Cattleyas light cycles and blooming

[estación seca]

I think his humidity is quite low, similar to mine. I think these coconut mats will dry out quite rapidly in his conditions, and not stay too wet, especially if he uses a large-particle medium.

Here in Phoenix a basket like this, filled with potting soil, watered in the morning, often dries out completely before nightfall. This kills annual flowering plants on the first day, so nobody uses them. They are used all over southern California to hold these flowering annuals.

[rbarata]

So, basically what Roberta is saying is that the coconut stays too wet for too long, which is I want to avoid.
By other hand, Estación Seca is saying that my HR is too low so it may not be a problem.
I say you both are right but depending on the season.

Now, that it started to rain already, not much but enough to raise my HR, I have values of around 30 to 45%.
In late spring/summer it drops to as low as 15% (sometimes it goes to 10%).
So, I have to find something in the middle. I think it's easier to water more frequently than red rid of the water.
So, a more open type of basket might be better.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by rbarata

So, I have to find something in the middle. I think it's easier to water more frequently than red rid of the water.
So, a more open type of basket might be better.

I think you have it... it is always easier to add water (water more frequently) when it is needed than to get rid of water that is not evaporating fast enough. (My RH sometimes goes very low as well... 5-10%, more often in the fall but episodes can happen at any time of year... when it does, I just water more)

[rbarata]

For continuity's sake, this thread goes on here.