C. dowiana - clues on mature growth

[piping plover]

I was unfamiliar with Cattleya rex and the dowiana rosita——just looked them up; striking form and colors. What special acquisitions, I look forward to you sharing photos when they bloom for you.

Thank you for the information below. Particularly interesting to read the distinction of a noticeable rest phase after a mature plant blooms versus a plant that is growing onto maturity. Also, I appreciate your observation about the roots branching even in a rest phase.

Although I’ve grown Catt hybrids for nearly 35 years, I’ve just begun growing the species types in the past year. Because the species can be traced back to their native habitat and the environmental conditions there, I feel the challenge and responsibility of trying to recreate those known conditions as best as possible. Knowing that the dowiana culture is a stretch for the growing conditions I can provide indoors in RI; I just needed to grasp onto some clues the plant was showing me and I was getting frustrated that cadence was not as obvious as I was expecting it to be.

Thank you all for the detailed and helpful comments; you all are the best

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

Lots of good info here.

I've grown Cattleya rex from flask since 2014, and just got some dowianas a couple of years ago.

As Roberta, Jeff and others have already mentioned, resting will come once the plant is mature and flowering. Once the plant enters this cycle, you should see the different phases pretty clearly. You'll notice it doesn't do much growing after flowering, but it depends on the plant. Some of mine put out one or two smaller, non-blooming growths in the autumn after flowering.

The advice to keep watering during active growth is sound. So is the suggestion to be very wary of temperatures. Lately the number I'm seeing a lot is minimum 65F/18C for dowiana. If you're staying above that, and hopefully getting the plants warmer during the day (80F/27C), I see no reason why you can't continue 'growing season' conditions.

Currently one of my dowiana rositas is putting out a fat new growth, while its sibling has been sitting quietly doing nothing for a few months. So, I water the growing one more, and the resting one less.

One last observation, the plants' roots can continue to grow and branch vigorously during this rest period. I think that to keep them happy requires a certain amount of moisture as well. Maybe high humidity is enough, but mine get sprayed at least twice a week.

[piping plover]

I see what you mean now on the root branching. Mine has started to branch now. Very helpful and detailed information you provided below, thank you!

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

Lots of good info here.

I've grown Cattleya rex from flask since 2014, and just got some dowianas a couple of years ago.

As Roberta, Jeff and others have already mentioned, resting will come once the plant is mature and flowering. Once the plant enters this cycle, you should see the different phases pretty clearly. You'll notice it doesn't do much growing after flowering, but it depends on the plant. Some of mine put out one or two smaller, non-blooming growths in the autumn after flowering.

The advice to keep watering during active growth is sound. So is the suggestion to be very wary of temperatures. Lately the number I'm seeing a lot is minimum 65F/18C for dowiana. If you're staying above that, and hopefully getting the plants warmer during the day (80F/27C), I see no reason why you can't continue 'growing season' conditions.

Currently one of my dowiana rositas is putting out a fat new growth, while its sibling has been sitting quietly doing nothing for a few months. So, I water the growing one more, and the resting one less.

One last observation, the plants' roots can continue to grow and branch vigorously during this rest period. I think that to keep them happy requires a certain amount of moisture as well. Maybe high humidity is enough, but mine get sprayed at least twice a week.

[My Green Pets]

Nice and looks like there's a new growth, too!
Thank you for the update, I hope you will continue documenting your dowiana journey in this thread!

[SG in CR]

I'd love to grow them but everybody I talk to tells me that where I'm at the dry season is too hot and too dry for C. dowiana (though if I can find a reasonably priced plant I still want to try). So I'd be hesitant to give them a dry rest. They seem to do well in the area around Lankester Gardens near Cartago, Costa Rica and they can get well below 18C at night there.

[piping plover]

Thank you for sharing that information; especially interesting hearing about their local growing conditions in Central America.

Originally Posted by SG in CR

I'd love to grow them but everybody I talk to tells me that where I'm at the dry season is too hot and too dry for C. dowiana (though if I can find a reasonably priced plant I still want to try). So I'd be hesitant to give them a dry rest. They seem to do well in the area around Lankester Gardens near Cartago, Costa Rica and they can get well below 18C at night there.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by SG in CR

I'd love to grow them but everybody I talk to tells me that where I'm at the dry season is too hot and too dry for C. dowiana (though if I can find a reasonably priced plant I still want to try). So I'd be hesitant to give them a dry rest. They seem to do well in the area around Lankester Gardens near Cartago, Costa Rica and they can get well below 18C at night there.

If hot and dry, sounds like Mother Nature just needs a little help. Probably no need for "rest", certainly not if it is hot.

[piping plover]

I finally got a sheath on my dowiana! Hopefully it makes it to the finish line 😁. Will keep you all posted.

[piping plover]

Originally Posted by My Green Pets

Lots of good info here.

I've grown Cattleya rex from flask since 2014, and just got some dowianas a couple of years ago.

As Roberta, Jeff and others have already mentioned, resting will come once the plant is mature and flowering. Once the plant enters this cycle, you should see the different phases pretty clearly. You'll notice it doesn't do much growing after flowering, but it depends on the plant. Some of mine put out one or two smaller, non-blooming growths in the autumn after flowering.

The advice to keep watering during active growth is sound. So is the suggestion to be very wary of temperatures. Lately the number I'm seeing a lot is minimum 65F/18C for dowiana. If you're staying above that, and hopefully getting the plants warmer during the day (80F/27C), I see no reason why you can't continue 'growing season' conditions.

Currently one of my dowiana rositas is putting out a fat new growth, while its sibling has been sitting quietly doing nothing for a few months. So, I water the growing one more, and the resting one less.

One last observation, the plants' roots can continue to grow and branch vigorously during this rest period. I think that to keep them happy requires a certain amount of moisture as well. Maybe high humidity is enough, but mine get sprayed at least twice a week.

Thank you so much for your thorough reply and experience with this. I thought i replied back to you last year and just noticed that I didn’t.

My dowiana set a sheath this September with abundant “honey dew?”; guessing it wanted to befriend the ants for protection.

Anyhow, it didn’t flower but now I know that it’s of flowering age I can see that it’s behaving as I would expect with the growth and dormancy cycles. After the sheath dried up the plant was quiet for weeks then put out rapid branching roots ; and no swelling bud eye yet. So going on what you and others mentioned above I’m thinking this still qualifies as rest phase until new bud growth starts. I’ll spray it a few times a week keeping it warm and bright with a fan on it.

Is this a good time to repot with root growth or do you recommend waiting until in the active growing phase?

Photos below when in green sheath then afterwards with root growth:

Thank you!

[estación seca]

It's too late to repot now. You'll damage the roots. It will grow just fine hanging out of the pot.

[Roberta]

The time to repot is when the new roots just start to appear (the first little bumps). Based on what those new roots (now too long to disturb) look like, the time to repot was 2 months ago or more. You might want to put a note on a tag in the pot, to remind yourself to start looking for new roots in September 2024. Repotting time likely would be late September to early October. (That's why a lot of people kill this species, repotting in the fall is not intuitive but that is the correct time, done at other times can be deadly)