Rupiculous keiki - Sugestions about what to do

[GillianC]

Hi there,

As a fellow grower of rupiculous Laelia (though perhaps with less experience than you) I just wanted to offer some food for thought. I think that these guys like sphagnum in terracotta so well because it keeps the roots (and perhaps to some degree the whole plant) cool. When the terracotta is saturated with water, it inevitably evaporates during hot weather, helping maintain significantly cooler temps around the roots.

I also kind of think these guys like a good amount of air movement, given that they tend to grow in exposed areas - that would also help keep them from getting too hot.

Whatever you do, I hope it works! Rupics are too cool.

Edit to add: So, I actually also have this species but I only acquired it in March of this year. It's been potted in a small plastic pot in sphagnum, and I had avoided repotting until today. Looks like most of the roots have rotted, minus two new ones pushing out of the newest growth; I repotted in a tiny terracotta pot with lightly packed sphagnum on top and a few pieces of granite gravel for weight and to take up pace. My summer conditions seem comparable to yours (it's 32C today, RH 35%) and I've been keeping it outside with the rest of my rupics since May. I'll let you know if it recovers.