growing dowiana on windowsill

[InnaK]

Hi! Has anyone grown dowiana from seedling to an adult specimen? Please share your story. I recently acquired dowiana seedlings that look very healthy, new growths and all, so the starting point is excellent. On top of that, it's a 4N kind so I am determined to do my best for the plants to thrive and not to end up in a compost box.

[My Green Pets]

Hi Inna, I have many dowiana aurea and rosita seedlings (about 3-5 cm tall) that I am growing in a growtent, along with many other Cattleya seedlings. I update on YouTube once a week and every day on Instagram.
In general I would suggest keeping them warm and letting them dry out thoroughly between watering. This becomes even more important in winter as the plants grow older.

How large are your seedlings? 4N is a great genotype to have, congrats! Where did you get them?

[thefish1337]

I think if you can get them the light they need then it will work out just fine.

[Keysguy]

high light, warm temps and make sure they dry out as fast as they get wet. Especially in winter.

[InnaK]

Thank you, guys! I have 4 seedlings, ranging from 2 to 4 inches, my friend who is AOS judge got them for me through a grower friend, not sure which one. My problem for now is to keep the humidity around the plants. The seedlings are in good medium that does not retain water, and the plants are in net pots with roots on the outside. The roots that I see dry up quickly, and the plants started to look a bit dehydrated. I added LECA and perlite chunks to two clay pots that are a bit larger than the net pots, and put the seedlings on top of that without replanting or adding medium on the sides. The other two seedlings are in net pots only for now. I am in NJ, the house air is dry, 10-15% humidity only, and outside is still on a cool side and dry, doesn't help with the problem I am facing. Maybe clay pot and LECA will help with humidity? All ideas are welcome I will definitely check out updates on YouTube, thank you for that.

[Leafmite]

If the roots are looking dehydrated, water more often. It is when they stop growing that you cut back on the water.

I had a tiny seedling of these sent to me by mistake once and I kept it for a few years before passing it along to someone else. It wasn't a mini-Catt, which is what I prefer. I potted mine in a large plastic Vanda basket and red lava rock with the roots mostly exposed in the beginning (it was a tiny seedling so there was minimal roots). I made certain that the roots always turned green when I watered, then did not water again until the roots turned white again. I otherwise followed the directions Chadwick and Sons gave. It worked well.

Here is the amazing Chadwick and Son's guide to growing these if you haven't already found it:

Cattleya dowiana

[estación seca]

With relative humidity like that I strongly recommend you get a humidifier, or put them in a terrarium. You could also use lidded jars, an aquarium with a lid.

For a while I watched yard sales for old aquaria. I have enough now. I go to the hardware store and have glass cut for lids. Most aquaria are large enough you need two pieces of glass, because one piece is too large to handle safely.