Suggestions as to what to grow two cattleyas in.

[Roly0217]

everybody !!! I'm really excited because I got 2 cattleyas that I had been wanting for a while now. They are Cattleya dowiana aurea and Cattleya iricolor. A grower down here grows all of his dowianas in spaghnum but this is in a greenhouse. He's an orchid scientist and told us that it's the best way to grow them down here in Florida or they tend to die and a friend told me with regards to Cattleya iricolor to mount it. These are both very healthy with new growths starting so the new roots would adjust to the growing medium better. The iricolor in particular has 3 new leads and the dowiana 1. Help anybody !! I don't want to screw this one up. Thank you !!!!

[Zoi2]

Congrats on your new catts!
I don't have an iricolor but I have a dowiana aurea in S/H. It was a 2 year old seedling last year and is putting out several new leads this year. Maybe in the next 2-3 years it will bloom.
Joann

[Roly0217]

Thank you Joann !!! I don't have anything in S/H and don't think that I'll venture there yet. Hopefully when I get my shadehouse built but that might not be until next year. So it like to be dried but have constant moisture. So spaghnum might be a good idea then since it dried out daily here. I have to water my plants in spaghnum daily since I have a nice breeze going through most of the time.

[Baz in Oz]

Rolando, if you really want something to grow your Catts. in, you are welcome to grow them in my shadehouse as I don't have either of them.

Baz

[tucker85]

I'm in South Florida also. I've heard that Cattleya dowiana aurea is not grown like other cattleyas. Ruben at Ruben in orchids told our orchid society that he killed several dowiana by trying to grow them like other catts. He could probably tell you the correct way to grow it. I don't have Cattleya iricolor either but I grow all my catts in hydroton by itself or hydroton mixed with charcoal and tree fern fiber. Good luck.

[Roly0217]

Originally Posted by tucker85

I'm in South Florida also. I've heard that Cattleya dowiana aurea is not grown like other cattleyas. Ruben at Ruben in orchids told our orchid society that he killed several dowiana by trying to grow them like other catts. He could probably tell you the correct way to grow it. I don't have Cattleya iricolor either but I grow all my catts in hydroton by itself or hydroton mixed with charcoal and tree fern fiber. Good luck.

Ruben from Ruben in Orchids was the person who told us to grow it in spaghnum moss so I'll definetely do that and a friend of mine down here grew his iricolor potted and killed it. He suggested for me to mount it or in a wooden basker with coarse medium.

[Zoi2]

Originally Posted by Baz in Oz

Rolando, if you really want something to grow your Catts. in, you are welcome to grow them in my shadehouse as I don't have either of them.

Baz

Joann

[tucker85]

Roly, Last year Ruben from Ruben in Orchids suggested to our orchid scociety that here in south Florida, moisture loving orchids grow well in sphagnum moss in a net pot. Since then I've potted several phals that way and they're doing very well. Sphagnum always dried too slowly for me in other pots but in a net pot the sphagnum takes about three days to dry out. I don't grow Cattleya dowiana but my phals are doing very well in it. It's just a suggestion. Good luck.

[Roly0217]

I just potted it in a clay pot with a sphagnum/perlite mix. He told us when he did his presentation that they are a rainforest species that prefers moisture and air through the roots. He said that he had killed several dowianas until he put them in moss so let's hope that his advice works. The iricolor I put it in a hexagonal basket with very coarse bark as suggested by my friend. By the way; what's that gorgeous cattleya on your avatar picture ???

[got ants]

Having killed a dowiana already, I would take caution with using sphag moss when it starts raining heavy. Maybe you can build a tempory shade shelter before your elaborate one next year? I built one in the corner of my fense using corrugated plastic from Home Depot. The orchids under there get water only when I water them.


the roof of it