# Walkerianas



## Stone (Apr 11, 2012)

Any Catt. walkeriana fans ouy there? I've managed to get my greedy little fingers on 6 different clones (4 are seedlings), but the trouble I have is they are sometimes shy to flower. They grow easily and each spring they just wake up and start growing again. Any tips?

Mike


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## John M (Apr 11, 2012)

In my experience, walkeriana does best mounted. Plus, all, but the most vigorous clones need a decided dry winter to set buds and bloom in the spring.


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## goldenrose (Apr 11, 2012)

Good info! Have to admit I've been tempted :evil:, how about light & temp requirements?


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## NYEric (Apr 11, 2012)

ChrisFL is a walkeriana person I think.


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## John Boy (Apr 11, 2012)

I've been a walkeriana/nobilior nutter for ever and a day... UNfortunately not everyone would call them easy to grow. I'll put a few pictures together over the next few days. There's much more to growing these buggers well, than meets the eye.


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## goldenrose (Apr 11, 2012)

Thanks Johnboy, I'll look forward to it!


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## Paphman910 (Apr 11, 2012)

Don't they grow with similar conditions as Cattleya aclandiae? High light, high humidity with warm temperature during growing season and bright winters with cool evenings.

Cattleya walkeriana has always been a favorite of mine as well! 

I can't wait to get my hands on a few seedlings soon!

Paphman910


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## Paphman910 (Apr 11, 2012)

John Boy said:


> I've been a walkeriana/nobilior nutter for ever and a day... UNfortunately not everyone would call them easy to grow. I'll put a few pictures together over the next few days. There's much more to growing these buggers well, than meets the eye.



I look forward to reading your post!

Paphman910


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## nikv (Apr 11, 2012)

I grow mine in about the same bright light as my Rhyncholaelia digbyana. It seems to be happy with it.


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## cnycharles (Apr 11, 2012)

way back when i first started growing orchids (and I had no idea what I was doing) I bought a potted walkeriana from a former species dealer. I was told it liked high light, so I put it directly underneath the middle of a shoplight (2 tubes), about an inch below the bulbs. sometime later, I remember it had a spike with four flowers! there is a pic of it somewhere.... I remember being told that you couldn't flower it under lights, so I would find the picture and show it to them


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## Stone (Apr 11, 2012)

Paphman910 said:


> Don't they grow with similar conditions as Cattleya aclandiae? High light, high humidity with warm temperature during growing season and bright winters with cool evenings.
> 
> Cattleya walkeriana has always been a favorite of mine as well!
> 
> ...



They get all of the above except the cool nights. Hmmm?


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## John M (Apr 11, 2012)

cnycharles said:


> way back when i first started growing orchids (and I had no idea what I was doing) I bought a potted walkeriana from a former species dealer. I was told it liked high light, so I put it directly underneath the middle of a shoplight (2 tubes), about an inch below the bulbs. sometime later, I remember it had a spike with four flowers! there is a pic of it somewhere.... I remember being told that you couldn't flower it under lights, so I would find the picture and show it to them



'Hate to say it, Charles; but, if you got 4 flowers on one inflorescence, that was a hybrid. Cattleya walkeriana produces 1 or 2 flowers per inflorescence. I'd even venture to say that a very rare clone in tip-top, peak condition can produce 3 flowers; but, 4 is virutally unheard of...for a true, pure Cattleya walkeriana. That being said, if there were other species genes in your plant, that could account for the blooming event. While I don't think that walkerianas need to be fried in the sun, just two 40 watt fluorescent bulbs is a far cry from the light intensity that they do need. I grow my plants in the brightest location in my intermediate greenhouse. They get full sun in winter and half sun in summer. The days are warm and humid and the nights are a bit chilly to quite cool.

Paphman, walkeriana seedlings like it just like ackandiae except not so much light. When they mature, they like the higher light. However, walkeriana and nobilior need drought to bloom well. If you water all year 'round, you'll get no blooming or scattered blooming. Scattered, out of season blooming is fine for a small plant. Any blooming is nice when a plant is young. However, to get a specimen plant to produce a co-ordinated mass blooming, you must keep it dry after the new growths mature. That's why these two species normally bloom from a leafless psuedo-psuedobulb, to conserve moisture during the drought period, which is also the blooming period. The inflorescences will develop and bloom all without any water. Once blooming is finished, water copiously because the plant will explode into growth with new regular, leafed psuedobulbs. Once they are mature, keep dry until the next blooming again. Some large, healthy clones can be made to bloom each spring and again, each fall.


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## Stone (Apr 12, 2012)

John M said:


> 'Hate to say it, Charles; but, if you got 4 flowers on one inflorescence, that was a hybrid. Cattleya walkeriana produces 1 or 2 flowers per inflorescence. I'd even venture to say that a very rare clone in tip-top, peak condition can produce 3 flowers; but, 4 is virutally unheard of...for a true, pure Cattleya walkeriana. That being said, if there were other species genes in your plant, that could account for the blooming event. While I don't think that walkerianas need to be fried in the sun, just two 40 watt fluorescent bulbs is a far cry from the light intensity that they do need. I grow my plants in the brightest location in my intermediate greenhouse. They get full sun in winter and half sun in summer. The days are warm and humid and the nights are a bit chilly to quite cool.
> 
> Paphman, walkeriana seedlings like it just like ackandiae except not so much light. When they mature, they like the higher light. However, walkeriana and nobilior need drought to bloom well. If you water all year 'round, you'll get no blooming or scattered blooming. Scattered, out of season blooming is fine for a small plant. Any blooming is nice when a plant is young. However, to get a specimen plant to produce a co-ordinated mass blooming, you must keep it dry after the new growths mature. That's why these two species normally bloom from a leafless psuedo-psuedobulb, to conserve moisture during the drought period, which is also the blooming period. The inflorescences will develop and bloom all without any water. Once blooming is finished, water copiously because the plant will explode into growth with new regular, leafed psuedobulbs. Once they are mature, keep dry until the next blooming again. Some large, healthy clones can be made to bloom each spring and again, each fall.



Interesting John, It seems I keep mine pretty much as you do- full sun in winter and barely a drop of water, just enough to stop them shrivelling into nothing. A lot of the Japanese pics of flowering plants have there bulbs very shrivelled but blooming well on even quite small plants. But min. night temps are 16c-60f. I thinking a month of cool to cold nights in late winter might be worth a try??


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## John M (Apr 12, 2012)

Stone said:


> I thinking a month of cool to cold nights in late winter might be worth a try??


 Yes; a month....or two, of cool to cold nights and dry conditions. However, good humidity helps to reduce shrivelling. Good luck!


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## Paphman910 (Apr 12, 2012)

John M said:


> 'Hate to say it, Charles; but, if you got 4 flowers on one inflorescence, that was a hybrid. Cattleya walkeriana produces 1 or 2 flowers per inflorescence. I'd even venture to say that a very rare clone in tip-top, peak condition can produce 3 flowers; but, 4 is virutally unheard of...for a true, pure Cattleya walkeriana. That being said, if there were other species genes in your plant, that could account for the blooming event. While I don't think that walkerianas need to be fried in the sun, just two 40 watt fluorescent bulbs is a far cry from the light intensity that they do need. I grow my plants in the brightest location in my intermediate greenhouse. They get full sun in winter and half sun in summer. The days are warm and humid and the nights are a bit chilly to quite cool.
> 
> Paphman, walkeriana seedlings like it just like ackandiae except not so much light. When they mature, they like the higher light. However, walkeriana and nobilior need drought to bloom well. If you water all year 'round, you'll get no blooming or scattered blooming. Scattered, out of season blooming is fine for a small plant. Any blooming is nice when a plant is young. However, to get a specimen plant to produce a co-ordinated mass blooming, you must keep it dry after the new growths mature. That's why these two species normally bloom from a leafless psuedo-psuedobulb, to conserve moisture during the drought period, which is also the blooming period. The inflorescences will develop and bloom all without any water. Once blooming is finished, water copiously because the plant will explode into growth with new regular, leafed psuedobulbs. Once they are mature, keep dry until the next blooming again. Some large, healthy clones can be made to bloom each spring and again, each fall.



Thanks for the info John M, I look forward to getting your babies of walkerianas!

Paphman910


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## John M (Apr 12, 2012)

Paphman910 said:


> Thanks for the info John M, I look forward to getting your babies of walkerianas!
> 
> Paphman910



You're welcome. They're starting to sprout their first "post flask" roots now. Everything is looking good.


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## nikv (Apr 12, 2012)

The Pendentive clone is now considered a hybrid. It has been used heavily in breeding. FYI.


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## Stone (Apr 12, 2012)

nikv said:


> The Pendentive clone is now considered a hybrid. It has been used heavily in breeding. FYI.



A hybrid with what?


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## Paphman910 (Apr 12, 2012)

Stone said:


> A hybrid with what?



I heard the same thing and it is said to have some Cattleya nobilior in it.

Paphman910


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