Cattleya warscewiczii
Submitted by wellsy on Sun, 30/11/2008 - 19:39
Cattleya warscewiczii Rchb.f., Bonplandia (Hannover) 2: 112 (1854).
Synonyms:
Homotypic Synonyms:
Epidendrum labiatum var. warscewiczii (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f., Xenia Orchid. 2: 30 (1862).
Heterotypic Synonyms:
Cattleya gigas Linden & André, Ill. Hort. 20: 70 (1873).
Cattleya sanderiana H.Low, Gard. Chron., n.s., 18: 151 (1882).
Cattleya imperialis O'Brien, Gard. Chron., n.s., 1883(2): 404 (1883).
Cattleya gloriosa Carrière, Rev. Hort. 57: 333 (1885).
Cattleya lindenii auct., J. Hort. Pract. Gard. 21: 491 (1890).
Cattleya warscewiczii var. franconvillensis O'Brien, Gard. Chron. 1893: 50 (1893).
Cattleya warscewiczii var. lageriana R.M.Grey, Amer. Gardening 15: 369 (1894).
Cattleya warscewiczii var. rochellensis Rolfe, Orchid Rev. 6: 326 (1898).
Cattleyopsis guanensis Acuña, Bol. Estaçión Exp. Agron. Santiago de las Vegas 60: 109 (1939), no latin descr.
Cattleya warscewiczii f. franconvillensis (O'Brien) M.Wolff & O.Gruss, Orchid. Atlas: 71 (2007).
Cattleya warscewiczii f. rochellensis (Rolfe) M.Wolff & O.Gruss, Orchid. Atlas: 71 (2007).
Distribution: Colombia
A fabulous, robust growing species which resents being disturbed or divided it seems. I found out the hard way when I decided to bust up a rather large specimen plant which I had been growing easily for about 20 years. It never flowered more than a couple of times but grew like a weed forming a big lump of a plant.
After it flowered really well I decided to bust it up and now after about 4 years I 'think' I have one small backcut which 'may' be looking like it is going to survive.
Has anyone else had this happen with this or other Cattleya species?
Hey Wellsy,
Hey Wellsy,
Beautiful flower .
I have had the similar happen to my unknown Cattleya (big light pink/purple flower one). A couple of specimen plants of it died when i divided it . Other's took on well and one looked a tad ill but is still grasping for its life.
Another strange thing with that Catt was of one almost dead division small growths of it appeared in miniature resemblance of it like a seedling which these have never gotten any bigger.
I have had similar to bulbophyllums and Den gracilicaule was another main one that stood out. The last couple of divisions remaining of Den gracilicaule seem to be finally picking up after 3 years with weekly doses of seasol.
Could orchids be like Bamboo ? Has a life cycle or internal clock when the time comes it dies ( all divisions) ...
Cheers
Mitch
senility
Intersting theory...life cycle that is.
So I should just bite the bullet and buy a new seedling which will probably do much better than my struggling back cut? Yeah I reckon you could be right.
I belive they call it 'senility' in a plant don't they...same as us really. We get to a certain point and the whole organism just runs out of steam.
Plant senility??
Wellsy, Mitch,
When a plant doesn't grow after repotting, something was going wrong during, before or after the process of repotting.
*Old media sour.
*Wrong timing.
*Wrong media.
*Abrupt change from sour to alkaline or neutral media.
*Wrong treatment after repotting, like to much water or fertilizer.
If orchids do have a life cycle I don't know. But it is very unlikely to run out of steam right after repotting.
In Brazil we are cultivating plants found in nature in between 50 and 60 years ago.In the meantime this plants where cut in to pieces probably 20 times. Of course some of the divisions did not survive. Many did survive. Survival is simply a question on how, when, and with what the plants where cut and how the new owner was able to give to the plant a reasonable environment to grow strong again.
Cattleyas like to be untouched for at least 1 day after been removed from the old pot. Better is 2 or 3 days.
Then they are 4 to 5 hours soaked in a solution of fertilizer and grows hormone.
Only then they are placed in the new pot with the new media.
Only repot Cattleyas at the very early stage of their growing cycle.
If the roots are mainly rotten, they have to undergo a treatment for root grows first, before they are placed in the new media.
Some plants are very sensitive to repotting and react stubborn and really don't grow for some reason. Plants like this are not happy and the owner will be never happy with them. Better give it away. An other person might have a better environment and can save it.
Horst
it may rebound ...
it may rebound ... one factor that doesn't help is this wacky weather. Plants don't no where they are at.
Try keiki paste on it or micronutrients may help it along. Root system could be weak. After all its the strongest growth / has the good genetic material in it. Whilst the seedling comes along.
Unsure what the name is for the spontaneous thing is called for plants / bamboo. All i know that from what i have read and hort's from botanic gardens and ones i used to work with have told me i.e. 5 divison off mother plant located in asia , the 5 divison could be located over the world and divided again . All can spontaneously just die at once all in accordance to the mother plant , hence vital need of propagating from seed .
Interesting Idea???
I think Horst hit the problem on the head, when he mentioned 'wrong timing', above, and this is my answer.
Just an interesting thought; I do most, if not all my repotting/dividing/deflasking during the fertile periods, of the moon cycle. This might come as a surprise for some people, but it is in fact very old wisdom.
The difference between the fertile and not-so-fertile periods, is astonishing, to say the least. I'll give a very quick explanation.
If you were to pull a weed out of the ground, on a fertile period, and throw it aside, it might and most probably take off again. Do the same on an infertile period, and the weed is as good as dead! Cut a branch from a tree, on a fertile period, and the tree will throw suckers, or new branches. Do the same on a infertile period, and no suckers will be thrown.
I'm not saying that I'm a know-it-all, like some, BUT, I do wish to grow my orchids as well as I possibly can. And by following a Moon Chart, I'm just giving my orchids/plants, the best chance possible to recouperate and grow well. I believe, the problems mentioned in the above comments, are mainly due to BAD timing, that's all.
If any further information is required, please ask.
A friend of mine, Jim Brydie, of Orchid SPECIES NSW, even wrote an article, on the Moon Cycles, after speaking to me, and if requested, I'll put up a copy on the blog.
Cheers Laroche7
Moon phases
Laroche
Many old and experienced hobby orchid grower I know respect the moon cycles.
When they make divisions of outstanding plants, they cut the plant only at the day of new moon and 1 or 2 days after new moon. I am very interested in your friends article about moon cycles.
Horst
Cattleya Division and Transplant
Hi Wellsy and all,
I learned from these discussions! I had the same experience w Cattleya species ( C. labiata,..), and hybrids ( Blc. Oconee' "Mendenhall" , Renanthera /Rhyncostylis/Vandaceous plants( Rhynchostylis are well known not to be disturbed, well known not to tolerate potting media- it likes laying bare n clay pots or wooden baskets/tree branches..: it gets more Nitrogen from the circulating air, or its roots might die if there is wet around, instead of humidity?). I'm not in the field of "Plant biology", I just follow some thoughts which I found reasonable, and logical:
1. Life-cycle: I didn't disturb the plant when it stayed in "dormant phase/ hibernating phase", simply because the plant('s cells) stays in life cycle not ready to grow, to be divided, to be transplanted? There are exceptions, among these, I would immediately repot/transplant the plant if it smells sour, "sulfur-like" smell. Some growers told me it came from bad fungus which infested the plant? Or, if the pottingmedia is decayed,..Then, I would repot the plant, and cut back the watering to the collection, let them drier, and bring more circulating air.[ I learned the hard way that the plants are fragile w over-watering[ water/H2O- replacing Oxygen/O2- leading to root-rotting and eventual loss of the plant, but sturdier w dry condition, except some tiny species we have to spray mist few times daily, like the way retirees do?
[ Humidity not WET ]
I would wait until the plant emits new shoots, new roots. I got better yield at this time, simply because, I thought, the plant is on high gear to divide, to make new growth.
I use Root Activator [ Carl Pool Products: PO Box 1146 Glade Water, TX 78647: Glycosides 7.5%; Gibberellin 0.03%; 3-Indolacetic Acid 0.02%; Kinetin 0.02%; Inert ingredient 92.43% 1 Pt/5 Gal. or: 8 Tbsp to 1 Gal. water q monthly [ Is this compatible w Orchids, or does it do any harm to the collection, I really don't know, but I've been using this the past 2 years. This fall I got a floriferous greenhouse!] [ http://www.organic-gardening-shop.com/agorganics/Product_Details.aspx?Pr... ]
After repotting, if the plant shows signs of new growth, instead of putting it in shady area, I let it enjoy the early morning sun.
[ Light but not SUN ]. I did use ASA:
[ http://www.plantea.com/plant-aspirin.htm ]: When the plant is injured, it secretes a substance that reduce the the life-span of the cut [ When we use cut-flower, roses..., ASA 325 mg 1/2 tablet dissolved in the vase will prolong the life of the cut-flower, more than the time-span they would dwell on its nature plant?
Marion Owen, on her above web-site, used it at her nursery....and the plants grew like being under hormone feeding... She cited Martha McBurney's experience on ASA in cultivar. The North-East/ New-England authors first humorized it, then, witnessing her ( Martha) results, they started their own studies. ASA is postulated as an agent harbors "Immunity-boosting" to defend the plant undergoing stresses?
I used PLAIN ASA, not coating/not Enteric-coated: 1 and a half 325 mg tablets crushed, diluted w Dishwasher detergent ( Palmolive/Dove,..) 1/2-1 tsp/2 Gal water. It worked for me . The area I live sometimes harbors fluctuating climate temperature of 30 F a day, in Winter time and Summer time!
I would not suggest its use as a generalize option. We better leave it to experts' advices!
Next thing I would like to share:
" http://www.plantea.com/pH.htm "
[ I use "Chlor-Gon" filter [Chloride is gone!] http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_productdetails&product... ].
/easy
Again, I'm not Plant Biologist, but I do believe Acid-loving plants will have pH-driven minerals'absoption ?
This "Chlor-gon" filter is ready/easy to use, reasonable ( US $45.00, yearly change filter $15.00). It helped me to greatly reduce the hard-water mineral deposits ( Ca++ mostly) on leaves, too!
"Superthrive" 1 drop/Gal q 2-4 weekly.
"Neem-oil" Dyna-Gro ( Or : Orange oil, cheaper ) 8 tsp + 1 tsp Dishwasher detergent/2 Gal. Spray in the afternoon. I do not use if ambient T > 90F ( Burning of leaves). All the insects are gone, it reduces the stresses from freezing, fungus, bacteriae, viruses,..
As a general rule, we just have to respect the precautions w above-chemicals. [ www.dyna-gro.com ]
I use Magnesium sulfate, once in a while !( Epsom salts: 1/2 tsp/16 Gal spray. An chemical-engineer told me he used it for his collection for years, because: " MgSo4 is the substrate for Chlorophyll, the building block protein for plants ?).
I use Dyna-Gro " PRO-TEKT" 0-0-3 The silicone solution , [www.dyna-gro.com ], which helped a lot during cold winter time! 1/2 tsp/gal, ONLY after we dilute other ingredients, otherwise it will crystalize or precipitate other minerals. To avoid possible chemical inter-action, we better use these alternatively?
I apologize for this long notes, with hope that experts on this web-site might come up with helpful commentary (ies)for me in this life-long hobby!
Best regards!
TPLV
PS: Addendum for correction:
1. ASA and plants: http://www.plantea.com/plant-aspirin.htm [ Marion Owen cited the experience of Martha McBurney w regards to ASA on plant cultivar.
... and :"Scientists at the University of Arizona and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), curious about findings such as what Martha experienced, are studying how salicylic acid prods plants into releasing their natural defenses against harmful fungi, bacteria and viruses. According to an article by Dean Fosdick of the Associated Press, "They envision it as a commercially viable alternative to synthetic pesticides in a natural way to extend the life of susceptible yet popular crops."
CNN recently just posted the new reports of the Univ. of Arizona's team!
2. http://www.plantea.com/pH.htm : A layer of peat moss might benefit mineral absorption for orchids ? [ Any risk for "Sporotrichosis" to the gardeners, as w Sphagnum moss ? ]