thank you,

Ken

kavanaru · #2 01-31-2008, 03:02 AM

Hi Ken,

to my opinion, Catasetinae (including Clowesia) are quite easy plants... Treat yours like Catasetum (http://orchidweb.org/aos/orchids/doc...ecatasetum.pdf & http://www.orchidmall.com/general/catasetm.htm), or well, at least that's the way I used to keep mines in Venezuela. Very important is lots of water and light during the growing period!

Check also for Clowesia and Catasetum here in the OB... a couple of nice threads have been published

chloroplast · #3 01-31-2008, 07:40 PM

Thanks for the articles!

I'm a bit perplexed as to what constitutes "new growth." Does watering resume when a flower spike starts to form or when new leaves are being produced?

Also, most of the articles state that watering should be intense once the new roots are 2-3" long--it's hard to imagine how I can determine this without constantly unpotting the plant and disturbing its roots (unless I kept it bare-root) but I don't think keeping it bare-root is a good idea while it's producing a flower spike.

Any thoughts on these points?

Ken

nancy · #4 03-26-2008, 10:18 PM

Hi Ken -
My opinion only, having - ah, had a few of these lose their will to live...plants absorb nutrients and water through their roots mainly. A plant without roots cannot drink. I'd be afraid of causing it to rot from the ground up.
All spring/summer/fall catasetinae grow like mad, produce lovely lush foliage, photosynthesize, and store nutrients for just what your plant is doing. It will use those nutrients to make the flowers. You will want to keep it humid, but I think anything resembling 'feeding' or 'watering' is a really big error in judgment.
My catasetinae are all producing new growth, and have roots from 1" to 3" long, but I am not watering them yet. Shot myself in the foot before!
Regards - Nancy

elermore · #5 05-30-2008, 03:02 AM

Hi Ken According to the bloke of Holtz he's in the USA castinae aren't great lovers of water once a week is enough but a good drenching and while ever the plant has leaves keep watering and feeding, when the leaves drop stop watering, I live in Oz and have approx 50 of these plants in my collection Rebecca Northern " shima" being one last year it had 7 spikes and was lucky enough to fluke Grand Champion.....regards Elermore