Cattleya cernua occurs in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, where it grows both epiphytic and lithophyte on rocky slopes or trees often so close to the sea or in lowland trees at sea level...
Cattleya cernua also called as The Nodding Sophronitis, Sophronitis cernua, Cattleya pterocarpa, Epidendrum humile, Sophronia cernua, Sophronia modesta, Sophronia pterocarpa, Sophronitis cernua var. alagoensis, Sophronitis cernua var. albiflora, Sophronitis cernua var. endsfeldzii, Sophronitis cernua var litoanea, Sophronitis cernua var mineira, Sophronitis hoffmannseggii, Sophronitis isopetala, Sophronitis modesta, Sophronitis nutans, Sophronitis pterocarpa, is a species of the genus Cattleya. This species was described by John Lindley in 1838.
IDENTIFY CATTLEYA CERNUA ORCHID PLANT
Cattleya cernua occurs in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, where it grows both epiphytic and lithophyte on rocky slopes or trees often so close to the sea or in lowland trees at sea level.
It is a miniature sized, warm growing orchid that has densely clustered, subcylindric or ovoid, 2 cm in length pseudobulb with 2 or 3 basal nodes and carrying a single, apical, thickly coriaceous, broadly ovate or elliptic-ovate, obtuse or minutely apiculate, about 3 cm in length leaf.
The Nodding Sophronitis blooms on a terminal, erect, 2 to 5 cm long, 4 to 10 flowered inflorescence with nodding flowers occuring in the spring. The flowers are orange-red, about 2.5 cm in diameter, opening one by one. Tepals of elliptical shape with pointed tips, petals somewhat wider than sepals. The lip is oval, with pointed tip, often has a small proportion of yellow inside, the color is yellow-orange.
CATTLEYA CERNUA ORCHID PLANT 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:
Cattleya cernua loves bright sunlight and is able to tolerate direct morning and evening sun, however, in the hot summer noon (especially on windows of southern orientation) the orchid should be protected from direct sunlight: put behind a curtain (for example, on a table near the window) or in the shade of other plants, otherwise the plant can get a sunburn. Bright sunlight is one of the main prerequisites for flowering orchids of this species, and if it is insufficient, then the plant will simply not bloom, as new pseudobulbs grow underdeveloped, i.e. incapable of flowering. During the whole year, the duration of a day of light must be at least 10 hours.
Temperature:
This kind of orchid refers to a mixed temperature regime, famous for its rather high daytime and low night temperatures. However, in domestic culture, the orchid grows well in moderately cold conditions without daytime heat. The ideal temperature of the content is: Day temperature at 25-28 ° C; Night temperature at 10-16 ° C. For the successful cultivation at home, it is necessary that the night temperature of the content is always 7-18 ° C lower than the daytime temperature.
Humidity:
In the natural habitats, the relative humidity of air throughout the year is at the level of 75-90%. In conditions of high humidity, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room where the plants are kept, since wet, stale air is an ideal medium for the mass reproduction of various fungal and bacterial diseases.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Cattleya cernua can grow in small clay pots and placed on blocks. As a substrate, a mixture of a large bark of coniferous trees with charcoal and sphagnum moss (up to 60%) is best. When growing orchids on blocks to prevent rapid drying of the root system of the plant, it is recommended to make a small interlayer of moss between it and the block. Above the roots, you can also put live or dry sphagnum. Repotting is recommended only when it is really necessary, for example, if the substrate is strongly salinized and compacted, at its critically high or low pH (5.5 to 6.5) or, when the plant grows very much, and the old pot will become too small for it (the pseudobulbs will begin to hang from the sides). The best time for transplantation is considered to be a period that begins immediately after the flowering of the orchid, as transplantation during the development of new shoots can adversely affect their subsequent flowering.
Watering:
Watering this kind of orchids directly depends on the overall temperature of the content, the higher it is, the more often and abundant it is necessary to water. Plants growing on blocks should be watered daily in the morning, so that by evening the roots of the orchids could dry out relatively well. When watering orchids in pots, it is necessary to remember that excess water during watering should flow freely out of the pot, as the stagnation of water both inside the pot and in its pallet can very quickly lead to rotting of the roots and the lower part of the plant. The substrate between the irrigations should dry relatively well, but do not dry out completely.
Fertilizer:
In the period of active growth, this type of orchids is fertilized for every third watering in 1/4 of the concentration of fertilizer indicated on the package. In addition to the usual root top dressing, it is also recommended to produce a foliar dressing, when a very much diluted fertilizer is sprayed on the outer part of the plant. It is best to feed the orchid, alternating both these methods. During the whole year (especially at the beginning of the growing season) it is recommended to use a balanced fertilizer with the same proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, for example, NPK = 3-3-3 or 8-8-8. If you do not have such fertilizer, then at the beginning of the growing season (the appearance of new shoots), feed the orchid with a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content, and when the sprout reaches 1/2 of its normal growth - fertilizer with a higher content of phosphorus. To avoid the rapid salinization of the substrate, once a month, it is necessary to rinse it.
Rest period:
Cattleya cernua does not need any period of rest: neither for stimulation of flowering, nor in winter. The refusal of the flowering of the orchid can be caused by insufficient illumination, too hot content, the absence of nighttime temperature drops (especially at the time when the new orchid sprout reaches 1/2 of its normal size) or by the stress state of the plant (bad root system, regular overheating..).
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