Laelia anceps (Project 10 int. - Spring 2010)

[Call_Me_Bob]

sounds good pretty high humidity. mine is almost that high, sometimes the same as yours. mine is outside, but my daytime temps are mid 90s to 100s. and they are doing fine. they get full sun in the morning, till like 11:30 and then get splotchy direct sun starting around 6 pm. the key is not to let it get the hot noonday sun.

how is your air movement? with high humidity, it has to have good air movement too.

what is your outside humidity?

how much do you fertilize? do you have a rooting supplement?

i fertilize at every watering, weakly. and, i water everyday, its in a bark charcoal mix, but it still needs watering everyday. i use either miracle grow 20-20-20, schults ( i cant remember exactly but it was something like 10-17-10), or peters 5-10-5. i decide in whatever mood im in. i also add superthrive, but a little less than called for. i make a 5 gallon bucket of water with nutrients, and use it when i water everyday, i water a mount and two potted plants, and it lasts about a week

[Becca]

I grow under lights, I have 2 4-bulb 4 foot T5 fixtures that are very powerful...but I'm wondering if I need to boost this one closer to the lights. Most of my Cattleyas think the lights are to strong, their leaves are a very light green with sometimes a tinge of purple-reddish color to them. I have multiple fans in the room for air circulation and temps are in the high 70's to low 80's during the day right now.

My outside humidity is usually around 20% or lower since I live in a high mountain desert area....dry dry dry!

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by Becca

I grow under lights, I have 2 4-bulb 4 foot T5 fixtures that are very powerful...but I'm wondering if I need to boost this one closer to the lights. Most of my Cattleyas think the lights are to strong, their leaves are a very light green with sometimes a tinge of purple-reddish color to them. I have multiple fans in the room for air circulation and temps are in the high 70's to low 80's during the day right now.

My outside humidity is usually around 20% or lower since I live in a high mountain desert area....dry dry dry!

okay, your right, your humidity is not enough. maybe try boosting them closer to the lights. at least try it.

how much do you fertilize?

[Becca]

Yep I'll try putting it in a booster chair for the lights..lol. And now that you mention the fertilizer...I've been lacking in that department since not all of my orchids have the same fertilizer requirements, like my neo's for example. I rarely feed them. Guess I should start fertilizing again...I've just gotten lazy. Thanks for the help, help!

[Call_Me_Bob]

yeah, that makes it complicated! at first i just gave everything, phals dens catts and my laelia the same fertilizer. but now that i have neos, and seedlings ( i dont know how to fertilize either of them. how much do you fertilize your neos? ) but now i think im going to start fertilizing every other 5 gallon bucket fill up.

[Izzie]

About fertilizing- most everyone on here and that have posted articles on the web advise that in a diverse collection, just use a lower ppm weekly.

[Connie Star]

Well I made a little goof- at least I hope it is little. I bought one potted from Oak Hill and one mounted from Andys. I'm having trouble with humidity so I have been soaking the 3 mounted plants I have every day or every other day in a bucket of rain water with a tiny bit of fertilizer. Anyway, I discovered this morning that I had forgotten my L anceps and left it soaking in the bucket overnight.
Is it doomed?

[RosieC]

I've not done it with a Laelia but I've done that several times with my Miltonia from the Summer 2009 project and it's been fine.

I think you will be fine, just let it dry off before you water again.

[Izzie]

I agree with Rosie- check really well for squishiness for a while, and make sure all those nooks and crannies are dry. Sprinkle cinnamon where needed, though I doubt you will need to.

[RosieC]

Personally I would be very careful with cinnamon arround the roots. While it's good for wounds on leaves it can be too drying for roots.

If you have bad looking bits then a bit of cinnamon on the bad bit may help stop it spreading.