Patrick O'Day Gave Us Good Advice on Cycnochese

Cycnochese /sik-noe-keez/ (swan orchids) are native to Central and South America. The boys on the old back rows of my classes would have perked up to learn the flowers can be male (less light), female (more light) or both sexes. The same plant can have flowers with two kinds of flowers. Male flowers are smaller, more numerous, and have darker colors, but fade if you touch them because they toss their pollinea. Female flowers are larger, less numerous, and less bright, but can last for up to two and a half weeks.

You grow them in Cattleya light, The good news is that they can be grown happily here once Patrick's growing information is followed.. The basic points:

1. When they drop their leaves in fall, pull them out of their pots, or preferred baskets, lay them on their sides, and withhold water or they will rot!When the new growth is about 2-3" long you need to repot. Patrick likes sphagnum in baskets, but other kinds of potting will work, but you need to keep them wet in a medium that allows ample air to the roots. You need to keep only the two forward bulbs in your pot. Old back bulbs will die, but if you repot them in another container, they may kick up a growth. Patrick cuts off most of the old roots, but leaves a few to anchor the tall plant in the container.During the spring and early summer growth period you need to push the growth of the probably one new cane per year. Push with ample water and fertilize twice a week with a balanced fertilizer plus a tablespoon of Nutricote on top of the medium. As the summer progresses and the new cane matures you can ease up on fertilizing twice weekly.

   Cycnoches can take our summer heat,but should be protected from temperatures below 55 degrees.

2. Monitor your plants for their main two Arthropodpests, spider mites and scale. Ultra- light summer oil is grower and environmentally benign and suffocates thebeasts. Thrips may be drawn to the flowers when they are open. Yellow sticky traps are good thrip magnets.

Patrick likes to grow Cycnoches because they bloom one year out of flask, so new crosses show their potential fast. When he selects plants for new hybrids he is more aware of the female's qualities. (Biology 101, the female has extra genes in the egg's mitochondria and thus she contributes the most to offspring in ANY species where eggs are large and sperm, even if inside pollinea, are small.)

Patrick provided a generous plant table, helpful cultural handout sheets for all and brought beautiful plants for us to buy. We can look forward to shopping with him when he returns for our January show.

Review by Dot Henley