Prosthechea citrina

Also known as: Cattleya sulfurina Epidendrum citrinum in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Durango - Mexico Guerrero - Mexico Nayarit - Mexico Oaxaca - Mexico Veracruz - Mexico

General Information

Prosthechea citrina is a sympodial cool to warm growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Mexico.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 25cm. Each new growth has numerous elliptic leaves that grow to 20cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 5cm

Flowers

Numerous long lasting, fragrant blossoms appear during Spring

Fragrance

The orchid is fragrant. The fragrance can be described as strong

Blooming Season

• Spring

Substrate(s)

• Medium
• Bark
• Perlite
• Sand

Care Notes

These orchids like to be kept on the dry side, but may need to be watered daily during warm weather, and prefer a well draining mix or also do well mounted, provided they can be watered regularly.

These are quite a forgiving orchid, there are no special requirements to get this orchid to flower, just good care and consistent conditions. Larger plants may be more fussy and can react poorly to change; a poorly timed repotting, a pest infection or an unusually hot day can set them back for a couple of years. However, even plants that have been treated poorly can thrive, and if they are set back they often recover much stronger then they would otherwise be.

Fragrant:

• IsFragrant

Climate

These orchids thrive in hot, steamy locations, living in low altitude jungle areas where they often receive heavy sporadic rainfall, warm humid winds, and sunlight filtered year round by the surrounding growth. 

They can survive, but will often struggle if the humid, warm conditions are not met - roots will die back and leaves will thin out, spikes and buds can be aborted if conditions change too frequently during flowering. They can tolerate cooler or drier conditions temporarily, but extended exposure will seriously affect them.

They will grow best in the tropics, especially coastal areas where they receive ocean breezes, but can do well in a greenhouse, supplied that the humidity is kept high, temperature is not allowed to skyrocket and extra shade is provided during hot weather.

 

Grows at high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 3mm to 170mm per day, heaviest in June and lightest in January. Humidity ranges from 55% to 75%, highest in September and lowest in March. Temperature ranges from 7C to 29C, highest in April (14C to 29C) and lowest in January (7C to 23C).

Fertiliser

These orchids do not need to be regularly fertilised and roots may be sensitive to salt build-up, dying back and therefore impairing the plants growth or even killing it.

If fertilising, use half to quarter of the recommended amount of fertiliser. If they receive fertiliser as part of a collection, be sure to flush out the pots regularly with fresh water and monitor the roots by checking how much resistance is given by the plant when nudged in its pot or mount. If the plant becomes wobbly or loose, repot in fresh mix or rinse the media/mount thoroughly and do not fertilise for at least 3 months.

Use balanced fertiliser year round. Apply fertiliser regularly at half strength year round. This plant is sensitive so apply fertiliser sparingly at one quarter recommended strength or less. Use a low Nitrogen fertiliser year round. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser year round.

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.