The Lycaste growing

[RJSquirrel]

These are the Lycaste. They are all deciduous and will lose the leaves and then bloom from the bottom of the bulbs. They like the same light as cattleyas. Also will take the heat right along with them also. They need lots of fresh air to keep the leaves from getting spotty and ugly. Dont water the leaves but water them at the bulbs. You can mist them for a cool off in the daytime but make sure they dry before the sun goes down.



heres where they grow



I got the spanish moss out of the woods. Its getting hard to find around here and harder to get too it. I have to wait for a big limb to fall before I get enough.

[NYCorchidman]

They look so yummy! lol

They look like oncidium with wild lady slipper orchids's leaves. Yours have such nice clean leaves!

I once saw a member of the orchid society bring her pink lycaste, and the leaves were so ugly. The one big flower was nicely fragrant though.

By the way, since you grow this orchid, I read they need cool nights (in the low 50s) and that is the main reason I have never bought any of these.
I guess what I read was wrong information?

How do you treat them during the rest?
Is it kind of like catasetum??

[RJSquirrel]

there are 2 distinct kinds of these plants. The ones I grow are not the evergreen type as they need cooler temps indeed. These are the warmer intermediate growing plants that will lose the leaves after they get ugly and bloom. They will need lower temps to be sure when the weather changes for blooms. Down to 50 overnights is not beyond their range. The evergreen Lycaste are much more difficult to keep up with bec they do need much lower daytime temps and less light. never be shy about trying some new plants.


and I am overly obsessed with nice looking leaves thats a Fact Jack!!

[NYCorchidman]

Wait, so the warm growing kinds need cooler temp to bloom?? and in the 50s at night? so do these flower in the spring for you after "mild" Texas winter?

I am a indoor grower and I cannot provide the temperature in the 50s. oh, well...

By the way, do warmer growing and cool growing plants look different in bloom? I didn't even know there were two types.

Yeah, cleans leaves or out! lol

[RJSquirrel]

I tell ya what If and when I get these to bloom I will take careful notes on how it was mis-managed ....

I go by what the AOS says about them...I might be confusing but they know what I'm doing

Lycaste Culture Sheet

You might have some success with the cooler growing plants, maybe...

And the big ticket on the leaves of all these thin leafed orchids is to keep water off them and give them as much fresh air as you can provide them. Keeps lots of fungus and leaf spotting down so you dont need to foul up the tender leaves even more having to treat the plant.

[euplusia]

Nice growing conditions in your greenhouse.
Aren't you afraid of slugs when you take the moss out of the woods?
By the way I grow both types of Lycaste - the Andean cooler growing Sect. Fimbriatae / Ida / Sudamericalycaste and the yellow ones with spines sect. Deciduosae (=dropping leaves) - under the bench in my intermediate to warm greenhouse.
The yellow ones have less problems in a warm summer. For the winter rest it is more important to withdraw water than to maintain low temperatures for the yellow ones.

[RJSquirrel]

thanks you alls .

I dont worry too much bout da' slugs but I do soak the moss in physan 20 and orthene mix for fungus and small insects. Had some spiders crawl out on me, I didnt like that. I usually like to snatch the moss from way up high in the tree, but somehow I feel like Im stealin ...Everything Ive read about the moss tells me that its safe to use in an ornamental fashion. I wouldnt plant my plants in it, but tossing it around the greenhouse sure looks nice

[Silje]

Love your greenhouse setup! And lycastes! I've only got one so far, and it's one of the deciduous types, but I'm hoping to expand my collection with time.

[RJSquirrel]

I can barely move around in the greenhouse....its been up since june 2 2013 and looks like it just grew there with a greenhouse seed I got from some guy named JACK...thanks JACK

[Silje]

Originally Posted by RJSquirrel

I can barely move around in the greenhouse....its been up since june 2 2013 and looks like it just grew there with a greenhouse seed I got from some guy named JACK...thanks JACK

Talking about greenhouses, I just spent part of the weekend tidying a bit in mine, pulling out some weeds and re-arranged a bit and realized that I have LOADS of space! What a relief! I thought I had to stop buying more orchids, but in fact...I can just go CRAZY! (To my husband's great sorrow)