I was initially going to post this in isurus79's thread on growing Cattleya purpurata:
Cattleya purpurata - care guide
My message kept expanding, so I decided not to hijack his thread. I've been collecting mostly little ones of this, in different color forms.
They grow extremely well and rapidly in my hot climate. For much of the year they are on a patio under 50% shade cloth. In winter I often move them to full sun. We are hotter and with lower humidity in summer than is Texas where isurus79 lives. When it gets really hot here I bring the purpuratas into my sunroom, where there is an evaporative cooler. For example, this week we expect every day to be above or well above 110 F / 43.5C. I brought in the smaller plants two weeks ago, and I will bring in the bigger purpuratas today.
My winter days are usually warmer than in San Antonio. We do not get as much frost as is possible there. As a result I can keep Cattleya purpurata outdoors most of the winter. I only bring them in during the few days when night frost is possible. Most purpuratas break multiple leads throughout our warm weather. Mine only stop making new leads in the coldest part of winter.
Yet, they don't mind very cool winter nights. I put them outside when our hot weather is over - sometime between early October to mid November most years - and leave them outside all winter, bringing them in on nights when frost threatens. They are undamaged into the mid 30s F / 1-2C.
Hausermann frequently offers small mericlones and seedlings of various color forms, including from their own werckhauserii lines. Right now they have a werckhauserii mericlone and a cinderosa selfing. They sell them as Laelias if you use the search. From time to time they sell large divisions, and if you call they may have larger plants available.
These are very small but also very vigorous. You can keep them in those 2.5" / 5cm pots with large bark chunks until they outgrow them, but you will need to water almost every day. I fertilize at every watering, using Fred Clarke's recommendation for seedling Cattleyas of 1/2 tsp MSU per gallon of water (2.5ml powder per 3.78 liters.) I keep them as warm as possible, but do not give them the super high light they will want when older. They're too young to flower anyway. I give bright shade. Lower light prevents the risk of sunburn, and they still grow strongly. The only way to kill those little Cattleya purpurata plants would be underwatering, sunburn or freezing, so let that guide you.
Ecuagenera offers large, healthy bare-root plants from time to time. I have an alba and an atropurpurea from them. Like most Cattleyas they ship well.
Roberta was kind enough to give me a division of her schusteriana. Larger plants in larger pots dry out more slowly than do seedlings, but I try never to let them go completely dry between waterings. That will definitely slow them down.
Ruben Colmenarez works with Fred Clarke. He also sells his own plants he grows in space rented from Fred. Ruben has a number of color forms right now. I visited last weekend and picked up seedlings of werckhauserii striata, two different carnea lineages, and a sanguinea. I also bought a division of a roxio-bispo imported from Brasíl. There is a werckauserii striata in flower now in his greenhouse, and it is magnificent. Ruben's Instagram is @Rco90808 . He has lots of other plants for sale, but this message is about Cattleya purpurata. I have the link to Ruben's sales list but it's not a permanent link, so I won't post it here. He can send it to you if you ask.
Cattleya purpurata July 2023
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