Thanks for all the nice comments!
Quote:
Originally Posted by tucker85
Is besseae hard to grow?
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Jeff, so far I haven't found it difficult at all, though it definitely has that reputation.
When we moved to GA last summer my besseae stayed outside without cover from August until late December. Temps got as hot as upper 90s F and as cold as low 40s; in hotter weather the plant stopped growth but otherwise seemed fine, and I saw some minor damage when I let the crown stay wet with an overnight low around 40 F. The plant grows best when I keep it between 50 and 85 F but variance doesn't seem too problematic with appropriate watering adjustments.
Medium is peat and perlite in a 4" plastic pot, sitting most of the time in 1-2" of water that I change out weekly. When it's not in active growth I keep it less wet but it has never dried out completely in the 2.5 years I've had it. Water is straight from the tap except for a soak and flush with distilled about once a month. I fertilize with K-lite or Dyna-Gro no more than 4-6 times per year at dosage of 50-100 ppm N. I used to see more leaf-tip browning before I started sitting it in water, which is much easier than PRN watering anyway.
besseae grows well in light bright enough to bloom many Catts but doesn't seem to need it, I think anyone with a bright windowsill could keep it happy in that regard. This, along with very compact size, tolerance for lower humidity, intermediate/tolerant temp range, and set-and-forget watering makes besseae IMO pretty easy to maintain indoors. High temps may be more of a problem for outdoor growers, but the preference for constant moisture allows evaporative cooling via S/H, a Zeer pot and its variants, a 'cool pot' (from Orchid Gallery), or even just terracotta sitting in water.
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