Cattleya Orchid As Houseplant

Cattleya is considered the King of Orchids and has been famous as corsage flowers of the noble, rich and famous in history.

It became madly popular in England when a tropical plant produced some beautiful and exotic flowers in the hothouse in William Cattley in Barnet near London in the early 19th century. This was the origin of Cattleya.

One famous hybrid Cattlaya Bow Bells (see photo on the right) was linked to a British legend that "in order to be a Cockney, one must have been born within the sound of the Bow Bells".

Many hybrids are made from the genus Cattlaya Alliance and various species including Rhycholaelia/Brassavola, Cattleya, Cattleyella, Laelia,Rhyncholaelia, Sophronitis and so on. As a result, you will see that the crosses are named as Blc, Lctna, Slc, Sc, Sl, to name but a few.

The photo below is an example of a Cattlaya hybrid. Its name, Rlc. Golf Green "Hair Pig" JC/AOS indicates that it is a cross of Rhycholaelia digbyana (formerly Brassavola digbyana), Laelia and Cattleya. Gold Green "Hair Pig" is the name given by the person who made the cross. JC/AOS means Judges' Commendation awarded by the American Orchid Society.

However, as a houseplant, it is not alawys easy to make it bloom again after you took it home. As a long-time orchid growers, I am going to share some simple and useful generall growing tips, so you can enjoy its beauty and fragrance year after year.

The genus Cattleyas are native to the subtropical and tropical regions of North, Central and South Americas. The origin of each species is important because you must satisfy the cultural requirements in order to grow healthy plants. Especially in some of these areas, there are distinct dry and rainy seasons.

Being epiphytes, it means that they absorb nutritions and water from the humidity in the air rather than from the soil. Cattleya cannot grow in soil as it will not provide sufficient air to the roots. The common soil will suffocate and kill the plant.

The stem between the roots and leaf is botanically called "pseudobulb". It stores water and nutrition for the leaf and flowers. The flower spike comes out of the node between the pseudobulb and leaf or leaves, with or without sheath. Some species flower in spring, while others flower in autumn.

After flowering, the pseudobulb becomes a "back bulb" and will not flower again. However, new growth will come from the node between the roots and bulb, a new growth cycle begins. the back bulbs will provide nutrition to the new growth and may be divided to make new plants.

Some cattleyas are classified as Unifoliate which has only one leaf above the pseudobulb, while others are Bifoliate which means two leaves.

Watering - The best time to water is during the day before sunset. You must allow the roots to dry between waterings so the growing media is airy. Make sure do not allow water to collect at the bottom of the pot unless you grow it in semi-hydro culture.

Sun - Cattleya requires sufficient light to bloom. A sunny southern window is a good location in the winter, unless you provide it with artificial lighting. If your cattleya does not bloom, it may be a good idea to add a couple energy saving fluorescent lights above as the supplementary light source. Two 40-watt bulbs should be a good start if you don't have a sunny window.

Fertilizing - You can use balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer or any orchid fertilizer. The best time to fertilize is when the plant is in active growth. Do not fertilize in the winter when the plant is resting. Personally I do not fertilize from November 15 until March 1. Also it is not a good idea to fertilize your plant at night. They need to sleep too.

Growing media - There are many growing media in the market. Traditionally people use tree bark chips. Other organic media include tree fern fibre and dried sphagnum moss. If you can drill a few holes along the side of the pot, it will help the air circulation too.

Remember, you cannot grow cattleyas in potting soil or dirt, because the root cannot get enough air and will die.

Personally I like to grow my cattleya in semi-hydro non-organic media including diatomite, baked clay balls and so on. The beauty of using semi-hydro media is you don't have to worry about over-watering. You can leave half-inch water at the bottom of the pot while you cannot do this with organic media.

Resting Period - In order to bloom cattlaya successfully, a rest at the end of the growing cycle (usually after the blooming period) is important. I usually stop watering and fertilizing for the entire month of December. Don't worry, you won't kill it by not watering for a month. You can water it lightly after three weeks if it worries you.

End of Rest - When you see new roots or new pseudobulbs emerging, it usually is the indication that the rest is over. It is the time to start to water and fertilize again. Water lightly at the beginning. Don't fertilize until you see fresh roots and leaves.

For a few years, I could not bloom my Cattleya guatemalensis which is a natural hybrid of C. auriantiaca and C. skinneri and the national flower of Guatemala. A friend advised me to withhold water in winter until I saw the flower buds from the shealth. So I did. Now it blooms every spring like a chime. (See photo below.)

Sophronitis cernua, being a plant at the sea level, does not have as strict cool temperature requirement to bloom as its cool-growing cousin in the mountains such as Sophronitis coccinea. It is a easy and cute species orchid. It should be rested for a month after flowering.

Sufficient ligth is important at the begining of the growth circle because it will ensure the formation of flower spike inside the sheath.

By the way, if you are interested in taking orchid photos, I recommend Canon 100mm Macro Lenses below.