I live in Phils.(tropical country). Im having a hard time maintaining my cattleya orchids.?

They usually die after 1 month or they would not have flowers at all. Unlike, dendrobiums that I can make them flower easily. The cattleya that im buying are not new cuttings but an established plants that the owners says its almost 1 year old, and I know its true. I water them 2x a days, exposed to sunlight for 2 hours/day and sprays fertilizers once a week.

I live in Phils.(tropical country). Im having a hard time maintaining my cattleya orchids.?
You are probably watering them too much. Here's a trick that I learned from an orchid shop. Get a large bucket, about 5 gallons and fill it partially full of water. Dip the vase into the water until the water just goes over the top of the vase. Basically, you are soaking the entire ground in the vase. Pull the vase out of the water and let it thoroughly drain. Do this once a week, no more. If the orchid is a variety that has roots in the air, then spray them with a water bottle sprayer. The in-air roots should get misted about once a day. The in-air roots are for separate orchid plants that grow off the top of the lower orchid plants. Orchids don't like a lot of water and only need watered about once a week. For humidity, if you want, place the pot over a pan of water that has a bunch of pebbles in it. This will help keep the humidity high. Make sure not to get water on the leaves or down into the crevices of the plant. That could cause the leaves to rot. Also don't allow the leaves to rest on the pot or they could rot.
Reply:Cattleyas have specific needs. Check out this site to make sure you've got the correct info.





http://orchids-1.blogspot.com/2006/05/or...
Reply:Orchids generally do not like to have soggy roots. The soil must drain very well.


If the roots are soggy the plants will die and they will not flower.


Try making the environment a bit more humid. Place it in such a position that it gets loads of light but only a little direct sunlight.


Do not move the plant around a lot - mine didn't appreciate being moved.


Try watering them less.

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