Euchile mariae

[katrina]

Silken - I grow mine in pots. I have 2. I have one in clay and one in an aircone pot...both in leca and both doing equally well. During the growing season I have those pots sitting in shallow saucers of water.

During the winter/colder months I water them 2-3 times a week but as soon as I see the new growths popping I set the pots in saucers. For me that was a few weeks back. I'm still only watering 2-3 times a week right now but now there is that saucer of water to keep them moist until the next watering. When they go outside, they get watered every day.

Bright light but no direct sun. I grow them intermediate but I've heard they actually would prefer it a bit cooler in the winter (down into the 40s at night). Mine do just fine w/a low of 58 in the winter. Of course, I've only been growing them for around 3yrs so maybe it'll make their lives shorter...I don't know. ??

In a nutshell, I grow them like my other catts but w/more water in the summer than most.

As for your spikes...only my most recent growths spike so not sure what yours is doing right now. Maybe the older ones weren't getting the proper conditions to spike but now they are so they can bloom. Maybe? If they all bloom it should be spectacular!

[silken]

Originally Posted by katrina

Silken - I grow mine in pots. I have 2. I have one in clay and one in an aircone pot...both in leca and both doing equally well. During the growing season I have those pots sitting in shallow saucers of water.

During the winter/colder months I water them 2-3 times a week but as soon as I see the new growths popping I set the pots in saucers. For me that was a few weeks back. I'm still only watering 2-3 times a week right now but now there is that saucer of water to keep them moist until the next watering. When they go outside, they get watered every day.

Bright light but no direct sun. I grow them intermediate but I've heard they actually would prefer it a bit cooler in the winter (down into the 40s at night). Mine do just fine w/a low of 58 in the winter. Of course, I've only been growing them for around 3yrs so maybe it'll make their lives shorter...I don't know. ??

In a nutshell, I grow them like my other catts but w/more water in the summer than most.

As for your spikes...only my most recent growths spike so not sure what yours is doing right now. Maybe the older ones weren't getting the proper conditions to spike but now they are so they can bloom. Maybe? If they all bloom it should be spectacular!

Thanks so much for the info. For some reason I was cheating this on the water a bit. The bulbs are very round and firm tho, even the tiny older ones. It still gets a little cool at night, so the low in the greenhouse is around 55, which it is in the winter. I can easily move this to cooler areas in the winter. It gets pretty warm and bright during the day at this time of year so the temp. variance may have initiated the blooms. The spikes look so tiny and it is a small plant so it seem a long time from bloom yet. And there is one tiny new growth that I can see just starting also. I'm not sure when to re-pot as I usually do when new roots are starting but I thought it had some fairly new ones now, and now these spikes, so I don't want to disturb it. It is quite pot bound. This plant makes me a bit nervous as I for sure don't want to kill it

[katrina]

Mine bloomed (both of them) last summer...Aug/Sept time frame...so yours does seem a bit early. Or, maybe both of mine are just "late bloomers". [HA- pun intended] Either way, I haven't found this one to be all that fussy so if it's starting a new growth then I'd say it's a good time to go ahead and repot. My smallest one (aircone pot) is getting a repot any day now. The newest growth will be out and over the edge if I don't so while it's small it's getting moved up.

If your pbulbs are plump then I'd would think that yours is perfectly happy w/how much you've been watering it.

As for those cooler, winter temps...keep in mind that's just something I've heard but I don't have actual experience with it. Mine have been doing fine w/58 as a low...I don't know if they actually *need* lower temps but because I've heard it...I thought it worthwhile to mention. Perhaps someone else might have some experience w/that. ??

[brsucculents]

Very nice. Wish I could grow that.

[silken]

Originally Posted by katrina

Mine bloomed (both of them) last summer...Aug/Sept time frame...so yours does seem a bit early. Or, maybe both of mine are just "late bloomers". [HA- pun intended] Either way, I haven't found this one to be all that fussy so if it's starting a new growth then I'd say it's a good time to go ahead and repot. My smallest one (aircone pot) is getting a repot any day now. The newest growth will be out and over the edge if I don't so while it's small it's getting moved up.

If your pbulbs are plump then I'd would think that yours is perfectly happy w/how much you've been watering it.

As for those cooler, winter temps...keep in mind that's just something I've heard but I don't have actual experience with it. Mine have been doing fine w/58 as a low...I don't know if they actually *need* lower temps but because I've heard it...I thought it worthwhile to mention. Perhaps someone else might have some experience w/that. ??

OrchidWiz mentions they may be short lived also if they don't get the cooler winter temps. But I can easily do that. Several of my spikes are growing fairly fast, so I think I will wait till this is done blooming. They are still small, but making progress. The other two 'sheaths' may sit there till next year as they are the youngest growths. But they look plump and like a spike should emerge, so hard to say. I know my Enc. radiata has similar looking little sheaths that can sit there for ages before doing anything.