Ada allenii occurs in Panama and Colombia, where it grows epiphytic on trees in montane and rain forests on the Atlantic eastern slopes at an altitude of 500 to 1000 meters above sea level...
Ada allenii also called as Allen's Ada, Brassia allenii, Brassiopsis allenii, is a species of the genus Ada. This species was described by Norris H. Williams in 1972.
IDENTIFY ADA ALLENII ORCHID PLANT
Ada allenii occurs in Panama and Colombia, where it grows epiphytic on trees in montane and rain forests on the Atlantic eastern slopes at an altitude of 500 to 1000 meters above sea level.
It is a medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte at elevations of 400 to 1000 meters and has a fan-shape of 8 to 14, subcoriaceous, linear-ligulate to lanceolate, acuminate, 15-40 cm in length and 2-5 cm in width leaves with conduplicate bases and without a pseudobulb.
Allen's Ada blooms in the spring on an erect to arching, 22 cm long, shorter than the leaves, few to several flowered inflorescence that carries 5 to 8, fragrant flowers. The flowers are olive brown with yellow edges, measuring 6 to 12 cm in diameter, resemble stars in their shape. Upper sepals narrow, lanceolate, slightly pointed at tip, measuring from 3 to 6 cm in length. Lateral sepals also narrowed, lanceolate, tips sharper, 3-6 cm in length and 0.8-2 cm in width. Petals are asymmetric, narrow, lanceolate, have pronounced, very long tips, 2-4 cm in length and 0.5-1 cm in width. The lip is ovate or oval, with a long curved conic, inside it has a brown spot, often wavy along the rim, 3-4 cm in length and 2-3 cm in width. The column is very short, 0.3-0.5 cm in length. size 3-4 cm long and 2-3 cm wide.
ADA ALLENII 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:
Ada allenii loves the bright sun without access to direct sunlight, so during the hot midday sun on the windows of the southern orientation and the hot evening sun on the western windows, the orchid should be placed behind a curtain (for example, on a table near the window) or in the shade of other plants. Otherwise, the orchid can get sunburn.
Temperature:
This species of orchid belongs to a moderate temperature regime, and it is recommended that plants be kept throughout the year under the following conditions: Day temperature at 18-25 ° C; Night temperature at 16-20 ° C. For the successful cultivation at home, it is necessary that the night temperature of the content is always 4 ° C lower than the daytime temperature.
Humidity:
Allen's Ada needs relatively high humidity, not less than 60%, ideally 70-80%. Too dry air adversely affects the development of the plant: its growth is inhibited, and the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Ada allenii is grow only in pots. As a substrate, the mixture of the bark of coniferous trees and moss sphagnum is best. It is not recommended to add beech leaves to the mixture. Repotting is desirable in cases of severe compaction or salinity of the substrate, its critically low or high pH (the norm of 5.5 to 6.5) or, when the plant grows very large and the old pot will become too tight. The best time for transplantation is the period immediately after flowering and until the moment when new shoots reach a size of 5 cm and begin to build their own roots. On average, adults, well-developed plants often have to be transplanted every 2-3 years, and young plants every 3-4 or more years.
Watering:
Watering this kind of orchids directly depends on the temperature of the content, the higher it is, the more often and abundant it is necessary to water. 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 waterings should be relatively dry, but not completely dry, i.e. is always in a slightly moistened, but not wet state.
Fertilizer:
During the period of active growth, this kind of orchids is fertilized for every third watering in 1/2 or 1/4 of the fertilizer concentration indicated on the package. In addition to the usual root dressing, it is also recommended to produce a foliar dressing when a very dilute fertilizer sprayed with orchid leaves. It is best to feed the plant, alternating both these methods. To avoid very rapid salinization of the substrate, once every 3-4 months it needs to be washed well. For these purposes, the pot with the orchid should be put in the sink and several times pass through the substrate a jet of warm water. The first signs of salinization of the substrate are the blackening of the tips of the leaves of orchids with their subsequent yellowing and drying. In case of particularly severe damage, the plant should immediately be transplanted into a new substrate.
Rest period:
To stimulate flowering, Ada allenii needs a clearly defined period of rest. It begins immediately after the formation of new pseudobulbs, i.e., when new, young shoots reach the size of old ones and begin to turn into pseudobulbs (rounded), and is expressed in the fact that the orchid is kept somewhat drier and colder than usual, and not fertilize. The total temperature of the content should be 18-20 ° C during the day and about 16 ° C at night. Watering the orchids needs to be coordinated at relatively lower temperatures and produce little by little, so that the substrate between waterings does not just dry out well, but it is completely dry for at least a week. With the advent of peduncles, the rest period ends: the total temperature of the content increases, and watering resumes in the usual volume.
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