Sophronitis acuensis

Also known as: The Acu Sophronitis in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Brazil

General Information

The Acu Sophronitis is a sympodial cool growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Brazil. It is named after the River in Brazil.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 5cm. Each new growth has a single leaf that grows to 0.5-5cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 0.5-1cm. The plant tends to climb or sprawl with each new growth

Flowers

Numerous blossoms appear during Autumn and Spring

Blooming Season

• Autumn
• Spring

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Bark
• Treefern
• Spaghnum Moss
• Perlite

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.

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 41mm to 137mm per day, heaviest in June and lightest in January. Humidity ranges from 74% to 81%, highest in September and lowest in July. Temperature ranges from 6C to 18C, highest in August (11C to 18C) and lowest in January (6C to 12C).

Watering

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

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. Be sure to flush out excess fertiliser by running water through the media regularly 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 high Phosphorous fertiliser during Summer.

Potting

These plants are quite forgiving and will do well repotted ever 2-3 years. The mix should be coarse, well draining, and allow space for air to move and for roots to grow. 

Alternatively, these plants will also do well mounted to tree fern or cork slabs, or mounted to trees.

Best time for repotting or mounting the orchids is the end of winter when new growths start to appear. Avoid repotting during hot weather,

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