rupicolous Laelias

For any of you who grow these, our society just had a great speaker last Sunday, Francisco Miranda, talking about Brazilian Laelia species.

Here's a little info if you're having a hard time getting yours to bloom. Apparently, at the elevations a lot of these grow at, they're literally in cloud cover all night, getting drenched with dew. In the mornings, the clouds scatter and it gets hot and very bright and bone-dry.

If you've been growing for any length of time, you've heard to "always water in the mornings so that the plants dry off by nightfall." Well, with rupicolous Laelia species, you have to do exactly the opposite. Water them in late evening, and give them hella-light, dryness, and hella-air-movement during the day.

Just thought I'd pass that on....

Thanks. That should help me get the anceps I bought to reflower. Btw, does anyone know how to make it produce two growths instead of one?

Praveer

Praveer, you can split the rhizome of your plant. This works best (sets the plant back the least) if, on each side of your split, you have at least three good growths.

Without unpotting the plant, use a steak knife and cut into the rhizome about 3/4 of the way through. Don't cut it completely. That will "trick" each partial division to activate dormant eyes and produce new leads on each side, rather than just one lead growth at the front. Spray the cut with tree sealant--that black, tar-like stuff--to seal it. You can also drip candle wax into the cut to accomplish the same thing.

Louis - does that work for all types of orchids?

Diane, I imagine it would work on any sympodial epiphyte with definite rhizomes, anything in the Catt alliance, very likely some of the Bulbos, etc. I've only ever done it with Catts, though.

Scopinox-

I don't think L. anceps is included in the rupicolous group. They usually grow in lower elevations, and are generally epiphytes as compared to rupicolous (the term means 'rock growing') which would be considered lithophytes. As Louis said, rupicolous laleas grow in an extremly dry and high altitude environment, whereas anceps' environment is more or less sub-tropical. I would continue to water your anceps in the morning along with your other cats...

Catfan--geesh, I didn't catch that at all. Thanks for your post!

Rupiculous Laelias are mostly the Brazilian species and include L briegeri, and L cinnabarina, L crispata, L flava, L mantiqueirae, L milleri, etc etc... of course some of these may have been named something else now, ie some have been moved to Sophronitis, etc etc...

So, water them in the evening aye... umm... is there a temperature restriction to this? I grow mine outside even in winter and it can get down to 5 degrees celsius which is cold!!! So should I still? Won't this cause problems?

Cheers
Tim

Fransisco is scheduled to do a training session with the Carolinas Judging Center this fall...I look forward to hearing him speak...

Tim, apparently, elevations where these are found range from 3000-6000 feet. Since it's the tropics, seasons are determined by the amount of rainfall rather than daylength or temp changes. I would imagine that, during periods of less rain when there is no cloudcover, temperatures at that altitude can get pretty cold. But then, with much less moisture in the air, the dewpoint drops as well, so the plants more than likely won't get (as) wet.

Francisco never said that specifically, I'm just trying to put some common sense and experience to it. I may be wrong though....

Catfan, he has tons of information--I could barely keep up scribbbling notes....