I mentioned Cattleya schilleriana recently in my post about spotted Cattleyas. It is one of my most favorite of all orchid species. I have been trying to grow it better then I have in the past.
This past Sunday, Alan Koch revealed the true secret of schilleriana culture. His lecture was on specific cultural techniques for orchid species. He mentioned that they have recently discovered that Cattleya schilleriana lacks stomata in its leaves. Stomata allow for the exchange of gasses from the plant with its environment. BUT wait, where are the stomata?? Doesn't every plant have them? Yes they do. Cattleya schillerianas stomata are in the roots!! Oh my.
Now he didn't say specifically who "they" were but this explains a lot. Alan claimed since the roots need to breathe, you should not pot them at all.
I admit, this gorgeous species has puzzled me for years,
I have sent many of them to Orchid Heaven! Limited successes encouraged me to keep trying. Plastic pots, clay pots, mounted, none offered long term success. Perhaps the stomata hold the key.
The three I have now I have had since Florida. Which for me might be a record for longevity. They are growing in heavy duty, smallish black plastic open baskets. The media is loose charcoal, aliflor and sponge rock. They are growing well but have not bloomed. But that is likely a light issue.
But the whole moral to the story is to attend as many lectures as you can. Read as many articles as you can because you never quite know where important tid- bits of information might be obtained. This past Ann Arbor meeting was one such event! I am so glad I went. Now all I need are flowers!!