Cattleya

Family. Orchidaceae.

Origin. Central and South America.

Description. The genus contains about 40 species of epiphytic, evergreen, stunningly showy orchids with elongated pseudobulbs. 

From the top of each pseudobulb rise 1 - 3 hard, leathery leaves up to 20 cm long and a peduncle 45 - 75 cm high, bearing one or more flowers.

Each flower is 8 - 10 cm in diameter, with slightly wavy petals in shades of pink, white, yellow, green, red, burgundy, lilac, blue. Many varieties have flowers with petals in two contrasting shades. The flowers can reach 13 cm in diameter and have a charming aroma.

Height. Cattleyas rarely exceed 45 cm. in height.

Caring at home

Transplant

Cattleya is replanted  after rest, if the pot becomes too small for the plant - approximately once every 3 years. 

1. Orchids prefer clay pots because their walls allow moisture and air to pass through.
2. When transplanting, dry, rotten and damaged roots are cut with sharp pruning shears, and the cut areas are treated with crushed charcoal.
3. Pseudobulbs are buried exactly as much as they were immersed in the soil in the previous pot.
4. After planting, the substrate around the plant is lightly compacted with fingers to remove air pockets.

Newly transplanted plants are protected from sunlight and watering is limited for 4 to 5 days to prevent damaged roots from rotting.

When it blooms 

Cattleyas can bloom almost all year round with proper care. The specific flowering time depends on the species.

The flowering period lasts up to 1.5 months. 

Soil

Based on sphagnum moss, fern roots and pine bark, loose, nutritious, with the addition of perlite to improve drainage. Add small pieces of charcoal to the finished mixture.

The soil must be air and moisture permeable.

As a drainage layer, you should use not expanded clay, but pieces of pine bark laid on the bottom of the pot. 

Watering 

During the growth period, water abundantly, but allow the soil to dry out before the next watering. After the buds open, the soil is dried sufficiently, then flowering will last longer. 

After flowering, give the orchid a short rest period of 6 weeks and simply protect the pseudobulbs from shrinking.

The remaining water from the pan must be drained.

For irrigation, use only softened water at room temperature or even slightly heated.

Reproduction 

Propagated by dividing adult specimens during transplantation.

How to care 

Cattleya is not the easiest orchid to care for, but all the labor spent on growing it is paid off by the charm of its flowers.

Diseases and pests of cattleya

• Plant rot occurs due to excess water. 
• If the air is too dry, the buds may fall off.
• Flowering will not occur in poor lighting.
• When exposed to direct sunlight during spring and summer daylight hours, brown spots may appear on the leaves - the orchid gets burned.  

Insect pests: spider mites, mealybugs, aphids, scale insects.

Temperature

If possible, it is worth organizing a temperature swing - warm days with a temperature of about 21-26  ° C should be replaced by cool nights.

During the winter months, a cool dormant period of around 15  °C is encouraged. Plants should not be exposed to temperatures below 12  °C.

With the onset of summer heat above 30 ° C, the cattleya should be placed in a cooler place and the air humidity and frequency of watering should be increased.

Lighting

For abundant flowering, bright indirect light is necessary. The leaves of orchids that receive enough light will be bright green. With excess light, a yellowish tint appears; when grown in partial shade, the leaves will be dark green.

In the autumn-winter period, additional lighting with fluorescent lamps is possible.

Fertilizer

In the spring, as new growth begins, provide high-nitrogen fertilizer to the cattleya. When the plant begins to form buds, change the fertilizer to phosphate. 

Feed twice a month, diluting the fertilizer to half the recommended dose. Orchids love organic fertilizers.

Spraying 

Do not water in winter, but spray regularly. Spraying should only be done with water at room temperature in the morning so that the moisture has time to evaporate before dark.

Make sure that droplets of moisture do not fall on the buds and flowers. Do not expose plants with droplets of water to the sun - they will instantly get burned.

Instead of spraying, you can use a tray with wet pebbles or sphagnum moss - the evaporating water will naturally humidify the air.

You can also use a room humidifier to increase air humidity.

Provide this plant with good air circulation.

Purpose

A valuable blooming orchid with compact dimensions.

Varieties:

Cattleya hybrida

The vast majority of home-grown cattleyas are hybrids - such plants are best adapted to harsh conditions and forgive many mistakes in care.

Cattleya unifoliate and bifolia

As the name suggests, the main feature of unifoliate cattleya is that each elongated pseudobulb bears only one leaf at its apex, while in bifolia cattleya, each pseudobulb bears two leaflets at its apex.

Cattleya maxima

One of the largest subspecies of cattleya, and within this group there are lowland plants and highland plants. The bushes reach a height of 70 cm, and each leafless peduncle can bear from 12 to 25 flowers. This type can include both epiphytic and lithophytic plants. These orchids often have two periods of rest - before flowering and immediately after it. The flowers reach 15 cm in diameter and consist of a pair of sepals and long and narrow side petals, often with corrugated edges. In the center of the flowers there is a column, rolled into a tube, at the end of which there is a corrugated, often contrastingly colored lip. 

Cattleya mossiae

Small unifoliate cattleyas with elongated, spindle-shaped pseudobulbs. The leaves are dark green, glossy, slightly bent along the central vein, belt-shaped. Flowers with wide corrugated sepals, narrow side petals, corrugated lip, painted in contrasting shades. There are plants with white, lilac, pink, and purple petals. The lip is pink, burgundy, lilac, often with a yellow center. The diameter of the flowers reaches 15 - 18 cm. The height of the plants is 40 - 60 cm. 

Cattleya dowiana

Large-flowered cattleyas with fairly wide green leaves. They have a rare flower color - the lateral petals and sepals have cream, orange or yellow shades, while the lip is painted burgundy or lilac. Flowering occurs in spring, followed by a dormant period. Each peduncle can bear 5 - 6 flowers. Pseudobulbs reach a height of 8 to 20 cm, and flowers reach a diameter of 14 cm. 

Cattleya labiata

Compact, strong plants with tall, spindle-shaped light green pseudobulbs and oblong-oval, green leaves slightly bent along the central vein. They belong to the unifoliate large-flowered cattleyas. The peduncles are short; each can bear from two to five flowers at the top at a time. The petals of these cattleyas are painted in white, pink, lilac, and purple shades. The lip is contrasting - purple or burgundy, often with an orange or yellow center. The flowers reach 17 cm in diameter. The total height of the plant often does not exceed 30 cm. 

Cattleya walkeriana

Compact unifoliate cattleyas with oblong pseudobulbs. The peduncles are short, thick, bearing 1 - 3 flowers at the top with a diameter of 9 to 12 cm. With a pleasant aroma. The leaves are lanceolate, dark green, bent along the central vein. A distinctive feature of this cattleya is that the lip often does not differ in color from the petals. Flowers can be painted in pink, lilac, red, white, and cream shades. 

Cattleya Chia Lin

Large-flowered cattleyas with dark green, oblong, often ribbed pseudobulbs. The leaves are dark green, bent along the central vein, thick, oblong - oval. The flowers are located on short powerful peduncles and are painted in red, crimson, and burgundy tones. The lip is large, with corrugated edges, often a darker shade than the petals, with thin orange stripes in the center. 

Cattleya intermedia

Plants whose height often does not exceed 30 cm. Short peduncles bear 2 - 3 flowers at the top, each up to 10 cm in diameter. The leaves are green, lanceolate, thick. The flowers are painted in white, lilac, pink, yellowish shades, often with a contrasting burgundy or purple lip.

Cattleya skinneri

Charming large-flowered cattleyas. The leaves are green, oblong, oval. The flowers do not have a large diameter, but are painted in bright lilac-pink shades. There are plants with white flowers. Pseudobulbs are light green, ribbed, and resemble a spindle. This variety belongs to the two-leaved cattleya family, that is, each pseudobulb bears two green leaves at the top. The plant is compact - their height is from 20 to 30 cm, the leaves reach a length of 15 cm, and the diameter of the flowers is about 7.5 cm. 

Cattleya trianae

Large-flowered plants, each peduncle can bear at the top from 3 to 14 flowers with a diameter of up to 20 cm, with a pleasant aroma. There are plants with white, pink and lilac petals. The lip is burgundy or lilac and often has a yellow or orange center. 

Cattleya schroederae

Delicate large-flowered cattleyas, the flowers of which have very wide, corrugated side petals, reminiscent of butterfly wings. The lip is large and also has corrugated edges. The flowers have a sweetish aroma. Pseudobulbs are green, ribbed, oblong. The flowering period is long - flowers can look attractive for 5 weeks. The color of the flowers is very delicate - white, pinkish or light lilac. The center of the lip is colored golden or bright orange.