Laelia Anceps Culture

[prc11]

At my local orchid show there was a bear root Laelia Anceps for 5 dollars. It had 6 pseudobulbs and I cut the very last one off for a backbulb. It had a nice eye and I thought it would be a nice backbulb to try to regenerate. My two questionations are: What is the culture for this plant (preferably light, water, humidity, medium, can I put it outside for the summer, and does it need a rest period)? And how do I get this backbulb to regenerate?

[dounoharm]

when cutting backbulbs off laelia and other catt types, i always leave at least 3 good ones maybe more...with only one you will be hard pressed to get a strong growth from just one without having it in a greenhouse....laelias like hard media, a good strong bark with plenty of charcoal and perlite....lots of light, and plenty of water then dry completly out....gl

[keithrs]

I have several in my collection..... All but one of them is mounted. The one I have potted is in hydroton mixed with 25% higromight in a shallow 8" clay pot. I have them under 30% shade cloth because the sun is intense in the summer here. I adjust my watering based on weather, but 1-3X a week should be fine as long as the roots dry out. Like with all orchids... 40% or higher humidity. I leave mine outside all year round but rarely water in winter just because of the rain. You can reduce watering when not growing but rest period is not needed.

I like these media mixture very much because you don't have to repot ever!!!! You just put the whole plant and pot into one size bigger pot but don't add any mix once you get to a 4 1/2" pot, The roots will go around the pots. These save you on disease problems in the future. I have some catts in rock but I'm slowly switching over. You can use plastic or clay pots...... Your choice!

[peeweelovesbooks]

I have quite a few Laelia anceps. I grow them in 100% hydroton and in clay pots.

umm....Light....bright light but make sure not full sun, otherwise the leaves will scorch/burn. I water mine depending on the season: Summer/spring 3x a week at least, if not more. During rainy season--I don't touch my plants; and usually bring them in for a one-two week hard drying period so I don't get any infestation or fungus, etc. Then they go back out and I repeat this if I see too much continuous rain. During the winter--I hardly water--maybe once a week. I left them out in the cold last year when it got down to the 20's here and they were perfectly fine. So, they live outdoors the entire year.