Cattleyas As House Plants - Part 2

In part one of Cattleyas as House Plants we looked at:

• Light
• Controlling Night Temperatures

Let’s now explore the topic of…

Water

It is difficult to give an absolute schedule for watering cattleyas. As long as the fiber is damp the roots can absorb water, either from the moist air held between the fibers or from contact with the damp fibers themselves.

The fiber dries out more rapidly, of course, in hot weather than in cool weather, and in a dry atmosphere than in a damp atmosphere, and more rapidly in a smaller pot than in a larger one. As the fiber approaches dryness, the pot becomes light in weight. When it is completely dry the fiber becomes very light and crisp. Try to judge when the fiber is almost dry, and water the plant then, rather than wait until it becomes crisp.

Soak the pot thoroughly when you water. (Do not chill plants with cold water - make it about room temperature.) Stand the pot in water to the rim in the sink and let it remain until the air bubbles stop rising. Let it drain completely in the sink before returning to its place in the window. Water must not stand in the saucer under the pot, for this not only keeps the fiber too wet but cuts down aeration.

To water cattleyas as you do other plants, by pouring water into the pot while they stand in their usual place, is dangerous. First, the water runs through the fiber into the saucer, which is bad, and second, the fiber does not become uniformly moistened. In a greenhouse we hold the hose to each pot for a few moments, while the water runs out the bottom and over the sides, flooding it until we know that it is thoroughly wet. You cannot do this with a plant in a window, and so in order to insure soaking it is best to dunk the pot.

Watering too frequently leads to ill health. Waterlogged fiber cannot hold enough air to supply the needs of the roots. When the air spaces between the root cells become filled with water, the roots die for lack of oxygen and their service to the plant is ended. The leaves will become sickly yellow or yellow-green and watery looking. The plants may fail to flower, or produce flowers of thin substance that soon fade, and growths will be-come smaller, because the roots are unable to absorb enough minerals.

Constantly wet (in contrast to just damp) fiber allows an accumulation of toxic ma-terials from bacteria. If the fiber should become soggy from overwatering, it will take two or three times as long for it to dry out as fiber in good condition.

To overcome the waterlogged condition it should be allowed to become completely dry to the crisp state before any more water is applied and then should be watered less frequently so as not to allow the soggy condition to return. In nature the plants are alternately wet and dry. In cultivation we imitate this by giving them a thorough watering and then letting the pots become almost dry before watering.

Arrange for Humidity

Humidity - There is less agreement on what to do about humidity than about most other phases of indoor culture. We have tried some of the suggested methods for window-sill plants, but find that they contribute little.

One, often used, is to stand the pot on a dish of gravel which is kept wet, and another is to stand the pot on a brick in a pan of water. The small amount of water evaporating from either of these is so quickly dispersed into the air of the room that there is really no increase in humidity for the plants. There is a hazard connected with standing the pots on damp gravel. It is easy to let the water accumulate in the gravel so that the pots actually stand in water. If you wish to try this method, be sure to watch the water level.

Instead of any of these, we prefer just to give the plants a mist spray occasionally and to rinse off the leaves when watering. However, if your home or apartment is unusually dry in the winter, you may find that a daily spray will benefit them. They soon dry off, but in the meantime will have absorbed some water to replace that lost through evaporation from the leaves. We feel that they will obtain more water in this manner than they possibly can by the pan-of-gravel method.

Osmunda fiber provides the minerals essential to growth and flowering. If cattleyas in osmunda are given the proper conditions of light, water, and temperature, they should perform satisfactorily. How-ever, giving orchids extra minerals in the form of chemical fertilizers dissolved in water, provide a great benefit.

Growers are in agreement that cymbidiums, phalaenopsis and dendrobiums, for instance, do much better when fertilized. Most growers also agree that cattleyas benefit from fertilizers, but they do not need as much. Also, there is a narrow mar-gin between the amount that benefits and the amount that produces undesirable effects. The temptation to fertilize too frequently or too heavily is hard to resist, and we believe that before using any fertilizer for cattleyas a beginner should grow their plants for a year to learn their normal habits, and to learn to recognize healthy growth.

Overfeeding of cattleyas brings a number of bad results. One is the production of soft vegetative growth without flowers.

Another is the starting of many leads that do not develop normally. Still another is the accumulation of salts in the fiber, which upset the normal functioning of the roots.

To avoid such troubles it is good practice to give fertilizer not more often than once in two weeks, to flood the pots with plain water in between times, and to fertilize only when the plants are in active growth and when light conditions are good. If you find that the season’s growth is soft and blind, or that any of the other conditions arise, it would be wise to carry the plants through the next season without giving them fertilizer.

Minerals can be absorbed by the leaves and stems of plants as well as by the roots. Instead of applying fertilizer to the pot, the solution may be sprayed on the leaves at bi-weekly intervals, so-called foliar feeding.

Orchid Fertilizer developed especially for orchids, is good. However, a good soluble balanced plant fertilizer like a 20-20-20 has grown many a fine crop of Cattleyas.

by Rebecca Northen

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