Cattleya (sophronitis) Cernua care

[Phragy]

I’m new to the forum and I’ve recently acquired a couple of miniatures that im not entirely familiar with. I have this little Sophronitis Cernua that I’m trying to keep in an open terrarium globe with some water and pebbles to keep the humidity high but I’m not sure about the temps and water requirements. It’s currently in a very small pot with orchid bark. It got blown off of the pot by a wind gust and the smaller portion of the plant got detached from the larger (both have roots on them) so I added some moss to help retain moisture and fixate to the pot better. Unfortunately since this happened I see some light rotting starting from the base of a couple leaves.

I’m in New Zealand so theres never any extreme temp changes (central north island) but I’m still not sure what’s ideal for this orchid specifically. Should it be okay in the terrarium or should I remove it? What type of light do they prefer? Any general tips of keeping it would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[Roberta]

First, welcome to the Orchid Board!

I grow S. cernua outside (summer highs about 85 deg F 30 deg C, winter lows around 40 deg F 4 deg C). My winter lows are pushing the lower limit for these, probably would prefer a bit warmer, but they do tolerate it. I grow mine mounted. If potted they do need to be in a medium that is very well drained because they need to dry out between waterings. When I mount them, I don't use any moss - they are quite happy with exposed roots. I think you have sufficient humidity that you should not have to worry about drying out. (It is probably much better than mine) You might want to try mounting your plant - wait until you see new roots starting to appear. With Sophronitis, new roots and new growth tend to appear at about the same time, so easy to see. (That's not the case with all orchids... it's the new roots that you need to watch for in potting and mounting generally, but for S. cernua the new growth is a good indicator)

I think that your temperature range is pretty close to mine. If I am correct about that, you can get a good idea of what will grow outside from my website (in my signature area)

[Phragy]

Thank you so much for your help, Roberta! It’s much appreciated.

[Roberta]

If you have been growing your plants indoors or with extra protection, this is the perfect time to get them accustomed to outdoor conditions, since it is spring - they have spring, summer, and fall to acclimate so by winter, they will be well acclimated (for those orchids than can grow cool - which is a LOT of them)