L. anceps - min temp to water
 

Hello, my friends

I'm still trying, after almost a year, to grow it properly and I think I'm doing something wrong.
After two new growths and a very small dry sheath, this spring, now that the cooler season is starting it should be spiking... But no, it's growing new roots.

As far as I know, for anceps cool temps and water don't combine so I really don' t know what to do.

Temps are now in the low 20°C and it has been raining which increased the HR inside to the 40%.

I would appreciate some guidance.:)

I've never grown L. anceps, but I know they grow in southern Mexico. Maybe this will help? Climate Santa Catarina Juquila: Temperature, Climograph, Climate table for Santa Catarina Juquila - Climate-Data.org

The problem is that the plant seems to be confused, since it's growing in the cool season.

So - it seems 20 Celsius is about 68 F ... ? Day or night temps?
I would have NO concerns with watering. Mine grow outdoors in zone 9 (and where I live, night temps in summer are often in the upper 50s, low 60s), I only hold off if night temps are/will be in the 30s or lower. And if there's an extended period of upper 30s, I'd probably still use a sprayer to give it a bit of water. (Mine is potted in quite coarse mix)

L anceps may be called 'warm to hot' growers, but are well known for cold tolerance. Just now, I see a lot of care sheets saying they want a dry winter rest ... hmm ... mine's usually growing spikes at that time, so probably why I don't let it be too dry. :dunno: I just water more sparingly with the lower temps ...

Those are day temps. By night must be something around 12º C (low 50's F).
I see your climate is like mine, although in summer night temps are not so lower as yours.

From what I've read they spike during the coll and dry season, in our case somewhere in late fall/winter.
From my interpretation the spikes take a long time to develop, I think they start to show still during the warm season.

Maybe I'm being too carefull, some benign neglect might be better.

I found that when I heated the water to 75F (24C), all of my plants were much happier.

Also, don't forget that a winter rest is as much (or more) about no nitrogen, as it is about no water.

I grow my L. anceps outside (winter night temperatures can get close to freezing, summer high temperatures can get near 100 deg F (38 deg C). In winter they might get watered every two days, in summer they get it every day. They are essentially all mounted or in baskets... they hate pots... so they dry out fast. Nearly full sun. I have found that they start rooting soon after spiking. If a particular plant isn't going to bloom, it roots even earlier (Rooting can start as early as November, before cool weather even starts, and hits its stride in mid-winter) No tender loving care needed for these.

Yours are mounted. Can you estimate the watering frequency under your conditions but in a pot?

I think that's what's happening with mine. It's rooting now and no spikes in sight.
That's what I'm starting to think now.
I was always concerned about this watering thing in cool weather. I believe I went overboard with it to the point of not giving it enough water to bloom.

This would be a good time to get it out of that pot... heading into the time of maximum rooting. I have found that they grow very slowly and reluctantly until they hit the edge of the pot, and then they take off. They even aren't that happy in baskets with too much media - again when they hit the edge is when they really start to grow. So I put small ones on mounts. When they outgrow the mount, I put the whole thing (mount and all) in wooden basket with a small amount of the largest bark I can find... think of the basket as a three-dimensional mount. They don't seem to care how often they're watered, as long as the roots can dry out within hours after watering.

My plant is not that small.

https://s1.postimg.org/66g6k3ra5b/20171007_161449.jpg

I've repoted it less than a month ago. The rhizome is already out of the pot, as well as some of the new roots.
I have two large cork slabs (24x12 in) that I could use to mount it but I can't see where to put it where it can be protected from winter rain.

I could mount it horizontally, btw it seems to be it's natural position.

The part out of the pot is the happiest part. Mine receive no protection from the rain (and get overhead watering when it's not raining). They really need to "ramble". They'll grow horizontally or vertically, don't even seem to need to grab on to anything although they are happy to do so if they find something they like... they just want to escape confinement.

Here are two of my L. anceps. In both cases, they were in plastic baskets that they outgrew. One, I just placed in a square basket. The new growths are sending roots into the basket on two sides (I'm hoping that they'll continue to do that, so that the plant does not expand so much) The other, I dropped the basket into a shallow plastic bulb pan with a few pieces of bark to the basket in place. It then grew over the edge of the bulb pan. I placed the whole thing in a wood basket, and propped up the base of the bulb pan to encourage the plant to grow upward. The roots are growing around the bottom of the bulb pan and into the wood of the basket, so again I'm hoping that I have at least controlled the expansion. But the plants are happy, with multiple new growths - the smaller one has 4 spikes and the bigger one has 2 or 3)

I might repot it again into a shallow rectangular basket.
Or more practical (I need to do my own baskets), I could find one of those clay plates to put under the pots and mount it there.

Now I remembered...I have a piece of clay in my freezer.:hmm

Hola rbarata:

I agree with Roberta! My L. anceps is mounted on a piece of oak branch about 15 inches in length and about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter. I don't have a meter stick handy to give you the measurements in metric form. : -( I bought it 10 years ago on this same stick for $10. Now it engulfs the stick. Patience.

They seem to really want air around their roots. It takes near full sun all day, and close to freezing temperature. In summer give it all the water and fertilizer you can apply. In the fall and winter don't give any fertilizer, but allow some water - maybe by misting if you don't have a greenhouse to keep humidity high. But, it does not seem to mind a drier climate either.

If you had yours only a year, it may still be in "shock." I've noticed that some orchids "know" they have been moved to a new location, and they take a year or more it acclimate to the new place. Patience.

Also, try L. autumnalis, L. albida on a big stick and L. gouldiana, which is the only one I find that wants a slotted clay pot. They each do well for me.

I'm sending good wishes to your plant and you! I love Espana! Wish I could be there.

Happy growing
Maryanne in Massachusetts

---------- Post added at 01:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:04 PM ----------

oops. My sincere apologies, rbarata, you are in Portugal! I've met several lovely people from there. I'm putting that destination on my "bucket" list.
Best wishes
Maryanne

I have found that L. gouldiana is really happier mounted too... I figure that if any of these don't do much until they get to the edge of the pot and escape, they really didn't want to be in one.

For winter rest, the only L. anceps that may find that useful is the guerrero variety. But i general, they're growing roots like crazy and starting new growth in the winter, and as long as they are reasonably warm during the day (so that they can dry out) I don't see any reason to cut back water. (Mine get fertilized with everything else all winter too... I tend to cut back somewhat just because I don't feel so much like spending a lot of time outside when it's cold... by California standards...)

Back to your original question... your current temperatures, humidity and rain are just what the plant experiences in the spring at home. It thinks it's time to grow. I would definitely water it while it's making new growth. When it cools down I suspect it will spike.

Temps are now in the low 20's °C day time with clear sky which in full sun (how it is) goes up to 25°C.
By night outside it has been cool, in the 5°C and inside around 12°C.
I've been watering when it's sunny every two days and it's growing roots like crazy. I'll post photos later.

Here are some photos. The sunny warm (by day) weather will continue for 2 weeks so I'l keep watering every two days.

I've read somewhere that the spikes take a long time to grow and they start to show up during summer. Is this true?

https://s1.postimg.org/6zqy8vfbsv/20171110_132941.jpg

https://s1.postimg.org/7vnfobn2sv/20171110_165047.jpg

https://s1.postimg.org/1rvnlvl99r/20171110_165125.jpg

https://s1.postimg.org/8uphpihk9b/20171110_165210.jpg

My spikes usually start showing in August (sometimes even a bit earlier). They do take a long time to develop. (I have one or two that will possibly bloom by the end of the month but the late ones may not open until January) But if you don't have a spike at least starting, I think it will wait until next year. Those roots look great. Lots of roots = strong plant and strong plant = flowers

If you have danger of frost, then best to not water. If it rains, clouds tend to keep the temperature out of the danger zone so rain isn't a problem. As long as night temperatures are above freezing, they laugh at the cold.

I suspect it won't bloom this year since I don't have any signs of spikes.

I have it inside. The climate here is the opposite of their habitat in Mexico: when it's colder (usually slightly above the freezing point) that's when it rains the most. For that reason I'm keeping it inside.
We have heavy frosts here but mainly in the lower lands, where fog is king. Luckily I don't have frost in my balconies so I could try to put it outside...:hmm

If it has been inside, then this is not a good time to put it out. Mine grow outside all the time, so that they time to acclimate to the changing seasons.

Put it out in the spring, and then just leave it out unless it gets very cold. I suspect that it is not getting sufficient light to bloom inside (these like nearly full sun) My temperature range for them is from about 38 deg C (100 deg F)(they can handle even more) down to about 1 deg C (34 deg F)., full sun and no rain protection (it rains mostly in winter here, in summer of course I have to water a lot). But that is all they have ever known, so they are well acclimated to the extremes.

You climate is similar to mine.
My plant receives full sun for at least 6 to 7 hrs/day.
Is it not enough?

Inside, "full sun" is probably not all that "full" (windows filter out some of the UV of the natural sun spectrum and certainly reduce intensity somewhat) For now it will be fine inside... Starting in spring, a natural climate will be best. L. anceps is probably one of the toughest orchids - even stronger than Cymbidiums. They thrive on abuse.

It's a 8x6,5 ft south faced window without any curtains.
Anyway, next spring I'll put it outside.

This Laelia is definitely thinking it's in the south hemisphere.
Now, together withh all the new roots, it has a new growth...:scratchhead:

https://s7.postimg.org/k3b8pact5/20171118_163119.jpg

https://s7.postimg.org/4htx5cvq1/20171118_163148.jpg

It's normal! Mine are doing the same thing... typical behavior. The ideal time for potting and mounting L anceps is from now to maybe January, any later and one misses the ideal time. The new growth now is spikes next summer (when they tease you for months) and flowers next fall/winter!

That's good to know.
Thanks, Roberta!:)

Hello rbarata and Roberta:

Am I reading correctly, that your L. anceps grows in the Fall/Winter and flowers in summer?

Hm, in chilly Massachusetts, it grows all spring/summer and spikes in the Fall...blooming in January/February (in time for our society show) and sometimes lasts until March.

We're all in the Northern hemisphere...so it must be my cold climate that determines its schedule.

Roberta, I so admire your website. I've browsed it numerous times to see what you grow outside. If you grow it Outside, that means I can grow it Inside my cool (cold) g'house during the winter. (All the plants go out for summer. ) Thanks for your expert advice. I also admire the Cool Orchid Society you belong to. Wish I was there!

A Happy, Tasty thanksgiving Day to All
Maryanne

No, L. anceps flowers in winter. It grows new roots, starts new growth, and blooms all at about the same time. (Busy plant) For me, they start spiking in late summer as those new growths mature... the spikes sit there getting longer and longer and longer... tease me for months! My first couple of L. anceps just opened, others may go as late as January.

Glad you enjoy my website!

Yeah, our Cool Growing Orchid Society tries to do what CSA should have done but didn't... focus on the many orchids that can take cool nigh temperatures (and here, grow outside year around - glad the info is useful for those who still have to give winter shelter but don't want to heat any more than they have to)

That's what I've been trying to determine since I got it.
If I understood correctly what Roberta wrote, in the Fall they make new growths and roots, the pbulbs mature in summer time when the spikes start to form to bloom late Fall/Winter.

Maybe the ones (like mine) that make new growths in late Fall will bloom in Winter and the ones that grow earlier bloom in the Fall.
I'm not sure if this is correct because it will implicate to have blloms and new growths at the same time.:hmm

---------- Post added at 07:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 PM ----------

Opss, Roberta has already answered before.

Also, a particular plant can bloom at different times in different years. For instance, I have a L. anceps var. veitchiana (the nearly white one with coerulea lip) that, over a period of 7 or 8 years, has bloomed in January, it has bloomed in November, it has bloomed in December, and occasionally has bloomed on some growths in November and others in January of the same season. The bigger it gets, the more likely that all the spikes WON'T all bloom at once, extending the time in bloom. While it getting ready for the following year at the same time.

Although I haven't got any blooms yet, I find it easy to grow and unpredictable. That's what made me confused about its growing cycle.