We are going to go into some detail about Cattleya orchid
care. These orchids are probably the easiest to care for and like all plants
need water, light and fertilizer. Playing some nice music or talking to them
doesn't hurt either.
Most of the wild cattleya
orchids grow in rain forests of South America, namely in Argentina, Bolivia,
Paraguay and Mexico. They flourish in the Andes from altitudes near sea level to
high altitudes of 9 - 10,000 feet. These orchids are truly epiphytes or air
plants. They are used to being partly covered by the canopy of the rain forest
and get considerable humidity and bright light to grow cattleya. This is
important to remember in the cattleya orchid care.
Being in the forest as noted they are used to diffuse
light all be it bright light. Cattleya orchid care generally do not require
direct mid day sunlight. It is bright light which helps them to develop hard
pseudopods. The pseudopods are the orchids main way to hold water which is so
important for their growth and life. It is from the pseudopods that the orchid
flowers actually come from.
Being in the forest and at various altitudes there are a
wide range of temperatures that these plants are used to. In the winter and
higher altitudes these plants become accustom to temps which can go as low as 50
- 55 degrees in the winter and as high as 80-90 degrees in the summer. The care
of cattleya orchids should have some temperature changes to help them grow and
bloom. Temperature variations of at least 10 degrees between day and night are
great.
Humidity is the friend to cattleyas. We can understand
this from being in rain forests. Most cattleya orchids do well with being set on
humidity trays. These are metal or plastic trays that are filled with pepples
and then half full with water. The plant roots cannot sit in water for a long
period of time or else they will get root rot. Allow for good air circulation
but not sitting in direct aim of an air vent.
Generally, watering is important in the cattleya orchid
care, so twice a week does well during their growth and flowering period and
once a week during their period of rest. Cattleyas are orchids that can and
should get dry between watering after blooming. This aids in the growth of
healthy pseudopods. Be sure that the potting medium allow the water to drain out
fairly rapidly.
To check to see if a plant needs water stick your finger
about 1 inch into the potting material and see if it comes out dry or damp. If
dry it needs watering. If damp it may be able to go another day or two without
water.
When watering allow the water to flow into the plant and
then drain right out into the sink and not into the humidity tray. You can let
the water water flow onto the plant for about 30 seconds and the pseudopods will
get enough water for storage.
If plants blossom in the winter or spring this means
that these orchid plants deserve a rest period of about 6 to 8 weeks. During
this time water them about once a week and keep the lighting the same.
If the plants blossom in the summer time no rest period
is needed.
Fertilizing should take place about every other week
with a balanced formula like 20-20-20. If the plant is flowering you can
fertilize with a blossoming mixture with a higher nitrogen factor, e.g.
30-10-10.
With these rather easy steps of Cattleya orchid care you
will get many years of joy with your plants.
