Cattleya violacea semialba flamea ‘OmG’

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richgarrison

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Say more about your repotting approach and culture in the new medium... I’m finding that things I thought should thrive on mounts for me. Are not. Thinking your experience may hold a clue.
 

DrLeslieEe

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Say more about your repotting approach and culture in the new medium... I’m finding that things I thought should thrive on mounts for me. Are not. Thinking your experience may hold a clue.
The swc (semi-water culture) technique is a 3 layered system. See pics below for demo. Best pots to use are see through clear plastic pots to monitor roots.

1. Bottom inch is clay LECA pellets.
2. Middle 2-3 inches is bark/perlite/charcoal mix.
3. Top half inch is NZ moss.
4. The plastic clear pot sits in water (tray) that feeds clay 3-4 days. It usually dries one day before watering.

F289A821-2C16-4C42-BED8-6DE5381118A8.jpeg FD53EAAA-EB22-4D39-976D-954759C1C4BF.jpeg

This method delivers constant water and moisture to roots. Indoors, the plants dry in a day! This way it maintains at least 3-4 days of water supply and keeps high demand plants like violaceas happy.

The clay pellets keeps aerial roots dry (but humid) above while allowing new ‘water’ roots submerged. Water-roots grow into water and do not rot (unlike aerial or bark roots).

Most of my Cattleya species are in this culture and they love it. I just dry them in between watering longer in winter (2 days more to dry).
 
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Nice to see your plants, Leslie.Important to say that violacea is not an easy species.Roots are easy to rot, it is because in its original habitat roots are growing free on air just on the surface of the trees and dry very quickly.In the other hand violacea love high humidity, cca 75-85% all in the year.
 

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