Stanhopea costaricensis is native to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. These plants grow in temperate, evergreen or misty and rain forests...
Stanhopea costaricensis also called as The Costa Rican Stanhopea, is a species of the genus Stanhopea. This species was described by Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach in 1860.
IDENTIFY STANHOPEA COSTARICENSIS
Stanhopea costaricensis is native to Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama. These plants grow in temperate, evergreen or misty and rain forests, usually in the Caribbean water department. In Panama and Costa Rica, this orchid occurs at an altitude of 500-1500 m, in a moist natural habitat of mist-covered forests.
It is a medium sized, hot to warm growing epiphyte, which reaching 38-48 cm in height, with pyriform to ovoid, sulcate, 5 cm long and 3 cm wide pseudobulbs subtended by fibrous bracts with a single, coriaceous, plicate, gradually narrows below into the elongate, channeled petiolate base, elliptic-ovate, 30-40 cm long, 11-12 cm wide leaf.
The Costa Rican Stanhopea blooms on a lateral, pendant, 8 to 10 " (20 to 25 cm) long inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb, subtended by inflated imbricate bracts and has 3 to 7, fragrant flowers which have the scent of vanilla occurring in the late spring and early summer. The flowers are 8 cm in diameter. The flakes of both whorls are light cream-yellow to yellow-green and usually have round blood-red or purple ring-shaped spots, but the inner whorl petals sometimes have dark-chested patches at the base and at the hypochile. The lip has an orange hypochile, usually with two dark-brown spots and a light yellow mesochile, a narrow oval depression and a very wide hypochile with a large opening.
STANHOPEA COSTARICENSIS CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Stanhopea costaricensis needs a light level of 20000-30000 lux. The light should be slightly filtered or dispersed, and the plants should not be exposed to the direct sunlight of the midday sun. Strong air movement is very important.
Temperature:
Throughout the year, the average day temperature is 23-24 ° C, the night 15-18 ° C, and the daily difference is 6-8 ° C.
Humidity:
The Costa Rican Stanhopea needs the humidity of 85-90% throughout the year. In the greenhouse, the humidity of 40-60% is sufficient.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Stanhopea costaricensis grow best and are the easiest to operate when they are firmly attached to tree fern rootstocks, which also favors overhanging inflorescences growing at the base of pseudobulbs. Mounted plants, however, require high humidity and summer watering at least once a day. During extremely hot and dry weather, it may be necessary to water several times a day.
They are also grown in hanging wire baskets with large mesh, lined with sphagnum and filled with loose, quickly drying substrate. The substrate should retains some of the moisture, but not soggy, and allows the roots to dry quickly after watering. It is recommend to use shredded fir bark, but the granulation of the substrate should depend on the amount of light, humidity and the pattern of watering.
Repotting or dividing can only be done when new roots begin to grow. This allows the plant to stabilize in the shortest possible time and with the least stress.
Watering:
Stanhopea costaricensis should often be watered during active growth, but their roots must dry out between watering. The substrate around the roots can never be soggy or damp. When the new growths mature in late autumn, the amount of water can be slightly reduced.
Fertilizer:
Weekly use of 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of orchid fertilizer is recommended. You use of a balanced fertilizer with a NPK 20-20-20 in the half of the dose throughout the year; or use high-nitrogen fertilizer from spring to mid-summer, and then until the end of autumn use high-phosphoric fertilizer.
Rest period:
This species needs about 1 month of rest completely without water to the roots before the pseudobulbs reach maturity. In winter, the amount of water should be slightly reduced, especially when Stanhopea costaricensis are grown on a short, dark day at moderate latitudes. These plants should never dry excessively or remain dry for too long. They will protect by occasional fogging against excessive drying. Fertilization should be reduced or eliminated until spring, when the growth of new increments begins and the abundant watering begins.
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