Cattleya

I've been growing plants seriously for over fifteen years and Cattleya remains a reliable favourite. For anyone starting out: the most critical thing is watering by soaking the pot then letting it drain fully. Everything else follows from that. scale insects on pseudobulbs and undersides of leaves …

I brought Cattleya home six months ago with high hopes and almost no knowledge. The first challenge was understanding feeding with a half-strength orchid fertiliser weekly in summer — something I hadn't expected to matter so much. Once I got that right, the whole thing settled down. I grow it in a …

I had a serious problem with aerial root desiccation in dry centrally heated rooms on my Cattleya earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational. Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate extraordinary bloom lo…

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing Cattleya: Spring: peak bloom display through winter and spring. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on providing bright indirect light away from direct afternoon sun during this period which set up the rest of the year. ps…

The first few months with Cattleya were underwhelming. Almost no visible growth and I questioned my decision repeatedly. Then something shifted — I think getting feeding with a half-strength orchid fertiliser weekly in summer right was the turning point. spectacular flower forms that rival almost a…

My first attempt at Cattleya failed — crown rot from water sitting in the leaf crown got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again. The second attempt, with proper attention to watering by soaking the pot then letting it…

I'm a busy person and can't give every plant the attention the books recommend. Here's what I've learned about the minimum viable care for Cattleya. repotting into fresh bark medium every two or three years is genuinely non-negotiable — skip this and the plant declines noticeably. Everything else, …

I don't have a garden so a grouping with other tropical plants for humidity is my only option for Cattleya. It absolutely works — with the right attention to feeding with a half-strength orchid fertiliser weekly in summer you can get excellent results in containers. wide hybridisation resulting in …

I planted Cattleya at entirely the wrong point in the growing calendar and spent the first few months wondering what I'd done wrong. aerial root desiccation in dry centrally heated rooms didn't help matters. Once I understood providing bright indirect light away from direct afternoon sun things impr…

I've grown several varieties within the Cattleya family and have some observations to share. spectacular flower forms that rival almost any plant varies noticeably between them, more than catalogue descriptions suggest. The care fundamentals are shared — providing bright indirect light away from dir…