I am having a problem lately with new flower sheaths on my cattleyas
withering before they can develop. They turn yellow and papery and
they're done. What would cause this ? I fertilize weekly (weakly) and
water twice a week. They are kept in my basement at suitable cattleya
temperatures under 400 watt HID lights. Any suggestions, anyone ?

Brian Corll wrote:
I am having a problem lately with new flower sheaths on my cattleyas
withering before they can develop. They turn yellow and papery and
they're done. What would cause this ? I fertilize weekly (weakly) and
water twice a week. They are kept in my basement at suitable cattleya
temperatures under 400 watt HID lights. Any suggestions, anyone ?


I also grow in my basement under HID lights. Most of my Catts will bloom
by pushing buds out of a green sheath. A few will have the sheaths turn
brown and dry and have the buds still appear later. There is one other
group that I have to watch. With those, if I let the sheath dry up, the
buds will die in the sheath. I have to watch the sheaths carefully. When
I see one start to turn yellow, I have to open it right away. I usually
just pull the tip apart and press on the top and bottom so I can look in
and see the buds. If I do it in time, the buds will be green and the
sheath will bloom. If I am too late, the moisture that forms inside will
have rotted the buds.
Keep in mind that a Catt that isn't quite strong enough to bloom will
often form a sheath with no buds. If buds are not going to form, the
sheaths will sit there for a while and then dry up. Could something
about your growing conditions be keeping the Catts too weak to bloom? I
wouldn't dare water most of my Catts twice a week or the roots would
rot. That depends on what you are growing in and how well it drains.

Steve

What is your humidity? I had this problem when my basement humidity was
below 25% I now have a whole house humidifier that keeps my humidity at
50%. Your media type dictates how often you should water. What kind of
growing media are you using? Feeding to often can cause growth that is too
rapid and sometimes weak. Also are your roots healthy all the way down to
the bottom of the pot?

I also water twice a week but I feed only once a month. My growing media
is a mix of coconut husk, charcoal and perlite.