Anyone grow Cattleya lawrenceana?
 

Does anyone have experience growing Cattleya lawrenceana? I recently imported a variety of Cattleya species and all have been doing well...except for this guy.

It came in bud, blasted, and now I assume it's in dormancy... or dealing with shock from a new environment. but the entire plant turned red, from p-bulb to leaf tip. The plant is firm, the roots are okay, and I see that dormant eyes are starting to swell. I read that the red tinge of the plant is characteristic of this species... but it's rather peculiar...

I have it outdoors in an area with my other Cattleyas which gets morning sun and afternoon shade. After it turned red, I moved it to a more shady area. I have been following information in Arthur Chadwick's Cattleya book but I was wondering if anyone else had additional cultural advice.

Thanks!

I've grown this one before. The red coloration is more intense on this species than other Cattleyas and is normal. This species is VERY cold sensitive, much like violacea, eldorado (now wallisii), and luteola. Here are some useful information sources:

Warm-Growing Cattleya Culture

Brazilian Orchids - Orchid News #32

ph of 3.0?

Interesting!

Thanks for the additional info! My low temps are about to dip below 60 oF and looks like perfect timing to bring it inside.

If you haven't seen this Chadwick article, you may want to read it.

Cattleya lawrenceana

-Keith

Thanks, I have. It's a great resource but I was hoping to hear additional experience from fellow growers. I've often found that different strains can be more forgiving (or sometimes much more finicky!) than the articles seem to note. I don't have a greenhouse and it's very helpful for me to see how others have managed.

Jeff214,

I wish you were getting more replies, but you still may get the advice you resquested. Sometimes it takes a while before the right person to find your topic.



-Keith

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------- Post added at 08:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:18 PM ----------

Please elaborate.
Incidentally, we had a record cold last night here in south central Mississippi. The overnight low was 54F. It's supposed to drop into the mid 50s at night for the next few days. That cold this time of year is very rare.

-Keith

It was 53 here at my house this morning! Amazingly chilly, felt great though!

Check out those links I posted above. They'll fill you in on the cold-intolerance of this species.

Keith, people have to be growing these, have the experience to know what they need and reading over the care guides it does not seem like an easy variety.

I generally try not to post when I have nothing useful to add, not that I have anything useful to add here lol.

Apart from maybe knowing how difficult getting the right info can be sometimes, not everyone who has that info is a regular poster on this forum.

I think these care guides from Isurus are quite detailed, certainly enough to put me off ever wanting to try my luck with these. So that helped make up my mind :biggrin:

I have tried to grow C. lawrenceana since 1976, and all my attempts failed until recently. I tried every suggestion regarding climate acidity of media, etc. What turned it around for me was that I tied each of my most recent plants to sticks, similar to the method of Ade Andriyani, who has a YouTube video on the subject. I used Catalpa wood, which orchid roots seem to love (in general), with a bit of sphagnum. I soak them, and then let them get bone dry. There's plenty of air movement, light, and on cold nights I keep them where a small space heater gently blows warm air their way. Hope this helps!!!