CULTURE SHEET
Cattleya
Cattleyas are a diverse group of sympodial orchids and includes
associated genera like Brassavola, Laelia, Schomburgkia, Broughtonia
and Sophronitis along with their hybrids. They are one of the most
popular group of orchids simply because they have huge, colourful
flowers on compact plants enabling them to be grown successfully
even if the hobbyist only has as little space as a windowsill. With
today's nuclear families opting to live in apartments, Cattleyas have
turned out to become the orchids of choice.
• Light: Cattleyas should ideally be grown under shade nets providing
50-60% shade. With this amount of light, the leaves should be a
medium green. Too much light can turn the leaves yellow while too
little light can cause the leaves to become a dark green. Light is
essential to help convert fertilizer into food for the plant as well as to
promote blooming. In the tropics, where high light levels are
associated with heat, it would be unwise to expose Cattleyas to
sunlight between 11am and 3pm.
• Water: Cattleyas since they have pseudobulbs, can store adequate
amounts of food and water and can therefore be allowed to go dry
between waterings. Watering should be dictated by the type of pot
used. A clay pot will dry up faster than a plastic pot and will therefore
need more frequent watering. Similarly, those grown in water retentive
media like coconut husk can be watered less often compared to media
like charcoal or LECA pebbles. In areas that experience dry summers,
a misting setup would be beneficial. Watering should be scaled down
in places with cold winters as plants reduce transpiration. Higher
temperatures require more watering and so does a windy location.
• Humidity: Cattleyas being epiphytes are found in high humidity
zones in the wild. In such a setup the humidity varies between
50-100% at various times of the year. Humidity can be increased by
either misting your plants if you have a greenhouse setup or placing a
pebble filled tray beneath the pot filled with water if your plants are on
a balcony or windowsill. Ensure that water from the tray does not enter
the pot.
• Temperature: Cattleyas can tolerate a wide temperature range
between 100 C to 350 C. High temperatures during summer can be
controlled by watering them during the hottest part of the day and
increasing air circulation around the plants. Cattleyas cannot tolerate
frost, so it would be ideal to move your plant indoors especially during
the night in places that experience a very cold winter. Ensure that your
plants are dry by nightfall on very cold nights.
• Media and Fertilizer: In monsoon-fed regions, Cattleyas should be
grown in open pots with coarse media like large chunks of charcoal.
In the rest of the country, open pots with water-retaining media like
LECA(lightweight expanded clay aggregate) pebbles and large chunks
of coconut husk can be used. Always remember to use fresh media
and clean pots while potting your plants. Cattleyas can be divided so
that each division has 3-4 pseudobulbs. Such a divided plant should
be staked well in the pot. Repotting them when the new growth is just
developing new roots would be ideal so that growth is not set back.
Do not fertilize until the roots have taken a good hold on the media.
Cattleya seedling should be fed a high nitrogen fertilizer like 30:10:10
at 0.5 g/L of water gradually increasing to 1 g/L until they reach
blooming size while adult Cattleyas can be fed a high potassium
bloom fertilizer with micronutrients at 2 g/L for good results.
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