Project 2016: Cattleya walkeriana

[gngrhill]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Wintergirl, that looks very nice!

Good luck with mounting your orchid, twinofmunin. Mine seem to do best in the vanda baskets and large chunks of red lava rock.

I just bought yet another C. Mini Purple. Every time I see a walkeriana primary hybrid, I am tempted.

I have a mini purple I got in 2014 and it is still not looking like it's going to bloom any time soon. It does put up a new growth yearly. It is in a basket with lava rock also, but it just doesn't seem to be happy. I water it every 2 or 3 days when the rocks are dry and I use kelp max once a month and inococur (spelling?) once a month temps are average, under t-5s, good humidity. Don't know what I'm missing to make it happy.

[Subrosa]

Is this what I think it is?

[wintergirl]

That would be new growth, I believe the blooms come out from the leaf area.

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by Subrosa

Is this what I think it is?

Hopefully!

---------- Post added at 11:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:03 AM ----------

Originally Posted by gngrhill

I have a mini purple I got in 2014 and it is still not looking like it's going to bloom any time soon. It does put up a new growth yearly. It is in a basket with lava rock also, but it just doesn't seem to be happy. I water it every 2 or 3 days when the rocks are dry and I use kelp max once a month and inococur (spelling?) once a month temps are average, under t-5s, good humidity. Don't know what I'm missing to make it happy.

Mine have always done well in the set up but your conditions may be different. Sometimes, what works for one person will not work for someone else due to their conditions. I know that many people mount these but the one I bought from Andy's just couldn't sustain good roots mounted. It needed the rock to hold more humidity in between.

---------- Post added at 11:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 AM ----------

The report:
I lost the one that was a bag-baby from Lowes. It wasn't very strong and the pill-bugs finished it off by eating all the roots (The pill bugs did quite a bit of damage to my orchids before I exterminated them).
The one from Andy's is just starting new growth. From my reading, the 'Pendative' from Hausermann's is possibly a dolosa but since there is still debate, I am going to continue to include it. It is also getting new growth.

[SFLguy]

Originally Posted by wintergirl

That would be new growth, I believe the blooms come out from the leaf area.

Not in species like walkeriana and nobilior, theirs come straight from the rhizome

[wintergirl]

Originally Posted by SFLguy

Not in species like walkeriana and nobilior, theirs come straight from the rhizome

You mean off to the side or bottom? Not off the top? I have both type of plants but they haven't bloomed yet. In the pictures I have seen of the walkeriana it looks like a branch comes out of the top of the p.bulb and the flower buds come off of that.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by gngrhill

I have a mini purple I got in 2014 and it is still not looking like it's going to bloom any time soon. It does put up a new growth yearly. It is in a basket with lava rock also, but it just doesn't seem to be happy. I water it every 2 or 3 days when the rocks are dry and I use kelp max once a month and inococur (spelling?) once a month temps are average, under t-5s, good humidity. Don't know what I'm missing to make it happy.

Walkerianas and hybrids need huge amounts of water and light during the growing season, but also need to dry between waterings. I wonder whether T5s are enough. In lava rock you could probably water every day during the summer.

[Leafmite]

I have been growing mine in plastic Vanda baskets with the red lava rock. I water every other day unless we get a good rain. The trick to red lava rock is making certain that, when you water, you give the roots enough time to absorb the water that they need, just as with mounted orchids. Some of my orchids that absorb water more slowly, I soak for a bit. You can usually tell when the orchid root has absorbed enough water as it will turn green. Another trick is that when you first put an orchid in red lava rock, you stake it very well so that it will not wiggle in the pot and then you let the pot sit undisturbed for a time until the roots have had a chance to grow enough to steady the orchid. If one moves an orchid around while the roots are just starting to grow, one can injure the growing tips. Lava rock is a little rougher so it is easier to injure the tips but this happens in bark, too. Once an orchid is established in the rock, the roots usually will grasp the rock and hold everything quite firmly in place.

[Optimist]

I just bought my second; a Walkeriana X Percivaliana. I have no idea what the flowers will look like. Anyone Know? I am assuming white, or blue, or white and blue. Maybe pink. Who knows! My first Walkeriana is doing fine, growing, and spent the day outside yesterday.

[Leafmite]

That should be nice! Mine are getting new growth! They know that it is spring!