| July Culture Notes..... For the Wairarapa region (New Zealand) |
| In General..... |
| CULTURE CORNER |
| Watering can be kept at a minimum now that the Wairarapa weather is getting pretty damp now. As a wet & soggy media, in these cold conditions, coupled with a lack of air round the roots can cause rotting to set in quickly. Your plants have the ability to store enough moisture in the pseudobulbs to get them through dry periods, so if you have any doubts about watering, don’t. Keep an eye on the finer root varieties & even though they will need less water now, watch that they don’t dry out completely. Spring flowering plants should be getting a feed potash type food now, but don’t allow this be an excuse to over water though. Keep an eye out for Mites & Aphids, & spray as required. CYMBIDIUM keep watering to a minimum, even though some of the pseudobulb may be starting to show signs of withering. Most of the growth that is happening now will be in establishing the flower spikes, so when you do feed a potash type feed will help to promote a good flowering ahead. When you are watering, just water the mix, not over the leaves in this colder weather. Towards the end of the month, non flowering plants can be repotted, & then give them time to recover by watering & feeding sparingly at low strength for four weeks or so, after which normal rates of feed can begin as the weather gets warmer. Stake up your flower spikes as needed during their growth, pendulous types should be tied just below the buds to allow them to arch out gracefully. Keep up good ventilation to these plants. PAPHIOPEDILUMS need to kept out of the direct sunlight, but do keep them a little warm to get the best potential out of their flowering. Keep them moist but they still no feeding at present. PHALAENOPSIS like a bit of warmth, a minimum of about 12oC & again no direct sunlight. They should be starting to show the new season spikes, so need to be fed a potash type feed a little below the rate for Cymbidiums. Use slightly tepid water when you are watering & feeding, this will help to prevent shock to the plant, which is in a nice warm position. SARCOCHILUS do not need too much water at present, only about every couple of weeks or so, their mix should only just dry out between waterings. They do appreciate plenty of good ventilation at present though. DENDROBIUMS require conditions similar to the Srac’s at present so only need to be watered about once a week, & also like plenty of air movement. The mix should only just dry out between waterings. NOBILE type Dendrobiums are still in their dormant state, so the only moisture they really need is a misting to prevent the canes from shriveling, this can be done several times a week if the temperature permits. They like plenty of light at this stage. The early flowering ones will have the flower nodes starting to appear now, but don’t be tempted to feed or water until they show definite bud shapes or they will turn into Keikis!!! CATTLEYAS can be repotted ast heir flower finishs & as the new growth starts to move. After they have been repotted, don’t feed for a few weeks, then feed with a high nitrogen feed till the growths start to mature, then you can switch to a high potash feed (“Phostrogen”). SLABS depending on the atmospheric humidity, still need to be misted every couple of days. |