Coryanthes macrantha is native to Trinidad and to South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana). Its natural habitat is the humid forests, where its grows on trees at an altitude of no more than 250 meters...
Coryanthes macrantha also called as The Bucket Orchid, Monkey Throat Orchid, Gongora macrantha, Panstrepis paradoxa, is a species of the genus Coryanthes. This species was described by William Jackson Hooker in 1831.
IDENTIFY CORYANTHES MACRANTHA
Coryanthes macrantha is native to Trinidad and to South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana). Its natural habitat is the humid forests, where its grows on trees at an altitude of no more than 250 meters.
The Bucket Orchid is a large sized, hot growing epiphyte, which reaching 40 cm in size, that has narrowly ovoid, sulcate, bifoliate pseudobulbs with lanceolate, plicate, ribbed leaves with a channeled petiole.
Monkey Throat Orchid blooms on a basal, pendant, 30 cm long, bracteate, 1 to 2 flowered, racemose inflorescence arising on a mature pseudobulb that carries a large, waxy, short lived, fragrant flower smelling strongly of mint held well below the plant and occuring in summer. The flowers are 13 cm in diameter and are one of the largest blooms among the members of its genus. The color is usually yellow to orange with small freckles along some parts of the flower, mainly inside the "bucket". But of course there are many different forms so it is not a rule.
CORYANTHES MACRANTHA 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:
Coryanthes macrantha needs a light level of 12000-14000 lux. It must always be protected from direct sunlight to avoid burns on the leaves. The photoperiod is 12 hours.
Temperature:
The ideal temperatures are 24-28 ° C during the day and 18-20 ° C at night. To develop the buds of future floral stems needs daily changes of 4 ° C between day and night. In winter, with the presence of rest, temperatures must be 18-20 ° C during the day and 16 ° C at night.
Humidity:
If the plant is grown in a pot, the humidity of the air can easily be around 55%. Its cultivation on a raft leads to the need to maintain at least 65%, 70-75% better.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Coryanthes macrantha can be grown in pots or on a raft with a sphagnum under and over the roots. As a vase you must always choose the basket, because the floral stems of this species grow downwards and must pass through the substrate and exit the vase. With a classic plastic jar this is not feasible. As a substrate I recommend to use only the sphagnum, even if many say that it can also be put in bark. The sphagnum, however, has the lowest pH (4 - 5.5), so it is more suitable for the orchid that prefers acidic environments, and then it is soft, and the floral stems do not get damaged coming out of the vase. Obviously if you choose the cultivation on a raft, the stems are much freer, but you have to take into account the fact that the air humidity must be much higher.
Watering:
During the growing period the plant gets water as soon as the substrate has dried well but before it becomes completely dry. When water the plant, care must be taken not to let the water enter the leaves of the small jets, because it does not evaporate and causes their rot.
Fertilizer:
This species is fertilized only during the growth period, every 3-4 watering, using a special fertilizer for orchids in 1/3 of the dose indicated on the bottle.
Rest period:
From November to January, when the light intensity is lower and the days are shorter, the orchid enters the rest period, and its water needs decrease a lot. During this period the substrate must remain completely dry for 2 days between waterings. I recommend replacing the watering with sufficient spraying to make the substrate well moist but not wet; so there will not be the risks of rottenness. Fertilization should reduced or completely eliminated until strong watering resumes.
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