Project 2016: Cattleya walkeriana

[wintergirl]

If I found one in a big box store I would buy it right then. My local stores only have phals.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I have 3 recently purchased C. Walkerianas. One found at Lowes a while back, another two found at a different Lowes later on. All are Carmela clone & the same age.

One I have planted inside the hollow central part of a tree fern slab (see attached photo). The other two are in bark, in a net pot, nested loosely in a plastic pot. One of the potted ones may be moved to a mount when root growth seems right.

[wintergirl]

Very cool! And lucky to find 3!

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by wintergirl

If I found one in a big box store I would buy it right then. My local stores only have phals.

If you have a Lowes in the area, you should check, anyway. The one where I found mine barely ever has even Phals.... I think that is why I am still finding it difficult to believe that what I brought home was a real orchid. :|

[Leafmite]

Here is the little orchid in its new home, just getting started. I really love seedlings...so small and cute.

[estación seca]

When contemplating whether to buy one of these, I used the Search function to dig up all the Orchid Board threads on this plant. I learned an enormous amount, and highly recommend others do this. A member named catwalker808, who no longer posts, is at a nursery in Hawaii and grows this plant. His posts are extremely informative. There are a few things about Cattleya walkeriana that are different from other Cattleyas.

[stonedragonfarms]

Originally Posted by wintergirl

Ok I am glad this is one of our plants for this year. I did get the plant at the end of June 2015 from SVO.
All my plants on that order were great except this little guy looked worse for wear and maybe got smashed in shipping. Here are the pictures from that day and then from today, it's still not pretty yet:

Attachment 120263

Attachment 120264

C. walkeriana 'SVO' 4N x C. walkeriana 'SVO Best' 4N

I am anxious to see the mounted one from Andy's, maybe I will get another.

The new growth looks good, and the roots seem to be coming along nicely. When did you repot it?

[Leafmite]

Here is the link to Catwalker808's article:

C walkeriana - Tips for Growing & Blooming

[stonedragonfarms]

Originally Posted by estación seca

When contemplating whether to buy one of these, I used the Search function to dig up all the Orchid Board threads on this plant. I learned an enormous amount, and highly recommend others do this. A member named catwalker808, who no longer posts, is at a nursery in Hawaii and grows this plant. His posts are extremely informative. There are a few things about Cattleya walkeriana that are different from other Cattleyas.

The past information that was posted should be very helpful; you might also want to plug Cattleya walkeriana into the search bar on Youtube and look at how/where the plants are growing in nature. Many of them are very high up in trees (ie bright shade, constant airflow, quick drying); I'd been toying with the idea of mounting mine when it arrives, though I now think that it will go into tree fern chunks in a clay pot instead.
Good growing all,
Adam

[estación seca]

I have two seedling C. walkeriana, both from SVO. They arrived in 3" pots in mid December 2015:
SVO 5363 C. walkeriana (walkeriana v. alba 'Pendentive' AM/AOS x walkeriana 'SVO's Passion' AM/AOS)
SVO 5365 C. walkeriana v. coerulea ('Chouju' JC/AOS x 'Wenzel's Son')

The plants are extremely different in appearance. The coerulea has short, almost spherical and very small pseudobulbs, and offsets profusely. The other has much larger, more elongated pseudobulbs, and has not branched yet.

The non-coerulea was beginning a new growth on arrival. I soon moved it to semi-hydroponics. It is close to completing the new growth. I didn't realize this plant spaces pseudobulbs somewhat widely on the rhizome, as do some Bulbophyllums. I should have used a much larger container. The new growth ran to the far edge of the 1 quart / 1 liter S/H container and turned upright. There is no room for another growth in that container.

The coerulea was just beginning a few new growths, and has made a total of six. They are not mature yet. It is still in its 3" arrival pot. This plant grows in a tight clump, with minimal distance between pseudobulbs.

One photo shows the coerulea in February 2016, with some new growth. The other shows both plants this week.