Other factors not withstanding, the single most important element in our opinion is ADEQUATE LIGHT! With only a few exceptions, Cattleya alliance species and hybrids like bright to very bright conditions. Essentially, as bright as they can take and still have proper humidity, air movement and temperature will produce plants that bloom better, more often and with better substance and richer color than plants in less light. In particular bright light in winter is essential. In the tropical regions where these orchids grow, the sun does not sink to as low an angle as here in the temperate zones. In addition, many of the Cattleya alliance species grow in deciduous tropical forests, where, due to lower rainfall, trees lose their leaves in the winter months, exposing the plants to higher light. So for many orchids, this bright winter light is essential for truly impressive blooms the following season. We grow our plants under 47% shade (30% for the brightest growers like Schomburgkias and Broughtonias) But we also roll up the shade cloth on November 1st and don’t roll it back down until March 1st. Even after that date, if there is a string of cloudy days, we roll it back up so the plants get as much light as they can until sunny weather returns. A little simple engineering has made this process easy for us – some cable, key rings, rope, a few pulleys: nothing elaborate or expensive. You may be surprised to learn that we even grow our personal Phalenopsis collection under bright ‘Cattleya’ light and the plants flourish and bloom more heavily than they ever did under the typical recommended conditions for this class of orchids! But, it should be noted that preventing the full sun of March from reaching your plants is also vital. This happens to be the month in which Earth is closest to the Sun in its yearly orbit, so that extra energy added to a brilliant clear day can burn your plants quickly! So NEVER wait to provide extra protection when March arrives. When growing inside your home, this can be as simple as adding a sheer drape between your plants and the window, or moving them back a few inches. If the leaves are hot to the touch, they have lost their ability to regulate their internal heat and will burn. Next in line to adequate light, we believe is ADEQUATE HUMIDITY combined with AIR MOVEMENT. A typical home is a virtual desert to most orchids. They live in environments where, even in dry seasons, the humidity is regularly 60% or more during the day and approaching the dewpoint at night. At the same time, stagnant, humid air is the breeding ground for numerous orchid ailments, so what you are looking for is good humidity with good air movement at all times. In the home, you can usually accomplish this with a ‘fine mist’ humidifier and small fan placed with it to move humid, buoyant air across your plants. Of course, more elaborate systems are available. Nice green, fresh root tips are a good sign that your plants are happy and getting adequate himidity. In our greenhouse, we use a combination of evaporative cooling pads, jet powered foggers, exhaust fans and horizontal air flow (HAF) fans to create this balance whatever the season. One also needs to take culture tips that call for a ‘dry winter rest’ with a grain of salt. Its one thing for a plant to live in a climate that has little rainfall for a season, but still receives high humidity and NIGHTLY drenching with dew, and quite another to withhold all water from the same plant captive inside your house or greenhouse, where no such environmental conditions exist. You can’t underestimate how much water an orchid can absorb when dew is condensing on it continuously for several hours each night, even though not a drop of rain falls for weeks upon end. So, to imitate this in some way, you should either water lightly from time to time, or syringe, or mist your plants almost daily in bright weather during this ‘dry’ season. If the pseudobulbs are shriveling more than just a little, the plant is suffering from lack of moisture. With practice and experimentation, you can find a method that still delivers the needed moisture without overdoing it. Lastly, ADEQUATE NUTRITION makes the big difference. While orchids are not generally heavy feeders, they depend and a wide spectrum of trace elements in their environment to produce healthy plants. We collect rain water from our greenhouse roof and add the MSU (Michigan State University) fertilizer to it at ¼ strength. The formula was the result of much research and provides small amounts of 13 essential elements to our plants. We are giving our plants this diluted strength fertilizer with each watering. About once a month, we flush all the plants with plain water to avoid salt buildup in the pots, which can destroy roots. We are also experimenting with foliar sprays of additional iron and calcium with our mini-catts based on the success of other orchid colleagues. We are always learning, and you should be too. Suffice it to say that the days when plant nutrition was based solely on Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus are long gone as we begin to understand that orchids, like humans, rely on a host of trace elements for good health! The ‘work’ of learning more about these needs pays high dividends for the orchid hobbyist. We welcome your inquiries about culture of your Cattleya alliance orchids and will always do our best to answer your questions to the best of our ability! info@marblebranchfarms.com |
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