Nov. -Dec, 1916.] 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



271 



CULTURAL NOTES. 



BY the time these notes appear in print 

 many of the autumn flowering 

 Cattleyas will have entered intO' a 

 period of rest ; it will be worth while to care- 

 full)- look over them and attend to any of 

 their requirements. Very often, when a flower 

 is cut for presentation to a friend, the flower- 

 sheath is left in a damaged condition, and 

 even when a clean cut is made the base still 

 remains, only to decay in the course of a few 

 days. An opportunity now exists to inspect 

 these Cattleyas and to remove all that is left 

 of the old sheath, which can generally be done 

 by pulling it gently away in the opposite 

 direction to the leaf. As the old spike is 

 often left as well, a good plan is to split the 

 sheath and remove each half separately, thus 

 well exposing the remains of the spike, which 

 can be finally removed by means of a sharp 

 knife. Insect pests are very fond of getting 

 into the crevices, and are best removed by a 

 small brush and suitable insecticide. 



Some amateurs have the habit of tying up 

 the bulbs far too closely, so much so that 

 they are brought out of the perpendicular and 

 make the top of the plant even smaller than 

 the pot. This is a great mistake, for with 

 the bulbs out of their natural fDosition, the 

 leaves also are wrongly exposed to the light, 

 and if bright sunlight is allowed to fall on a 

 portion of the leaf hitherto unaccustomed to 

 it damage to the tissues is almost sure to 

 result. On the other hand, the bulbs must not 

 be allowed to hang down in a weakly style, 

 hence the cultivator must use his discretion 

 and arrange them in a natural as well as neat 

 manner. 



Many plants will require re-pottmg, or at 

 least some attention will be needed in 

 replenishing the food supply. Whenever new 

 roots are to be seen pushing from the base 

 of the last-made bulb this operation may be 

 taken in hand with the least shock to the 

 plant's constitution. In some cases almost 

 the whole of the old compost will have to be 

 removed, but in the majority of well-cared-for 

 plants the chief need will be a slightly larger 

 pot with fresh compost to fill up the extra 



space. A few plants will only require the 

 surface to be picked over with a small pointed 

 stick, and any weak j^laces filled up with 

 compost. It is of little use surfacing with 

 moss those plants that will be kept on the dry 

 side for the next few months, but the smaller 

 ones, which have not flowered and are making 

 a second growth, often receive beneficial 

 support by adding living heads of sphagnum 

 moss around the edge of the pot. All potting 

 fibres have considerably advanced in price, 

 and some are unobtainable at any figure, 

 consequently many plants that in normal 

 times would be repotted this season \\ ill have 

 to wait until the following one. 



Temperatures will now be considerably 

 lower, except in the houses where seedling 

 Cattleyas are being raised. A minimum night 

 temperature of 65-70 will be found suitable 

 for Cattleyas, with 55-65 for Odontoglossums 

 and other cool-house Orchids. No matter 

 how a house is constructed, there is some 

 difference to be found in the temi3eratures 

 when taken at various positions, hence the 

 cultivator has many places to select for his 

 plants, and if they fail to grow well in one 

 situation removal tO' another place will 

 often bring about the desired good result. 

 Frequently it will be found that certain plants 

 grow well at the warm end of an Odonto- 

 glossum house when they fail in the cool part 

 of the Cattleya house, although the tempera- 

 tures of both positions may be almost 

 identical ; the reason for this is that there is 

 a vast difference in the humidity or circulation 

 of the atmosphere. Practical experience alone 

 will discover these suitable positions. 

 Amateurs will do well to remember that 

 plants suspended high up are in a very dif- 

 ferent atmosphere tO' those nearer the ground, 

 both in temperature and in humidity ; and 

 here, again, the removal of a sickly plant from 

 one position to the other may bring it back 

 to a vigorous condition. Sunny positions as 

 well as shady ones both have their value, and 

 it only needs the thoughtful attention of the 

 cultivator to decide which plants are most 

 suitable for the one or the other. This may 

 seem an unimportant point, but practice will 

 prove its value to an unexpected degree. 



