Barkeria whartoniana

Also known as: Wharton's Barkeria or Epidendrum whartonianum in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Oaxaca - Mexico

General Information

Wharton's Barkeria is a small warm to hot growing epiphytic or lithophytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Mexico.

Plant Description

Grows to 15cm. Each new growth has numerous thick leaves that grow to 15cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 0.6-15cm

Substrate(s)

• Coarse

Care Notes

This orchid goes into a dormancy phase during winter, during this phase it is best not to provide water unless the plant is starting to look thirsty. The lack of water increases the chance of flowering in spring, and also reduces the likelihood of any rot forming. Do not resume watering until new growth has appeared and is growing strongly.

Often a period of intense growth occurs after dormancy. During this time the amount of light, water and fertiliser the plant receives will directly impact the amount of growth that occurs during this time, and in the case of seedlings, will reduce the time required to reach maturity.

It's recommended to heavily reduce the water amount at the middle to end of autumn to trigger dormancy. Leaves on older bulbs will begin to drop during this time while the newer bulbs continue to mature until terminal leaves appear at the tip of the pseudobulbs.

Repotting can be done any time of the year though it's best to do it in early spring when new growth is appearing as this also means new roots will appear to help the plant anchor into the new media and offset any damage to established roots during the repotting process.

 

Climate

Grows at low elevations. Rainfall ranges from 3mm to 295mm per day, heaviest in June and lightest in January. Humidity ranges from 59% to 76%, highest in June and lowest in November. Temperature ranges from 21C to 31C, highest in May (24C to 31C) and lowest in January (21C to 28C).

Watering

Keep moisture levels up during hot weather as the plant is prone to dehydration

Fertiliser

dormant-medium-demand-orchid Use balanced fertiliser year round. Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. Use a low Nitrogen fertiliser during Summer and Winter. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer and Winter.

Potting

Due to the growth nature of these plants they are best mounted onto cork, tree fern slabs, or even trees if the climate suits. Water regularly especially in hot weather.

This plant does very well in baskets or suspended pots This plant does well mounted to Cork slabs.