Cattleya liliputana is endemic to the state of Minas Gerais of Brazil. Laelia liliputana is located at an altitude of about 1600 meters and grows on the rocks of granite and gneiss, completely exposed to the sun. Its natural habitat is decidedly dry in winter, but nocturnal dews are present, and the air humidity is relatively high...
Cattleya liliputana also called as The Dwarf Cattleya, Laelia liliputana, Hoffmannseggella liliputana, Sophronitis liliputana, is a species of the genus Cattleya. This species was described by Cássio Van den Berg in 2008.
IDENTIFY CATTLEYA LILIPUTANA
Cattleya liliputana is endemic to the state of Minas Gerais of Brazil. Laelia liliputana is located at an altitude of about 1600 meters and grows on the rocks of granite and gneiss, completely exposed to the sun. Its natural habitat is decidedly dry in winter, but nocturnal dews are present, and the air humidity is relatively high.
It is a mini-miniature sized , cool growing, lithophytic plant with stiff, erect, tightly clustered, globose or oblong, purple tinged, 15mm tall pseudobulbs carrying a single, purple tinged, stiff, ovate, fleshy, 4 cm long leaf.
The Dwarf Cattleya blooms in the spring and summer on a 1 cm long sheathed inflorescence that does not arise through a sheath with a single flower held well above the plant. The flowers are about 3 cm in diameter.
CATTLEYA LILIPUTANA 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 liliputana grows exposed to the sun up to 10 hours a day in nature, but in cultivation these extremes are limited. To begin, the light intensity must be 25000-30000 lux; then you can gradually raise it up to 35000-40000 lux, being careful not to overheat the leaves (the air movement must be strong).
Temperature:
In summer: the average temperature is 20-21 ° C during the day and 12-13 ° C at night. In winter: the average temperature is 18-19 ° C during the day and 7 ° C at night.
Humidity:
Despite the fact that the area where The Dwarf Cattleya grows is not characterized by heavy rains, the air humidity remains high throughout the year: 70-75%.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Laelia liliputana is grown in small pots, using medium-small bark with pumice stone and perlite (1: 1: 1) as a substrate. It is also possible to mount it on a raft without the typical sphagnum under the roots: this species does not like wet substrates. It is highly recommended to move the plant outdoors as soon as night temperatures reach 12 ° C and daytime temperatures 19 ° C.
Watering:
During the growing period this orchid is water when the substratum has dried well, while in the resting phase the watering becomes rare, leaving the orchid in the substratum completely dry for 5-7 days before watering it. However, even in winter, light morning vaporizations of the upper part of the substrate must take place to imitate the dews in the natural habitat of the orchid.
Fertilizer:
This plant is fertilized every 3-4 watering (but no more than once a week), using 1/4 of the dose indicated on the bottle of a special liquid fertilizer. Before fertilizing the plant, it is important to water it: in this way the burning of the roots caused by the contact of the fertilizer with the dry surface is avoided. Fertilizations occur only during the growth phase of the plant.
Rest period:
Cattleya liliputana blooms after resting. In cultivation, rest should start at the end of October. The watering is gradually reduced and the temperatures lowered. This phase lasts until March, until the orchid begins the growth phase.
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