Lycaste cochleata

Also known as: The Shell or Lycaste cochleata var. major in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Chiapas - Mexico Guatemala

General Information

The Shell is a medium sized sympodial cool to warm growing epiphytic or lithophytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Mexico and Guatemala.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 40cm. Each new growth has numerous rigid elliptic, oblong shaped leaves that grow to 8-40cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 2.5-12cm. The plant forms clusters over time

Flowers

Numerous fragrant blossoms appear

Fragrance

The orchid is most fragrant during the night. The fragrance can be described as fruity

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Fine
• Bark
• Charcoal
• 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.

 

Fragrant:

• IsFragrant

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 1mm to 203mm per day, heaviest in June and lightest in March. Humidity ranges from 63% to 79%, highest in September and lowest in April. Temperature ranges from 14C to 30C, highest in April (19C to 30C) and lowest in January (14C to 25C).

Fertiliser

dormant-medium-demand-orchid Use balanced fertiliser during Spring and Summer. 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

It's best to observe the root system when repotting and use that as a guide:

A plant with a short root system will do better in a shallower pot with a fine mix, or mounted on fern or cork supplanted with a good amount of moss or similar material.

A plant with a long root system often does well in a pot filled with moss or fine media, mixing in perlite and charcoal is always beneficial to reduce the likelihood of the mix becoming soggy and keeps it fresh.

A plant with a coarser long root system can be potted in a deeper pot, but with 2/3 coarse material such as bark, expanded clay, or coco chips and topped with moss or similar material. This will allow the moisture to remain inside the pot but give the roots air as well.

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.