I Am A Novice Trying To Start Cattleya Orchids. I Need Help With Iding The Parts Mentioned In Books, Etc., Such As Spikes, Pseudobulbs,or Any Other Tips Would Be Greatly Appreciated. Thanks.
Here's a general key to parts of the whole plant; the orchid in the picture is Cattleya maxima. For more detailed flower anatomy Click Here and scroll down until you find the Cattleya orchid flower. Orchid Lady is a great site for general tips as well. I've found that in general, Cattleya are pretty tough, so they're ideal if this is your first time growing orchids. It's very very hard to kill them. This said, mine seem to prefer full sunlight and to be soaked down with a hose at sunset. Bear in mind that I grow species Catts (not hybrids,) that I grow them outdoors and that mine are fairly well established on their stumps. If you're growing indoors, you should mist them down at night, rather than dousing them with the hose - this will save your carpets or flooring. How old are your plants? How do you have them potted / situated? Can you post us a picture? HTH
Thanks For Your Help, I Do Fairly Well With Phalaenopsis, But I Can't For The Life Of Me Keep A Catleya Alive, I Live In Louisiana So Full Sun Would Be Too Much For Orchids. I Keep Mine In A Window With An Eastern Exposure So They Get Some Morning Sun, I Do Well For A While, & Then When I Think I've Got The Swing Of Things The Leaves Begin To Curl & Shrivel & Then It Dies.i Pot Mine In Spagnum Moss, Is That Ok? I Bought The Last One On Line So I Guess It Is A Hybrid, It Is Called Hawiian Wedding Bells Anyway Thanks For Your Help. Barry
Did you look at where I am? My Catts get full, high-altitude Equatorial sun, and hot days here can top 40*C. Catts need a whole lot more than just morning sun. The picture above was taken on a 38*C day, and they drooped a little towards sunset but hosing them down perked them right back up. Those ones, which are in full sun all day, like it or lump it, bloom every 6-7 months or so, as opposed to the ones in semishade in my backyard, which don't seem to do as well and only bloom once a year. Oddly enough, although I'm great with species orchids, I've got a black thumb when it comes to Phals. Spaghnum moss is probably fine; I grow mine without medium - just bodge them onto trees with twine and wait for the holdfasts to take up. They like to hang, as they bloom scandent (trailing spike, rather than upright like Phals or Dendros) - are they in pots or just a wodge of moss? You may find that they behave better if they're hanging in the window rather than sitting on the sill. Wedding bells is a white Catt, is it not? I've never attempted them.
Thanks So Much For Trying To Help Me, More & More Leaves Are Schriveling As I Write This. So I Have Probably Purchased My Last Cattlaya , Yes It Is Wedding Bells & I Paid 15.00 For It On Line. How Do I Hang Them In A Window? I Have Tried & Tried To Succeed At This, & I Have Wasted More Time & Money. Thanks Again.
