cattl. labiata amesiana

[dodidoki]

Pale form of sp.

 

[terryros]

Istvan, do your plants receive only natural sunlight through your greenhouse? No artificial light? How much do your temperatures vary during the year and how do you change your watering and fertilizing during the year?

 

[dodidoki]

Istvan, do your plants receive only natural sunlight through your greenhouse? No artificial light? How much do your temperatures vary during the year and how do you change your watering and fertilizing during the year?

Thank you.I have to shade my GH from end of March to end of September. From October to next March I had to give artef. light, i use 100 w led lamps , 4000k from about 1 m distance, 1 lamp /m2 and add 20w/m2 red lamp(650 nm) for my catts. Paphs get only naural light. Lamps run from 6 am to 18 pm, switched by an adjustable light-switch. I set it at 20000 lux, if natural light drops below this level, lamps begin to work. Temp is very hot in summer here, all of windows are opened in this season.I have a high preassure fogger switched by a humidity meter.I set it to 65 percent in Summer, if humidity drops below 65 percent, fogger begins to work. It acts like an evaporative cooler, too, in hottest day of summer the temp is in my gh not higher than 28 C. I give water every day in summer, but only a light, superficial watering, with a hand-shower. Fall and spring, when gh is closed, once per week, in winter once per 2 weeks.

 

[big923cattleya]

Oh man Istvan, that is one beautiful Cattleya!
My oh my, the soft pastel pink blush is fabulous along with the gold in the lip. The petals appear to have the same pink blush. Is that correct? That is so pretty!
Congratulations!

 

[terryros]

Thank you.I have to shade my GH from end of March to end of September. From October to next March I had to give artef. light, i use 100 w led lamps , 4000k from about 1 m distance, 1 lamp /m2 and add 20w/m2 red lamp(650 nm) for my catts. Paphs get only naural light. Lamps run from 6 am to 18 pm, switched by an adjustable light-switch. I set it at 20000 lux, if natural light drops below this level, lamps begin to work. Temp is very hot in summer here, all of windows are opened in this season.I have a high preassure fogger switched by a humidity meter.I set it to 65 percent in Summer, if humidity drops below 65 percent, fogger begins to work. It acts like an evaporative cooler, too, in hottest day of summer the temp is in my gh not higher than 28 C. I give water every day in summer, but only a light, superficial watering, with a hand-shower. Fall and spring, when gh is closed, once per week, in winter once per 2 weeks.

Great detail! You give artificial light for 18 hours from October to March? What do you have your winter temperatures do for the Cattleyas?

 

[dodidoki]

Great detail! You give artificial light for 18 hours from October to March? What do you have your winter temperatures do for the Cattleyas?

Light added for 12 hours per day, from 6 am to 6 pm. I set temp to 18 C in winter, all day and night.

 

[terryros]

Light added for 12 hours per day, from 6 am to 6 pm. I set temp to 18 C in winter, all day and night.

Do your night temperatures drop lower than 18 or does the heater always keep it about there? When you have sun how much higher does the temperature rise?

 

[dodidoki]

Do your night temperatures drop lower than 18 or does the heater always keep it about there? When you have sun how much higher does the temperature rise?

First yes, temp. never drop below 18 C.I have some orchid that like warmer temp so i don t want to set my gh below 18 C. About another question, my gh has adjustable heat sensitive window openers, like this,

 

[terryros]

First yes, temp. never drop below 18 C.I have some orchid that like warmer temp so i don t want to set my gh below 18 C. About another question, my gh has adjustable heat sensitive window openers, like this,
View attachment 43357

The Baker culture sheet for labiata gives summer temperatures of 30/17 C, but winter temperatures of about 22/15. Yet, you seem to grow and flower it well. Cattleya percivaliana is another species that has listed natural habitat winter low temperatures much below 18 C. Even mossiae has winter lows of 12 C. If you are able to grow and flower these cooler growing species without having lower winter night temperatures, this is good news for many indoor growers who can't easily get winter night time temperatures below 15 C.

 

[Ozpaph]

i have never been able to get those window openers to work properly.....