Category: Orchids

Potinara, like Cattleyas, I feel pretty comfortable with.  They are not very fussy.  They are not urgent for water and they bloom easily and fairly frequently – two or three times a year.  They come from four related families of orchids:  Brassavola, Cattleya, Laelia, and Sophronitis. 

In general, I feed the orchids three out of four waterings.  I use a liquid fertilizer, balanced, at one-quarter strength.  The fourth watering is to flush out any accumulated salts.

Cattleyas are easier to grow indoors in the Pacific Northwest than many other species.  They bloom at irregular intervals that are hard to predict, but wonderful when it happens.  This is the one that opened today.  I’m cutting back on the watering. with the change in the seasons.  One good watering a week will do in our greenhouse.  I will fertilize every other watering, one quarter strength, with our liquid solution.  Good indirect light, remember. 

Also, if the rhizome is reaching over the edge of the pot, think about dividing or going to a bigger pot.  And drainage must be absolute, otherwise the roots will rot from being too damp, too long.  Often people tell me that they cannot get their orchid to re-bloom.

I believe it is a combination of light, humidity, feeding, and …temperature fluctuation.  If you can get the temperature to move up and down 15 or 20 degrees, it’ll help alot.