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Dumb beginner question: cattleya cross blooming
Hi everyone,
I have a blc/pot cross which was supposed to reach blooming size 2 or 3 years ago. Back in May I posted about it because it seemed to be growing another leaf out of the centre of one of the shoots. People responded that sometimes an orchid that is not quite mature will start a sheath & then abort it, & I have pretty much ignored the thing till recently. It looked like a flat leaf, about as long as the main shoot (about 7"). Through the fall this mutant "leaf" began to turn yellow, then brown, & it has finally dried out & looked dead & papery. The tip of it was starting to turn a bit black. It also puffed out slightly & was full of air. Finally last night I peeled it open to see what was going on, & lo & behold there is a teeny little curly thing about half a cm long, right in the bottom of it that looks like it might want to become a flower spike ... I've never had a catt bloom before so I'm not sure what I'm looking at, but all this definitely sounds like the thing is going to try to flower after all, from what I read in my orchid guide about flower sheaths. So, forgive the dumb questions, but what I'd like to know is, 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? Isn't the sheath supposed to be full of spike before it turns brown? Have I screwed anything up by peeling it open so soon? I didn't pull it off; it's still there, just not sealed on the edges anymore. Should I be fertilizing still? I have Schultz all-purpose 10-15-10 liquid which I used to use, & Schultz orchid 19-31-17 powder which I switched to when I finally found some on a trip away (you can't get anything orchid related where I live). I've been using the orchid powder, not very accurately measured but diluted. The plant lives in an unshaded south window which I moved it to over the summer. Thanks for your help! Alison |
"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 |
K Barrett ) wrote:
: "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. A few of my catts are far more sadistic than that! One in particular spikes in the September-ish time frame and then sits there for six months (and counting) teasing me with the damn thing. It eventually blooms in the spring when the weather warms up (the sheath is just now starting to swell). For six months or more I get to worry on a daily basis that I or one of my family is going bump the silly thing the wrong way and break the spike off. Yep, this orchid has a very sadistic sense of humor, it surely does. Another catt, that I got at Kawamoto's a year ago last summer is behaving the same way. Yet another catt, that was a division a friend gave me, has developed multiple spikes that have never bloomed (3 spikes and counting!). I've only had it a couple of years so maybe it's still adapting to my environment. Then again, there's one of Koch's catts that blooms several times a year and never seems to go dormant. : 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 I grow indoors where the humidity is low and I rarely have this problem. I'd look into lighting or watering. Dave |
K Barrett ) wrote:
: "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. A few of my catts are far more sadistic than that! One in particular spikes in the September-ish time frame and then sits there for six months (and counting) teasing me with the damn thing. It eventually blooms in the spring when the weather warms up (the sheath is just now starting to swell). For six months or more I get to worry on a daily basis that I or one of my family is going bump the silly thing the wrong way and break the spike off. Yep, this orchid has a very sadistic sense of humor, it surely does. Another catt, that I got at Kawamoto's a year ago last summer is behaving the same way. Yet another catt, that was a division a friend gave me, has developed multiple spikes that have never bloomed (3 spikes and counting!). I've only had it a couple of years so maybe it's still adapting to my environment. Then again, there's one of Koch's catts that blooms several times a year and never seems to go dormant. : 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 I grow indoors where the humidity is low and I rarely have this problem. I'd look into lighting or watering. Dave |
"K Barrett" wrote in message ...
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. Well, I'm really glad I didn't try to pull the thing off when I thought it was just some mutant dead leaf :) What day/night length is supposed to be right for catts? Would it be helped or hindered by having a tube light on over it for part of the evening through the winter? (I guess it's fluorescent... it's your basic over-the-counter tube light...) Without knowing where you grow I'd speculate that you probably have low humidity issues New Brunswick... latitude 44ish... Average house humidity, I think, is around 50%, & it can be quite hot & dry in that south window, but it's also right above the kitchen sink. Maybe I should stick my hygrometer in the window for a few days & check. I won't tell it about Dave's catts; maybe it will be nicer to me :) Thanks, all. Alison |
"Alison" wrote in message
om... "K Barrett" wrote in message ... 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. Well, I'm really glad I didn't try to pull the thing off when I thought it was just some mutant dead leaf :) What day/night length is supposed to be right for catts? Would it be helped or hindered by having a tube light on over it for part of the evening through the winter? (I guess it's fluorescent... it's your basic over-the-counter tube light...) Well, I'd stick with mimicing your area's day variation, but not drop below 12 hours a day. As summer comes on I'd increase to 14-16 per day, and as winter comes around I'd drop back, but never going below 12 hours (the day/night length at the equator). As to placement, I'd get a light meter, and put the plant where the amount of light fell in the ranges specified for the genus. You can get several books that have the general recommendations. I like Ortho's 'All About Growing Orchids'. Its cheap and readily available. Recalling from memory, catts fall in the 1500 - 2500 ft-candle range. BUT! without getting into advanced biology, some plants adapt and do OK with more, some with less, depending on what you are growing. Since yours is wanting to flower for you, I'd say you are close to the light range it wants. Without knowing where you grow I'd speculate that you probably have low humidity issues New Brunswick... latitude 44ish... Average house humidity, I think, is around 50%, & it can be quite hot & dry in that south window, but it's also right above the kitchen sink. Maybe I should stick my hygrometer in the window for a few days & check. I won't tell it about Dave's catts; maybe it will be nicer to me :) IMHO, 50% is fine for catts. Especially above the kitchen sink. And you *should* tell it about Dave's catts. They can be quite competitive and want to show Dave's up. K Barrett |
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