Barkeria skinneri is native to Guatemala and Chiapas. It grows epiphytic on trees or lithophytic on rocks in tropical to deciduous rainforests at an altitude of 900 to 1900 meters above sea level...
Barkeria skinneri also called as Skinner's Barkeria, Barkeria skinneri var major, Dothiolophis purpurea, Epidendrum fuschii, Epidendrum skinneri, Epidendrum skinneri var superbum, is a species of the genus Barkeria. This species was described by A. Rich. & Galeotti in 1844.
IDENTIFY BARKERIA SKINNERI ORCHID PLANT
Barkeria skinneri is native to Guatemala and Chiapas. It grows epiphytic on trees or lithophytic on rocks in tropical to deciduous rainforests at an altitude of 900 to 1900 meters above sea level.
It is a slender, medium sized, warm to cool growing epiphyte and lithophyte with clustered, fusiform-cylindric, up to 20 cm long stems subtended by several scarious leaf sheaths and carrying several, elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, distichous, fleshy, 3 to 18 cm in length and from 1 to 3 cm in width leaves.
Skinner's Barkeria blooms in the fall to mid-winter on an erect, terminal, to 30 cm long, racemose to paniculate, few to many flowered, long-lived inflorescence enveloped by long, imbricate, scarious sheaths. .The flowers are magenta-red, measuring from 1 to 3.5 cm in diameter. Sepals lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 cm in length and 0.4-0.5 cm in width. Petals are wider, elliptical in shape. The lip is oval, pointed at the tip, size 1.5-2 cm long and 0.7-1.3 cm wide, has 3 growths. The column half fused with the lip.
BARKERIA SKINNERI 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:
Barkeria skinneri loves bright sunlight and quietly tolerates direct morning and evening sun (up to 40000 lux), getting a yellowish shade of leaves and stems on the overly hot sun. The south-east and west windows, as well as the combination of that (the orchid is kept in the clean south window, and in the summer in the east or west), proved to be a good place for deployment.
Temperature:
This kind of orchid refers to a moderate temperature regime, however, it also adapts well to a warmer content. Ideal temperatures can be designated as follows: Summer temperature not above 25 ° C; Winter temperature at 18-19 ° C in the daytime and 15-16 ° C at night. For the successful cultivation at home, the nighttime temperature should always be 3-4 ° C lower than the daytime temperature.
Humidity:
In their natural habitat, the relative humidity of air rarely falls below 55%. 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:
For the normal functioning of the Barkeria skinneri root system, a constant flow of fresh air is necessary, so it is desirable to grow this kind of orchids either in suspended baskets or on blocks. A large bark of coniferous trees is ideal as a substrate without any additional admixtures. 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 desirable only when it is really necessary, for example, in cases of severe salinization or condensation of the substrate, at its critically high or low pH (5.5 to 6.5) or , when the plant will grow very much and the pot will become too small for it (pseudobulbs will begin to hang from the edges of the pot). The best time to transplant is the time when new orchid sprouts begin to build up their own roots.
Watering:
The frequency and abundance of watering the orchids of this species directly depends on the overall temperature of the content and intensity of the illumination, the higher they are, the more often and abundant it is necessary to water. Plants growing on blocks, it is desirable to water daily in the morning, so that by evening their roots could dry out relatively well. When watering orchids in pots, it must be remembered 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 quickly lead to decay of the roots and the lower part of the plant (rhizome). The substrate between waterings should dry well.
Fertilizer:
During the period of active growth, this kind of orchids is fertilized for every third watering in 1/2 of the fertilizer concentration indicated on the package. In addition to the usual root top dressing, it is also possible to produce foliar dressing when the outer part of the plant (leaves) is sprayed very much with the diluted fertilizer. It is best to feed the orchid, alternating both these methods. The best fertilizer is fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal parts, for example, NPK = 3-3-3 or 8-8-8. If you do not have such a fertilizer, then at the beginning of the growing season (the emergence 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.
Rest period:
Barkeria skinneri needs an annual winter period of rest, caused by a general decrease in the intensity of illumination and, as a consequence, a slight cooling. The waterings must be organized in such a way that the substrate between waterings not only dried very well, but it was completely dry for about 10-14 days, the plants on the blocks should be lightly sprayed every 7-10 days. The ideal temperature for home culture: 18-19 ° C in the daytime and 15-16 ° C at night. With an increase in the intensity of lighting in the spring, the appearance of new shoots, since that moment, watering can be resumed in the usual volume.
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