The Most Popular Orchid for the Home: Cattleya Orchid

Cattleya Orchid

At the top of the list is the group of orchids that belong to the Cattleya Alliance. Cattleya orchid types are among the showiest and most rewarding orchids to grow in the home, ranging in color from classic orchid lavender to white, red, yellow, orange, green, and blue. Many are very fragrant. Intergeneric hybridizing trends in the past decade have produced compact and miniature "catts" that greatly reduce the space needed for traditionally big and gawky cattleya plants, yet still produce nice-sized flowers.

Several related genera make up the Cattleya Alliance of orchids, which can cause beginners some confusion in names. Cattleya, Laelia, Sophronitis, Brassavola, Broughtonia, Epidendrum, and Rhyncholaelia are the main genera that are interbred. Whatever the combination of genera, cattleyas are all grown in a fairly similar manner. Native from Mexico to Brazil, these are epiphytes, usually growing on sides of trees. In the home, they prefer intermediate home temperatures with winter nights of 55ºF. To flower well, medium-bright light is essential. Cattleyas can grow well for years without giving a bloom, frustrating many a grower, but the reason is almost sure to be too little light. A southern or southeastern exposure with 2.000 to 3.000 footcandles is excellent, and the higher the light in this range, the more blooms. A dilute 20-10-10 weekly fertilizer will also mean more flowers. Cattleya are "camels" in the orchid world, possessing pseudobulbs that store water, and must have a well-drained mix, such as one of 80 percent fir bark or stone, with 20 percent perlite. Water thoroughly only when the mix has dried out to an inch below the surface.

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