Leptotes bicolor is native to Brazil and Paraguay. The first plants were discovered in the Mountains Mountains near Rio de Janeiro, but then it turned out that their range extends to the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, Sao Paulo, and Santa Catarina...
Leptotes bicolor also called as Bicolored Leptotes, Bletia bicolor, Leptotes bicolor var. glaucophylla, Leptotes glaucophylla, Leptotes serrulata, Tetramicra bicolor, Tetramicra serrulata, is a species of the genus Leptotes. This species was described by John Lindley in 1833.
IDENTIFY LEPTOTES BICOLOR
Leptotes bicolor is native to Brazil and Paraguay. The first plants were discovered in the Mountains Mountains near Rio de Janeiro, but then it turned out that their range extends to the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, Sao Paulo, and Santa Catarina. They grow in areas extending from the coastal mountains to subtropical forests, at heights of 500-900 m.
It is a miniature, warm growing epiphyte, which reaching a height of 5-10 cm, with terete pencil-like, 1-2 cm long pseudobulbs covered basally by several membranous sheaths and has a single, apical, erect or spreading, subcylindric, acute, deeply grooved dorsally, shiny, dark green, 4-8 cm long leaf.
Bicolored Leptotes has large, 1 to 3, successively opening, fragrant flowers on a 2 cm long, inflorescence shorter than and arising from the base of the leaves, occurring in the late winter or early spring. The flowers are 3-5 cm in diameter. The white, narrow flakes of both whorls are widely spread, but with sharp tips they bend inwards. The 3-flap lip has white or green side plots that stick straight to the sides of the spine. The curved central plot has a crimson-pink color and a sharp tip.
LEPTOTES BICOLOR 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:
Leptotes bicolor needs a light level of 18000-25000 lux. The light should be filtered and dispersed, and the plants should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Strong air movement should be ensured all the time.
Temperature:
It is a plant with moderate thermal requirements. In summer, the average day temperature is 24-26 ° C, night 18-19 ° C, with a daily amplitude of 6-7 ° C. The average winter temperature is 20-21 ° C during the day and 13-14 ° C at night, with a daily amplitude of 7 ° C.
Humidity:
Bicolored Leptotes needs the humidity of 75-80% throughout the year.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Leptotes bicolor grow very well mounted on small tree-fern rootstocks, but they should be provided with high humidity, and during the hot summer weather watering may be necessary at least once a day. In the case of such suspended plants, during very dry and hot weather, it may be necessary to water several times a day.
The newly-fixed plants sometimes need up to a year or even two to stabilize. In the case of problems with ensuring adequate humidity for attached plants, they can also be grown in baskets filled with osmunda fern or in small pots loosely filled with osmunda fern or cut ferns of tree ferns. Repotting or dividing plants should be done when the growth of new roots begins.
Watering:
Throughout the year, rainfall is moderate and even abundant, with a 3-month slightly drier period in winter. During active growth, the plants should be watered frequently. The amount of water should be slightly reduced in late autumn when new growths reach maturity.
Fertilizer:
The plants should be fertilized every week 1/4-1/2 of the recommended dose of fertilizer for orchids. A fertilizer with a high nitrogen content is beneficial from spring to mid-summer, and a fertilizer richer in phosphorus should be used in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Leptotes bicolor need less water in the winter, especially if they grow under the conditions of a dark, short day that occurs in moderate latitudes. However, they should not be completely dry or dry for a long period of time. Fertilization should be reduced or completely eliminated until more intense watering starts in the spring.
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