J Fortuna wrote:
Nick,
Interesting response. I wish I knew enough about the different genera in the
cattleya alliance to understand why lots of Sophronitis in the background
would make it ok -- is it because Sophronitis have larger or firmer roots
than the others you mention?
Thanks,
Joanna

Well, most of the minicatts with Sophronitis in their background are
descended from S. coccinea. S. coccinea is from a region with very
high humidity, so it grows well with fairly constant moisture. The
other minicatt parents that I mentioned are from more xeric
environments and tend to grow best in very well drained mixes with
significant drying between waterings. Some of them (e.g. C. aclandiae
and C. walkeriana) grow best on mounts and are difficult to manage in
pots. Since Sphagnum works best if it is never allowed to become
completely dry, I figured that they wouldn't be good candidates for
growing in moss.

Compare the description of S. coccinea habitat with that of C.
walkeriana:
http://mirandaorchids.com/species05coccineaVGA.htm
http://mirandaorchids.com/species16walkerianaVGA.htm