My first serious Catt: a Blc. Chia Lin from Lowes
 

Went in to get a power drill and found this thing staring me in the face on the way in. I've been good! It's like four months since I bought an orchid, I was trying to save up for the expo next month. :p When I walked up to it and found it had fragrance I was done for.

This shot is blurry but shows the color pretty accurately:

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Closer up at home:

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It's from Gubler Orchids and did indeed have a species tag-- but it only says Blc. Chia Lin on it. I have no idea what cultivar it may be.

I keep seeing Chia Lins described as "red", but when I saw it all I could think was PURPLE. The petals are a bit more magenta, but the lip is a really dark color that's almost blueish at the edges. There are yellow striatons in the throat alternating with near black.

Any idea which Chia Lin cultivar this might be?

And how much light should I be bombing this thing with? I have only one other Catt type, a mini Potinara rescued from Trader Joe's, and it's blooming now but I have a feeling those blooms came quick enough the plant might have initiated them before I bought it-- I don't know how much light a Potinara wants vs this much larger more Catty-looking Blc.

I have a north-facing window shelf under a pair of T5 bulbs right now, my phals are spitting out spikes like crazy but my Catasetum and Vandas are sulking, so maybe I need more supplemental light for Cattleya types?

Or should I stick it outside, even?? San Francisco is Zone 10 and all, although it's winter at the moment.

Congratulations on your new orchid. Rlc. Chia Lin is usually a dark red. There are several different cultivars pictured in Orchid-Wiz but none of them look as purple as yours. Yours may be an unnamed version of the cross. The Chia Lin hybrid has won many awards and several different clones have won AM/AOS awards. The most widely available clone is Rlc. Chia Lin "New City" and it can be very dark so there's always a possibility that's what you have although it should be more red. Cattleyas prefer strong light but they don't need quite as much light as vandas. A North window is not ideal unfortunately. If it doesn't grow well under your conditions you may need to give it more light. Wait for summer and see if it starts putting on growth or not. Good luck.

you got a real treasure! such deep intense color! very good purchase in my opinion....I wouldn't put it out just now, wait till spring....while cats can take some cold, it really doesn't help them, they kind of go into hibernation....slows them down too much....I think yes, more light is necessary....you will have to get a separate light set up to make your vanda, cat, and potinara truly happy....good luck with it, and enjoy!

I did a little more research and found out that Rlc. Chia Lin "P.T.C." has won an FCC/AOS. That's the highest AOS award possible. Another cultivar Rlc. Chia Lin "Shin Shy" was Grand Champion of an orchid show in Japan in 1996.

Yeah, that would follow me home also. Nice find!

Thanks for the tips, guys!

I wish I could find more info on just what Chia Lin cultivars are out there and what they actually look like. Most of them do seem to be a more proper red, some even a tomato type red. It's frustrating how cameras can pick the colors up so very badly. As soon as I get my hands on a camera with proper white balance controls I'll start taking better pictures of my plants.

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After more attempts in the daytime that's the best I could do with my iPhone.

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There's my Potinara Paradise Beauty "Marcela" next to it, much smaller plant. Similar hues of purple though.

Great find! I am always amazed by what people say that they find as they go about their day to day life. Me...I am unlucky in that sense. Never win a raffle or find a winner at Lowes or anything like that :) Do enjoy yours...it is beautiful!

Lovely color. I wanna shop at YOUR Lowe's instead of mine. :D

That's a nice plant, you never know when you might find some nice ones at certain Lowe's. I found some great vandas at one on two occasions, but that's the only time that's ever happened.

Even with sunlight, the blue from the sky Drive the color toward bluish red. It's tough to get it right with digital and no WB controls. But most flash is color balanced. Back away and then in subdued light, use your flash.