I have to agree with you and thanks for putting it out there. I was very surprised about how much more humidity this plant prefers than what everyone keeps suggesting!
I bought a walkeriana thinking it would be just like the other cattleyas I can grow as houseplants but then I heard abt the darkness thing the day after I got it. It was my wishlist species cus I only heard good things abt it for a while and when I finally saw it I got it but I just had to hear abt the requirements the day after I got it. I grow my orchids in a bedroom window and I am up till 12 typically with some amount of light on in my room. Best I can do is go to bed a little earlier (which is probably good for me as well lol) but even then it would still only be 11pm-8am of complete darkness. In household conditions I might be able to get away with coarse bark+charcoal in a slotted pot tho. Best case scenario is it happened to have Loddigesii in it which changes the care requirement do not as much darkness is needed would be good in my scenario but I don’t think my division has any loddigessi in it based on what I know about it unfortunately. Otherwise should I just give up and get a hybrid/something else instead?
I would give it a couple of years to acclimate and either give you blooms or not. If nothing happens, then I'd trade it or sell it. Most of the "walkeriana" sold today have loddigesii in the background, so you're most likely good to go.
Great info, thanks Stephen😀. I got a little walker earlier this year, a small part of it seperated and so I potted that small part up in sphagnum, the larger part I put into a much faster drying net pot with bark mix. To my surprise it was the small piece in sphagnum that did much better; so good observation to ensure sufficient moisture during the growing season👍
Ah, makes sense! I think many people grow these ones too dry. It just takes a bit of experimentation to figure out and it sounds like you have an accidental experiment happening!
Thanks so much for another fantastic video on walkeriana culture. Much needed & highly appreciated. I fell in love with this species following your videos. Awaiting when I can bloom some of these beauties myself
Hi Stephen-hope you’re doing well. In an attempt to save my very young walkeriana from SVO, I repotted into a more moisture retentive mix. Someone commented and got me researching walkeriana specifically. I have learned so much from your videos. Thank you! If you have a second to see the 2 part video and have any other suggestions, I’d appreciate it. But I know you are very busy…no expectations. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
@deedeeblooms7896 I also notice that Tom Furmby is commenting on your videos. You might consider blocking him now. He’s been banned from every orchid forum and just about every UA-cam creator out there. He’s a very unhinged narcissist who will write novels about how great he is…while simultaneously giving you really bad advice. Then he’ll start attacking you and your plays because you did something he didn’t like. I encourage you to chat with some other UA-cam folks about him if you have any questions.
You explained how to grow Cattleya Walkeriana very well. I think they are lovely, but would not do well in my grow space. I grow my orchids in my dining room so I could never keep it as hot as they would like. I do have a few Cattleya’s that bloom but they are Lc or Potinara or crossed with Brassavola. Thanks for sharing.🤗👏
Stephen.. I’m not so sure on the light. I believe I have a species - at least as far as I know. But it gets me forever turning lights on couple times a night to go into the kitchen and 😊get a drink. And in my tiny house, the bathroom light just down the hall is on every night so I can see to get around at night. In winter, It’s sitting on a hospital bedside table over near a sliding door so the plants stay cooler at night and away from a heat vent in ceiling. Always out summer/fall. But my next door neighbor leaves his light on over his garage at least 3-4 nights a week all night. So not only in the winter from the sliding door but also in the summer on the porch it’s exposed. I have asked them if it’s possible to cut it off - they say yes but then it’s forgotten. I have only worried on getting them chill down through Mid to late October and then down around 10 degrees cooler at night all winter for general good health. I generally try to keep my orchids as dark as possible at night as I believe it’s important for most orchids and other plants to have dark nights except as you say the moon. But these new neighbors over the past few years are proving an issue and interestingly my two walkerianas just started blooming over the time they have been living over there. By late September, mid October they have formed spikes and then buds and in full bloom by first/mid November depending on weather. They have moved up a spike of 2 buds each year. This past year we got a really quick cold streak in September, freezes, had to come in but got to go back out til end of oct/first November. Strange year. This year got 6 buds (3 spikes) and then it’s rebloom in just one spike now, not quite open but very swollen and will be in a couple days. So mine is not a species as it was my understanding or maybe light isn’t as important as night temp. In Virginia at least. That’s the funny thing with orchids, how someone grows in Maine, or CA or Florida can be very different. Even if in grown all inside house under lights or all outside. Maybe I should say the infuriating thing or at least the most challenging. Now that I shall worry how to black out the light at night - they will decide not to bloom at all. 🫣😣😎
hi Stephen I've written to you in orchidboard buy I'm not sure you can read my message. So I repeat here (sorry). Following your videos I fell in love with cattleya walkeriana e nobilior. Last week I bought 4 plants online that arrived in plastic vases with medium bark. I would like to know when I can repot them using your method. I live in Florence and cultivate cattleya on a south-west facing terrace and since October I have grown orchids on a glass veranda next door with the same exposure. Thanks for your reply and congratulations on your videos.
Hi Stephen, thanks for the great video and explanation, I really enjoy it. Too bad, C. walkeriana and C. nobilior are very expensive in my country, Indonesia. In here, Taiwanese hybrid are abundance and pretty cheap 😀.
Is the Spanish Moss living? I had a 'Kenny' maybe 30 years ago - it was a reliable bloomer for a couple years and then died... But it never produced a "bloom only" growth, it always had a small sheath between the leaves and would bloom from that - I guess in that respect it is like loddigesii - but the fragrance was amazing!
correct me if I am wrong, but the Kiwi bark that Fred offers is the same as Orchiata but in the untreated form. I tried the kiwi bark this year, even though it ends up almost double the price as me buying a bag of Orchiata locally, I have to say I'm impressed with it, I like it better than Orchiata.
That’s right! Same bark, just no lime treatment for the kiwi. I love my orchiata, but I also typically use rainwater. Fred uses super hard well water, so he doesn’t need the lime on the orchiata.
I still have a walkeriana and nobilior, surprisingly. I nearly killed my nobilior last summer 🙁. I rotted all its roots, it was all shrivelled up so I put it on a shelf in my greenhouse and left it. Didn't water it, didn't touch it, this summer it started to grow again🎉.
Great videos and more experienced thought process not the typical ones where it’s a lot of hocus locus. Or what I call the wantabe experts who just started growing over the past 6-12 months if that. And throw out all this stuff and you can’t even tell if it’s the same plants and you don’t see any results. You see a dead 2 leaf phal, they put it in some concoction and then a month later they show it as a gorgeous big 5-6 large spread leaf plant with big bloom spike. I hate these because you know as bit more experienced grower - that’s not even possible under any conditions. And it gives such false info and expectations to the beginning grower. And you see these beginners talking about how great they are, best video on orchids they have ever read, please do more of these top videos, etc. etc. Then they get frustrated and give up because it’s not going to work. Those people doing those types of click bait videos are just trying to get enough views to get where they can collect ad money. SAD. Not so with your videos plus like your bringing in other well known, experienced growers to give their opinion. So keep up the good work. Best of luck.
I have to agree with you and thanks for putting it out there. I was very surprised about how much more humidity this plant prefers than what everyone keeps suggesting!
For sure! Seems like everyone wants to grow these as if they're from the Sahara.
I bought a walkeriana thinking it would be just like the other cattleyas I can grow as houseplants but then I heard abt the darkness thing the day after I got it. It was my wishlist species cus I only heard good things abt it for a while and when I finally saw it I got it but I just had to hear abt the requirements the day after I got it. I grow my orchids in a bedroom window and I am up till 12 typically with some amount of light on in my room. Best I can do is go to bed a little earlier (which is probably good for me as well lol) but even then it would still only be 11pm-8am of complete darkness. In household conditions I might be able to get away with coarse bark+charcoal in a slotted pot tho. Best case scenario is it happened to have Loddigesii in it which changes the care requirement do not as much darkness is needed would be good in my scenario but I don’t think my division has any loddigessi in it based on what I know about it unfortunately. Otherwise should I just give up and get a hybrid/something else instead?
I would give it a couple of years to acclimate and either give you blooms or not. If nothing happens, then I'd trade it or sell it. Most of the "walkeriana" sold today have loddigesii in the background, so you're most likely good to go.
Great info, thanks Stephen😀. I got a little walker earlier this year, a small part of it seperated and so I potted that small part up in sphagnum, the larger part I put into a much faster drying net pot with bark mix. To my surprise it was the small piece in sphagnum that did much better; so good observation to ensure sufficient moisture during the growing season👍
Ah, makes sense! I think many people grow these ones too dry. It just takes a bit of experimentation to figure out and it sounds like you have an accidental experiment happening!
Thanks so much for another fantastic video on walkeriana culture. Much needed & highly appreciated. I fell in love with this species following your videos. Awaiting when I can bloom some of these beauties myself
You’ll love the scent!
@@SVKLOrchids Yeah awaiting for it next year 🙂
Thank you Stephen 👌I thoureghly enjoyed this video. Well done 🤗🌱🇵🇹
😃😄
Another EXCELLANT Tutorial ! My walkeriana's are doing better outside once I left them alone... to die or grow !
Orchids thrive on benign neglect!! 🙌
Very informative thank you! I’ve just won a Walkeriana hybrid so I watched your video again.
Let me know if you have questions!
Spot on as I just bought a walkeriana. Thanks for the growing tips. Lovely cholla mount btw 😃❤️
I hope to see blooms on your walker soon!
Thanks Stephen. I love C.walkeriana
You and me both!
Hi Stephen-hope you’re doing well. In an attempt to save my very young walkeriana from SVO, I repotted into a more moisture retentive mix. Someone commented and got me researching walkeriana specifically. I have learned so much from your videos. Thank you! If you have a second to see the 2 part video and have any other suggestions, I’d appreciate it. But I know you are very busy…no expectations. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Glad to help! I’ll check out the video
@deedeeblooms7896 I also notice that Tom Furmby is commenting on your videos. You might consider blocking him now. He’s been banned from every orchid forum and just about every UA-cam creator out there. He’s a very unhinged narcissist who will write novels about how great he is…while simultaneously giving you really bad advice. Then he’ll start attacking you and your plays because you did something he didn’t like. I encourage you to chat with some other UA-cam folks about him if you have any questions.
@@SVKLOrchids thanks Stephen…I can tell he’s intense. 😬 I’m just using kid gloves with him right now. Maybe he’ll get bored and move on 🙏
@@deedeeblooms7896 🤞
You explained how to grow Cattleya Walkeriana very well. I think they are lovely, but would not do well in my grow space. I grow my orchids in my dining room so I could never keep it as hot as they would like. I do have a few Cattleya’s that bloom but they are Lc or Potinara or crossed with Brassavola. Thanks for sharing.🤗👏
😃😃
Stephen.. I’m not so sure on the light. I believe I have a species - at least as far as I know. But it gets me forever turning lights on couple times a night to go into the kitchen and 😊get a drink. And in my tiny house, the bathroom light just down the hall is on every night so I can see to get around at night. In winter, It’s sitting on a hospital bedside table over near a sliding door so the plants stay cooler at night and away from a heat vent in ceiling. Always out summer/fall. But my next door neighbor leaves his light on over his garage at least 3-4 nights a week all night. So not only in the winter from the sliding door but also in the summer on the porch it’s exposed. I have asked them if it’s possible to cut it off - they say yes but then it’s forgotten. I have only worried on getting them chill down through Mid to late October and then down around 10 degrees cooler at night all winter for general good health. I generally try to keep my orchids as dark as possible at night as I believe it’s important for most orchids and other plants to have dark nights except as you say the moon. But these new neighbors over the past few years are proving an issue and interestingly my two walkerianas just started blooming over the time they have been living over there. By late September, mid October they have formed spikes and then buds and in full bloom by first/mid November depending on weather. They have moved up a spike of 2 buds each year. This past year we got a really quick cold streak in September, freezes, had to come in but got to go back out til end of oct/first November. Strange year. This year got 6 buds (3 spikes) and then it’s rebloom in just one spike now, not quite open but very swollen and will be in a couple days.
So mine is not a species as it was my understanding or maybe light isn’t as important as night temp. In Virginia at least. That’s the funny thing with orchids, how someone grows in Maine, or CA or Florida can be very different. Even if in grown all inside house under lights or all outside. Maybe I should say the infuriating thing or at least the most challenging. Now that I shall worry how to black out the light at night - they will decide not to bloom at all. 🫣😣😎
Sounds like you’ve got quite a nice grow space!
hi Stephen I've written to you in orchidboard buy I'm not sure you can read my message. So I repeat here (sorry). Following your videos I fell in love with cattleya walkeriana e nobilior. Last week I bought 4 plants online that arrived in plastic vases with medium bark. I would like to know when I can repot them using your method. I live in Florence and cultivate cattleya on a south-west facing terrace and since October I have grown orchids on a glass veranda next door with the same exposure. Thanks for your reply and congratulations on your videos.
Hi Saverio - I think you’ll really enjoy the nobilior! I’d repot in the spring when the new growths are just starting to put out new roots.
@@SVKLOrchids Thanks Stephes and walkeriana the same?
@@SaverioPestuggia Definitely!
Just bought one today at the Exposição Internacional de Orquídeas de Lisboa, where I spent a great time and a lot of money 😁
Let me know if you have questions about it!
I liked he video a lot - can you recommend sources - thanks
H&R used to the best vendor of walkeriana in the USA. Now I’d recommend importing from Brazil or getting cuttings from folks here in the US.
What’s your favorite simple or complex hybrid that has mostly Walkeriana in it?
Hi Stephen, thanks for the great video and explanation, I really enjoy it. Too bad, C. walkeriana and C. nobilior are very expensive in my country, Indonesia. In here, Taiwanese hybrid are abundance and pretty cheap 😀.
That’s unfortunate that they’re expensive! Are the Taiwanese not breeding species too?
Is the Spanish Moss living? I had a 'Kenny' maybe 30 years ago - it was a reliable bloomer for a couple years and then died... But it never produced a "bloom only" growth, it always had a small sheath between the leaves and would bloom from that - I guess in that respect it is like loddigesii - but the fragrance was amazing!
Yes, the “moss” is alive! It’s native to the area, though it’s actually a Tilansdia. I’m pretty stoked to smell it!
correct me if I am wrong, but the Kiwi bark that Fred offers is the same as Orchiata but in the untreated form. I tried the kiwi bark this year, even though it ends up almost double the price as me buying a bag of Orchiata locally, I have to say I'm impressed with it, I like it better than Orchiata.
That’s right! Same bark, just no lime treatment for the kiwi. I love my orchiata, but I also typically use rainwater. Fred uses super hard well water, so he doesn’t need the lime on the orchiata.
I still have a walkeriana and nobilior, surprisingly. I nearly killed my nobilior last summer 🙁. I rotted all its roots, it was all shrivelled up so I put it on a shelf in my greenhouse and left it. Didn't water it, didn't touch it, this summer it started to grow again🎉.
It wants to live! What will you do with it?
Have any advice on lalia anceps?
Their care is pretty similar to walkeriana
Is it possible you do something on this one.
labiata (blooming size) × 1
Amnesiana ‘Canaima’s Select’ x coerulea ‘
I was thinking of doing one on labiata, actually
Great videos and more experienced thought process not the typical ones where it’s a lot of hocus locus. Or what I call the wantabe experts who just started growing over the past 6-12 months if that. And throw out all this stuff and you can’t even tell if it’s the same plants and you don’t see any results. You see a dead 2 leaf phal, they put it in some concoction and then a month later they show it as a gorgeous big 5-6 large spread leaf plant with big bloom spike. I hate these because you know as bit more experienced grower - that’s not even possible under any conditions. And it gives such false info and expectations to the beginning grower. And you see these beginners talking about how great they are, best video on orchids they have ever read, please do more of these top videos, etc. etc. Then they get frustrated and give up because it’s not going to work. Those people doing those types of click bait videos are just trying to get enough views to get where they can collect ad money. SAD.
Not so with your videos plus like your bringing in other well known, experienced growers to give their opinion. So keep up the good work. Best of luck.