Anyone grow Encyclia Rioclarense?

[Jinh]

I purchased an Encyclia Rioclarense as a bag baby in 2020. It turned out to be in pretty bad shape, so needed quite a while to recover. It has regrown tons of roots, but only 1 tiny little pseudobulb in almost 3 years.

I’ve tried just about everything: high light until it turned purple, low light, letting it dry out in between watering, keeping it in the moist side, but it hasn’t done anything but grow roots in about 2 years.

I’ve even tried keiki paste. This plant doesn’t want to budge.

Anyone else have success with this one?

[Roberta]

I don't grow this one, but did look up its parentage. It's E. cordigera x E. randii. What is the temperature range? Based on its parentage, I'd expect it to need warm/warm intermediate conditions. Minimum temperature probably around 60-65 deg F.

[Jinh]

I’d say the temp range in my house in winter is 65-75, but the majority of the year it’s probably 65-85.

[Roberta]

Can you find a place that is a bit warmer? Or maybe use a heat mat?

[Toadwally]

Toss it.

[Lil Duck]

Perhaps it only grew roots because it did not feel stable and tight in the pot. I have heard people on the Board say that they had orchids that barely grew for like 2 years but after digging into the soil they found the entire gigantic pot filled with roots.

[isurus79]

Get it outside starting in mid-April. The heat, humidity, and natural sun will get it growing.

[orchidman77]

I picked up a Rioclarense seedling last year and it tends to grow 1 or 2 bulbs a year based on its current growth schedule. Very vigorous in root and bulb/leaf growth, and each bulb is much larger than the previous. I agree with all of the above - give it more heat and rapid wet-dry cycles. If it were my plant, I would have thrown it out a year ago after no new shoot growth.

Anecdote time: I ordered 2 Rlc. Copper Queen seedlings a year and a half ago from H&R. One flourished and the other....never grew anything but roots. After 6 months of this, I threw the stalled one away and I have never regretted it! The other has grown so fast in two directions that it should bloom on the next growth (it was a tiny seedling in 9/2021).

David

[Jinh]

Ironically enough, the plant started 2 new growths. I don’t know if it was the keiki paste or talk of throwing it out 😆, but it is finally acting right.

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by Jinh

I’d say the temp range in my house in winter is 65-75, but the majority of the year it’s probably 65-85.

Mine blooms annually at these temps. Beautiful flower and very nice fragrance. Worth the wait!