B. digbyana general question

[Katznk9s]

Hello everyone:

Has anyone out there grown successfully a B.digbiana in semihydroponics? I"ve converted all but 4-5 plants in my greenhouse and before I put the digbiana in SH, I would appreciate some feedback first. (FYI: none of my Bulbos are in SH.)

Regards to all,
JoAnne Klein
Lebec, California

[SOS]

...and if you put this in SH, still none of your Bulbos will be in SH!


I think it should be fine though, so long as it gets it dry season.

[Baz in Oz]

JoAnne, while you are playing with your digbyana, make up a new name tag because those name changing so-and-sos have renamed it Rhyncholaelia digbyana.
And no, it won't grow any better with it's new name.

Baz

[Katznk9s]

Thanks Baz... At my age I'm lucky to remember to replace the tag with the rightful plant. But just because your funny note made me laugh, I'll change this one.... Of course, by the time I remember to change the tag, those so-and-so's will change it back or to something else....

Thanks,
JoAnne

[Tindomul]

I'll be changing this to the appropriate forum. I really don't think this is a Bulbo, but rather Brassiocattleya or something like that.

[smweaver]

Rhyncholaelia digbyana really likes to dry out thoroughly between waterings, and it does (as someone else mentioned) experience a winter rest period, at which time it will want to remain dry between infrequent waterings. I'm growing my two plants of this species is very porous media; it will be interesting to learn from your experiment how well your plant adapts. Good luck.

Steve

[Katznk9s]

Thanks Steve: First, I didn't know this plant needed a rest period and stay dry between light/infrequent waterings. I really like this plant and hope it doesn't croak. I'm curious as to what media you're using... and how you figure the depth of drainage holes. Some of my plants seem to really soak up the moisture, and some really don't like it, and there doesn't seem to be any relativity between those that do and don't like it. I'm growing in both SH and large lava rock for the large Catts and Laelias. It doesn't seem to make any difference which media is used. I.e., I hve several divisions of the same plant in lava rock, some died, some REALLY blossomed. Same situation with the SH. But, as some say, crop rotation provides a way to spend more money, get more orchids, kill more, and then go get even more...

Again, Thanks for the info.

[smweaver]

Well, by "rest period" I guess I should have qualified that statement by saying that, in the sense of a plant like Cycnoches warscewiczii, which loses its leaves completely and absolutely does not want to be watered when it's dormant, Rhyncholaelia digbyana doesn't experience a true rest period. In other words, it will still want water during the winter, just a lot less than it requires when it's actively growing during the warmer months. The rest period my plants get in dreary Indiana during the winter months, when my digbyanas slow down a lot, is going to be more severe than what yours will probably need in sunny California. When I water this species I really water it, soaking it completely. But I also allow it to completely dry out between waterings. During the winter, those periods between waterings are more extended than they are in the summer (but yes, the plant still gets watered regularly).

I'm using coconut husk pieces (large grade) mixed with Aliflor (some sort of expanded clay pellets) for the digbyanas. They're in clay pots with maybe half of the bottom of the pot consisting of styrofoam packing peanuts. This species also does wonderfully when mounted. But I don't have the patience for mounted plants (you have to water them a lot more, which is a pain in the butt).

There are lots of members of this site who grow (or experiment with) semi-hydroponics. So hopefully some of them will give you some advice too.

[Katznk9s]

Again, many thanks. I'm in rural area in the mountains at 4000 ft, so it's not always so warm, and we get snow -sometimes down to 8 - 10 degrees, so we get a "real" winter. The digby I have left is now substantial (12 pseudobulbs and 4 new growths) - it has recovered from being divided. I mounted the divisions and none of them survived even tho they got water/f every day during the summer. And while California is indeed sunny, it's not always warm... I remember well the winter I spent in Indianapolis - It was colder there than in CHurchill, Manitoba, Canada when I went to see the Polar Bears.... brrrrrrrrrrrrr..... Again, thanks!

[smweaver]

You're quite welcome. Rhyncholaelias can be somewhat odd in their growth patterns (mine will go an entire summer sometimes without making a single growth, then initiate growths in the middle of winter--very frustrating), so don't be discouraged if your plants don't always seem to "behave" appropriately. Once they're happy, however, they're pretty hardy and relatively carefree. You might consider getting Rhyncholaelia glauca. The blooms aren't quite as showy as digbyana's, but the plant looks like a miniature digbyana and the flowers are nicely fragrant at night. It's also, coming from higher elevations, more tolerant of cooler conditions than digbyana (useful for those of us who have to contend with winters that don't always, to put it mildly, match those of digbyana's Yucatan habitat).