"Alison" wrote in message
om...
Is it supposed to take that long for a flower spike to start, or is
this still a case of the not-quite-mature orchid needing extra time to
get it going?

It can. Depending on the species that make up the hybrid some catts will
lay over a season until the day/night daylength gets right and then they
start ot develpoe the spike.

Isn't the sheath supposed to be full of spike before it turns brown?

Usually yes. Without knowing where you grow I'd speculate that you probably
have low humidity issues

Have I screwed anything up by peeling it open so soon?

No. IMHO you did the right thing. If you had left it, any water that would
condense inside the sheath would have rotted the developing buds. Fordyce
has told me to peel them open when you see this same sort of senescence.


Should I be fertilizing still?

Yes but be careful not to let the water stand in the sheathe where it will
rot the developing spike. Use anything, just at 1/2 strength.

That said, don't beat yourself up if it browns or rots. You have no control
over whatever happened to it before you opened the sheath, and now that the
sheath is open it may be too dry for it to continue. But you've given it
the best chance and at least you know the plant is willing to at least *try*
to flower for you under your conditions. Its adapted that far at least, so
congrats.
K Barrett