Sophronitis cernua (Project 14 - Spring 2012)

[Leafmite]

I have sent in an order...no fear of a lonely trip here for the soph. I gave it four TC's. I am going to bare mount mine with a Cattleya Aclandiae. I ordered a second one just for the project. I just mounted my other on a huge piece of cork bark in hopes it will get the idea of going wild. So, I have read quite a bit about these and rot. Just how succeptible are they?

[31drew31]

Originally Posted by silken

I noticed they were mounted and wondered how attached to the mount they would be. I can't grow mounted. I'm away too much and they would go days without water. I may have to wait for another project. It would also be quite cool in the greenhouse in the winter. Oh well, one of these times there will be one that suits my conditions!

Nooo silken buy it, there are still ways!! Its a treefern mount I believe so you can trim it down and pot the entire mount. Like someone said (camille??) potting in a clay pot and sphagnum might be just fine.

Also I did order this morning from HB and bought the S. cernua. I also sent some Nepenthes to join the trip

[The Mutant]

I've no idea when my cernua will arrive, maybe next week? I had not planned to have it mounted, it'll be in a pot. I've just realized I don't know ANYTHING about it! But since so many are mounting it I guess it's an epiphyte? Or?

Do they want the same culture as Phals?

Maybe I should've asked earlier on, I honestly don't know if I can provide for one.

[shadytrake]

I'm not sure when I'll order. I just found flasks of 2 orchids that have been on my list for a LONG time. I'm buying those first. I already have a cernua though so I'll wait until I figure out which vendor has the most TCs that I want.

I did send my other order to Paramount and they aren't shipping yet due to the weather. I can't wait. They have 3 orchids that I can't get in the US so I ordered multiples (just in case).

[Wynn Dee13]

Mutant and Silken- you can provide for it. They are easy to grow. They need to dry out between waterings and they need bright light. They bloom for me in the winter. Actually mine that I already had bloomed in Feb. So I think we won't see flowers tell next year but it will be interesting until then. This is the point of the project, to try something new even if you don't know anything about it. We all help each other! I'm getting a new one for the project. It's going to be mounted cause the two growers I talked to said they do better that way. Try a mount, you might love it! If you can't give it enough moisture, pot it like Camille said mount and all or try and take it off the mount. And it gives you more space for potted plants cause you can hang them! The flowers are really cute!

[Mira-Claude]

From my research it is a small plant from the cost of Brazil, mostly around Rio de Janeiro, that grows like a cattleya. It like humidity but is highly susceptible to rot of all kinds. Someone I trust on the subject told me to be careful of bacterias and fungus too. So they have to dry out properly. They are kind of tolerant to neglect and can take moderate to high lights. They also need a good airflow.
That's what I have.
Oh and they tend to grow along parallel to the substrate and are tolerant to salt build ups...

[pasojanice]

All great information. Mine is coming in the net pot and am wondering if I should mount it also. Janice

[Mira-Claude]

If your hand is as heavy as mine is when you water... you should mount it!
I know that if I kept it potted I'd rot it in under a month!

[pasojanice]

You know Mira-Claude, that's a very valid point. I do, at times, tend to believe that a summer rain becomes a deluge. Hmmmmm....I have to research this a little more. Do you have some suggestions? Thanking you in advance. Janice

[silken]

Originally Posted by 31drew31

Nooo silken buy it, there are still ways!! Its a treefern mount I believe so you can trim it down and pot the entire mount. Like someone said (camille??) potting in a clay pot and sphagnum might be just fine.

Also I did order this morning from HB and bought the S. cernua. I also sent some Nepenthes to join the trip

Well, I have e-mailed Hawaiian Botanicals to see what they think about potting it on the mount and growing it cooler in the winter. I will decide based on what they think. I hate to buy a plant that I know won't be happy from the start when space and $$ could be used on a different one that would be more likely to succeed. But it would be fun to be in the project. We're away a lot in the summer and the greenhouse gets hot and sunny so a mounted plant is just not an option. Hopefully they will respond!