Coelogyne Cristata culture help

[Aki_James]

This is another new orchid type for me. I have been dying for one for years so at the orchid show I saw one and had to pick it up.

I picked one that did not have flowers because I wanted to learn its culture before I struggled with dormant periods and such...The grower said this one didn't look like it was going to flower this year and it looked super healthy so I grabbed
it.

Well since I have gotten it 2 spikes have started on the 2 newest bulbs I will assume these are growths not flower spikes but you can answer that for me.

The issue I'm having is that the bulbs (Not the newest ones) seem to be shrinking more everyday I have read that these love water when in active growth but being a newbie with the genus I am worried I will over water and kill the roots. But I have been watering pretty much every second day as the potting medium it came in is very airy ( It seems to be mostly rocks? medium bark and charcoal).

It grows in the basement with the Miltoniopsis', masdie, Phals and Zygonisia. so day temps are around 18-19C and nights reach 16 at lowest with humidity at 60%...I know this is not ideal for the Ceologyne but its the coldest spot in my house.

Should I be watering it more? like everyday? I just don't want to kill this one, any help would be appreciated.

Here's some pics.

[Brooke]

I grow in the middle of the USA and grow mine wet year round, catt light and the temps never below 60 during the winter.

Before my cristata got so huge I had to hang it, I grew it sitting in a saucer of water almost all of the time. When I got several days in a row of gray and ugly, I did remove the saucer and replaced it when the sun reappeared.

It is planted in CHC mix in a sphag lined net pot so when I say wet, I mean really wet. IMO your mix does not retain enough moisture.

I do think you are getting a spike because it is not pbulb growing time just yet. In the picture I am posting on the upper left side you can see a spike which hadn't bloomed yet.


Coel cristata LUR_5618 by kentucky4, on Flickr

Enjoy your cristata, you will love the fragrance.

Brooke

[Aki_James]

Originally Posted by brooke

I grow in the middle of the USA and grow mine wet year round, catt light and the temps never below 60 during the winter.

Before my cristata got so huge I had to hang it, I grew it sitting in a saucer of water almost all of the time. When I got several days in a row of gray and ugly, I did remove the saucer and replaced it when the sun reappeared.

It is planted in CHC mix in a sphag lined net pot so when I say wet, I mean really wet. IMO your mix does not retain enough moisture.

I do think you are getting a spike because it is not pbulb growing time just yet. In the picture I am posting on the upper left side you can see a spike which hadn't bloomed yet.


Coel cristata LUR_5618 by kentucky4, on Flickr

Enjoy your cristata, you will love the fragrance.

Brooke

Thank you so much for responding. Yours is wonderful and the exact reason why I have wanted one of these for many years.

I figured the potting medium is too airy as this is something I would more than likely choose for a Cattleya or another orchid that likes to dry quickly.
But as I heard these hate root disturbance I will work with the medium for now.

I soaked the pot in a bucket of water for 30 mins last night and already see substantial improvement in the bulbs as they are already looking plump again. So I am going to soak it every other day for now and see if that
meets its needs or perhaps soak it everyday or multiple times a day .....Nice thing with pseudobulbs is they are a great indication if something is amiss and give you a bit of room for error.

Well if these are flower spikes it will be exciting to see them, but I will not be sad if they are growths either. Hopefully someday this little guy will be something worth looking at like yours!!!!

[Brooke]

I haven't experienced the hate root disturbance on any of my Coelogyne. All of them grow like weeds for me.

I got a Coel. cristata alba from Andy's Orchids two years ago in February. I always repot any new arrival to see what I am working with. I found it to have great roots but shriveled long-ish pbulbs. It not only went on to bloom in March but immediately after started making new growths.

After two years of growing it in Catt light, with lots of water it now hangs next to the other cristata. It's taken me two years to get the smaller more round pbulbs but I never got rid of the original slightly dehydrated look even though it arrived with great roots.

This picture shows the third bloom in two years of my ownership - they are weeds.


Coelogyne cristata alba JCL_139801 by kentucky4, on Flickr

No fragrance on the alba form.

Brooke

[wingplum]

I keep mine for about 5 years,it is over 20 growth but never flowered. I learn now, probably due to not enough light.
Thanks Brooke.

[Brooke]

Yours is so big it should be a knock out when in bloom. Good luck with it!

Brooke

[Aki_James]

I am going to ask another culture question regarding cristata....I have been going quite literally crazy over the shrivelling pseudobulbs!!!....I even made it its own orchid house and brought up the humidity to 85% hoping this would stop the insanity...

Alas it has not worked....now the newer pseudobulbs have begun to show signs of wrinkling...There are indead 3 flower spikes on this plant at this point that are about 2 inches long...and seem to be growing quite quickly.

I have been reading like a mad man trying not to kill this plant......and have recently read that while these plants are in spike shrivelling is inevitable...and that the bulbs will plump back up after the flowers drop...

Well I trust you all more than I trust the general internet...I am wondering if this is true?, and I can stop stressing?, or shall I continue on trying to enjoy caring for this plant whilst wanting to run it over with a bulldozer..

[DavidCampen]

The plant that I also got from Andy's; I have had it for 2 years now and my pseudobulbs all look shriveled. It is in a solarium where the humididty rarely goes below 60%, it is in sphagnum and is watered and misted every day.

I wonder if there aren't 2 different strains of Coel. cristata - one that has plump pseudobulbs and another with shriveled pseudobulbs.

[Brooke]

Aki James if you are giving it good light and keeping it moist, then I wouldn't worry about it.

David I don't know the answer to your question. My regular cristata has short, plump pbulbs which grow very close together. My alba version has taller pbulbs with some shriveling and they are placed quite far apart. I've grown both the same way and have improved the shriveled pbulbs a little particularly with this years growth.

I got my original cristata from a CA orchid grower named Petite Plaisance that went out of business. A friend sent it to me when he visited the going out of business sale. I got six bald fat pbulbs that immediately started growing. The alba from Andy and it is definitely a different type except for the same bloom period.

I wish I could give you a definitive answer but if it is growing, I wouldn't worry about it.

Brooke

[DavidCampen]

Originally Posted by brooke

My regular cristata has short, plump pbulbs which grow very close together. My alba version has taller pbulbs with some shriveling and they are placed quite far apart. I've grown both the same way and have improved the shriveled pbulbs a little particularly with this years growth.

I got my original cristata from a CA orchid grower named Petite Plaisance that went out of business. A friend sent it to me when he visited the going out of business sale. I got six bald fat pbulbs that immediately started growing. The alba from Andy and it is definitely a different type except for the same bloom period.
Brooke

Mine from Andy's is also the alba form and has a habit just like yours.