Stanhopea saccata

Also known as: The Sack or Stanhopea elegantula in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: Chiapas - Mexico El Salvador Guatemala Guerrero - Mexico Honduras

General Information

The Sack is a medium sized sympodial cool to warm growing epiphytic orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 40cm. Each new growth has numerous elliptic lance shaped leaves that grow to 4-40cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 2-9cm

Flowers

Numerous short lasting, fragrant blossoms appear during Summer and Spring

Fragrance

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

Blooming Season

• Spring
• Summer

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Spaghnum Moss

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

The orchids are well adapted for hot weather, accompanied by sporadic, unpredictable rainfall and a generally dry climate. They can tolerate a lot of neglect as they are quite used to it, however they can be prone to underwatering and may collapse in cold, wet weather.

For this reason it's best to dedicate a sheltered, protected area for them where the watering can be controlled, such as a corner of a greenhouse or in a sheltered balcony. They can also do well hung near the roof of a shadehouse or sheltered greenhouse where they receive the extra heat but not as much water as other plants. 

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 5mm to 328mm per day, heaviest in June and lightest in February. Humidity ranges from 62% to 80%, highest in September and lowest in February. Temperature ranges from 14C to 33C, highest in March (18C to 33C) and lowest in January (14C to 29C).

Watering

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

Fertiliser

Apply liquid based fertiliser per recommended directions. They can benefit from a high phosphate fertiliser leading up to flowering season, followed by a high nitrogen fertiliser when new growth appears, and a balanced fertiliser in other times. These orchids can also tolerate slow release fertiliser applied 1-2 pellets per cup (250ml) of media.

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

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. Repotting is best done annually.