| February Culture Notes..... For the Wairarapa region (New Zealand) |
| In General..... |
| CULTURE CORNER |
| Now that the days are starting to get hotter, finally, your plants will appreciate a light water each morning, scratch the surface back to check how damp the mix is & water accordingly. Remember that when you water more often, then you must feed more often as well. The higher daytime temperatures & the lower night temperatures are giving that all important temperature differential that the plants need, as all spikes are initiated during the summer, no matter whether your Cymbidiums are early, mid-season, or late bloomers. They will show their spikes during the autumn, then proceed to grow at their own pace depending on when the plant flowers. If your plants have suffered a bit sunburn, fear not, let the damaged leaf dry off over a period of time & remove it by cutting the leaf behind the burnt area, & then apply some Cinnamon to the cut edge. Keep the floors well watered, as this keeps up the beneficial humidity to plants, & high humidity also helps to keep the Mites at bay as they cannot breed in humid conditions (I still have my doubts about this). Good ventilation also helps to counter Scale, but if it does occur then spraying with All Seasons Oil at summer strength will help control it. Keep up a spray program for insects, mites & fungus etc. CYMBIDIUMS should be getting a regular feed of flowering strength fertilizer (Potash, such as Phostrogen etc) to help promote good strong spikes, an occasional water over head on any hot & humid night will help to initiate spikes. It is still not too late to repot any plants that may need doing, just watch the new growths. Young plants still need a Nitrogen rich feed regularly. DENDROBIUMS Nobile type Dendrobiums like full light & high temperatures, but need plenty of water & feed at this point. Some of the multi flowering dendrobiums may be starting bud, so take care not to knock the buds about. As the flowers start to open, move the plant to a cooler part of the house as this helps the flowers last a little longer. Keep up regular watering & potash (Phostrogen type) feeding. PAPHIOPEDILUMS don’t like temperatures above 30oC, so ensure plenty of ventilation, & light shading at this time of year. Keep them moist, but not sodden, so that the fans will mature & flower this coming winter. Feed with 1/2 strength Cymbidium food at about 10 day intervals. These plants do not like too much fertilizer, as their roots burn very easily. CATTLEYAS will stand the heat & the light, but watch that water is not left on the leaves, as this will cause sunburn in no time at all. Keep the water up to them on a regular basis. Feed with the same food as Cymbidiums at 2/3 strength, at every second watering. It is best to repot these plants as flowering finishes & the new growth starts to move. SARCOCHILUS don’t like to be sodden, so watch that they are watered regularly but don’t become too wet. Make sure that water does not rest in the crown of the plant, as this will set up crown rots. These plants will do best in a well-ventilated area particularly on very hot days. VANDAS can stand to be watered on most hot days with a feed of 1/2 strength food about twice a week. PHALAENOPSIS do not like temperatures above 30oC, so keep them well ventilated, & lightly shaded. Repotting annually after flowering will give stronger flowering next year. Keep these plants moist at all times, but again, not water logged. Watch that water is not left in the leaf crown, as this will cause rot to set in quickly. A shallow container filled with gravel & then water so that the water level is just below the top of the gravel sat under or near to plants is a good way to help keep up the humidity. |
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