Common distinguishing features of a flower, agricultural technology for growing lycast, steps for breeding an orchid, difficulties, facts to note, species. Lycaste belongs to the genus of flowering plants that are part of the large Orchid family (Orhidaceae). Scientists have included in the genus from forty to fifty species, which are considered their native habitat by the rainforests of India, South and Central America. Most of the species prefer mountainous areas, settling at medium altitudes, but there are some that do well on the plains.
The flower bears its name based on one unconfirmed version, that in this way the name of one of the daughters of the legendary king Priam, the ruler of Troy, was immortalized. The girl is mentioned in Homer's Iliad, but there is also another theory that she was featured in the Odyssey. However, if we talk about science, then for the first time the genus of the lycost orchid was described in 1842 by a botanist from England - John Lindley, who was engaged in gardening and professional study of representatives of the orchid family.
Lycasta can be a terrestrial plant, but sometimes grows as an epiphyte - on the trunks and branches of trees. Her growth form is sympodial, that is, the orchid grows in a horizontal plane, resembling a vine of grapes. The basis here is multiple horizontally growing shoots (pseudobulbs), they are interconnected by a kind of rhizome - a rhizome, which performs the function of a stem.
The plant has short, ovoid or pear-shaped, often flattened pseudobulbs. Leaf plates take oblong or elliptical shapes, their surface is folded. After a dormant period, this orchid usually sheds foliage, which is its feature.
Naturally, all orchids are proud of their incomparable flowers. Likasta is also a peduncle, which is crowned with one or more large flowers of a wide variety of shades. Flowering stems originate at the base of those pseudobulbs that are devoid of leaf plates. Several of these peduncles are formed at once. Flower petals, as if made of wax, take on the colors of snow-white, pink, greenish-yellow or orange color (which is generally considered basic). The petals are usually very close to cover the column. Flowers often have a delicate aroma.
On the basis of basic varieties, breeders have already bred a large number of hybrid plants, the flowers of which are superior to natural species in size and color brightness. This orchid is used for cutting.
Tips for growing lycast, home care
All recommendations for caring for this orchid can be divided into two stages, and they directly depend on the season.
- Lighting and location selection. A place with constant bright sunlight is not suitable for this plant, since burn spots appear on the foliage in the direct rays of the sun. For lycast, bright, but diffused lighting, which can be organized on the windowsills of windows facing east or west, is most suitable. There, the lighting should be 15-30 klx. The orchid will need the most light during the formation and development of flowering stems and the flowering process itself. The northern orientation of the windows is also not suitable, since flower stalks may not be laid there and there will be no flowering, unless you have to carry out constant illumination with phytolamps. South - possible only under shading conditions. In winter, when the flower is in the resting phase, it is also necessary to provide diffused lighting for it.
- Content temperature. Heat indicators directly depend on the growing period. That is, in the spring and summer, it is recommended that the temperature be within the range of 22-27 degrees, as this will be the key to successful growth and flowering of lycasta. But when the flowers fall off, in the fall they begin to gradually lower the temperature, preparing the orchid for the resting phase. It is necessary to bring the column of the thermometer to the mark of 15 units and adhere to this value. Already in the winter months, the temperature should be 12 degrees, while you need a dry place with good lighting. It is such a difference in heat and good rest that guarantees the subsequent laying of leaves and flower buds.
- Air humidity when growing lycast high is required, especially in the warm season. You can carry out daily spraying of leaf plates with a fine spray with warm soft water. You can place humidifiers next to the orchid pot or place a container filled with water (moisture will increase when it evaporates). When the orchid is in a dormant period, the spraying is stopped and the content must be dry to avoid decay.
- Watering. When caring for lycast, one should not forget that it grows in a loose substrate, which very quickly becomes rotten, that is, unsuitable for further plant growth in it. Abundant watering for an orchid begins in spring (with the growth of a sufficient number of roots in pseudobulbs and the appearance of leaf plates) and ends when the flowering is complete. In the winter months, usually the orchid is in a rest mode, moisture is greatly reduced and watering becomes moderate, they are carried out only when the surface of the pseudobulb wrinkles, but it is not worth bringing to this. Filling the substrate with a cool content can lead to root rot or contamination of the soil with fungal diseases. Only soft and warm water is used for irrigation, you can take distilled water. Humidification is often carried out by immersing the pot in a bowl of water for 15–20 minutes.
- Fertilizers for lycast are introduced only during the period of activation of its growth. Apply half the dosage indicated on the package with preparations for orchid plants. The agent must be dissolved in water for watering the orchid and applied at a frequency of once every 21 days.
- How to transplant lycast and pick up the soil. After the orchid stops blooming, you can change the pot and the substrate in it. Also, the need for a transplant arises when the soil darkened, and it began to crumble when touched, an unpleasant odor appeared. But since the root system is quite sensitive, many growers recommend replanting lycast at the very beginning of root growth from the base of the shoot. It is recommended to select special pots for orchids (transparent, with many holes) or baskets - this will make it possible to let in more light and air to the roots. When transplanting, the roots are examined and all rotten or dead parts should be removed. Places of cuts are powdered with activated charcoal or charcoal powder. The substrate can be used ready-made for orchid plant representatives. But if there is a desire, then the soil is compiled independently from the bark of deciduous trees, crushed charcoal, chopped sphagnum moss (in a ratio of 2: 1: 1).
- Features of care. This orchid is distinguished by a pronounced dormant period, at this time the foliage flies around the lycast and it is recommended to keep the plant in a bright and dry place, with heat values in the range of 12-13 degrees. But at the same time, it is important not to allow the surface of the pseudobulb to begin to wrinkle. As soon as young shoots are visible, it is necessary to start spraying with warm and soft water from a fine spray gun and provide light shading. And only when the orchid forms normal roots in young shoots, do they begin to perform abundant moisture.
How to propagate a lycast orchid on your own?
In the process of transplanting an orchid, you can divide the overgrown rhizome - that is, divide the bush in the spring. It is necessary to remove the flower from the substrate and shake it off, if possible, from the roots. Then make a separation of 2-3 pseudobulbs with a young sprout (usually cut with a sharpened disinfected knife), but it is recommended to leave the same number of shoots on the old plant. Places of cuts must be powdered with activated charcoal crushed into powder or charcoal.
After that, planting is carried out in prepared pots with a substrate. The care is the same as for adult orchids.
Pests and diseases lycasts in indoor conditions
If the rules for care are violated, the orchid can become a victim of a spider mite or scale insect. In the fight, insecticidal preparations of systemic action are used. If scale insects were found (brown plaques on the back of the leaves), then the plant is washed with a 20% solution of laundry soap (the soap is rubbed and infused in water, then the solution is filtered and it is ready for use). You can rub it with an oil product (rosemary essential oil diluted in water is used) or a pharmacy alcohol tincture of calendula.
Facts to note about lycast
The main symbol of the state of Guatemala is the Lycaste skinneri orchid. It is the shade of colors - bright yellow or orangey that is present on all emblems.
Types of lycast
- Lycaste virginalis is the most beautiful plant of the whole genus, also the orchid is found under the name Lycaste skinneri. The native area of distribution falls on the territory of Guatemala and in the same place it is called the "White Nun" and is considered the national flower. In a plant, pseudobulbs serve as the beginning for a pair of leaf plates. The flower-bearing stems reach a height of 25–35 cm, they are slender and usually bear fragrant pink-white flowers that open up to 15 cm in diameter. The inflorescence is erect, lateral. The lip has three lobes, with a whitish tint or with a slight yellowness. On its surface, bright pink (to red-violet) streaks and mottling are visible, at the base there is a dark purple color scheme. The disk of the lip has a large corpuscular appendage of the lingual contour. This anterior lobe is covered with hairs. The flowering process occurs between late autumn and early winter, but the peak of activity falls between January and mid-spring. Each plant blooms for just over a month. There are a large number of varieties available, which differ in the saturation of the shades of colors. Due to the fact that the peduncles are of sufficient length, it is used for cutting.
- Lycaste brevispatha can be found under the name Lycaste candida. The size of this variety is smaller in comparison with the previous one, and the diameter of the flowers is inferior - only 5 cm. The petals of the flower are waxy. The flower-bearing stems are shorter than the size of the leaves. In sepals, the tops are folded back, the color is greenish, sometimes there are small specks of pinkish color on the surface. The shade of the petals is snow-white, with a slight pink undertone. The lip has obscure three-lobed contours, its color is pure white, but sometimes there are also rarely located light pinkish dots.
- Blood red lycast (Lycaste cruenta). The sepals have a backward bend in the upper half. Their color is yellowish-green, the petals of the flower themselves are from yellow to orange-yellow in color. Sometimes there are red spots at the base. The shape of the lip is in the form of a pouch, it casts a bright orange tone with mottling and mottling of a chestnut-brown color, and at the very base there is a dark blood-red spot.
- Fragrant Lycaste (Lycaste aromatica) is an epiphytic plant with folded and retracted leaf plates. The native habitat is in the lands of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, as well as Guatemala and Nicaragua. In the spring, the orchid throws out several flowering stems. At their top, fragrant flowers are formed, the petals of which are cast in a yellowish-orange tint. This variety has gained great popularity among flower growers, and due to the fact that caring for the plant is not difficult. The flowers have a spicy scent. It is divided into two groups: 1 - with small flowers (diameter 4–6 cm) and narrow perianth and anterior lobe lobes; 2 - the diameter of the flower (if you help the petals to straighten out) reaches 8 cm, the lobes of the flower are wider, exceeding the length.
- Lycaste bradeorum may be called Likasta bearded. Its callus (irregularities and thickening on the lip) is smaller, the lateral lobes of the lip are oval, wide. The flowers have a vanilla scent. The diameter of the flower at opening is 45–70 mm. He prefers to settle at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level, loves dry places and the flowering process begins with the beginning of vegetative activity - in the spring.
- Lycaste brevispatha may occur under the name Lycaste angelae. The native area of distribution falls on the lands of Panama. The plant is beautiful, compact in shape, has bulbs with a size of 5 cm, they bear 2-3 leaf plates. The leaf length can be almost 30 cm. New foxes appear every spring, with a burst of new growth. Sepals in a flower of a light green shade, strongly spotted, the color of the spots is red-brown. The petals have an oval shape and are painted in white with a pinkish undertone. The shape of the lip is in the form of a boat, the color is also whitish with a pink tinge.
- Lykasta close (Lycaste consobrina) was first discovered in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua. The specific name means "close, similar", as it strongly resembles Lycaste aromatic and Lycaste bradeorum. The flowers are the same size as the fragrant, and their number is multiple, but they are less open, and the upper (dorsal) sepals are located almost horizontally, covering the petals and the orchid column. The petals are slightly wider than those of the fragrant lycast. But the main difference is the rather wide anterior lobe of the lip, which has a spatula-like appearance, in width it is comparable to the length, but can sometimes exceed it slightly. Flowers have a pleasant fruity aroma, but not always present.
- Lycaste cochleata can grow as an epiphyte or lithophyte in tropical rain forests, but with a pronounced dry period. They are located in Central America - from southern Mexico to Nicaragua. Prefers to settle at altitudes of 200-180 meters. As it grows, it has the peculiarity of changing the lower lip and appearance. A hardly distinguishable species from the bearded Lycaste (Lycaste bradeorum). The size of the orchid flower is 40 mm in diameter. In this species, the swelling at the base of the lip in the form of a balloon (hypochilium) is more elongated and grows vertically, and the end of the anterior lobe of the lip has a steep bend towards the bottom, so that it becomes almost parallel to the hypochilium. The column has a strong curvature, and its shape is such that the top is at an angle of 90 degrees to the leg (in other species, although there is such a curvature, it is not so steep). The smell is chocolate.
How the lycast looks like, see the video below:
