Epc. Plicaboa 'Dancing Queen'

[Ethan]

Originally Posted by dgenovese1

Hey Ethan,

I'm excited for you...and look forward to seeing pics of yours in bloom. It would be neat to see if there are any differences.

David, I'm so excited!

I've been waiting three years for this thing to bloom and it finally did!! It's also my first catt. I've ever gotten to bloom! Whoo hoo!!!!

Looks pretty much dead on with yours:

[Blueszz]

David, can you tell me how you grow this plant? I might have the same cross and I'm clueless how to take care for it...
Nicole

[dgenovese1]

Hi Nicole,
I'm glad you like it.

I grow mine alongside the other cattleyas in my collection: water about every 3-4 days during the summer months and about once a week in the winter. I use 50% shade cloth in my shade house, and I fertilize using a combination of superthrive and dyna-grow about once a week in summer and about every two weeks in the winter.

I hope this helps!

[Blueszz]

Thanks David :-)

Last week I saw that the new growths are putting out their own roots. I could jump from joy, that means I'm doing something well, despite I didn't know exactly now to take care for it.
Boy, do these growths put out their roots late compared to oncidiums! Do you have an idea about fc?

Currently they get the best light I have, that is a South window and where I live they are indoors. They are warm growers, right? Temps above 60-65F? Do you know what their minimum temperature is? I would love to put it outdoors in spring/summer, but don't know if they will like that here.

You are a great help, thank you!

Nicole

[dgenovese1]

Hi Nicole,
I'm sorry I can't help with foot candles, but I can tell you that mine get temps down to about 50 degrees F. When it is forecast to drop below 50, I protect them by closing the shade house up and supplying them with a little electric heat.

I looked it up in OrchidWiz and it says it should be kept at 20-29 degrees C at night, although mine gets a lot cooler than that in the winter months. It doesn't seem to hurt it at all, in fact it has two spikes on it now. Oh, OW doesn't mention fc, all it says on light is bright indirect light at 50% sun.

Take care, David

[Blueszz]

Thanks!

We'll see how it does for me. I have two pots, might one keep indoors this summer and put the other one outside to see what it likes most. I'm in doubt if it will get enough light outdoors, trail and error, but with two plants I can play a bit with it's requirments.

(I bought them almost out of bloom, without tag, for a bargain. Found them in a garden center that normally doesn't carry these - 2 pots and payed for one because they were out of bloom. The seller who has orchids in a green house himself (privat green house) said it was a Epc. cordigera cross... which would mean it isn't Plicaboa, can't wait to see it bloom for me).

Nicole

[Leisurely]

Nicole, here are pictures of a couple of possibilities that you can check out when your plants bloom. Both have Enc. cordigera as one of the parents. Both of these plants bloom in the spring and they are on schedule with Enc. cordigera.

The first two are Epc. Middleburg and the second two are Epc. Purple Glory 'Moir's Pride' AM/AOS.

[Blueszz]

Hi Jerry, thanks :-)

Middleburg seems to come close from what I've seen from severly wilted blooms. Surely will post pictures from the blooms, if it does.
Currently the new speudo bulbs are getting fatter, roots are coming from their base and the leaf in the middle (center) gets slowly longer. When do spikes (sheets?) emerge? After the pseudo bulb is mature or before that?

Nicole

[Libo]

I know there is something to expect about Epc's. Nice job!

[Leisurely]

Nicole, you should start seeing the flower sheath in the center that holds the buds when the pseudo bulbs are a little more than half mature. After the sheaths have formed nothing further can be expected this late in the season until it is time for it to bloom in the spring which will be March or April. You can grow this plant exactly like you would grow a Cattleya.