I have aquired a Catt and an Epi. pseudepidendrum. The Catt is supposed to
be blooming sized and is about 6 inches tall, has what loks like 4
psedubulbs in 3 different sizes. Maybe it will bloom in a year. I hope.
The Epi is still a seedling but an older seedling I think This orchid
stuff is proving to be an adventure

Shell


"Ray" wrote in message
...
Unfortunately, that's a really tough question, with no "pat" answer.

Factors that must be considered:

1 Genus
2 species, or specific makeup if it's a hybrid
3 variability within the species or hybrid
4 culture

...and probably others.

Let's look at phalaenopsis alone for a moment: a phalaenopsis gigantea
will
usually need to have leaves somewhere in the 18" length range before it
even
begins "thinking" about blooming, while a lueddemanniana can bloom with 3"
or 4" of total leaf span. Start hybridizing and other variables come out
as
well.

I, for example, have a Phal Sogo Redfox - a gigantea hybrid - that didn't
start blooming until it had about three or four 20" leaves, but I have
another plant of the same hybrid (from the same seed capsule) that blooms
regularly on a plant with a 12" leaf span.

One can reasonably safely estimate that a vanda will need to be much
larger
and older than a phal to bloom, but I'd bet that a good grower in Florida
can raise a vandaceous plant to grow faster than a phal in my window (they
get very little light, so I have a greenhouse...), making it possible that
the vanda could bloom first. OK, maybe that's pushing the point a bit,
but
you see where I was going, especially considering that some places are
getting phals or even paphs to bloom 18 months after flasking!

As another example, I occasionally buy seedlings from H&R in Hawaii. For
them, a plant in a 2" pot may very well be "NBS" and may bloom in a matter
of months, while for me in Pennsylvania, it could be a year or more out
for
the same seedling.

Basically it comes down to doing your homework, so you know what's
reasonable to expect for the plant, and understanding the cultural
conditions the plant has had and what it will get once you own it, so you
can guesstimate on the growth rate differences.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

. . . . . . . . . . .
"Shell" wrote in message
. com...
How do you tell when an orchid is blooming size or near blooming size?
I
keep seeing leaf span measurements and pot sizes but no real ages or
anything.

Shell