Cattleyas in the rain

[DirtyCoconuts]

At least I know. I’m giving away sphag and using it for compost over here lol

Bulbophyllum and that’s IT!

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by christoph0315

It will go up all the way to 90 over the next few days. I bet that is too much.

90 is no problem for most Cattleyas! I grow mine outside and they grow like mad in temps around 105 for months on end.

[BrassavolaStars]

One thing I might suggest to consider is that if a plant is in bloom to bring it inside. I find that rain and/or hot conditions make the life of blooms much shorter.

This is just anecdotal but every time I’ve had a flower get rained on, especially a cattleya, it doesn’t last but a day or more.

[farley101]

Adding my experience, this year has been pretty much drought conditions so I've had to water a lot the outdoor plants. I had bought 7 catts (and a bunch more since then) that have been drying out something awful due to hot weather and high winds. I finally repotted into a self mix of medium bark/perlite/charcoal today, hoping that will help keep things wet for a few days longer than the coarse bark they all came in.

I imagine the vendor I bought from either waters everyday or has the right conditions to allow for breaks in watering. Definitely do research into what you may need and plan for what you use accordingly.

[SouthPark]

That's true. Growing plants at home and keeping them healthy often requires control of various sorts.

That control can either come from machines or it can come from people, or a combination of both.

Which-ever it is, the aim is to have methods that keeps a few important things under control.

The various styles for getting things done out there is remarkable.

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by estación seca

If you have regular summer rain, plants in tight sphagnum might stay too wet and suffer root rot. Sphagnum works great for those disciplined enough not to overwater.

Good gracious! I just learned I have self discipline!

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by farley101

I had bought 7 catts (and a bunch more since then) that have been drying out something awful due to hot weather and high winds.

Out of curiosity, what are you considering hot weather for Catts?

[farley101]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Out of curiosity, what are you considering hot weather for Catts?

We hit 96-98 last week with about 25-30% humidity and 25 mph winds. Probably fine temp wise for them but the humidity and wind made everything dry out fast. If I were home and able to water everyday that would have helped, but I was not and came home to every plant with shriveled pseudobulbs.

[Dollythehun]

I've had similar problems and coupled with insects, I elected to keep them inside this summer.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by farley101

We hit 96-98 last week with about 25-30% humidity and 25 mph winds. Probably fine temp wise for them but the humidity and wind made everything dry out fast. If I were home and able to water everyday that would have helped, but I was not and came home to every plant with shriveled pseudobulbs.

That sounds pretty frustrating! I definitely hit my plants with water everyday in these types of temps, which seems like half the year these days. I definitely get anxious if there's no one around to water!