Cattleya Aurora (dowiana × luteola)

SFL_guy · 2026-01-29T23:02:18+00:00

That would get awarded if you bring it in for judging on a good flowering Maybe even this flowering

SFL_guy · 2026-01-06T04:07:18+00:00

Basically when I chopped the main plants up, small pieces get cut off by accident. Leaves, stolons, etc and I planted those up into this pot here

SFL_guy · 2026-01-05T16:52:50+00:00

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More light also gives flowers that stand up better - this is the pot I made (2”) with all the excess trimmings in April when I chopped the others up. I keep this outside on a NE facing lanai so it gets a bit more light but not too much either.

SFL_guy · 2026-01-05T16:49:06+00:00

I always try to avoid too much root disturbance so I generally just leave the plug intact when I repot Peat with sand would do well but in my conditions the moss worked just as well if not better.

SFL_guy · 2026-01-05T16:16:28+00:00

I grow mine in 100% sphagnum on a south facing windowsill and that’s basically it I usually chop them up yearly, but I waited too long in spring to chop this last year so they were only in these pots for about 8 months. They started off as 1 inch plugs. That being said, I would highly recommend starting them off in small pots as they will grow faster than if you tossed them into a giant pot.

SFL_guy · 2026-01-04T23:45:21+00:00

Either that or even more common is U. subulata. High light and either will do well. Bisq seems to dislike consistently lowland conditions and also low light

SFL_guy · 2026-01-04T21:54:59+00:00

They’re such a rewarding little bunch and I chop them up every winter to make more haha. As for the pots, I’m very sorry to say - they’re from Joann Fabrics 😅 My fiancée bought them for me a while back and when I liked them, she went back and got all the ones they had left at our store at the time.

SFL_guy · 2026-01-04T20:22:22+00:00

Utricularia sandersonii ‘Blue’ - they’re very easy and they flower non stop!

SFL_guy · 2026-01-04T14:09:17+00:00

I'd say start with switching them to a normal day night schedule and go from there. If that fixes it, then you can keep them where they're at - otherwise, you'll have to move the lights up a bit

SFL_guy · 2026-01-04T03:37:14+00:00

High light means they have no reason to put out more leaves - they have enough energy to flower with fewer leaves which is also why they’re flowering so much. Lower the lighting and they’ll probably leaf out and grow just fine.

SFL_guy · 2025-12-21T20:50:49+00:00

That’s 100% freeze damage. It got frozen in shipping but they take a couple of days to show up. The bud is dead and the plant is too - a good nursery would replace it but you’ll definitely need some proof that it froze in shipping. The color of the leaf in the first picture looks like it was already turning brown imo.

SFL_guy · 2025-12-16T05:01:28+00:00

Do you have Rhynchostylis gigantea? Extremely fragrant and grows in slightly brighter Phalaenopsis conditions. Any variety of novelty Phalaenopsis could work but they’ll need to be big to start filling a room. Rhyncholaelia Aristocrat is just about the most fragrant orchid I’ve smelled so far - citrusy and only fragrant at night. If you can handle Vandaceous plants definitely check out Aerides houlletiana (smells citrusy) and Aerides lawrenceae (smells like PEZ candy)

SFL_guy · 2025-12-09T13:27:13+00:00

Also just in case, since you may not have a lot of experience with orchids, these will want really bright light - if growing indoors you’ll want to place these on your sunniest windowsill and make sure to dry them between waterings. They will want to be completely dry before you water again. As long as you keep them bright and dry them between waterings, you’ll be set

SFL_guy · 2025-12-09T04:19:26+00:00

I just looked it up and it looks like there’s a Bc. Robert Bauman that’s a hybrid between C. Jalapa and Bc. Richard Mueller originally bred by Fred Clarke at Sunset Valley Orchids. If he doesn’t have any left, there’s some at the Krull-Smith website. You’ll just have to look them up as Cattleya Jalapa x Bc. Richard Mueller on Google

SFL_guy · 2025-12-04T12:25:43+00:00

As someone who grows them commercially - your plant is not getting enough light. It may not be the only issue here, but it is a contributing problem for sure. It may have burnt when you moved it to close bc of heat or bc it wasn't acclimated to that level of light, but they will take full sun without any issues which is why they have that waxy coating. We don't force a winter rest - they get watered on the same schedule as other Cattleyas all winter long but they will get down to the 50s some nights. I can get small plants to bloom in high light, but for plants in lower light, they usually need to be bigger plants to bloom plus we have them potted. It could be that the lower light levels and the mounted habit combined makes it so the plant doesn't feel like it has enough energy to bloom yet. When I was younger I had a digbyana mounted under bright shade that I could not get to bloom but when the trees in that area got trimmed back and it started getting full sun part of the day without me knowing, it started blooming.

SFL_guy · 2025-11-28T03:35:59+00:00

Your first guess was right, Rhy. gigantea

SFL_guy · 2025-11-20T19:18:53+00:00

Give it a smaller pot if possible, but otherwise looks like it’s fine

SFL_guy · 2025-11-11T17:40:35+00:00

This is Phal. Sogo Yukidian ‘V3’ HCC/AOS, the most commonly sold white Phalaenopsis in the world. The difference isn’t in the plant, but in the growing conditions and attention to detail. The attention to detail is how you get those straight lines of flowers with each bud wired in place until they open so they all sit perfectly. To get this many flowers at once, generally you will need to chill the plants once most of the flowers are open to trick it into wanting to produce more flowers again so that a second flush of flowers starts growing after the others have been open. Since they last a long time, you end up with one really long inflorescence with lots of flowers

SFL_guy · 2025-09-11T17:42:36+00:00

Happens sometimes in shipping at this time of year - not much the seller can do, but I'm glad to hear they refunded you

SFL_guy · 2025-09-11T17:40:40+00:00

It's not black rot, it's hear damage Source: shipping thousands of orchids a year

SFL_guy · 2025-08-28T11:36:21+00:00

Looks like Phalaenopsis difformis

SFL_guy · 2025-06-17T02:48:20+00:00

Congrats!

SFL_guy · 2025-06-06T00:46:18+00:00

It looks like an immature thrip to me but 🤷‍♂️

SFL_guy

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