Comparettia falcata

Also known as: The Sickle or Comparettia erecta Comparettia paulensis Comparettia venezuelana Comparettia falcata var. paulensis Comparettia cryptocera Comparettia rosea Comparettia falcata f. alba Comparettia falcata var. falcata Ionopsis orchioides in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Chiapas - Mexico Departamento de Huehuetenango - Guatemala Departamento de Jinotega - Nicaragua Departamento del Caqueta - Colombia Departamento del Huila - Colombia Ecuador Honduras Oaxaca - Mexico Provincia de Alajuela - Costa Rica Provincia de Heredia - Costa Rica Puerto Rico Region de Huanuco - Peru Veracruz - Mexico

General Information

The Sickle is a small sympodial cool to warm growing epiphytic or lithophytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, and Peru.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 20cm. Each new growth has a single leathery elliptic, oblong shaped leaf that grows to 1-17cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 0.1-5cm. The plant forms pendant or arching growths

Flowers

Numerous short lasting blossoms appear

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Bark
• Spaghnum Moss
• Perlite

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 to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 112mm to 335mm per day, heaviest in October and lightest in March. Humidity ranges from 80% to 87%, highest in July and lowest in February. Temperature ranges from 10C to 25C, highest in April (15C to 25C) and lowest in January (10C to 21C).

Watering

These orchids prefer a wet-dry cycle between waterings, they should be watered frequently but only when the moisture is approaching dryness, where the pot feels light and/or the media looks dry. Keep an eye on mounted orchids in warm weather as they may dehydrate quickly.

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

Fertiliser

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

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.

Use water retentive media such as moss to prevent roots from drying out quickly This plant does very well in baskets or suspended pots This plant does well mounted to Cork slabs. Repotting is best done annually.