Cattleya Dowiana in bloom

[401Orchids]

Hello everyone, I am new to this board but joined so I can share some of the orchids I find quite exceptional in my past five years of growing. I grow about 250 orchids of all sorts but mostly species Cattleyas! (Indoors under lights and in windows in New England)

Here is a C. Dowiana I imported last may from Orquídeas Del Valle (preorder for orchid show last may). I have never seen this plant in bloom in person before! This plant is my second attempt to grow this species. In my experience it absolutely hates water when it is not in the mood. By some miracle the plant grew an entire new root system, new lead, and flowered on it, all within six months after import!! I spoke with the grower later about the infection and she was surprised it was already blooming again and diagnosed the problem and helped me cure it. (I believe the extended daylight of my LED grow light helped it to bloom again so soon, but I waited until the root system was established again only about two months after I got the plant.) It was last in bloom in May, right before it came to me. (I had day and night temps of 80 and 90 degrees fahrenheit respectively about about 40-50% humidity)

This plant did have a fungal infection starting on its new lead which I battled until the orchid finally fought it off completely and closed the wound after several leaf cuttings. I believe I was watering too often although it also did not return after I treated with physan 20 (1/2 dilution). With that, and less frequent watering, it has not returned.

Anyone please share past experiences with C. Dowiana! I killed my first one (acquired in January, too cold, plant got the 'dowiana rot'. Was too late to save it.) Anyway the first and the second were 100% worth it because it was a learning process! Almost every experienced nursery grower grower I have talked with about this orchid have killed or lost entire batches of this species for no specific reason other than it is picky and really hates the cold.

Attached are pictures of it before the infection was cured, when it first opened, and how it looks today about ten days after opening. The yellow coloration really intensified every day and impressed me overall. Did not expect it to be as bright and pure of a yellow.It is a large plant over foot tall itself with 6 pseudobulbs/one direction of growth.