Unifoliate vs Bifoliate cattleya? any difference?
 

Hi! :waving

Having been in the hobby for quite sometime now, I'm actually just starting to like cattleyas :blushing: I thought cattleyas may not grow here since my climate here is humid and mostly cloudy and i was always scared i might kill one. But I realized that cattleyas are amazing! they are fragrant, they can produce very large flowers or small but abundant blooms, and they are beautiful! amazing color combinations and very charming species. I want to ask though, is there a difference between bifoliate and unifoliate cattleyas? in terms of growth, flowering, care or parentage maybe? I know cattleyas are widely hybridized and foliage type is maybe not most of concern... or is it? any advanced hobbyist care/tips? or is this thread most suitable in the advanced discussion section? :lol: thank you all in advance ;)

Bifoliate Cattleya species are a bit more sensitive to when they are re-potted. They tend to sulk and not grow well if they are not re-potted when the roots are actively growing. There are many Cattleya hybrids that have unifoliate and bifoliate species in their ancestry. I find it easiest to wait on re-potting ALL Cattleyas until roots are actively growing on new growths, best time is when roots are just emerging. Pot carefully so the new roots are not damaged.

For all Cattleyas, use a coarse, chunky potting medium that drains very rapidly, such as coarse orchid bark. I find that unglazed terracotta pots work very well. Generally, you want to use a pot that is only 3 to 6 centimeters larger in diameter than the existing root mass.

Water Cattleyas only when the bark has dried out since your last watering.

If your local climate is closer to rain forest, with rain nearly every day, consider growing Cattleyas with the roots tied into empty wooden orchid baskets, such as https://www.orchidgrowingsupplies.co....jpg?wid=&hei= As plants get larger, just tie the smaller, old basket into a larger new basket.

All Cattleyas prefer good light. Plants that have grow in shade should be slowly adapted into growing in brighter light (partial sun, light filtered by overhead leaves or under shade cloth).

The general comment that bifoliate Cattleyas are more particular about when they are repotted is worth making - best when there is active root growth - but that is true of all Catts and virtually all commonly grown orchids. You may still be forced to repot at a bad time to save a plant, just be prepared to provide TLC.

Other than that, it is best not to think in broad categories but to learn about the needs of individual species. Remember also that the name Cattleya is defined to include or exclude different groups at different times, and that hybrids may combine species with very different needs.

Cloudy, humid weather is not necessarily bad. Cattleya and related genera are very widespread genera. There are species growing in very arid conditions, very wet conditions and everything in between. Some get regular rain or heavy dew all year, and others have long dry seasons. Some grow under dense forest canopies, and other out in full sun. I think you will be successful with Cattleyas.

There might be an orchid society or two in your city. It would be well worth your time to join and learn from more experienced members. They might meet at a nearby botanical garden,

thank you for this very substantial tutorial, this is highly appreciated! :) i'll keep everything in mind. I think i can only find hybrids in my area, finding a species cattleya would be delightful. if i ever come across one, i'll definitely buy it. thanks for the advice! :bowing

---------- Post added at 07:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:21 PM ----------

thanks for the advice! much appreciated :) might i ask, is there any reason why bifoliate catts are more finicky when it comes to repotting? any conclusions? i think im gonna buy unifoliate ones, :lol: jk. well, depends on the blooms :) anyways, thank you again :)

---------- Post added at 07:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 PM ----------

thanks for the encouragement :) the wet season here is kinda already starting so i concluded i might buy cattleyas that bloom in this period of the year so that i can get blooming cattleyas in the rainy season? or, because cattleyas like bright light, they will only bloom in sunny seasons? just making sure hehe. im excited buy one :) apparently, there aren't any orchid societies here other than the national, phil orchid society i think. thanks again :)

Partly speculation here. Bifoliate and unifoliate Cattleyas may grow in the same environments now, but that may not have always been the case. There must have been a point in their evolution when they diverged. If the ancestors of bifoliate Catts adapted to harsher conditions where there was only a short season where new roots would survive, they may only grow roots at a specific time, so they only recover well from repotting at that time. Unifoliate Catts may be a little more capable of some root growth at odd times, allowing them to better recover from disturbance, or maybe their roots just heal better when damaged.

Bifoliate species aren't necessarily harder to grow; they just have a different growing rhythm through the year than most unifoliates. Because many people are first introduced to Cattleyas with a corsage, usually a unifoliate flower, people tend to think of the unifoliates as standard Catts and bifoliates as the strange ones.

The hybrids are usually less picky about everything, so that is often a good place to start.

I hope iloveorchids doesn't mind me expanding her discussion. interesting topic.

In terms of growth of a bifoliate or its hybrids, is there a general relationship between leaf number and overall health / maturity of the plant? Or is it more of an idiosyncratic nature?

I've noticed that online photos of bifoliates tend to have two leaves on older, larger, and flowering psuedobulbs while younger, smaller ones have one leaf.

I have a Blc. golden chieftan that seems to alternate the number of leaves and flower regardless. And then there's a Blc. hawaiian passion that has been unifoliate to its 8th p-bulb (and never flowered), while online photos show them being bifoliate...

I guess as PaphMadMan advises, I shouldn't try making sweeping generalizations on these things. It's hard not to when starting off!

Many hybrids have both unifoliate and bifoliate Catts in their background. They then produce growths with either one or two leaves pretty randomly. (And tend to have more than one rooting period, from the different parents, so aren't so picky about when they're potted) I have also noticed that even with species, a baby bifoliate can have just one leaf, getting growths with two as it matures.

I have learned the hard way that bifoliates ARE very sulky when you mess with repotting or attaching to tree or whatever, it HAS to be in their time... which is as everyone has said when the plant is actively growing roots.
I have lost a large lovely Blc.Lily Marie Almas trying to divide the plant, as it was large and I wanted two! (See where greed gets ya!) Lol KIDDING! Then after the funeral... I bought another one took it out of the pot to acclimate it to a basket and it has been sulking ever since which is one year now. I seem to be a slow learner. I think it will come around fine once the temperature shoots up as well as the humidity but do be cautious with your bifoliates.
Brenda