What a difference a day makes (or two). I just posted abo...
What a difference a day makes (or two).
I just posted about the upcoming snowflake frosty blooms. Yesterday evening, two buds abruptly changed color - as gorgeous as can be already, and this morning.... well, would you look at that. I guess I'm not done orchid spamming this feed for now. Will update when completely open, and the fragrance has arrived. I am sooooo excited for my first own catt bloom. #plantsmakepeoplehappy #orchidlovers
I just posted about the upcoming snowflake frosty blooms. Yesterday evening, two buds abruptly changed color - as gorgeous as can be already, and this morning.... well, would you look at that. I guess I'm not done orchid spamming this feed for now. Will update when completely open, and the fragrance has arrived. I am sooooo excited for my first own catt bloom. #plantsmakepeoplehappy #orchidlovers
23ft to light, indirect
4” pot with drainage
Last watered 1 year ago
16
@Chevysgirl11 I wouldn't say so, just in the last 3 days 😅 I've been watching that particular one for aaaaages before. 😀 that keiki sounds absolutely terrific. I don't think I have any phal right now that flowers as frequently.
As for smell: first off, this one is a cattleya. And most cattleyas (especially the normal-big ones) have a smell. As far as I know, almost only the ones that are tiny or have been crossed with the tiny non-fragrant sophronites species to be smaller don't have a smell.
As for phals: most of them that are sold in normal shops don't have a smell. There has been a change in that in the last two years, I think, because I've spotted one particular big grower from the Netherlands selling their slightly fragrant ones, at least in big garden centers. But even then, you would need to know, to spot them. Apart from that, to be sure to get a fragrant phal, your best bet is shopping at a specialized nursery. There are many, many, *many* species among phals that are fragrant. However, the ones we buy in stores mostly have been hybridized to be extremely long blooming and floriferous, and even if there were some fragrant parents in there somewhere, they have lost that. Take the phal I posted 3 days ago. She had only 2 flowers open, only one more bud. The spike stays very close to the plant and doesn't look as "elegant" as the flower shop phals. BUT she has a fragrance because even though she is a hybrid, she is closely related (I would say) to the bellina. This is a warm growing species that opens just a few flowers at a time and blooms like that, close to the stem.
So my best advice is, to look up British nurseries (I would say, ask @MotherOfOrchids for that, but she has been mia for quite a long time), or try to look for orchids with special leaves in bigger garden centers. With special, I mean: glossier and a brighter, almost lime green, for example (which could point to there being some more recent warm blooming parentage), like the one I attached. Or patterns on the leaves. The grower from the Netherlands that I mentioned before crossed in some schilleriana in their mini phals, which led to them inheriting some of their patterns leaves. I'll attach pictures of both.
Or you could look for specific names. Some fragrant phals I've stumbled upon as available in some garden centers are: the Love Potion, the Liodoro, the Biondoro, the Odorion (highly recommend), the Scentsation (duh! 😀), the dusty belle and the diffusion. Those last 4 are from that grower I mentioned and are schilleriana crossed, so all have a very slight rosy scent to them and have spotted leaves. I've seen them around for a while, at least in Germany.
And if all else fails, go for different orchids. Phals are great, but a great many oncidiums, dendrobiums or cattleyas are also fragrant and are sold in stores. They might not have a fragrance under the horrific store conditions, but can recover it in your care.
Good luck hunting
As for smell: first off, this one is a cattleya. And most cattleyas (especially the normal-big ones) have a smell. As far as I know, almost only the ones that are tiny or have been crossed with the tiny non-fragrant sophronites species to be smaller don't have a smell.
As for phals: most of them that are sold in normal shops don't have a smell. There has been a change in that in the last two years, I think, because I've spotted one particular big grower from the Netherlands selling their slightly fragrant ones, at least in big garden centers. But even then, you would need to know, to spot them. Apart from that, to be sure to get a fragrant phal, your best bet is shopping at a specialized nursery. There are many, many, *many* species among phals that are fragrant. However, the ones we buy in stores mostly have been hybridized to be extremely long blooming and floriferous, and even if there were some fragrant parents in there somewhere, they have lost that. Take the phal I posted 3 days ago. She had only 2 flowers open, only one more bud. The spike stays very close to the plant and doesn't look as "elegant" as the flower shop phals. BUT she has a fragrance because even though she is a hybrid, she is closely related (I would say) to the bellina. This is a warm growing species that opens just a few flowers at a time and blooms like that, close to the stem.
So my best advice is, to look up British nurseries (I would say, ask @MotherOfOrchids for that, but she has been mia for quite a long time), or try to look for orchids with special leaves in bigger garden centers. With special, I mean: glossier and a brighter, almost lime green, for example (which could point to there being some more recent warm blooming parentage), like the one I attached. Or patterns on the leaves. The grower from the Netherlands that I mentioned before crossed in some schilleriana in their mini phals, which led to them inheriting some of their patterns leaves. I'll attach pictures of both.
Or you could look for specific names. Some fragrant phals I've stumbled upon as available in some garden centers are: the Love Potion, the Liodoro, the Biondoro, the Odorion (highly recommend), the Scentsation (duh! 😀), the dusty belle and the diffusion. Those last 4 are from that grower I mentioned and are schilleriana crossed, so all have a very slight rosy scent to them and have spotted leaves. I've seen them around for a while, at least in Germany.
And if all else fails, go for different orchids. Phals are great, but a great many oncidiums, dendrobiums or cattleyas are also fragrant and are sold in stores. They might not have a fragrance under the horrific store conditions, but can recover it in your care.
Good luck hunting
@Chevysgirl11 as always, it's no bother, just an unsolicited short paragraph that got out of hand again because I'm obsessed, apparently. If you do consider cattleyas, stock up on growlights first 😉 I remember you having similar issues to mine regarding the CPs. And they are way more light-hungry than phals 😉
@MusicalRedmint that is an incredible growth spurt. Spam the feed away! It’s beautiful. I had been debating a catt orchid. I’m still keeping my first phal alive. Are they similar in skill requirements?
@MusicalRedmint you are so knowledgeable! I really enjoyed that posting about orchids and fragrance. Thank you.
@PrizedShadscale hmm. My first instinct was "yes," but on second thought, "not quite." Like phals, they like very airy medium. They can withstand even more drought because they have not only the leaves but all those plump pseudobulbs full of energy. So they are like phals, way more prone to over than under watering. But there are some key differences.
They need a lot more light, at least if you want them to bloom for you or even be fragrant. I have not yet encountered difficulties in that regard, but it seems to be the general consensus. Some even place them outside during summer. Another difference is that catt roots are ridiculously sensitive. You want to repot them as little as possible and only at a specific time, or otherwise you might be left with an almost rootless catt (they can lose lots of roots after the repot) - in the worst case for up to a year (some grow only one pseudobulb a year, and they only grow roots during a specific time in the growth cycle. ) and even if it might be able to sustain itself until the new roots are there, it probably will be set back, meaning it will bloom even later. So you want to use high-quality medium so you don't have to repot frequently.
The structure is obviously different, meaning it doesn't grow upward from a central stem, but in a row of pseudo bulbs (ps) one after the other. That means no danger of crown or stem rot (yay!), but still a bit of danger that the new growth rots. It also means it's easier to propagate.
Hmm, what else? They bloom shorter, just a few weeks. But unless you get a species that really takes a year for a pb, there are some that might even grow three pbs a year, so they also have the possibility to bloom the times. A mature pb doesn't necessarily bloom, though. If the light wasn't enough, if the roots were disturbed too much, etc, it just doesn't, and you need to wait for the next pb to mature.
If you want fragrance, stay away from small cats labeled slc (sophrolaeliocattleya) or anything als with "sophro" in their names. Sophronites are tiny and are used to get smaller plants but aren't fragrant, meaning the hybrid doesn't smell unless it's labeled explicitly as fragrant. They can get quite big. Anything with brassavola in their heritage (e.g., Blc. (Brassolaeliocattleya) is probably fragrant at night and a very good starting plant since they tend to grow faster than others. Though I must say, my two mature ones are also quite fast, fragrant and beautiful, and also widely available, I think (the snowflake frosty and the Chantilly Lace twinkle). Be aware that many of them are sold as seedlings. If you are an even slightly impatient person, you might want to consider looking for a mature one that's blooming size or near blooming size 😀 otherwise they might take 3 years to mature, or even way longer if you damage the roots in that time.
Here we go, another paragraph that got out of hand. I guess the short answer is that I found them surprisingly easy to care for, easier than phals, as long as you don't repot them at the wrong time and take care of their light needs. 🤷♀️ I hope your answer was in here somewhere 🤦♀️
They need a lot more light, at least if you want them to bloom for you or even be fragrant. I have not yet encountered difficulties in that regard, but it seems to be the general consensus. Some even place them outside during summer. Another difference is that catt roots are ridiculously sensitive. You want to repot them as little as possible and only at a specific time, or otherwise you might be left with an almost rootless catt (they can lose lots of roots after the repot) - in the worst case for up to a year (some grow only one pseudobulb a year, and they only grow roots during a specific time in the growth cycle. ) and even if it might be able to sustain itself until the new roots are there, it probably will be set back, meaning it will bloom even later. So you want to use high-quality medium so you don't have to repot frequently.
The structure is obviously different, meaning it doesn't grow upward from a central stem, but in a row of pseudo bulbs (ps) one after the other. That means no danger of crown or stem rot (yay!), but still a bit of danger that the new growth rots. It also means it's easier to propagate.
Hmm, what else? They bloom shorter, just a few weeks. But unless you get a species that really takes a year for a pb, there are some that might even grow three pbs a year, so they also have the possibility to bloom the times. A mature pb doesn't necessarily bloom, though. If the light wasn't enough, if the roots were disturbed too much, etc, it just doesn't, and you need to wait for the next pb to mature.
If you want fragrance, stay away from small cats labeled slc (sophrolaeliocattleya) or anything als with "sophro" in their names. Sophronites are tiny and are used to get smaller plants but aren't fragrant, meaning the hybrid doesn't smell unless it's labeled explicitly as fragrant. They can get quite big. Anything with brassavola in their heritage (e.g., Blc. (Brassolaeliocattleya) is probably fragrant at night and a very good starting plant since they tend to grow faster than others. Though I must say, my two mature ones are also quite fast, fragrant and beautiful, and also widely available, I think (the snowflake frosty and the Chantilly Lace twinkle). Be aware that many of them are sold as seedlings. If you are an even slightly impatient person, you might want to consider looking for a mature one that's blooming size or near blooming size 😀 otherwise they might take 3 years to mature, or even way longer if you damage the roots in that time.
Here we go, another paragraph that got out of hand. I guess the short answer is that I found them surprisingly easy to care for, easier than phals, as long as you don't repot them at the wrong time and take care of their light needs. 🤷♀️ I hope your answer was in here somewhere 🤦♀️
@PrizedShadscale saw your second post only just now. Thank you 😊 not quite, though. I have only started with catts last year myself. Much is still second-hand knowledge. As I said, I have just been a bit obsessed last year.
@MusicalRedmint never out of hand.☺️ I really appreciate you taking the time! I will have to screenshot this chat so that I can take it with me to my local nursery while I’m making a selection. But I think you have convinced me that I will give them a whirl.
For my medium, I like a mix of Sphagnum moss and orchid bark. I check to see if the roots have turned silver and then I soak them for 10 minutes and put it back in its cover pot. So far, it has worked for me if you have different suggestions on medium for a catt, I would be very open to that.
Also, I love the names, snowflake, frosty, and Chantilly lace twinkle.
Mind if I check back in after exploring my local nursery?
For my medium, I like a mix of Sphagnum moss and orchid bark. I check to see if the roots have turned silver and then I soak them for 10 minutes and put it back in its cover pot. So far, it has worked for me if you have different suggestions on medium for a catt, I would be very open to that.
Also, I love the names, snowflake, frosty, and Chantilly lace twinkle.
Mind if I check back in after exploring my local nursery?
@PrizedShadscale
Most general nurseries aren't as specific or don't have a much of a selection. Btw, no hate for the non-fragrant mini catts. They are fast growers and easy to please because they don't need as much light. And some cattleyas (laelias in particular) can become huuuuge. I have one small one here that lost all roots to me damage. There was nothing left. And now it's as good as new.
That medium sounds great. You can adjust the sphagnum according to what the orchid needs. Like with phals there are some that need more and some that need less water. The roots won't turn silver but white, but yes, you can use the same principle. Or just wait until the pot is 100%visibly bone dry.
I'm too lazy to soak them, but yes, many do, as far as I know.
The two orchids are clones from prize winning orchids and most growers give their cattleyas very... interesting names.
Ah last advice: the more flouffy cattleyas are said to need even more light than others to bloom, in case your light situation (like mine, sigh) isn't ideal.
And of course, check back any time. I'm interested, what you will find. Here in Germany I would have to look for quite a bit to find a cattleya anywhere. I need to buy them from specialized nurseries. Which is terrible because they have hundreds upon hundreds of orchids, which is quite the challenge.
Most general nurseries aren't as specific or don't have a much of a selection. Btw, no hate for the non-fragrant mini catts. They are fast growers and easy to please because they don't need as much light. And some cattleyas (laelias in particular) can become huuuuge. I have one small one here that lost all roots to me damage. There was nothing left. And now it's as good as new.
That medium sounds great. You can adjust the sphagnum according to what the orchid needs. Like with phals there are some that need more and some that need less water. The roots won't turn silver but white, but yes, you can use the same principle. Or just wait until the pot is 100%visibly bone dry.
I'm too lazy to soak them, but yes, many do, as far as I know.
The two orchids are clones from prize winning orchids and most growers give their cattleyas very... interesting names.
Ah last advice: the more flouffy cattleyas are said to need even more light than others to bloom, in case your light situation (like mine, sigh) isn't ideal.
And of course, check back any time. I'm interested, what you will find. Here in Germany I would have to look for quite a bit to find a cattleya anywhere. I need to buy them from specialized nurseries. Which is terrible because they have hundreds upon hundreds of orchids, which is quite the challenge.
@MusicalRedmint I am blessed with lots of bright indirect light. It’s just a matter of shuffling everyone around. I’m soon to gift some plants to friends and neighbors to free some space for plants that are speaking to me. I started to my plant journey about a year ago and wanted to try everything and see what I had a passion for. Some I have loved and some I think are best served with someone else.
Anyway, too much about me and mine. ☺️ my local nursery has some in a small area that I thought were unique and very different from ones I had routinely seen. I’ll be sure to send pics
Anyway, too much about me and mine. ☺️ my local nursery has some in a small area that I thought were unique and very different from ones I had routinely seen. I’ll be sure to send pics
@PrizedShadscale that sounds great. The light and space situation as well as the nursery. I'm envious. Also I have seen more than one US Gregger post about their regions' orchid shows. If you really want to see a great selection in person, it might be worth it to take a look if there are any near you in the foreseeable future 😉 speaking of leaving with a boatload 😀 good luck hunting.
@PrizedShadscale ooooh that looks great. If I had the option, I probably would. 😀 or not, to be able to buy food in the months after.
@PrizedShadscale yay. Do it.. but don't say I didn't warn you. Though with luck, many of them will not be flowering size yet. (My best nurseries carry predominantly younger plants). That means less temptation and more easy on the wallet. Though, of course, depending on the genus they might take ages to bloom. 😀