Laelia alaori care tips

[GregorK]

Hello

Today i got this beautiful orchid mentioned above.

But i cant find any useful care tips for her.
anyone willing to give me some good information about it? any articles on the internet or personal experience?
is the care the same as for other Laelias?

I got young plant poted in very small pot in a meduim that appears to me as some sort of sand ?! should i repot it?

thanks for all the info in advance

regards Gregor

[isurus79]

This is one of the few Laeliinae that LOVES to be pretty wet. Give them normal Cattleya light, but try growing it in live moss.

[Bud]

“Cattleya alaorii, commonly known as the Laelia alaorii, is a species of orchid endemic to Brazil (Bahia). It was discovered in the 70's in an isolated mountain chain of the coastal region near Itabuna, Bahia, where it grows in very wet rainforest at about 600m above sea level. The plants are epiphytes in tall trees up to 40m high, and grow in the top branches where they get a fair amount of light. Their environment is always foggy and minimum temperatures in winter are never less than 15C. The species was named after Mr. Alaor Oliveira, former employee at the University of São Paulo at Piracicaba, who first collected this species in a field excursion in the late 60's.” –Wiki-
Blooms when a new growth matures which can be any time.
Growing Temperature: Intermediate to Warm
alaorii is uncommon in collections and was only described in the 70s. Many people grow this species with ease. Provide bright light and average humidity and air circulation.
Im with Steve on this, grow it in moss. …sandy media mix is quite tricky for orchids like this, even if it has tiny roots .

[isurus79]

Bud is right about getting it out of the sand. Here's a pic of mine:


DSCF5507 by Isurus79, on Flickr

There is a small block of hapu'u fern (similar to osmunda) underneath the live moss on top. I've had it about a year and got it as a back division from a fellow member on Orchidboard. It hasn't had less than two growths growing at all times since then.

[GregorK]

Thank you

I will try live sphagnum moss then. i feel lucky because i grow it at home

now i need a few tips about that since i never grew anything in live sphagnum. should i put just the moss in the pot or maybe something else too? i dont have any hapuu fern :S perhaps some bark? Or will the moss live on its own?

I grow my sphagnum on a peat moss or should i say decomposed sphagnum moss. and i water it with rain water.

how often do i have to water my L. alaori so that moss won´t die and roots wont rot?

No fertilizer i guess since it will kill the sphagnum.

Isurus.... your L. alaori looks great!
And thanks Bud for that interesting post of yours

[isurus79]

Gregor,
There are lots of types of moss that you can find that will grow on an orchid mount other than spagnum. I bet you could find some in a moist place in a local forest or at a plant nursery where you live. You could also get a light, airy media and keep it moist (but not wet!) and use clean water. My plant gets a little fertilizer (very dilute) with each watering and gets water 2x per day.

[GregorK]

OK thanks for the info. Ill go hunt some moss in the forest :P

Hmmm now that i looked again,... searching the internet... The media that my L. alaori is potted in could be very fine lava rock... could this work well?

I have to include the photo !

[GregorK]

so here it is. My little alaori and the media
is it lava rock or not? when i watered it it became very dark. before it was more grey

[isurus79]

I honestly have no idea what that is! I would repot it.

[GregorK]

Yes. i was planing that anyways

Thanks!