Rhy. gigantea is notorious for disliking having it's roots disturbed. It is common for plants to do nothing for 6-9 months after repotting. In some cases they deteriorate during this period.
I have been experimenting with Leca/Aliflor in baskets, as this material does not break down [I flush it liberally trying to prevent salt build-up]. The plants that were healthy going in are doing well. The plants that were weak originally, are not.
While Rhy. gigantea does come from regions with warm conditions, I find that it does better under Cattleya conditions, both in terms of light, temperature and watering.
- I have grown them in full sun (after careful hardening), but they suffered minor burns. They are growing very well together with my Catts now.
- I have thermostat set at 55F in the greenhouse, and they do fine with that nighttime minimum.
- This plant has very thick leaves, like a succulent. Thus, it is is only plant from the Vandaceous group, where I make sure that it dries out between waterings (another reason I switched them to Leca/Aliflor).
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