C. walkeriana fma.Coerulea 'Manhattan Blue'

[stefpix]

So hot here that i need to put some moss on top or roots will dry

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by stefpix

So hot here that i need to put some moss on top or roots will dry

I'm in a similar situation- except low humidity, but a little heat as well.

[Autumn Child]

If you guys notice my plant pic, there is live moss growing on top of it, and true enough the roots that is growing on the moss covered area dig down into the medium. However, the environment provided by S/H should be wet enough since there is constant moisture and never really dry up. this is still a mystery.

[catwalker808]

autumnchild.
Your plant roots look really nice in sh conditions. Looks like it was a good decision to get it out of the sphagnum.

Because they grow on tree branches & in the open on moist rocks, C walkeriana roots have very efficient moisture & nutrient absorbing roots. The roots are spongy, absorb water easily & retain moisture. When exposed, the roots are nice & fat & can elongate quickly in search of moisture. This also means that if the roots are buried in a constantly wet medium they may quickly rot. Your roots are fat, white, with nice green tips. They seem to grow out into space, but the roots also squirm into cracks & crevices to provide support & secure the plant. All portions of the healthy roots absorb moisture & nutrients, not just the tips.

[Autumn Child]

thanks for the advice, its good to hear that i am doing somethings right. however, if the roots gets anylonger it will be unsightly and dificult to handle without accidentally damaging them. should I burry the roots inside the medium or should i trim it with a sterile tools?

[Swamper]

Originally Posted by Autumn Child

thanks for the advice, its good to hear that i am doing somethings right. however, if the roots gets anylonger it will be unsightly and dificult to handle without accidentally damaging them. should I burry the roots inside the medium or should i trim it with a sterile tools?

I'm curious about what you decided to do with the roots?

[Autumn Child]

I would like to share some observation lately regarding this plant. It has been really hot in shanghai in this past months and the temperature has constantly stayed around 35-40C (over 100F) for a month. It received direct sunlight for total 6 hours, 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours just before sunset. Temperature under direct sunlight can easily go above 40C. Furthermore, my balcony is covered with white tile and it reflects light and heat.

A couple of weeks ago I posted and ask for advice regarding temperature effect on my walkerianas. Despite the heat, the plant is still growing really well. The two new pseudobulbs is maturing and a third newer ones pseudobuld is forming at the base. There are some sign of burn at the outer layer of the pseudobulbs, but it did not effect its growth. I only got a chance to mist it every morning. I guess this plant is alot tougher than I tought. It also might be the s/h growing method that helps to cool the plant a little. My dendrobiums and oncidiums are not as lucky. Most of their leaves shows heavy damage from the heat and light. So i moved them to shadier areas to recover.

[Autumn Child]

I just let the root grow and grow and grow. Best to let nature do its thing...

[Autumn Child]

Some forum members have asked me to post most recent pics of this plant. This plant currently have 16 psb, 8 of which developed after I bought it 3 months ago. Basically it doubled in size in 3 months. Three of the developing psb seems to be slightly smaller than normal developing psb.

From (left to right) the first picture you can see 5 developing psb, the middle psb is actually two psb growing very close to each other, the 6th psb is hidden from view behind the matured left most psb. The second pictures shows this hidden 6th psb. The third pics shows the middle two developing psbs that grow simultaneously from one matured psb. These psbs seems to be slightly smaller than normal developing psb. The fourth pic you can see the 5 growing psbs more clearly. The left most and right most matured psb is the first two psb grown under my care in 3 months. The last picture is the original form when i bought it 3 months ago. As you can see it has developed significantly even under one month of intense heat that is above 40C or 100F.

You can read earlier post in this thread to see a more detailed growing log of this plant.

I need advise regarding weather this is normal or not and what is the probable cause. I would really like to know what i did right so that i can repeat it with other plant. I am also concerned about the plant getting too exhausted from the fast growth it is experiencing. Will it be able to flower this year? Should I cut some of the developing psb to reduce its load?

[smweaver]

I don't grow any of my plants semi-hydroponically, so hopefully someone else who's familiar with that type of set-up will provide some feedback to you. But I would suggest that if the plant is strong enough to produce lots of new leads, try to encourage all of them to reach their maximum size by providing ample amounts of water, light and fertilizer. I wouldn't terminate any of the new leads either. I chopped my large C. walkeriana coerulea into four pieces last spring, and each created several new growing points as a result. Perhaps it's in the nature of the coeruleas (and C. walkeriana in general) to display vigorous growth like this. Maybe you should see how this particular plant does over the next year before you try to experiment with the others in your collection (just a friendly suggestion).