Laelia purpurata. Please Help - Page 2 - Orchid Board

Cattleya17 · #11 07-25-2009, 09:06 PM

WoW!!!!!!!!!!!!! if Sb doesn't have one i am soooo going to buy from them!!!!!! sb said they would find one in bloom for me is they could so im gonna wait and see. i had known about these guys first i would have talked with them first!

WhiteRabbit · #12 07-25-2009, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cattleya17

WoW!!!!!!!!!!!!! if Sb doesn't have one i am soooo going to buy from them!!!!!! sb said they would find one in bloom for me is they could so im gonna wait and see. i had known about these guys first i would have talked with them first!

I'm sure SBOE has very nice plants too! which variety are you looking at? Coulda sworn I read carnea somewhere but not sure - apparently some are larger than others, tho all are beautiful! - the one in the pic is a carnea and is larger than my werkhauserii - tho that was listed as NBS when I got it, it did get a sheath only a few months later, and is not the monster the carnea is - so far lol.
I can't wait to see what you get - and if from SBOE how the plant is - I haven't ever bought from them - tho I frequently drool over the website

Jerry Delaney · #13 07-25-2009, 11:24 PM

Hi 17. I think you will find L. purpurata one of the easiest of the standard size Laelias to grow and flower. I grow several and find that they not only do well in most any well drained media, but take to S/H like a duck to water. Tropical Orchid Farms in Hawaii carries a number of varieties about a year away from blooming as does Lowes Orchids in Hawaii. SBOE as mentioned has several varieties and while I have always thought they were a little overpriced, their quality will be excellent. I don't really give them a winter rest and find that they still bloom well for me. The only problem with growing L. purpuratas is that they tend to become rather "habit forming"!!!! Good luck with yours.

Cattleya17 · #14 07-26-2009, 10:24 AM

Yeah Jerry i Want a Carnea! Yeah they are a little pricey! The carnea is 35 bucks then the person said is was gonna be 20 bucks for shipping. Now when you Say monster plant how monster are we talking here!?
Godzilla, King Kong, OR Transformer huge? either way i will still get it.
One more thing Sb grows their laelia's interesting. the person i talked to in the green house said that when they over grow the pot they just slip the whole plant pot and all into a larger pot with no medium or anything and let it scramble over the sides into the next pot! how does that work?

amyqofu · #15 07-26-2009, 12:54 PM

Exotic Orchids of Maui had some in sheath. I got one and it was big, healthy, and beautiful with two sheaths that are now showing buds. Worth checking out.

WhiteRabbit · #16 07-26-2009, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cattleya17

Now when you Say monster plant how monster are we talking here!?
Godzilla, King Kong, OR Transformer huge? either way i will still get it.

Well my carnea is taller than the werkhauserii - both are first time bloomers if they decide to actually bloom for me. In the pic you can see by comparision to the pot size (standard 4" pot) that it is quite tall. Still fits on a window sill tho

but is quite 'tipsy' its now in a clay pot and have the clay pot inside a ceramic one to help stabilize it

luckygrower · #17 07-27-2009, 04:00 PM

I have bought most of my laelia's from SB ORCHIDS. Yes they are a little pricey but the plants are big.
Here is a pic of the one I purchased last month, it is growing in what looks like granite chips.

Cattleya17 · #18 07-27-2009, 05:34 PM

ohh Awesome! SBOE just emailed me today and they have a nice one with 4 growths and new lead that is pretty well along and Alice (the woman who is helping me) said she didnt see a Sheath. but im still hopeful because sometimes they poke out a little later i know thats how my big catt Dumbeat heritage does it. It send up the growth and then when its just about full size it sends up the little sheath and then the sarong dries out. so im still hopeful that this one may bloom!

Jerry Delaney · #19 07-28-2009, 12:17 AM

I'm not trying to throw cold water on your parade (or L. purpurata as the case may be), but I wouldn't count on any L. purpurata coming from California that isn't already in sheath to bloom this year. Santa Barbara is quite a bit (well, a LOT) cooler than here in Bakersfield, but if the plant was raised there at SBOE and doesn't currently have a sheath I wouldn't count on blooms this year. That's not necessarily all a bad thing though 18. This will give you and the plant time to find just the right conditions to grow on toward next year and bountiful blooms!!

Cattleya17 · #20 07-28-2009, 12:05 PM

Very true! and i dont mind if it doesnt bloom! because then i have greater satisfaction when it does because i know that i did it and that my conditions and the plant match well! you are absolutely right! well i am awaiting the fun journey of growing this beauty!

Now question: the person i talked to in the greenhouse said that when they over grow the pot they just slip the whole plant pot and all into a larger pot with no medium or anything and let it scramble over the sides into the next pot! how does that work?