Potinara orchids are plants with beautiful blossoms that are called Pots by enthusiasts. This plant is a hybrid made out of four genera of orchids.
Don’t you dare think that they are just another type of Orchids. They need special care and attention to thrive indoors.
I don’t want to freak you out, it’s easy to care for Potinaras. You just need to be conscious and attentive.
You need to take care of some basic factors that influence the growth and health of your Pots. They are 1) Light 2) Temperature 3) Air Movement 4) Humidity 5) Watering 6) Feeding 7) Potting and Potting Medium
Light
Orchids thrive well in 65-70% shade conditions. They require a good amount of light that is in a range of 2000-3000 foot-candles.
They can tolerate more light if humidity and air circulation are adjusted. Ideal lighting is different in different parts of the country.
For example, if it’s grown in the Northern US, you need to give them as much light as possible in late fall and winter.
Give them light shade in late winter and early spring. Shade them as much as possible in summer till early fall.
If you live in the south, you need to shade the plant throughout the year. In the summers, try to increase air movement and humidity.
Tips:
- Potinara plants that got less light than required look dark green in color. They also fail to bloom if they don’t receive abundant light.
- Potinara plants that get too much light become yellow in color. They look dull and in some cases burn marks may be seen.
Temperature
Temperature plays a vital role in the health of a Potinara orchid plant. These plants are unique and they need special care when it comes to temperature.
They love good sunlight but do not like high temperatures. Potinara plants can withstand higher temperatures but prolonged exposure may prove harmful.
In winters, the daytime temperature should be maintained 60F to 70F. At nighttime, you need to make sure it doesn’t drop below 55F.
In summer, the daytime temperature should not go above 85F. At nighttime, you should keep the temperatures in a range of 60F-65F.
At high temperatures, the calcium can’t be transported in the leaves. This leads to the dieback of young foliage. If you see tips of young leaves dying, then it’s due to high temperatures.
Air Movement
Air movement is very crucial because it works hand in hand with humidity. Having just enough ventilation is vital for the health of a Potinara orchid.
In climates where humidity is high, simple ventilation would suffice. But in some areas where the temperature is high and humidity is low, you need a special ventilation arrangement.
You need cool-mist humidifiers in such a situation. Fans set at low speeds can do the job too. Let the fans run continuously as nighttime humidity is just as important.
If plants are grown indoors, you may set overhead paddle fans at their lowest speed.
Humidity
Humidity plays a vital role in the growth of any indoor plant. Potinara plants thrive best in 40% to 70% humidity.
As a rule of thumb, humidity is high at night and low in the afternoon. So, unless you are in a place with high humidity, you need to raise the humidity, especially during the day.
If you are growing the Potinaras in small numbers, then humidity trays would suffice. These trays are just regular trays filled with water and aquarium gravel.
Potinara plant pots can be placed on these trays. They shouldn’t be put directly on the gravel though, place them on saucers/some kind of height.
Misting the foliage is crucial in hot temperatures. This lowers the temperature of the leaves.
If the surrounding humidity is more than required then you may increase air circulation to avoid diseases.
Watering
Improper watering is the main reason why most orchids die indoors. You need to find that sweet spot between over and under-watering.
There are two important factors that matter, when, and how you’re watering. You need to water only when the potting mix goes dry. Check the potting mix with fingers if necessary.
Once a week is good, to begin with. Do remember that other factors like temperature, sunlight influence the moisture in the potting mix.
Tip: Plants can recover quickly from underwatering rather than overwatering. So, when in doubt, don’t water!
Make sure your potting mix has good drainage. Soggy soil cause root rot. After watering, let the excess drain via holes.
Potting media
Various types of potting mix are available in the market. Each has its own benefits. Mostly, chopped fir bark is used as a potting media for Potinara plants.
If the surrounding temperatures are higher usually, then tree fern fiber, expanded clay pellets or lava rock would work well.
To pot:
- First, you need to clean off any debris, old roots from the root ball.
- Moist the root ball before potting, this helps us to know when to water the plant in the future.
- Select a pot of sufficient size(should work for two years).
- For good drainage in the pot, gravel or broken pots can be used to fill 1/3rd of the pot.
- Pack potting medium evenly and firmly leaving no loose soil.
Feeding
Like most other orchids, Potinara orchid plants don’t require feeding too. But they thrive well if provided some nutrients.
They do not need Nitrogen much. So, a 10-10-10 or 13-13-13 would work well for them.
Add this to the potting mix via dilute solution. Add 1/4th to 1/2 of the recommended fertilizer to water and dilute it.
Only feed it in growing stage and bright weather. To avoid accumulation of salts in the potting mix, flush the pot with clean water between fertilizing sessions.
Overfeeding can cause a lot of issues in Potinara orchid plants. My advise is to feed less, even if it’s not sufficient it’s safer than overfeeding.