Read more of Cultivation of Angraecum bicallosum H.Perrier,
Culture:
Light:
800-1500 fc. Light should be low and filtered or diffused. Plants should not be exposed to direct midday sun. Strong air movement should be provided at all times.
Temperatures:
Summer days average 77-79F (25-26C), and nights average 64F (18C), with a diurnal range of 13-15F (7-8C).
Humidity:
80-85% for most of the summer into early autumn. Averages then drop to near 65% in winter and early spring. Values may be somewhat greater in the higher-elevation habitat, however.
Water:
Rainfall in the region is heavy in summer and early autumn, but averages then fall quickly into a dry season that extends for 6-7 months from midautumn through the following spring. More moisture probably is available in the habitat from fog and mist than is indicated by the rainfall averages from the low-elevation weather station, however. Cultivated plants should be watered heavily and be allowed to become somewhat dry between waterings while actively growing. Water should be reduced after growth is completed, however.
Fertilizer:
1/4-1/2 recommended strength, applied weekly when plants are actively growing. Many growers prefer to use a balanced fertilizer throughout the year; but others use a high-nitrogen fertilizer from spring to midsummer, then switch to one high in phosphates in late summer and autumn.
Rest period:
Winter days average 73-74F (15-16C), and nights average 58-60F (14-16C), with a diurnal range of 14-15F (8C). Water should be reduced after growth is completed and the plants kept almost dry until new growth starts in spring. Somewhat regular early-morning mistings between occasional light waterings should provide sufficient moisture in most growing areas. Fertilizer should be eliminated until heavier watering is resumed in spring.
Growing media:
Plants may be grown in shallow, well-drained containers or mounted on tree-fern slabs. Mounted plants need high humidity, however, and during hot, dry weather they may need several waterings a day. If it is difficult to keep mounted plants moist enough, they may be grown in a shallow pot or basket filled with a very open, fast-draining medium that has excellent drainage, is well aerated, and allows the medium to dry fairly rapidly after watering. Growers generally use medium-sized fir bark or shredded tree-fern fiber and add varying amounts of chunky perlite and/or chopped sphagnum moss to keep the medium open and retain some moisture. Including charcoal in the mix also holds the medium open and prevents souring in the pot. Plants should be repotted immediately if the medium starts to break down or whenever the plant outgrows its container. Hillerman & Holst (1986), however, reported that these small plants never outgrow "a 4-inch pot or a 4 X 10 inch slab." Repotting should be done just as new roots start to grow. This enables the plant to become reestablished in the shortest possible time.
Notes:
Reports from the habitat indicate blooming in November, which is spring south of the equator.
References:
This information is quoted from a Charles and Margaret Baker culture sheet, with permission from Troy Meyers
